After Sora pleted the mission to extermihe bandits, Orochimaru did not immediately return to Konoha. Instead, he took Sora to meet the Daimyo of Land of Sound. However, Orochimaru instructed Sora to stay behind at the hotel a while he met with the Daimyo alone.

  Lying on the bed, Sora couldn't help but think about Orochimaru's meeting with the Daimyo. Iure, Orochimaru will establish Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Vilge, withierritory of Ta no Kuni. It was known that Orochimaru had bribed the Daimyo to gain permission to create the vilge, though Otogakure itself operated indepely and wasn't officially affiliated with Ta no Kuni.

  Essentially, Otogakure was Otogakure, and Land of Sound was Land of Sound. The two existed side by side but had no formal e.

  Was Orochimaru already f a retionship with the Daimyo at this point? If so, it seemed pusible, though his pns might not yet have fully succeeded. Even so, Orochimaru eventually established his shinobi vilge and developed the Living Corpse Reination, a Forbidden Teique that granted him something akin to immortality.

  Looking at Orochimaru's life, much of it could be seen as a success. However, his obsession with the Sharingan would ter lead to his downfall. Despite his failures, Orochimaru always mao survive in the end.

  When Sora awoke the m, Orochimaru had returo the hotel.

  "Let's head back to Konoha," Orochimaru said.

  Sora and Orochimaru began their journey back to the vilge. Upon their arrival, Orochimaru first apanied Sora to report the pletion of the mission. Afterwards, they went to meet with Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.

  Ihe Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, with his pipe in hand, greeted Sora with a kind smile.

  "Sora," he began, "your first mission as a shinobi was a k mission, and you performed exceptionally well."

  Sora bowed respectfully. "Thank you very much, Lord Hokage, and thank you, Orochimaru-sensei, for trustih this mission."

  Sarutobi chuckled warmly. "You've ear through your own hard work. Orochimaru speaks very highly of you, saying you are both talented and diligent in your training."

  S Orochimaru, then replied, "It's all thanks to Orochimaru-sensei's guidance. Without him, I wouldn't have progressed this far so quickly."

  Sora's words were sincere. Without Orochimaru's teags, his training would have been far less effective, and his growth would have been much slower. A good teacher truly made all the difference, helping to avoid unnecessary detours.

  Orochimaru had indeed been an excelleor, and while Sora remained cautious of him, he couldn't deny his gratitude for Orochimaru's efforts.

  Orochimaru's future obsession with the Sharingan weighed on Sora's mind. As long as Orochimaru didn't target Sora's Sharingan, there would be no flict of i between them. Perhaps iure, Orochimaru will still remain his teacher, and Sora will still be his loyal disciple.

  Orochimaru did not hesitate to praise Sora in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Sora is an exceptional ninja. Although it was his first mission, the pn he devised, and its execution was fwless. Even some in with multiple missions uheir belt would struggle to perform as well as Sora did."

  Sarutobi Hiruzen took a thoughtful puff of his pipe, his expression softening. "This is the first time I've heard you praise a ninja-like this, Orochimaru. It seems you are highly satisfied with your disciple."

  Orochimaru g Sora with a faint smile and nodded. "I am indeed very satisfied."

  Sarutobi Hiruzen also smiled briefly, but his expression quickly turned serious. Without avoiding Sora, he addressed Orochimaru directly. "Orochimaru, the shinobi world is on the brink of turmoil."

  Orochimaru's gaze sharpened. "Are the other ninja vilges preparing to make their move?"

  The Third Hokage spread out a rge map on his desk and began analyzing the situation. "Yes. Acc to the intelligence we've received, Iwagakure shinobi have been spotted he border between Taki no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Meanwhile, shinobi from Kumogakure have been seen on the border between Yu no Kuni and Hi no Kuni.

  "And Sunagakure? They've been causing trouble for us sporadically along our borders.

  "The current state of Kirigakure is unclear. I've sent multiple letters to the Mizukage, but I have yet to receive any response."

  Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly. "So, Iwagakure and Kumogakure are testing Konoha's defences. If they're ag simultaneously, it's possible they've reached an agreement. If Sunagakure joins them, three of the five great ninja vilges will have turheir attention toward Konoha."

  He paused, then muttered, "As for Kirigakure... their silence may mean they're avoiding involvement or pnning something of their own."

  Pointing at the map, Orochimaru asked, "What is the current scale of Iwagakure and Kumogakure's operations?"

  Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "For now, their movements are minor. They haven't fully entered our borders yet. However, based on their as, it's only a matter of time before they make mgressive moves. Right now, they're testing Konoha's resolve."

  He sighed and added, "Thankfully, Jiraiya is training Minato. If necessary, Minato be deployed directly to the battlefield. With them and others of their calibre, we dey the outbreak of full-scale war for the time being. However, I expect local skirmishes to begin within the wo years."

  The Third Hokage's expressiraver. "It's been only a few years sihe Sed Ninja World War ended, and peace has been fragile. Now, there are signs of another war on the horizohat could be directed squarely at Konoha."

  He paused, then tinued, "The First Ninja World War began when Kumogakure decred war on Konoha shortly after Senju Hashirama's death. The world had been at peader the First Hokage's deterrent power, but after his passing, that deterrence was lost. Kumogakure's decratioo a rea, with the other vilges joining the flict.

  "The Sed Ninja World War stemmed from eic disparity betweeions. The widening gap sparked militaristients, and the tries sought to expand their territories uhe pretext of fairness. While her of these wars saw Land of Fire as the main battlefield, the situation now is different.

  "If the four reat vilges target Konoha together, the Land of Fire will bear the brunt of the fighting. Our nation will bee the primary battlefield, and the resultiation will be immense."

  Orochimaru's expression turned icy as he studied the map in silence, deep in thought.

  Sora, who had been listening ily to the versation, was taken aback. Signs of war? Was it really so immi?

  On refle, it seemed iable—the timeli.

  Sora's thoughts drifted to one specifit: the day when shinobi from Kumogakure would attempt to kidnap Uzumaki Kushina. That day was likely fast approag.

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