"It seems your escort mission to the Land of Grass went quite smoothly."
Orochimaru looked at Kaede, a glint flashing through his eyes as he revealed a slightly eerie smile. Tilting his head back slightly, he spoke to Kaede.
Having been dispatched to the frontlines in the Land of Grass by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru originally intended to bring Kaede along, but couldn't find him. After inquiring, he learned that Kaede had taken on an escort mission for a merchant caravan.
He had thought perhaps he might run into Kaede in the Land of Grass, but unexpectedly, Kaede had returned today and had been assigned to him directly by Sarutobi.
Of course—
That wasn't what truly caught Orochimaru's attention.
What truly drew his attention was the fact that Kaede's demeanor had changed since the last time they met!
Previously, Kaede gave off a cautious air. While there were hints of confidence, it was restrained and kept hidden.
But now, from head to toe, Kaede radiated a youthful vitality and confidence. It was as if he had transformed into an entirely different person.
There was no doubt about it.
If Kaede had failed the escort mission, his demeanor wouldn't have changed like this. That meant not only had he completed the task, but perhaps he had encountered some unexpected situations, and resolved them flawlessly.
only something like that could explain such a drastic shift in temperament, from cautious and reserved to vibrant and self-assured.
"Yes,"
Kaede nodded and said calmly, "There was a small accident, but the mission was completed."
Orochimaru revealed an unsurprised expression and let out a soft chuckle. "Hehehe… Now I'm curious to hear about it."
He was intrigued by whatever unexpected event had caused such a change in Kaede.
But before Kaede could say more, another figure stumbled in through the door, his steps clumsy and hurried. It was Might Duy.
"Sorry, sorry! I hope I'm not late!"
Might Duy scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward chuckle, then quickly walked up to Orochimaru, looking somewhat flustered.
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm Might Duy. The Hokage sent me to join the advance unit..."
Orochimaru shifted his gaze from Kaede to Might Duy, his eyes flashing with a hint of bewilderment.
Kaede, at least, was his student and had shown great potential. But this Duy, his movements were clumsy to the extreme. Why would Sarutobi assign someone like this to the advance unit?
This wasn't just any squad.
This was a unit tasked with intercepting Iwa shinobi at the border!
Every member was elite. There were sixteen jonin, six tokubetsu jonin, and sixty Chunin, all the cream of the crop.
Could he be pretending?
Just acting clumsy?
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes with suspicion.
Although Might Duy was a bit older, Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't have made such a random decision. That meant Duy had to have some talent or skill that made him fit for the advanced force.
As Orochimaru was contemplating this, some of the ninja in the room who recognized Might Duy couldn't help but react in surprise.
"Hey, hey! Might Duy, what are you doing here?! This isn't a place for someone like you!"
"You couldn't find a squad willing to take you, so you're trying to sneak into the advance unit like this?! Are you crazy? You could be punished for this!"
Among the Chunin present, some had served as Duy's squad leaders in the past, and had been dragged down by him. Their eyes were filled with annoyance.
The advance unit was headed to the Land of Grass to engage in war with Iwa!
This was no joke!
Might Duy also noticed a few familiar faces, Chunin who had once led him and been "burned" by his incompetence. Looking awkward, he scratched his head.
"Ahem, well... I was sent here by the Hokage himself."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Morino Ibiki frowned. "You're a Genin! How could the Hokage possibly assign you to the advance force? Keep this up and you'll be punished!"
Genin?
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, growing even more curious about Might Duy.
Duy cleared his throat, placed a fist over his chest, and stood up straighter.
"Actually, I'm not a Genin anymore. I've been promoted to tokubetsu jonin."
"...Enough!"
Morino Ibiki finally lost his patience. Furious, he stepped out of the crowd and prepared to throw Might Duy out for continuing this farce.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes but didn't intervene. He was curious to see how this would play out, was Might Duy truly someone special, or just a bold fool?
However—
Just as Morino Ibiki moved toward Might Duy, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Duy-senpai really is a tokubetsu jonin. I can vouch for him."
The voice made Ibiki pause. Many of the others turned in surprise, only to see that it was Kaede who had spoken, standing beside Orochimaru.
Even Kaede?
Ibiki was already skeptical about Kaede joining the advance unit.
Sure, he'd heard about Kaede's early graduation and being the only one to pass the Chunin exams, but still, he was far too young!
No matter how talented, Kaede was a rookie with no real battlefield experience. Having someone like that in the advance unit was hard to accept.
But at least Kaede was a Chunin, so he could be barely justified.
But Might Duy?
This clumsy, mission-sabotaging eternal Genin joining the unit tasked with intercepting Iwa shinobi?! No way. Ibiki couldn't believe Sarutobi would make such a decision.
"Hey, kid. Don't talk nonsense if you don't know what's going on... Do you even know how many disasters this guy's caused? The Hokage would never send someone like him here!"
Ibiki growled, staring down Kaede.
But Kaede simply smiled lightly and replied, "I'm not lying. Duy-senpai was given a special promotion. He should have a formal directive with him, right?"
"oh! I almost forgot!"
At Kaede's reminder, Might Duy fumbled in his pocket and pulled out an official order, complete with the Hokage's seal.
Ibiki stared in disbelief.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and took the scroll. After a quick glance, his snake-like pupils narrowed, and he gave Might Duy a sharp look.
"So that's it…"
After a few moments of contemplation, Orochimaru made a decision. He put the scroll away and said, "Might Duy, you and Kaede won't be assigned to other squads. You'll act directly under me."
Might Duy exhaled in relief and responded, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"
Ibiki was left stunned, unable to process what had just happened. He turned to Orochimaru in disbelief.
"Orochimaru-sama, what's going on here...?"
"You'll find out when the time comes."
Orochimaru replied calmly, then gave Might Duy another long, penetrating look.
With that, Ibiki and the others exchanged bewildered glances, struggling to comprehend how Duy had just joined Kaede at Orochimaru's side.
What the hell?
That clumsy guy... is actually a tokubetsu jonin?!
Those who were familiar with Might Duy all looked completely baffled.
Orochimaru hadn't questioned the order, which meant it was genuine, directly from the Hokage himself. But even so, it was hard to make sense of it.
They had just finished mentally preparing themselves for the battlefield... only for a ten-year-old kid and Might Duy to join their unit out of nowhere.
Their carefully adjusted mindset was rapidly starting to crack.
one was questionable, now two?
This could be a serious problem...
************
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