Just as the group was deep in discussion, Anko suddenly came running up, shouting:
"Orochimaru-sensei is looking for you. He said to bring your teammates and head to the Hokage's office right away!"
"Huh?"
Kiyosuke and the others exchanged puzzled glances. A sense of unease crept into Kiyosuke's heart, but they couldn't exactly refuse.
He reached into his equipment pouch and pulled out two books, handing them to Rin.
"These are gifts for Kakashi. I think he'll enjoy them."
One was My Ninja Romance is Totally Doomed, the other So, I'm About to Become Hokage – Here's the Story. Just reading the titles was enough to catch someone's eye—but the real attention-grabber was the "18+" rating boldly printed on the covers.
Rin blinked. "..."
"Are these really appropriate as gifts?"
Obito leaned over with a grin.
"Kakashi'll love them. That guy's a closet perv!"
"..."
"Haha, looks like we've got a mission. We'll be off, then. Obito, take care of Rin, alright?"
"Of course."
"And one more thing. If a strange old man shows up claiming to be from the Uchiha clan, you need to be extra careful. Just go along with him for now, agree to whatever he says on the surface... but remember—if it really happens, don't believe anything that follows. Not unless you trust me."
Kiyosuke looked at Obito seriously, startling him a little. But faced with that intense expression, Obito nodded solemnly.
"Got it. If I meet a weird old guy, I'll be careful."
The warning wasn't nearly enough—but there was no time to explain more.
With Anko leading the way, the three of them left.
Rin tilted her head. "Why did Kiyosuke tell you to be careful around old people?"
"No idea... but I trust him."
She didn't know the reason—but she chose to believe.
...
Hokage's Office
Kiyosuke and the others rushed in. Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen were already there, both looking grim.
Without preamble, Orochimaru said,
"Let's go. To the Kirigakure frontlines."
"Huh? So sudden? Why are we heading there now, Orochimaru-sensei?"
"The Third Mizukage has made his move."
Those four words—Third Mizukage—represented the strongest power in the Land of Water. He was the second Kage to enter the war.
Sarutobi added, "After the death of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Third Mizukage had no choice but to enter the battlefield himself. Homura and Koharu are barely holding the line. Meanwhile, over at the Earth Country front…"
He looked exhausted. The Land of Fire was surrounded by enemies on all sides—perilously close to collapse.
Now that the Third Mizukage had entered the fight, the Kirigakure front became the most dangerous warzone.
But as the Hokage, Sarutobi couldn't go personally unless absolutely necessary. The village couldn't afford to be left undefended.
That made Orochimaru—recently withdrawn from the Wind Country front—the most logical choice.
Originally, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had sent Kiyosuke's team to assassinate the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in hopes of easing the pressure from Kirigakure.
Who would've guessed that their actions would force the Third Mizukage himself to intervene?
In hindsight, maybe it would've been better not to kill them.
But what was done was done. Now, they had to stabilize the situation in the Land of Waves.
Kirigakure had been driven out of the Land of Waves, and Konoha was advancing into the Land of Water. The appearance of the Third Mizukage ratcheted up the tension in an instant.
That was part of the reason he stepped in—not just because of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's deaths.
The bigger reason was that Konoha had already breached the Land of Water.
Without the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kirigakure was like a tiger with its claws removed. But they still had the Third Mizukage—razor-sharp fangs.
"I understand. I'll head to the front with Kiyosuke and the others immediately," Orochimaru said.
"Due to the sudden invasion from the Land of Earth, we can't spare many troops," Sarutobi warned.
The Wind Country front still needed defending. Jiraiya was busy stabilizing the situation in the Land of Lightning. And now the Earth Country's surprise attack had diverted most of the forces they'd pulled from the Wind front.
That left Orochimaru with very few men.
But he just shook his head. "It's fine."
He wasn't concerned. As long as he could stall the Third Mizukage, that was enough.
"You should move out immediately. Every minute counts," Sarutobi urged, massaging his temples.
Not that you'll go yourself, huh…
He wanted to complain but knew the Hokage had to stay in Konoha. If the village were attacked while he was away, the consequences would be disastrous.
Only in extreme cases would the Hokage take the field.
"Let's go. Anko, you're coming too."
Kiyosuke's eyes widened. "She only just graduated—are you sure it's a good idea to bring her to the battlefield?"
"She needs to see the reality of war," Orochimaru replied curtly, then turned and led the four of them out.
Sarutobi lit another cigarette and stared out the window, deep in thought about what to do next.
...
On the road, Kiyosuke's expression was grim.
Looks like we won't be going to the Land of Earth anymore… Obito…
He sighed. The battlefront was shifting to Kirigakure. Rin would be heading there too. All he could do was make sure she stayed safe.
As long as Rin was okay, that idiot Obito would never fall into darkness.
"You afraid, Kiyosuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked.
"Not really. It's just the Third Mizukage. I doubt he'll be able to do much to me. I'm just annoyed that my vacation's ruined."
"There'll be more vacations in the future. Don't worry."
Adjusting his backpack, Orochimaru said, "We need to get to the Land of Water as fast as possible. I'll go on ahead. Can't wait for you guys. Kiyosuke, as team leader, you're in charge of leading Asuma and the others."
"Yes, sir."
Orochimaru nodded and picked up his pace. In moments, he vanished from sight.
Anko asked, "Kiyosuke, aren't we going after Orochimaru-sensei?"
"We can't catch up to him. His speed's way ahead of ours. We'll just follow as fast as we can."
Orochimaru was hurrying ahead to take command of the Konoha forces. Though Mitokado and Utatane were elders of the village, they couldn't compare to the Third Mizukage in strength.
Orochimaru's job was to balance the scales.
The Third Mizukage could launch an attack at any moment. The sooner they got there, the less risk.
As for Kiyosuke's team—they were still just kids. It was fine for them to arrive a bit later.
"Kiyosuke… what's the battlefield like?" Anko asked.
"A place where people die."
Kiyosuke replied, "One careless move and you'll lose your life. Anko, I honestly don't agree with Orochimaru-sensei bringing you into this. But only by surviving the fire and blood of war can you become a true shinobi."
He looked at her and said, "On the battlefield, the only things you can trust are the weapon in your hand—and the comrades you trust with your life. Nothing else. No one else."
The shinobi battlefield was filled with death and traps. A single mistake could cost everything.
Anko nodded firmly. "I'll be careful."
"Kurēnai," Kiyosuke turned to her, "I'm counting on you to look after Anko. Let's pick up the pace!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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