Everyone in this tent was a Konoha Jonin, and being watched by so many Jonin at once, Uchiha En instantly felt immense pressure.
Fortunately, most of the Jonin did not keep staring at Uchiha En and his teammates, merely glancing at them before looking away.
At this moment, Orochimaru, who was standing at the very front, looked down at the three of them.
His gaze lingered on Yamanaka Kagetsu for a moment before shifting to Uchiha En, who was standing in the middle.
Uchiha En immediately felt his hair stand on end. Orochimaru's gaze carried a sense of invasion, making Uchiha En extremely uncomfortable.
However, Orochimaru's gaze did not linger on him either, quickly moving toward Asana.
After observing Asana for a few seconds, Orochimaru said, "Shibi, introduce your subordinates."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. The one on the left among the three is Yamanaka Kagetsu of the Yamanaka Clan, the one in the middle is Uchiha En of the Uchiha Clan, and the one on the right is Asana of the Hyuga Clan."
"Shibi, is there anything special about your subordinates?" Orochimaru asked.
"Well... I don't think so!"
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru smiled and said, "It seems you, as a teacher, don't know your students well enough!"
At this point, a masked Ninja standing beside Orochimaru, who looked somewhat like an Anbu, said, "Lord Orochimaru, let's stop joking and get down to business."
"Alright! That's enough joking. Shibi, the reason I called all the members of your squad here is because I have a mission for you."
"Please give your orders, Lord Orochimaru," Aburame Shibi said.
"We won this battle against Kirigakure by surprise, eliminating a large number of Kirigakure Ninja, but Kirigakure's high-level combat forces did not suffer significant losses.
Furthermore, if nothing unexpected happens, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, will soon arrive on the battlefield.
Since this fellow has just taken over as the Fourth Mizukage, he is bound to fight a battle to establish his authority. The Land of Bears battlefield may face a more dangerous situation next.
Therefore, we need your squad to penetrate deep into enemy territory and constantly monitor the movements of the Kirigakure Ninja until you confirm the arrival of the Fourth Mizukage, then return."
(PS: The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, has not yet officially taken the position of Mizukage at this time, but since there is no available information on the Third Mizukage, I decided to write about the Fourth Mizukage directly. Furthermore, at this stage, the Fourth Mizukage is not the Three-Tails Jinchuriki; he only became the Three-Tails Jinchuriki after Rin's death. This is a preemptive clarification.)
Aburame Shibi's expression immediately became serious upon hearing this. The danger level of this mission was incomparable to previous ones.
Previous missions were, at most, clearing traps on the battlefield, but this one would likely require much deeper penetration.
To confirm when the Fourth Mizukage arrives, they would need to approach the Kirigakure camp itself.
"Lord Orochimaru, these three lack experience. Let me go alone for this mission!" Aburame Shibi said.
"Shibi, your Parasitic Insects can indeed detect enemies far away, but you have no way of identifying the amount of the enemy's Chakra, nor do you have reliable means of transmitting messages. You probably cannot complete this mission alone," Orochimaru said.
"But these three just graduated from the Ninja Academy not long ago. Isn't it inappropriate to assign them a mission like this?"
"That's why I said you don't know your students, Shibi. Teacher Sarutobi thinks highly of all three of them. In the letter that just arrived, Teacher Sarutobi specifically asked about their situation," Orochimaru said with a smile.
After hearing Orochimaru's words, Aburame Shibi was momentarily speechless.
"En certainly has some talent, but he is too young, lacks stability, and is inexperienced. Why don't I go in En's place?" Uchiha Mei, who had been silent, said.
Seeing Uchiha Mei make a statement, a Jonin from the Hyuga Clan Branch Family also raised a similar request.
Inoichi Yamanaka, the leader of the Yamanaka Clan, also stepped forward and said, "Most members of the Yamanaka Clan cooperate with members of the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan. Individuals like Kagetsu are rare.
"We don't currently have anyone who can replace Kagetsu, but we are willing to dispatch a perfectly coordinated Ino–Shika–Choji team to assist in carrying out this mission."
"What Inoichi means is also what I mean," Akimichi Choza added.
"Shikaku, what do you say?" Orochimaru turned and asked.
"I have no objections either," Nara Shikaku replied somewhat helplessly.
"In that case, this mission is entrusted to you. Shibi, you are the captain of this mission, and all five of them must follow your command."
Hearing this, Uchiha En finally understood. Orochimaru calling them in and assigning them the mission publicly was a clear case of having ulterior motives.
With the qualifications of these three, how could they possibly be entrusted with such an important mission? It was obvious that Orochimaru intended to use the three of them as bait.
Especially since Orochimaru deliberately mentioned that the Sandaime thought highly of them—this was also a way of pressuring the various clans present.
Forcing them to send suitable candidates to execute the mission.
"Since others have stepped in for you, the three of you don't need to go. You may leave now."
Aburame Shibi heard this and gave Uchiha En and his teammates a meaningful look, urging them to leave quickly.
Uchiha En turned and glanced at Uchiha Mei, who nodded back at him.
Uchiha En sighed inwardly, turned, and left.
Seeing this, Asana and Yamanaka Kagetsu immediately followed suit.
After exiting the tent, Uchiha En's expression was somewhat grim.
"En, did Lord Orochimaru just use us to coerce the Jonin of our clans into taking on that dangerous mission?" Asana asked.
"Yes."
Yamanaka Kagetsu sighed upon hearing this and said, "Ah! So that's really what happened! I thought I was mistaken! If the seniors in our clans are injured or killed because of this operation, what should we do?"
Uchiha En and Asana exchanged a look but remained silent. The atmosphere between the three of them was heavy.
To be honest, Uchiha En hadn't expected Uchiha Mei to be the first person to speak up and volunteer to take the mission in his stead.
After Uchiha En figured out Orochimaru's objective, he sensed that someone from one of the clans would volunteer to take the mission, forcing the others to declare their intentions.
Uchiha En had originally thought the first to speak would be someone from the Yamanaka Clan, especially since their leader, Inoichi Yamanaka, was present.
Instead, the first to speak was Uchiha Mei. This senior, whom he had only met twice, unhesitatingly expressed willingness to take on such a dangerous mission for him, which further solidified Uchiha En's resolve to save the Uchiha Clan.
"Asana, Kagetsu, let's call it a day. Let's meet tomorrow morning at 8 AM at our usual spot in the camp." After saying this, Uchiha En turned and left.
Asana and Yamanaka Kagetsu also said goodbye to each other and returned to their respective clan camps.
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