Chapter 404: Taking a Master

Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Taking a Master

Otogakure.

The Sound Four, who had just gone through a fierce battle, stood neatly in a row before Orochimaru like children who had done something wrong. Among them, Kimimaro’s face was flushed red, his shame almost unbearable.

Orochimaru’s snake-like vertical pupils swept across the four of them, but not the slightest hint of joy or anger could be seen on his face.

Yamato forced himself to step forward.

"Lord Orochimaru, we’ve disappointed you!"

As soon as Yamato finished speaking, all four members of the Sound Four lowered their heads in unison.

In their eyes, the fact that the four of them had been unable to deal with a mere four enemies was proof of their own incompetence. With a performance like that, there was no way Orochimaru could possibly be satisfied with them.

Standing beside Orochimaru, Kabuto habitually pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

As a veteran spy who had operated throughout the various great nations, Kabuto’s experience and judgment were beyond question. He knew very well that every single member of the Mist Squad was an elite jōnin-level expert. If the four of them joined forces, they would even have no trouble assassinating certain Kage-level shinobi.

They were an extremely troublesome group of enemies.

For the inexperienced and still-young Sound Four to have fought the Mist Squad to such a prolonged stalemate had already far exceeded Kabuto’s expectations.

After a moment, Orochimaru waved his hand.

"Go and make your preparations. In a few days, you’ll accompany me on a diplomatic mission to Konoha."

"Yes!"

The Sound Four answered in unison before withdrawing.

Kimimaro had originally intended to briefly mention to Orochimaru what Renge had told him. However, after his poor performance this time, he was already overwhelmed with shame and no longer wanted to bother Orochimaru over such a trivial matter.

After the Sound Four had withdrawn, Kabuto said worriedly, "Lord Orochimaru, are you really going to Konoha personally? You could just send anyone to handle the alliance!"

Aside from Hyuga Kagami, nearly all of the spies Orochimaru had planted in Konoha had been handed over to Kabuto, so he knew very well that Konoha was currently on full war footing, ready at any moment to repel Akatsuki’s retaliation.

Therefore, if Orochimaru’s identity were exposed while he was in Konoha, he would find himself in an extremely dangerous situation.

Orochimaru grinned.

"Of course. Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the old man."

...

Beside a small stream somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.

As Renge drank from the stream, he cursed loudly, "Damn Akatsuki! Damn Orochimaru!"

Sitting on the ground nearby, Jūzō Biwa rested in silence, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Ryū demanded, "The intel never said we’d run into the First and Second Hokage! Jūzō, tell us the truth. Was this a trap Akatsuki deliberately set for us?"

Whenever something unexpected happened during a mission, their first instinct was to suspect that they had been framed or betrayed. It had practically become a common affliction among all Kirigakure shinobi, and Ryū was naturally no exception.

Ryū’s accusation immediately drew the attention of both Renge and Kisame, because what had just happened really did look far too much like a trap.

Jūzō Biwa said speechlessly, "You bunch of idiots. How could those two just now possibly have been the real First and Second Hokage? They’ve been dead for decades!"

Ryū and Renge were immediately left speechless.

Now that they calmed down and thought about it, those two really couldn’t have been the First and Second Hokage.

Kisame, however, frowned and asked, "Have any of you ever been to the Valley of the End?"

Jūzō Biwa said, "I know what you’re trying to say. That man in the red armor really did look very similar to the statue of the First Hokage in the Valley of the End, but there’s no way he was the real First Hokage!"

Renge immediately snapped, "What makes you so sure?"

Jūzō Biwa curled his lips.

"Because we’re all still alive!"

...

Konoha, Hyuga Kagami’s home.

Watching Rei bustle around the house, Hyuga Kagami smiled faintly and said, "You’re already Lady Tsunade’s disciple now. Stop wasting your time cleaning my house for me."

Rei said with a stern expression, "But you refuse to clean it yourself!"

Hyuga Kagami shrugged.

"It’s fine if it’s a little messy."

"Lazy bum!"

Hyuga Kagami chuckled.

Although Hyuga Kagami had only managed to gather the seventy-million-ryō apprenticeship gift within the past few days, Rei had actually already formally become Tsunade’s disciple while Hyuga Kagami was away on his mission to Kirigakure.

A small apprenticeship ceremony had even been held at the time, attended by prominent figures such as the Third Hokage, Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiga Fugaku, and others.

What surprised Hyuga Kagami even more was that Rei hadn’t been the only one to become Tsunade’s disciple.

A girl named Uchiha Izumi had also become Tsunade’s disciple alongside her.

Without a doubt, this was a move by the Uchiha clan to improve its relationship with the Hokage’s faction. After all, the pressure Akatsuki was placing on the village was simply too great, leaving the Uchiha clan and the village no choice but to band together for warmth.

However, Hyuga Kagami still didn’t know which side had taken the initiative in this matter.

Nor could he determine what method the Uchiha clan had used to persuade Tsunade. There were really only two possibilities: either they had pressured Tsunade through the village, or, like him, they had offered an apprenticeship gift so large that Tsunade couldn’t refuse.

Between the two, Hyuga Kagami actually hoped the Uchiha clan hadn’t paid an apprenticeship gift.

If that were the case, then with the Uchiha serving as a comparison, Tsunade would naturally look even more favorably upon Rei, whose apprenticeship had come with such a hefty gift.

As far as Hyuga Kagami was concerned, money wasn’t the issue. What mattered was whether Rei could learn the real stuff.

If Rei could master both Tsunade’s Strength of a Hundred Seal and Chakra Enhanced Strength, then that seventy million ryō would have been money well spent!

Pulling Rei over and making her sit down, Hyuga Kagami said seriously, "I’m being serious. From now on, don’t bother with this kind of work anymore. I’ll arrange for someone else to handle it."

Rei pouted. "Other than me, who would possibly come over and clean for you?"

Hyuga Kagami grinned.

"You’re underestimating me. My subordinates in Team 7 are all free labor! If I tell them to come clean my house, they wouldn’t dare complain."

Rei sighed. "Even if you hadn’t said anything, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to come over very often anymore. Lady Tsunade is extremely strict, and everything she teaches is incredibly advanced. I’m having a really hard time learning it all."

Medical ninjutsu was already notoriously difficult to master, and the techniques Tsunade was teaching Rei were the newest and most cutting-edge medical techniques available.

Forget actually putting them into practice—even understanding the underlying principles alone was already proving overwhelming for Rei.

Hyuga Kagami reassured her, "It’s always like that in the beginning."

Although Rei’s natural talent was limited, the Byakugan gave her an unparalleled advantage when it came to medical ninjutsu.

Hyuga Kagami believed that as long as Rei was willing to work hard, she would definitely be able to learn some genuine skills from Tsunade.

"I hope so." After a brief pause, Rei asked again, "Kagami, do you think Lady Tsunade will kick me out if I can’t satisfy her expectations?"

Hyuga Kagami answered without the slightest hesitation.

"She won’t!"

Rei looked at him curiously. "Why?"

Hyuga Kagami grumbled inwardly,

"Because she can’t afford to pay back the seventy-million-ryō apprenticeship gift!"