Naruto: Sukuna Jinchuriki, I am Uchiha.

Page 18

One reason is that the Uchiha clan is inherently impolite, and another is that Uchiha Kagami knows that Orochimaru doesn't care about how others treat him.

Hearing this, Minato scratched his head sheepishly.

"Haha, I'm still a long way off."

"However, I will definitely become Hokage!"

As he spoke, he quietly lowered the hand seals he had been forming behind his back.

Just now, the situation was so tense that he was even planning to help Uchiha Kagami silence Orochimaru.

Konoha could not afford the cost of the Uchiha clan leaving, and Minato realized the immense damage that a break between the two would cause to the village.

Fortunately, Lord Orochimaru was just joking; otherwise, for the sake of the village's stability, we would have had no choice but to try and kill Lord Orochimaru.

There was no other way; it was for the sake of the village!

This is instruction from the Third Hokage!

Orochimaru was unaware that his death star had been pounding wildly, and he hadn't intended to tattle on it anyway.

What he wants to see most right now is what kind of power Uchiha Kagami can display on this battlefield.

In just half a day, he received his first surprise.

Scorching escape... I'll be busy tonight.

Chapter 22 The Intelligence Brought by Sakumo Hatake

However, compared to the Blazing Release, Orochimaru was clearly more attracted to Uchiha Kagami in front of him.

After the others left, he used a summoning snake to notify his subordinates in Konoha Village and gathered more detailed information about Uchiha Kagami.

Before this, all he knew was that this kid was an Uchiha who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan very early.

He had seen Sharingan with three tomoe before, but they were just so-so, neither good nor bad.

However, this kid's eye power is obviously far beyond that of ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan. Orochimaru even suspects that he has already awakened the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan!

Uchiha Kagami did not deliberately conceal his information.

His superb Uchiha swordsmanship was used to seal the Nine-Tails when it went berserk, and he mastered the A-rank ninjutsu developed by Minato Namikaze in just two days...

Ninja, Body, and Illusion – All-rounder in the Trinity!

In addition, he also possesses an invisible slash, the power of which is comparable to a bloodline limit.

Coupled with his cold and decisive personality, this kind of person...

Unless it's a crushing defeat in sheer strength, even Orochimaru wouldn't be able to come up with a plan to defeat him.

Poisoning and sneak attacks are nothing but a joke under the Sharingan's gaze.

If I summon Manda, can I defeat him?

Orochimaru is already considering using his trump card.

"What is the upper limit of the ninjutsu used by Mirror-kun to kill Pakura?"

"I have no intention of exploring the secrets of your ninjutsu; it's just for the sake of future mission arrangements."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Kagami said, "If the opponent is not on guard, we should be able to kill the elite Jonin."

“Strictly speaking, even the Hokage is only an elite Jonin…” Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly: “Is it really a good idea to use this kind of first-encounter killing ability so quickly?”

"Ninjutsu was developed to be used."

"What's there to hide, Lord Orochimaru? I advise you not to take this ninjutsu too seriously." Uchiha Kagami looked at Orochimaru with great interest, his tone like that of a senior instructing a junior.

"By the time you figured out a way to defend against this technique, I would have already updated and iterated it several times over."

"This is the composure of a genius..."

Orochimaru, unperturbed, quietly ended the conversation, saying, "Minato-kun... why do you think Sunagakure has suddenly increased its infiltration of the Land of Fire?"

"Based on the intelligence we have, they seem to be looking for someone. Who is it that would make them go to such lengths?"

"It's the Third Kazekage."

It wasn't Jing who spoke; he wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal such information himself.

A blood-stained, silver-haired man suddenly appeared, lifting the curtain of the command room.

"Brother Shuo Mao!"

"Senior Hatake!"

Even Orochimaru was shocked, noticing the numerous wounds on Hatake Sakumo's body.

The most serious injury was to the wrist; half of the palm was cut open!

Sakumo Hatake's face was pale, and his gaze fell on the stunned Kakashi.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi."

Unable to contain his emotions, Kakashi suddenly threw himself into Sakumo Hatake's arms, sobbing silently.

With a perfectly intact hand gently patting Kakashi's back, Sakumo Hatake's eyes were filled with affection.

No matter what, Kakashi is just a child. It was wrong of me to abandon him and run away like this.

After the touching reunion between father and son, Orochimaru asked the crucial question.

"Brother Sakumo, what do you mean by the Third Kazekage you mentioned?"

Suddenly, a Nara clan ninja rushed in without being notified. The news was too explosive, and he had to tell Orochimaru immediately.

"Lord Orochimaru! Information about Yamanaka En! They're here to find the missing Third Kazekage..."

He glanced around and spotted Sakumo Hatake.

Orochimaru frowned and pointed at him: "Guard the door and don't let anyone in."

"Brother Shuo Mao, please continue."

Orochimaru was more interested in the information that Sakumo Hatake could bring than the information in the minds of those Sand Village ninjas.

He was also very curious about who could have injured Sakumo Hatake so badly.

"I encountered Sasori of the Red Sand Village, who is Chiyo's grandson."

"A genius puppeteer, I've heard of him."

Skipping the step of explanation, Sakumo Hatake's next sentence plunged the room into a deathly silence.

"He assassinated the Third Kazekage and turned both himself and the Third Kazekage into human puppets."

"I fought him, and we were both badly injured, but he got away."

"So that's how it is..." Kakashi looked at his father's body covered in wounds, and then thought about it.

"Then as long as we explain this to Sunagakure, they will abandon the war and go after Sasori of the Red Sand!"

Kakashi was the only one there who was as naive as him.

Orochimaru shook his head: "Sunagakure won't believe it without the puppet corpse of the Third Kazekage."

"They'll just think that we killed not only the Kazekage, but also Sasori of the Red Sand."

“Even if they believe it, it won’t matter.” Minato’s mind was also working quickly.

"Granny Chiyo is a smart woman. When she learns of this news, she will claim that it is a divisive tactic by Konoha to undermine the unity of Sunagakure."

"They will only invest more resources in the war effort, shifting from searching for the Third Kazekage to seeking revenge against Konoha for the Kazekage's sake."

Uchiha Kagami chuckled and looked at Kakashi: "The best way to divert internal conflicts is to turn them into external ones."

Not only was his ninjutsu talent inferior, but Kakashi also felt that his intelligence had been completely outmatched.

Noticing his disappointment, Hatake Sakumo rubbed his head.

"How to make the specific arrangements is your business. I'm just telling you this news before I leave."

"Father, where are you going before you leave?!"

Sakumo Hatake sighed and said with a wry smile, "Sasori's target is me. As long as I leave the Land of Fire, he will continue to chase after me."

Most importantly, he was afraid that Sasori of the Red Sand would attack Kakashi. A guy who dared to assassinate the Kazekage and succeeded was too dangerous.

Orochimaru frowned: "There's no need to trade. In my opinion, Sakumo is more important than the Third Kazekage and Sasori."

“I can pull some strings. With your information, we can completely eliminate the impact of your previous departure.”

To be fair, Orochimaru wanted Sakumo Hatake to return to Konoha, as the three of them had received a lot of help from Sakumo Hatake on the battlefield in their early years.

After Sakumo Hatake left, Tsunade was so angry that she ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even she and Jiraiya had some complaints about the Third Hokage.

Anyone with common sense can see what really happened back then.

Sakumo Hatake shook his head and smiled, "No need, I've gotten used to my current life, and I feel quite free."

"Is that so..." Orochimaru did not insist and chose to respect Sakumo Hatake's choice.

"Father! Me too..."

Sakumo Hatake stopped Kakashi from saying anything more, bent down to meet his gaze, and smiled gently, "Wait until you've grown into a ninja who can stand on your own before making your own decision."

He turned to Minato and Kagami: "Minato-kun, Kagami-kun, I'm sorry to trouble you to take good care of me. I'm very relieved that Kakashi is with you."

"Sakumo-senpai, I will definitely protect Kakashi." Minato nodded firmly.

Aside from Kushina, Konoha was the most important thing in Minato's eyes. He deeply respected this great ninja who had dedicated most of her life to Konoha.

Uchiha Kagami turned his gaze to Orochimaru, "Now that you know this information, what do you plan to do, Lord Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru unconsciously licked his tongue and said coldly, "Of course, we should take advantage of the fact that Sunagakure is leaderless and give them a good beating!"

"A very wise choice." Uchiha Kagami nodded in satisfaction. If it were those old men in the village, they might have discussed using this news to negotiate peace with Sunagakure.

Chapter 23 Pre-war meeting

Orochimaru completely disregarded the rules and directly incorporated Minato's team into the tactical planning.

After seeing Sakumo Hatake off, he gathered several frontline ninja, including an ANBU captain...

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the eldest son of the Third Hokage.

Orochimaru is the commander-in-chief at the front, so he is similar to a warlord, and some important decisions cannot be made without his involvement.

He did not wear a mask during the meeting and was a young man who resembled the third generation in their youth.

After explaining the general situation, Orochimaru began to describe his plan.

"The Sand Village is currently sending a large number of ninjas to harass the borders of the Land of Fire. It would be too passive to drive them out one by one."

"I plan to concentrate our forces and launch a direct counterattack against the Wind Kingdom, forcing them to return to defend it!"

After a moment of silence, the Jonin Nara said in a deep voice, "This could indeed force Sunagakure to withdraw from the borders of the Land of Fire, but Lord Orochimaru..."

"In that case, our border will be vulnerable, and Iwagakure will not let such an opportunity pass us by."

Of the five great nations of the ninja world, omitting some smaller countries, the Land of Fire is located at the center of the five great nations.

In every Shinobi World War, it was assumed that the Land of Fire would fight the other four.

If it were just the Land of Wind invading, the Land of Fire wouldn't be worried at all. With Konoha's strength, they could easily crush them eighteen times over.

Orochimaru and his allies were facing not only Sunagakure, but also the neighboring Iwagakure of the Land of Earth on the western front.

If that old man Onoki discovers that Konoha ninjas are invading the Land of Wind in large numbers, he will definitely let Iwagakure ninjas take the opportunity to plunder the Land of Fire.

Orochimaru looked at Minato: "I remember Minato-kun encountered Jinchuriki from Iwagakure. How strong were they?"

Unless it's a major battle, the village leaders generally won't appear on the front lines, since protecting the village is the most important thing.

Therefore, the highest level of combat power in conventional terms is the Jinchūriki (human jinchūriki).

After thinking for a moment, Minato replied, "They are very strong. Most importantly... they have the ability to strike on a wide area, so numbers are not that important to them."

The strongest ability of a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki is to unleash a Tailed Beast Ball, which is equivalent to a cannon in the era of cold weapons.

Don't be fooled by the fact that top-tier ninjas can treat tailed beasts like pets. Even a perfect ninja like Sakumo Hatake, a master of one-on-one combat, can't defeat a tailed beast.

It is known that only sealing techniques can effectively restrain tailed beasts.