Tsunade ultimately handed over the command to Orochimaru. Orochimaru immediately returned to the communication tent to inquire about the situation. Considering the magnitude of this matter, it was necessary to first inform his sensei.
However, Tatsuma did not have the opportunity to participate in this "teleconference" with the Hokage this time because it was of the highest secrecy level. Although Tatsuma proposed the tactical plan, he did not have the authorization to participate.
In fact, Tatsuma felt some regret after proposing the plan because it required some ninjas to sacrifice themselves, and they would die as part of their own strategy rather than due to the enemy's attack.
Although from a broader perspective, this tactical plan might benefit Konoha in gaining more advantages and reducing casualties on their side in the overall war, it still deliberately sent some people to their deaths.
With a somewhat somber mood, Tatsuma was taken to the temporary camp. Before he could rest, he was pulled into the role of a medical ninja, treating the injured ninjas from the battles of the past few days.
Tatsuma was aware that his indecisiveness and hesitations were his major weaknesses at the moment, but he found it difficult to change this aspect of himself in the short term.
Being assigned the role of a temporary medical ninja was actually a good thing for his current emotional state. After all, he was helping "his own people" instead of scheming against them. To put it in a more mystical way, it was a form of redemption for himself. To be more direct, it prevented Tatsuma from having the time to regret his actions.
Orochimaru's efficiency on the other side was remarkable. On the same day, he issued orders within the camp, officially appointing himself as the new commander on the battlefield. Within the camp, there were no chaotic or dissenting voices. After all, during this period, Orochimaru had been handling the camp's operations, and now he was merely formalizing his role.
The next day, Orochimaru reorganized the more than one thousand ninjas within the camp without arousing suspicion. Everyone accepted the team restructuring, understanding that the formation of squads was aimed at directly confronting the Hidden Sand Village, creating opportunities for the Hyuga team.
Currently, with the Hyuga team completely annihilated and facing difficulties in gaining immediate advantages through direct confrontation with the Hidden Sand Village, there was a need to change the team distribution.
Under Orochimaru's arrangement, aside from the functional small teams, the main force was divided into two categories: combat and disguise. The combat teams would continue to engage the Hidden Sand Village in battle during this period, buying time.
Meanwhile, the disguise teams were tasked with setting up various temporary bases, outposts, and ambush lines in the Land of Rivers.
Of course, Orochimaru did not disclose the entire plan to everyone, including Tatsuma, who had been reassigned. Tatsuma's assigned task was to follow the a Squad Captain and participate in setting up temporary bases.
It could be considered a relatively easy task. During such extraordinary times, the difficulty level of various missions did not differ significantly, and the recorded achievements were also similar.
However, this wasn't the task Tatsuma wanted to carry out. With doubts and intentions in his heart, Tatsuma went outside the command camp to request an audience with the current battlefield commander, Orochimaru.
Before long, Tatsuma was granted entry into the tent. Orochimaru was standing in front of a sand table, meticulously manipulating Wind and Earth Release Chakra to simulate battlefield changes.
As Tatsuma entered and assessed the situation, intending to greet Orochimaru, the latter spoke first, "There's another mission on my desk. Take a look."
Raising an eyebrow in slight surprise, Tatsuma didn't expect Orochimaru to be the type to play mysterious mind games, but he walked over to the desk and picked up the scroll.
Upon unfolding it, he found it to be a notice to accompany the combat team to the front lines. Tatsuma furrowed his brow, a sense of doubt arising within him. He felt Orochimaru wouldn't likely prepare two mission scrolls simultaneously.
In simple terms, if Orochimaru did so, it would contradict the stereotypical impression Tatsuma had of him.
"The one in your hand is Tsunade's arrangement. She said this is what you wanted. I didn't expect there would be such understanding between master and disciple," Orochimaru remarked.
Orochimaru turned around at an unknown moment, wearing a somewhat peculiar and eerie smile as he looked at Tatsuma. A chill ran down Tatsuma's spine, and after a nervous swallow, he suddenly asked, "Orochimaru-sama, was the task to set up a temporary base previously assigned by you?"
"It wasn't me; it was a deliberate arrangement from the village," Orochimaru replied.
After Orochimaru's response, Tatsuma didn't know how to react to this information. Orochimaru seemed indifferent and continued, "You seem to have some doubts about the preferential treatment given by others. That could be troublesome."
"I don't. I'm just a bit surprised. By the way, what do you mean by troublesome?" Tatsuma inquired.
"The village wants to treat you favorably, to keep you off the battlefield. However, more than one person has guessed that you might end up on the front lines, and these individuals almost simultaneously requested me to 'take care of you' a bit more," Orochimaru explained. As he spoke, he stared at Tatsuma, as if trying to discern something from him. Tatsuma scratched his head and chuckled, saying, "Is that so? Maybe I just come across as easy to get along with."
"And Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sensei will treat me favorably; I can guess that much."
"It's not just them."
Orochimaru shook his head and then pointed at Tatsuma, saying, "Sakumo-senpai's tanto, did you bring it with you?"
"Huh?"
Tatsuma was a bit puzzled but still pulled out the scroll containing the Chakra-sealed short sword. He performed the necessary hand seals and released the seal, revealing a well-worn short sword in his hands.
Seeing that Tatsuma had no sense of caution, Orochimaru furrowed his brow slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, he walked over to Tatsuma, picked up the Chakra short sword, and said, "Your Chakra is insufficient, but your Chakra control ability far surpasses others your age. You've mastered the Chakra Scalpel, but how's your practice with Wind Chakra Nature Transformation?"
"Not bad. I've been practicing some B-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu, and it's not too challenging," Tatsuma modestly replied. Orochimaru, however, only smirked; after all, B-rank Ninjutsu is not a simple feat, and many experienced Chunin only have a couple of those in their arsenal.
Surprisingly, Tatsuma bluntly stated, "No challenge at all." Orochimaru could tell that Tatsuma wasn't lying, and he even felt that this wasn't Tatsuma's limit but rather Jiraiya's limit.
Despite Jiraiya often boasting about being highly proficient in Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire Release techniques, Orochimaru, who knew his teammate very well, understood that Jiraiya lacked the patience to delve into high-threshold A-rank Ninjutsu or even more challenging techniques.
Relying on his natural talent, Jiraiya frivolously learned a bunch of cost-effective B-rank and C-rank Ninjutsu, then squandered his Chakra on inefficient ways to defeat enemies. This was how Orochimaru currently perceived Jiraiya.
In other words, when Tatsuma claimed that learning B-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu was effortless, it wasn't because A-rank techniques were beyond his grasp; rather, Jiraiya couldn't teach Tatsuma A-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu.
However, Jiraiya seemed to have undergone some recent changes. Perhaps having a disciple made him realize that he couldn't continue being unreliable as a sensei, or maybe it was Tsunade's recent training that ignited a sense of ambition in Jiraiya.
Orochimaru had heard that Jiraiya was diligently studying a technique similar to the one used by the First Hokage. Jiraiya refused to disclose details, but Orochimaru could deduce it. After all, besides Wood Release, the First Hokage-sama was most renowned for his...
"Orochimaru-sama?"
Seeing that Orochimaru seemed somewhat lost in thought, Tatsuma gently called out. Orochimaru's focus returned, and he subconsciously nodded, even though he had no reason to do so.
"Cough~" Orochimaru cleared his throat and said, "You lack Lightning Release Chakra, and Sakumo-senpai's swordsmanship isn't suitable for you. Therefore, Sakumo-senpai asked me to teach you a technique before you go to the battlefield."
"What technique?" Tatsuma's eyes lit up.
Orochimaru looked at the Chakra short sword in his hand, unsheathed it, and then gathered Wind Release Chakra at his throat, exhaling it onto the blade. In an instant, a blade, only about the length of a hand, transformed, under the influence of Wind Release Chakra, into a ninja blade with a length of seventy to eighty centimeters. Orochimaru spoke again:
"B-rank Ninjutsu, Wind Release: Blade of Wind. Danzo-sama also has a similar technique called Vacuum Blade, but that one isn't suitable for you."
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