Mitokado Hamura couldn't contain his anger, and Utatane Koharu was seething with frustration. Their injuries, humiliation, and sense of betrayal weighed heavily on them.
"Where were the reinforcements you promised us?" Koharu demanded, her voice trembling with rage. "If you hadn't said reinforcements were coming, we would have evacuated earlier. We wouldn't have suffered this much."
"It was two days, just two days," Hamura growled bitterly. "And in those two days, everything fell apart."
The Third Hokage, visibly pained, closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Orochimaru disobeyed orders."
"Orochimaru?" Hamura froze, stunned. Koharu's face twisted in disbelief.
The two elders had considered numerous possibilities, but the idea that the ever-dutiful Orochimaru would deliberately defy orders had never crossed their minds.
"Why?" Koharu hissed. "Was it his decision alone, or was someone behind it?"
"No one pushed him," the Hokage replied solemnly. "It was his own decision. He wanted to seize a decisive victory. By refusing to pull forces for your rescue, he ensured the full-scale war in the River Country could shift into a local conflict in the Wind Country. And he succeeded. He and Shinki drove the Sand Village forces back into their own borders."
"Shinki?" Hamura interjected, his tone nervous. "You mean Hyuga Shinki? Was he at the camp in the River Country?"
"Yes," the Third Hokage said, knowing his next words would sting. "After completing his mission, he went to the camp to meet with Tsunade. She wanted to return to the village for a break, so Shinki took over her responsibilities there."
The room fell into an oppressive silence.
Koharu and Hamura exchanged a glance, both realizing the bitter irony. Their plan to divide the missions, intentionally assigning Shinki the more dangerous path, had completely backfired. While they floundered and suffered heavy losses, Shinki not only completed his mission but went on to achieve even greater feats alongside Orochimaru.
The comparison was humiliating.
Hamura's face flushed with shame, but Koharu, unwilling to accept the bitter truth, pressed on stubbornly. "Did Hyuga Shinki have any part in Orochimaru's decision to disobey orders?"
The Third Hokage shook his head firmly. "No. Shinki had no involvement. He only learned of Orochimaru's actions afterward. Tsunade and I questioned him directly. Shinki wouldn't lie about this."
Hamura, who had been silently simmering, finally spoke, his tone sharp. "Think about it, Koharu. Do you really believe Shinki would involve himself in something that would so obviously be exposed? He has no reason to take that kind of risk."
"I was just questioning…" Koharu trailed off, her voice faltering under Hamura's withering glare.
The Third Hokage seized the opportunity to diffuse the tension. "Hamura is right. While Shinki doesn't see eye-to-eye with us on many things, he doesn't provoke conflicts unnecessarily. He's smart enough to avoid anything that would damage his own reputation or Tsunade's."
Koharu reluctantly fell silent, though her resentment simmered beneath the surface.
"How do you plan to punish Orochimaru?" she asked after a tense pause, her anger now redirected. "He disobeyed orders, abandoned us, and nearly got us killed. You can't just let this go!"
The Third Hokage sighed deeply, his face heavy with the weight of his decision. "I can't punish him," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "Orochimaru's actions, while disobedient, led to a critical victory. Under his leadership, we pushed the Sand Village back into the Land of Wind. He's now a hero to the village."
Koharu's face twisted in disbelief. "So all our sacrifices mean nothing? All the pain and loss we endured in the Bear Country was for nothing? And Orochimaru faces no consequences?"
Mitokado Hamura sneered, his tone dripping with cynicism. "What do you expect, Koharu? You think the village will punish its hero? Right now, Orochimaru is celebrated for his success. Whether we like it or not, nothing will change."
Hamura's words were blunt and merciless, but they cut through the delusion. Koharu realized with a sinking heart that he was right.
Her voice cracked with emotion as she asked, "What was the point of all this, then? Why did we suffer so much?"
Hamura's scarred face twisted in frustration, his words now directed more at himself than anyone else. "Because we made bad choices. Choices that came back to haunt us."
The Third Hokage sighed again, trying to placate his old friends. "Koharu, Hamura, I promise you this: there will be an explanation for what happened. But right now, my priority is ensuring the war ends with as little further loss as possible. I brought medical supplies and skilled medics to help treat your injuries. Let's focus on that for now."
Koharu glanced at her missing hand, her bitterness boiling over. "What good will treatment do now? My hand is gone. No medicine can bring it back."
The Third Hokage had no answer to offer, only silence. He knew her pain and anger wouldn't subside easily.
As the tension in the room hung heavy, Hamura leaned back, his disfigured face etched with exhaustion. "Hiruzen," he said finally, his tone softer but no less resolute, "don't let this happen again. You owe us that much."
The Third Hokage nodded solemnly. "I'll do everything in my power to ensure it doesn't."
But as he looked at his two old comrades, scarred both physically and emotionally, he couldn't shake the feeling that the damage had already been done—damage that no words or promises could undo.
>>>>>
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