After two days of rest in the camp, the reinforcements began to receive their assignments, and teams of ninjas quickly left to join the battlefield.
Large-scale battles were rare in the ninja world. Most conflicts involved small teams, and if a battle had dozens or even hundreds of participants, it was already considered large. The specialized skills and limited numbers of ninjas made it impractical for them to fight on the grand scale typical of conventional armies.
As more ninjas were deployed, even Jiraiya was given a mission. But as he prepared to leave, he noticed something odd—Orochimaru's name was absent from the team roster.
Was Orochimaru leading another team? Puzzled, Jiraiya approached Nara Shikashin and asked him to check on Orochimaru in the morgue.
At the morgue, Jiraiya pushed open the door and surveyed the rows of bodies. He moved calmly through the room and found Orochimaru working in the back, busy with a body.
"Uh..."
Inside the compartment, Orochimaru was placing parts into a corpse. Blood stained his hands, and internal organs were set aside. Jiraiya's face twitched at the sight.
"Orochimaru, even if these are enemy bodies, this isn't right."
Without looking up, Orochimaru replied, "The corpses have already been used by the interrogation and intelligence departments. They're incomplete. I'm simply making use of what would otherwise be discarded."
Konoha wouldn't bother to preserve enemy corpses. They were collected for intelligence purposes, unlike the bodies of their own people, which were returned to the village for proper burial. By the time enemy corpses reached the morgue, they were essentially unusable.
Jiraiya frowned. "Even so, you shouldn't be conducting experiments on corpses!"
Orochimaru's voice remained calm. "I'm crafting puppets—a technique commonly used by Sand Village. When has anyone called them out for being inhumane?"
"I..." Jiraiya had no response. Sand Village was infamous for turning corpses into puppets. There was no logical reason why Orochimaru couldn't do the same.
"Besides," Orochimaru added, "I have Shinki's permission. These corpses are mine to use."
Jiraiya was at a loss. "Shouldn't you be taking part in the missions? Most of the reinforcements are already on the field, and I'm leading a team out."
"No, I'm Shinki's assistant. I stay at the camp unless needed for a mission."
"Why not?!"
Jiraiya's voice rose. "Tsunade can stay in the village, and now Orochimaru gets to stay in the camp while I'm out fighting? Why am I the only one who has to go out?!"
Jiraiya was loyal to Konoha and willing to fight, but it was only human to feel resentful under these circumstances. He couldn't help but feel the sting of inequity.
Orochimaru placed the final part into the body, wiped his bloodstained hands, and smirked at Jiraiya. "Because I can assist with analyzing poisons, preparing medicines, and acting as a medical ninja if needed. What can you do?"
Jiraiya's jaw tightened. He knew Orochimaru was right, but it only made him angrier.
"If you have nothing else to say, please leave. Don't disrupt my work."
Frustrated, Jiraiya stormed out. "I'll go to Shinki and have your assistant status revoked!"
In the medical room, Shinki looked up from the bubbling cauldron where he was brewing medicine. He stretched his arms to relieve his stiff muscles.
"Cancel Orochimaru's assistant status?" he repeated.
"Yes!" Jiraiya demanded.
"Why would I do that? He's been excellent—identifying poisons, making medicines, even stepping in as a medical ninja when we're short-staffed. Good assistants like that are rare."
Jiraiya faltered. He had no solid argument. He couldn't say he wanted Orochimaru's status revoked just because he was jealous. That would be absurd.
If only he had studied harder and gained more skills like Orochimaru. But it was too late for regrets.
"It's not like we're a team anymore, anyway," Jiraiya muttered to himself.
Ninja teams usually disbanded after all members passed the Chunin Exams. After that, they chose their paths. Teachers didn't stay with their students indefinitely. The team of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had dissolved once they all reached Jonin level. Tsunade joined the medical department, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru became free agents, taking missions or pursuing their interests.
This explained why Tsunade completed fewer missions than her teammates. After the Second Ninja World War, she left Konoha, heartbroken, and didn't return for over a decade. Orochimaru, focused on research and eventually defecting, also didn't have a full mission record.
Only Jiraiya, ever the workhorse, stayed loyal and carried out his missions diligently.
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Up to Chapter 160 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
Gimme power stonesssss