Chapter 63

About a day later.

In the forest at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire, a team of three was hurrying back towards the Land of Fire.

Compared to the tense atmosphere when they were heading to the Land of Rivers, the current atmosphere was much more relaxed and easygoing.

This small team returning to the territory of the Land of Fire consisted of Bai Shi, Liuli, and Ayano.

Since eliminating that Root squad, they had not encountered any more enemies and had spent a peaceful day.

Bai Shi and Ayano's chakra had recovered, and half a day ago, Liuli had awakened from her sleep. Although the injuries caused by the Sage Technique had not fully healed, and her complexion was still very pale, she had recovered some strength and had the ability to protect herself.

Considering the mysterious shadows surrounding this mission and the possible power struggles among the Konoha high-ups, and with the Sand shinobi possibly having more pursuit squads, the three of them decided, after Liuli awoke half a day ago, to rush back to the Land of Fire to investigate what exactly was going on with this mission.

It was around three o'clock in the morning, and it was still very dark.

Ayano, carrying Liuli, who could not move temporarily, hurried along, with Bai Shi closely following.

"By the way, is it really okay to go back like this?"

Ayano, who seemed a bit worried, suddenly spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

Bai Shi glanced at her.

"The Root shinobi are members of the Anbu, right? Although they belong to different organizations, they did die at our hands."

Ayano didn't think they could return without any consequences.

Even if the Root shinobi had framed them first, if the mastermind behind this was a high-ranking official in Konoha, what could they do even if they knew?

They might even use the reason that they killed the Root shinobi to charge the three of them.

"It's fine. Didn't we already dispose of those bodies? When we return, we just need to explain that we fell into a Sand shinobi trap. If they ask, we'll deny ever seeing any Root members."

Liuli, lying on Ayano's back, took a light breath and slowly said.

"Is that enough?"

"Of course not. But as long as we deny seeing them, they can't do anything without evidence. In the end, I'll use the Uchiha's power to pressure the village's high-ups, claiming that the information source was incorrect. If they want to dig deeper, we'll make this public and see how they handle it."

Liuli said in a calm tone.

Ayano nodded in agreement.

She couldn't use the Hyuga's power to pressure the Konoha high-ups, but Liuli was different.

She was one of the candidates for the next Uchiha clan leader and had enough authority within the Uchiha clan, even having a group of very loyal followers.

This was the power of a noble family, and even the Konoha high-ups had to think twice.

"Sometimes I really envy you, Liuli."

Ayano smiled slightly, lowering her head.

"Envy? Speaking of which, you two haven't settled the score for carrying me around."

Liuli raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied.

Bai Shi and Ayano gave an awkward smile, turning their faces away and not directly answering Liuli's question.

"Once we get back, you'd better explain everything clearly."

"Yes, yes, I understand. It's not a big deal anyway."

Bai Shi scratched his head, looking troubled.

He had to decide how to explain everything, whether to tell the whole truth or to hide some parts, to get through this smoothly. The power of words was truly fascinating.

"Still, I didn't expect you to take such a risk, using an incomplete Sage Technique to enhance your Fire Release. For safety, you should get a check-up when we get back."

"Shut up. I'll do what I want."

Liuli huffed, shaking her black hair and turning her head away.

"Really troublesome..."

Hearing Bai Shi complain again, Ayano smiled and was about to say something when she suddenly saw two figures in her Byakugan's field of vision.

"Someone is catching up from behind. It's Jiraiya and an old classmate from the neighboring class."

Ayano quickly identified the two ninja following them.

Bai Shi and Liuli both frowned.

Although they were puzzled about why Jiraiya and Minato were here, the three of them stopped and waited for the two to catch up.

Soon, Jiraiya and Minato appeared in front of the three, both looking travel-worn and showing signs of battle, as if they had also had a tough time.

Seeing that Bai Shi and the others were unharmed, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's great, I'm glad you three are safe."

If these three had died in a conspiracy, he might have lived with guilt for the rest of his life.

The three of them had some torn clothes and bloodstains, clearly having gone through a brutal battle and narrowly escaped.

"Jiraiya, and that blond, why are you two here?"

Liuli asked Jiraiya in a cold tone.

"Um, Uchiha, my name is Minato..."

"Shut up, blond. I didn't ask you, I asked your teacher."

Jiraiya patted Minato's shoulder, who had heard that Liuli was difficult to get along with in school, so he didn't take offense.

"This is a long story, but the most important thing is your safety. The village will give you an explanation later."

"An explanation?"

Liuli's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Yes, I will personally vouch for you..."

"No need. The Uchiha will handle Uchiha matters. We don't need outsiders to interfere!"

Liuli's attitude was very firm.

Hearing this, Jiraiya became even more certain that Liuli and the others had figured out some of the issues with this mission.

Like Root... no, they must have known.

Especially Liuli, a noble-born shinobi with excellent vision and intellect, Jiraiya didn't dare to deceive her on this matter.

"I'm just doing my duty. If the Uchiha want to pursue this, that's your business. I helped you out of a sense of responsibility and duty as a fellow Konoha shinobi."

Jiraiya smiled, and in a way, he was happy to see this.

It would be a pleasure to see that Danzo get a taste of his own medicine.

"Let's hope so."

Liuli didn't take Jiraiya's promise seriously.

To the entire Uchiha clan, the Three Great Shinobi were just that.

Especially since they belonged to the Senju lineage, Liuli only trusted Jiraiya half as much.

"Compared to such trivial matters, I'm curious about what the Hokage will do to the high-ranking official who made the mistake. That's the key, isn't it?"

Liuli's sarcastic words made Jiraiya sigh in frustration.

A young girl could see through things so clearly; the Uchiha were indeed a powerful and formidable noble family.

Bai Shi remained silent, a small, transparent presence in everyone's eyes.

◎

Returning to the Konoha camp took a few hours.

It was just after dawn, and the Konoha shinobi in the camp were emerging from their tents.

The guards were changing shifts, and the medical shinobi, who hadn't even finished their breakfast, were rushing to the makeshift medical tent to relieve those who had been working all night.

Since the captain of the Shikamaru squad, Shikamaru, had not returned and was still on the mission, Liuli temporarily took over as captain and reported the mission details to the highest-ranking officer here, Orochimaru.

Jiraiya took Minato to do his own work elsewhere.

Bai Shi and Ayano were idly waiting not far from the tent.

"Hey, Bai Shi, it's been a while. You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you."

A familiar, cheerful female voice came from the side.

Turning around, Bai Shi saw a beautiful woman with light golden hair.

After a moment of surprise, she grinned and said, "What, don't recognize me anymore?"

Bai Shi then realized and bowed to the female shinobi, "It's been a while, Tsunade-sensei."

Although not a direct disciple, Tsunade was indeed the mentor of the first batch of medical shinobi training program in Konoha, teaching Bai Shi a lot about medical ninjutsu.

"Tsunade, nice to see you."

Ayano also bowed and greeted Tsunade.

Tsunade waved her hand and smiled, "No need for formalities. How was the mission?"

She asked casually.

Bai Shi, without much thought, answered honestly, "Liuli said it was a Sand shinobi trap, using false information to lure us into an ambush."

He then looked very puzzled, as if he didn't quite understand what had happened.

Ayano coughed a couple of times.

"Hyuga girl, are you feeling unwell?"

Tsunade looked at her.

"Yes, I felt a bit of a sore throat on the way back, maybe a cold."

Ayano replied.

"Take care of yourself." Tsunade then turned her gaze back to Bai Shi, gently patting his head and speaking more softly, "It's okay, it's over now. I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sensei. But the Sand shinobi were really despicable. You should be careful too, Tsunade-sensei."

Seeing Bai Shi's innocent and concerned gaze, Tsunade sighed inwardly.

Danzo was truly despicable.

These were the future pillars of Konoha.

Tsunade then asked Bai Shi a few more questions and, before entering the tent, gave him a few scrolls containing her valuable medical ninjutsu experience.

She genuinely admired Bai Shi's simple and honest nature. Even though his talent in medical ninjutsu wasn't outstanding and his entry into the Shikamaru squad might have been due to connections, his dedication and focus were worth cultivating in a young shinobi.

The Uchiha girl must have seen this in him, Tsunade thought.

"Bai Shi, you're so bad."

Ayano watched Tsunade enter the tent and teased Bai Shi.

If she hadn't known the truth, she might have believed Bai Shi's lies.

"I don't want to, but it's my way of survival. And it hurts to deceive someone who treats me so sincerely. She's one of the few who genuinely cares about me, like Fujimura-sensei."

Thinking of his former homeroom teacher, Fujimura Daigawa, who had accompanied him through six years of study, Bai Shi felt a pang of nostalgia.

He wondered if Fujimura-sensei had finally found a partner, being a chunin in his late twenties, which was quite concerning.

About ten minutes later, Liuli came out of the tent, looking very unhappy.

Due to her injuries, she was walking slowly.

"What did they say?"

Bai Shi and Ayano asked, coming closer.

Liuli looked at the two of them, trying to suppress her anger, "What else? Commander Orochimaru ordered us to return to the village immediately."

"Immediately?"

"Return to the village?"

These questions came from Bai Shi and Ayano, with looks of surprise.

"Wait, Shikamaru-sensei hasn't returned yet..."

"He told us not to wait for him. We're to leave immediately and escort the injured who can't fight back to the village with other squads."

Liuli repeated the order, still unhappy.

"Is that so? It seems things are more complicated than I thought."

Bai Shi said with a meaningful tone.

Although the Shikamaru squad had a special responsibility, the overall commander of the battlefield was one of the Three Great Shinobi, Orochimaru.

He had higher authority to command on the spot than their squad leader, Shikamaru.

So, even if Bai Shi and the others protested, it would be useless, and they had to return to the village as ordered.

As for Shikamaru's situation, they had no idea. The mission's failure and many unresolved questions would likely not be disclosed to them by Commander Orochimaru.

In the end, it was a matter of status and strength.

If Shikamaru were here, even with Orochimaru's higher rank, he wouldn't have ignored Shikamaru's questions.

"Alright, pack up and get ready to leave."

Liuli was very unhappy; she hadn't planned to return to the village.

They had only been on the front lines for a few days, and now they were being sent back, as if they were being toyed with.

Half an hour later, many shinobi gathered at the Konoha camp, preparing several carriages for the injured.

Besides Bai Shi and the others, there were over thirty Konoha shinobi, including four jounin, and a few medical personnel to take care of the injured.

...

"Why are you sending them back?"

In the tent, Tsunade sat to one side, looking at the pale young shinobi with confusion.

He had straight black hair and a handsome face, but with a somewhat feminine aura.

This was Orochimaru, the commander of the Konoha forces on the front lines against the Sand Village, one of the Three Great Shinobi.

In response to Tsunade's question, Orochimaru gave a simple reason: "A major battle is imminent, and I don't want this political dispute to create chaos here."

"But sending them back like this..."

"This mustn't be known by Shikamaru. He's not suited for political matters and might cause more trouble. Konoha's main goal now is to repel the Sand shinobi, and I don't want to be distracted by this."

Orochimaru shook his head. Regardless of the truth, he wasn't interested.

He wouldn't be distracted by such matters, and the final decision would be up to the Hokage, not him.

"I'm not worried about the Uchiha and Hyuga girls, but that boy..."

"You're concerned about him?"

Orochimaru looked at Tsunade with interest.

"He's one of my students. I don't want him to be exposed to the dark side of the village. He should just focus on being a medical shinobi and live a good life."

Tsunade sighed.

"Yes, in these chaotic times, just surviving is the best outcome. But human growth often comes with pain, experiencing the coldness of the world. Just like how Obito affected you and me."

Orochimaru, looking at his hands, had a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Actually, we can't do anything, we can't change anything..."