Land of Fire, Eastern Coast — Former Kirigakure Main Base.
At present,
the banners flying above this camp bore the emblem of Konoha.
All around, shinobi in green flak jackets busied themselves, moving in and out between tents.
As for the Kiri-nin who once built this encampment with their own hands…
Some now drifted lifelessly upon the sea.
Some had become nourishment for the Land of Fire's soil.
And the rest—those spared—now wore prison garb, confined within what was once their own base.
Inside the command tent at the camp's center,
Konoha's senior officers were gathered for a meeting.
"Inoichi, what's the status of the sweep operations?"
The one asking was a middle-aged man seated at the head of the table.
He looked to be in his forties, his square jaw framed by a thick beard, his demeanor steady and mature.
His name was Kudō Mokume, a veteran jōnin of Konoha.
In the past, he had partnered with Tsunade on numerous missions.
That experience, coupled with his personal ability, had earned him the Third Hokage's trust.
Now,
he served as the Supreme Commander of Konoha's Eastern Front.
"All units have returned. It's possible a few scattered Kiri-nin are still on the run,
but the larger organized remnants have been more or less eliminated,"
replied Yamanaka Inoichi, rising to his feet to deliver his report in a clear voice.
"'More or less'?"
Mokume caught onto the phrasing immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He knew Inoichi well—
the heir apparent to the Yamanaka Clan was a man of precision,
not one to use vague terms lightly.
"Is there some uncertainty?" he asked.
"It concerns Orochimaru-sama," Haichi replied quietly.
"There was a report two days ago—
a group of fleeing Kiri-nin were spotted heading south.
Orochimaru-sama went after them alone…"
"I'm aware," Mokume nodded, then frowned.
"But what's the issue?"
"The problem," Inoichi said, lowering his tone,
"is that since two days ago, we've received no further contact from him.
At present, we have no idea of Orochimaru-sama's status."
"What could possibly have happened?
You're telling me a bunch of routed Kiri-nin could give Orochimaru trouble?"
Mokume scoffed, shaking his head dismissively.
Inoichi fell silent.
"Alright, alright—I get it," Mokume sighed.
"You intelligence types don't like leaving things to assumption.
But it's Orochimaru we're talking about. That man's never once botched a mission.
He's probably just—
Forget it. When he comes back, he can file his report."
He waved a hand, signaling to drop the topic.
Then, turning to the man seated opposite Inoichi, he continued:
"Shikaku, what does the Strategy Department have to say about our next course of action?"
Inoichi sat back down silently.
Nara Shikaku rose to respond—
—but before he could speak,
a sudden shout came from outside the tent:
"Mokume-sama! Orochimaru-sama has returned!!"
The next instant,
Orochimaru swept aside the curtain and stepped in.
In an instant, everyone in the tent rose to their feet.
Even the Uchiha and Hyūga officers present—who usually stood apart from others—
followed suit, standing straight.
Only Mokume remained seated, his authority making such formality unnecessary.
"Orochimaru! You're back!" Mokume greeted, grinning slightly.
"So? Did you capture those stragglers?
If there are survivors, send them to the prison.
If not, then their corpses can be—"
"I failed."
"…What?"
Mokume froze, blinking as if he'd misheard.
He stared at Orochimaru, who calmly took the empty seat beside him,
wondering if his ears were playing tricks.
He wasn't even fifty yet—far too young to be hearing things.
"You didn't mishear," Orochimaru said flatly.
"I failed."
Silence filled the tent.
For several seconds, no one could speak.
Even Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Hyūga Hizashi, and Uchiha Yashiro
looked equally stunned—as if they'd just heard a fairy tale.
"…What happened?"
After a pause, Mokume finally found his voice.
"For you to fail…
don't tell me Kirigakure sent reinforcements?"
He thought hard,
and that seemed to be the only plausible explanation.
After all, Konoha had already mapped out nearly every major combatant in the Kirigakure army.
That was how they'd crushed the enemy's headquarters so swiftly.
The remaining scattered troops were hardly a threat.
Even if they regrouped,
none of them should have been a match for Orochimaru alone.
So if he had failed—
it could only mean one thing: new Kirigakure reinforcements had arrived.
"You're right that Kiri reinforcements appeared," Orochimaru said, his tone even.
"But not in the way you think.
It wasn't an army.
Just a small squad—
and, strictly speaking, my failure was caused by one person alone."
He didn't try to disguise his defeat.
Nor did he seem ashamed of it.
"One person?"
Mokume's expression stiffened; once again, his brain stalled.
"Koeda Kyoichi—you should all know the name," Orochimaru said directly.
"It was because of that boy that I failed."
At the mention of that name,
every face in the room changed.
By now, the news of Hanzō of the Salamander's death
had spread across the entire shinobi world.
Not only the higher-ups, but even ordinary chūnin and genin
spoke of it over tea—the fall of one legend and the rise of another.
Somewhere along the way, a title had begun to circulate:
"Earth-Walking Yaksha."
"'Earth-Walking'" for his unparalleled mastery of Earth Release.
"'Yaksha'" for the ferocity and demonic strength he displayed
when he slew Hanzō the Salamander.
Together, the name painted the image of Kyoichi's new legend across the ninja world.
"Koeda Kyoichi… so it was him,"
Nara Shikaku muttered, his expression clearing.
Sensing the questioning gazes around him, he explained quickly:
"A short while ago, I received a letter from Minato.
He mentioned that the Koeda Clan had aligned themselves with Kirigakure,
and that they'd sailed from the Land of Rivers toward the Land of Water.
Judging by the timeline…
it makes sense they'd be in the south, just in time to reinforce those retreating Kiri-nin."