Just as Orochimaru had anticipated, after the bodies of Iwakura and Yin were returned, Chiyo finally agreed to a ceasefire.
As for how long this ceasefire would last, that depended entirely on which side recovered faster.
Uchiha Hayashi chose not to accept missions during this period, mainly because his captain, Sakumo, was still hospitalized.
With the frontline temporarily quiet, he instead remained in Orochimaru's underground laboratory and settled into a secluded, almost otaku-like routine.
With so many freely accessible scrolls available, it would have been a waste not to study them.
Orochimaru raised no objections to Hayashi's presence.
He simply taught him the hand seals required to enter the laboratory and left him alone to read and study in silence.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru continued his own work on a corpse obtained from the Hidden Mist Village, though his experiments had clearly reached a bottleneck.
One corpse was no longer enough to satisfy his research needs.
He required more subjects with the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai.
Time passed quietly.
Deep underground, Hayashi had no clear sense of how many hours or days had gone by.
Eventually, Orochimaru removed his bloodstained gloves beside the operating table and spoke calmly.
"It's about time for dinner," he said. "We can also celebrate your promotion to Jonin."
Just the day before, the promotion report personally signed by the Third Hokage had finally arrived from the village.
The two of them walked up the long staircase together, step by step, until they emerged back on the surface.
At night, the temperature in the Gobi Desert dropped sharply, far colder than during the day.
Since this was a private celebration between teacher and student, Orochimaru did not take him to the base's mess hall.
Instead, having accumulated considerable merit, Orochimaru led Hayashi to a quieter corner of the base.
Once seated, Orochimaru handed the menu to Hayashi.
Because of the ceasefire, many ninjas remained stationed at the base.
What should have been a sluggish business instead appeared unusually lively, even more so than in Konoha itself.
Yet this prosperity was nothing more than an illusion.
The war between Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village had reached its most critical stage.
Under such oppressive tension, people could only vent their fear of death through food and drink.
They ate quickly.
Orochimaru seemed eager to return to his experiments and did not touch any alcohol.
As for Hayashi, even if he wanted to drink, he was still far too young.
"Go back and rest tonight," Orochimaru said calmly. "Use this time to relax. Chiyo has become unpredictable, and the war could resume at any moment."
"Alright," Hayashi replied with a nod.
At that moment, a sudden warmth spread through his hand.
Something was calling him.
"Summoning Jutsu."
A puff of smoke erupted, and Dabai appeared directly on the dining table.
"What's wrong?" Hayashi asked at once. "You wouldn't come out unless it was important."
Both he and Orochimaru focused their attention on Dabai.
As expected, the news it brought was bad.
The First Squad, currently assigned to a reconnaissance mission, was in danger.
With their captain absent, Minato, Nawaki, and Mikoto had been operating alongside other squads on the outskirts of the battlefield.
They had been ambushed by Hidden Sand puppeteers.
Although Minato and the others had fought desperately to break through, their situation remained extremely dangerous, and they were urgently requesting reinforcements.
Before heading to the battlefield, Hayashi had given each of them a small snake.
If they encountered a situation where normal communication was impossible, they were to speak to the snake and have it return to summon him.
Hayashi fell silent for a brief moment, then set down his chopsticks and stood up.
"I'm going," he said.
Orochimaru nodded. "Go and support them. You must bring them back."
He did not choose to accompany Hayashi.
In Orochimaru's view, the squad had already been entrusted to Hayashi, and it was his responsibility to rescue them.
If Orochimaru personally intervened, the Hidden Sand might respond with even more aggressive actions.
Moreover, he still needed to inform Tsunade, since Nawaki was among those in danger.
If another tragedy like Tongye's were to occur, no one could predict how Tsunade might react.
"Then I'll leave things here to you, Orochimaru-sama," Hayashi said, bowing slightly before leaving.
The location Minato had sent was east of the battlefield's edge.
At maximum speed, Hayashi could reach it in about forty minutes.
However, he deliberately held back, conserving chakra for the battle ahead.
Because of that, the journey would take nearly an hour.
"Hold on," Hayashi thought as he moved through the night. "Just hold on."
As the First Hokage's grandson, Nawaki was an obvious target for the Hidden Sand on the battlefield.
In the original course of events, Nawaki had died in battle.
Hayashi refused to let that happen again.
History had already begun to change.
There was no reason for fate to continue along its old path.
...
"Minato… what's the situation outside?"
Nawaki, his voice weak, leaned against a massive crater carved out by ninjutsu and spoke with great effort.
Through his torn clothing, several deep blade wounds were visible across his back.
He had also suffered heavy damage from explosive tags.
Even so, this could still be considered relatively fortunate.
After all, the three of them had barely escaped from a Hidden Sand puppeteer Jonin.
"They don't seem to have found us," Minato replied, his voice low. "I already sent a message to Hayashi. He should be on his way."
Nearby, Mikoto knelt on the ground, pulling bandages and a hemostatic kit from her ninja pouch as she carefully treated Nawaki's wounds.
"Mikoto… don't bother anymore," Nawaki said faintly. "I feel like… I'm about to die."
His injuries alone were not immediately fatal.
Even without treatment, he could have survived for several hours.
The real problem was the poison.
The puppets controlled by that Hidden Sand ninja carried deadly toxins, now steadily eating away at his life force.
Tsunade's antidotes could suppress most poisons, but the Sand Village continuously refined theirs.
That suppression would not last long.
At most, he had two hours left.
"It's okay, it'll be okay," Mikoto said, her voice trembling as tears welled up. "Hayashi will be here soon. Once he arrives, you'll be fine."
"I just hope he gets here in time," Nawaki said with a weak laugh. "I don't want to die either."
Scratching his blond hair, he forced a smile. "I never thought dying would hurt this much."
His body felt as though it were being hollowed out from within by the poison.
He tightly gripped the pendant around his neck, as if it were the only thing anchoring him to life.
It was a keepsake left behind by his grandfather.
He had coveted it for years, and only recently, on his birthday, had Tsunade finally given it to him.
He never expected that he would not even have time to warm it against his skin before facing death.
"I'm only eleven," Nawaki thought bitterly. "I don't even have a girlfriend yet."
Letting out a long sigh, he spoke again.
"Mikoto… if I die, give this pendant to Hayashi."
"It's a protective charm. It'll keep him safe."
____
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