The Decision to Retreat
Orochimaru was still processing what he'd seen, but Hiroki wasn't satisfied.
Too much chakra consumption.
The newly modified jutsu demanded nearly 1,400 chakra calories.Right now, Hiroki's chakra reserves were only 3,200. That meant he could use it twice—at most.
And for what? Judging from the results against a wooden target, its power barely surpassed Vacuum Sphere. The interference effect from Noise Wave hadn't even triggered properly.
Worse still, Vacuum Sphere cost only 400 calories per shot—three times more efficient.It was clear that, for now, his main fighting options would remain what they'd always been: short-range brain overclocking and long-range vacuum fire.
The new technique wasn't perfect. Not yet. It couldn't serve as his main form of attack.
If only I had a bigger power bank…
Hiroki sighed, lips curling in frustration.Why couldn't creating new jutsu work like leveling up in a game—where the next skill was always better than the last?
Even a small upgrade would be nice.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru's golden eyes drifted away from the fallen tree and the boy who'd brought it down.
Hiroki's potential was something he'd recognized even before leaving the village. Among his three genin students, Hiroki was the most composed, the most precise—the one with the calm confidence of someone far beyond his years.
But Nawaki was Tsunade's younger brother.And Kushina was the future Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Their potential wasn't far behind—merely untamed. With time and experience, both would bloom into formidable shinobi.
Orochimaru scanned the misty forest, mind turning coldly analytical.
Originally, his plan had been to go deeper into the Land of Rain and gather intelligence.But now the situation had changed.
Rain ninja had definitely infiltrated this region—far more than the Third Hokage's estimates.Seven outposts had gone silent. Excluding the three destroyed by hired mercenaries, at least four patrol teams had vanished under unknown circumstances.
If all of them were taken out by Rain shinobi…
Then this wasn't a small skirmish. It was an invasion.Perhaps even Hanzo the Salamander himself had joined the fray.
"We can't go any deeper," Orochimaru said finally, his voice low but firm. "The situation is unclear, and the enemy's strength is beyond what we expected."
"But, Orochimaru-sensei!" Nawaki protested immediately, eyes flashing with youthful defiance. "Our mission is reconnaissance! We can't just retreat!"
"You're too weak," Orochimaru replied flatly. There was no insult in his tone—only fact.
Silence fell. Both Nawaki and Kushina lowered their eyes. They knew he was right.
The last battle had exposed everything.Without Hiroki's warning about the enemy sensor ninja, Orochimaru would have been forced into a costly fight against four elite jonin.
As for Nawaki and Kushina… they'd contributed almost nothing. If anything, they had been liabilities.
Kushina bit her lip, frustration simmering. She glanced at Hiroki—calm, focused, unbothered—and clenched her fists tighter.She had to get stronger.She would return to the village and learn the Uzumaki sealing arts from Lady Mito herself. She couldn't be left behind.
Orochimaru's gaze lingered on each of them.
Nawaki was motivated, but his field instincts were poor—too focused on forward attacks, never watching his footing. In a real battle, that kind of tunnel vision got you killed.
Kushina, at least, understood how to defend herself, but her offensive options were limited—barely above academy level. She was still raw potential.
Only Hiroki…He was different. His ability to copy techniques and read memories made him uniquely suited to survive in the chaos of Rain Country. And his composure under pressure impressed even Orochimaru.
Still, even Hiroki had his limits. His chakra reserves were low; his endurance wouldn't last in a drawn-out battle. If they ran into a prolonged engagement, Orochimaru would be forced to protect all three himself.
That was unacceptable.
He licked his lips—a small habit when deep in thought. Normally, he would've pressed forward regardless of risk. But this was different. These weren't nameless genin. One was Tsunade's brother. One held the Nine-Tails' future. And one… was something else entirely.
"The current situation is too unpredictable," he said finally. "Enemy forces exceed all estimates. Mission aborted. We retreat."
"What?!" Nawaki shot to his feet, anger flashing across his face. "Sensei, we're supposed to gather intel! We can't just—"
"Silence."
Orochimaru's voice cut through the rain like a blade. His golden eyes narrowed, cold and serpentine. "Even the Hokage makes decisions based on information, not emotion. Charging in blindly isn't bravery—it's suicide."
Nawaki flinched but clenched his fists, refusing to back down. "I just don't want to run away! I don't want to be a ninja who only flees! I'm going to be Hokage!"
Kushina couldn't take it anymore."This is the battlefield, Nawaki!" she hissed, grabbing his sleeve. "People die out here. Listen to Sensei. This isn't the academy anymore."
She understood now—better than Nawaki did—that Orochimaru's orders came from hard experience, not cowardice. And when she glanced at Hiroki, who stood quietly by without complaint, she knew they had to follow his lead.
"Even you…" Nawaki muttered, his shoulders slumping. "You don't understand…"
"Prepare to move," Orochimaru ordered, cutting him off. His tone was final.
"I understand," Hiroki said simply. He could see the logic in Orochimaru's choice. Recklessness wouldn't save anyone.
Nawaki looked ready to argue again but caught himself.He knew Orochimaru was only protecting him because he was Tsunade's brother—but he hated that. He didn't want protection. He wanted to prove himself… even if it meant dying like a real ninja.
Still, the battlefield had its own hierarchy. Orders were orders. And genin obeyed.
Fifteen minutes later, the four began their march back toward Konoha. Orochimaru kept their pace deliberately slow so Kushina and Nawaki could keep up. The rain poured harder, blurring the world into gray shapes and shadows.
Visibility was almost gone when Hiroki suddenly tensed.
Eight silhouettes were moving through the rain ahead, their outlines gradually sharpening.
Headbands gleamed beneath the downpour—etched with the mark of the Hidden Rain.
At the front stood two shinobi whose presence alone made the air heavy.
Rain Country jonin.