Chapter 447: Dilemma on the Battlefield

Hiruko was just an ordinary Konoha Jonin, holding no important position and lacking the fame of Orochimaru and others, so his defection did not cause any trouble for Konoha.

As it was during wartime, Konoha didn’t even bother to send a Jonin squad to pursue him; they merely sent people to symbolically investigate, and if nothing was found, they dropped it.

In the grand scheme of Konoha, Hiruko’s defection was like a small branch breaking off a towering tree, insignificant to the overall situation.

But even a small branch on a towering tree has leaves connected to it, and for Hiruko’s friends, this was no small matter.

Orochimaru didn’t have many friends, but it wasn’t that he couldn’t make friends; rather, most people simply weren’t qualified to be his friends.

Hiruko was one of Orochimaru’s few friends.

They were students in the same class and had been friends since their school days.

Although Orochimaru and his companions later became the legendary Sannin, while Hiruko remained an ordinary Jonin, none of the three Sannin cared about this disparity and maintained their previous relationship with Hiruko.

However, according to the documents recovered from Hiruko’s laboratory, while they didn’t care about Hiruko’s strength, Hiruko himself cared deeply about his own strength.

“He was too reckless,” Orochimaru said, putting down the documents and shaking his head slightly.

His own human experiments were covered up with Danzo’s help; for Hiruko to do it alone meant exposure was only a matter of time.

Although Konoha had the word ‘Village’ in its name, it wasn’t a true rural Village; Konoha’s essence was a military base.

Orochimaru showed a hint of regret; Hiruko’s research level seemed decent, and if he had joined his collaboration with Danzo, he certainly wouldn’t have fallen to his current predicament.

However, since Hiruko had already defected, Orochimaru wouldn’t indulge in meaningless nostalgia; he had many things to do now.

Orochimaru used his former good friend’s final utility to gauge Muzuki’s attitude towards human experimentation.

As they inspected the work of various units in the camp as troop commanders, Orochimaru suddenly said, “Lord Mu Yue, did you know that a Jonin recently defected from Konoha?”

“I’m not sure, who was it?” Muzuki shook his head and replied.

He hadn’t received any related news, but Muzuki thought it must have been just an ordinary Jonin, and what he did didn’t significantly affect Konoha’s interests, otherwise, it would have spread by now.

Orochimaru was not surprised by Muzuki’s answer; although Hiruko was not an important figure, defection was ultimately not a good thing, and Konoha would not publicize it widely.

Orochimaru obtained the intelligence partly because Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about Orochimaru’s relationship with Hiruko, and partly because Danzo’s side thought Hiruko’s research might be useful to Orochimaru, so he handed over the entire incident and Hiruko’s remaining documents to Orochimaru.

“Hiruko,” Orochimaru replied.

“It was Senior Hiruko? I really couldn’t tell,” Muzuki said, feigning surprise.

“Lord Mu Yue knows him?” Orochimaru was a little surprised.

“Not very well, we just served as Chunin Exams examiners together. Senior Hiruko seemed very quiet, like a law-abiding person. I never expected him to defect,” Muzuki explained.

At this point, Muzuki roughly guessed Orochimaru’s objective.

Having read the script, he knew why Hiruko defected; like Orochimaru later, it was for human experimentation, though Orochimaru was even more extreme than Hiruko, also illegally researching Hashirama cells and such.

“Actually, he was my friend. We were Ninja from the same class. I also never expected him to secretly capture innocent people from surrounding Villages for human experimentation,” Orochimaru sighed slightly, as if lamenting the loss of a friend, then watched Muzuki’s expression out of the corner of his eye.

He wanted to know Muzuki’s true attitude towards human experimentation, which was very significant to Orochimaru.

If Muzuki was very interested in human experimentation, then Orochimaru could completely pull Muzuki onto his bandwagon and bind him tightly, forming a mutually beneficial relationship like his with Danzo.

If Muzuki was not interested but also not repulsed, then Orochimaru could confidently show some secrets to Muzuki, making Muzuki his confidant.

If Muzuki was very repulsed by human experimentation, then Orochimaru would have to be careful when using Muzuki and couldn’t let Muzuki know about his secret research on Hashirama cells.

“That’s too much, too extreme, to capture innocent people for human experimentation,” Muzuki said directly.

Muzuki didn’t hate all human experimentation, because some research indeed required human experimentation, but when it involved innocent people, Muzuki could only say it was a good riddance.

Orochimaru pondered Muzuki’s words for a moment, then said, “Hiruko was indeed a bit extreme. For some Ninjutsu, human experimentation is a necessary process. The Village has also organized human experiments before, but the subjects were generally death row inmates and volunteers. Capturing innocent villagers is truly inappropriate.”

Muzuki nodded, showing agreement.

Seeing this, Orochimaru roughly understood Muzuki’s view on human experimentation: not completely opposed, but no harm to the innocent.

“Lord Mu Yue has still experienced too little. I hope the upcoming war will make him realize the fragility of life,” Orochimaru believed Muzuki still had room for improvement.

After all, people always change; the current Orochimaru is very different from Orochimaru ten years ago.

“Recently, your disciple, Uchiha Shisui, has been very active on the battlefield, making some Jonin feel ashamed,” Orochimaru shifted the topic to Muzuki’s disciple.

Muzuki was a smart person, so his probing had to be limited; talking too much would cause Muzuki to have unnecessary suspicions.

“Shisui works too hard,” Muzuki praised with a smile.

……

“Our squad’s reputation is really growing. Last time, we were recognized by the enemy before we even fought. If this continues, maybe we’ll have a chance to become Ninja with official titles!” Uesugi Tooru said excitedly.

“Why are you dreaming in broad daylight? It’s Shisui who’s famous, what does that have to do with you?” Kobayashi Kenji couldn’t help but retort.

Shisui, as an eight-year-old Chunin, had killed Mist Village Jonin multiple times and was already the most renowned Konoha genius on the Hidden Mist battlefield.

Originally, Might Guy was the undisputed strongest genius, but Might Guy and his team had returned to Konoha for recuperation, so they were temporarily out of the discussion.

“Shisui is part of our squad too, so it’s all the same,” Uesugi Tooru said with a laugh, putting his hand on Shisui’s shoulder like a good buddy.

“Right, Shisui?”

Shisui nodded. Although he wouldn’t stay with this squad forever, he was undoubtedly one of its members now.

“Quiet down now, we’re almost at the mission location. Even with Shisui, don’t underestimate an A-Rank Mission,” Takagi Shinji reminded them.

Once the guiding Jonin spoke, Uesugi Tooru and the others instantly quieted down. Having spent a considerable amount of time on the battlefield, they understood the cruelty and danger of war.

Not only did Hidden Mist suffer casualties, Konoha also had dead and wounded, though fewer than Hidden Mist.

Shisui silently activated his Sharingan and began observing his surroundings.

No one in their squad had sensory abilities, so Shisui’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan was the most effective means of observation.

As they drew closer, Shisui discovered the hidden enemies.

Upon finding the enemies, Shisui didn’t show much reaction; his expression was normal as he subtly made a few hand gestures.

Upon seeing Shisui’s gestures, Uesugi Tooru and the others instantly became alert; this was the signal for enemies.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

When they approached a certain distance, the five of them, including Shisui, instantly threw Shuriken in several directions.

Some Mist Ninja were caught off guard and scratched by the Shuriken.

The injured Mist Ninja immediately flashed away to create distance.

Just as Uesugi Tooru was about to pursue, several streams of water shot from a slightly further distance.

Whoosh!

With quick reflexes, Shisui used Body Flicker Technique to take Uesugi Tooru and dodge the Water Release attack.

“We’ve caught a big fish, it’s Uchiha Shisui, who awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan at eight years old,” eight Mist Ninja emerged from the Village.

“To have the strength to kill a Jonin at eight years old, he’s an unreasonably talented genius. But your Ninja career ends here,” one of the Hidden Mist Jonin with bandages on his face said coldly, holding a long sword.

The intelligence here was deliberately leaked to attract weaker Konoha squads to their deaths.

Although they might also unluckily encounter a strong Konoha squad, there was no absolute safety on the battlefield. If they met a powerhouse like Muzuki, they could only accept their bad luck.

“There are three strong Chakra signatures…” Shisui’s Sharingan quickly swept over all the Mist Ninja, then he frowned slightly.

If his judgment was correct, there should be three Jonin and nine Chunin or Genin on the field.

Shisui was confident in dealing with two Hidden Mist Jonin; the Jonin they encountered this time were not powerful Jonin like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but rather ordinary Jonin.

However, the rest of the squad might not be able to handle one Jonin and nine Chunin or Genin.

“It’s a trap, retreat quickly!” Takagi Shinji’s face turned very grim.

He didn’t have a Sharingan and couldn’t discern the Mist Ninja’s strength, but this many Mist Ninja clearly shouldn’t be an A-Rank Mission, unless most of the twelve Mist Ninja were Genin and there were no Jonin at all.

But there was only one possibility for a Ninja squad to have such a configuration: their commander was brain-dead, and Takagi Shinji didn’t think Yagura Karatachi was brain-dead.

“Hidden Mist Technique!”

The three Hidden Mist Jonin jointly cast Hidden Mist Technique, and an extremely dense white fog quickly enveloped the area. Takagi Shinji and the others couldn’t even tell directions, let alone retreat.

Because it was a fog created by Chakra, Shisui’s Sharingan couldn’t even see through the enemies hidden within it.

“Everyone, don’t panic. Pay attention to your surroundings and calmly face the enemy,” Shisui quickly said.

Although the enemy was stronger, as long as a Ninja didn’t reach Muzuki’s level of strength, there was no absolute strength or weakness. A Special Jonin might not lose to a Jonin, and a Chunin also had a chance to kill a Jonin.

If they panicked, it would be different. In a narrow encounter, the brave win; the first to panic has already fallen into a disadvantage.

“Shisui is right, don’t panic,” Takagi Shinji said, seeing that they couldn’t retreat for now.

With the dual reassurance from their guiding teacher and their powerful ally, plus the fact that Uesugi Tooru and the others were experienced Chunin, they quickly calmed down and observed their surroundings, preparing for battle.

“Heart, head, thigh, arm, which part do you guess will be attacked first?”

The cruel, sneering voice of the Mist Ninja pierced through the thick fog and reached Shisui and his teammates’ ears.

This wasn’t just pre-battle trash talk, but a psychological warfare technique of killing in the mist, a mandatory skill for Mist Ninja.

Sight is extremely important to humans. Many things are terrifying because of the unknown; once they can be seen and touched, they are no longer so terrifying. Conversely, suddenly losing sight can easily lead to feelings of unease.

Cruel words can effectively stimulate already unstable emotions, causing panic and revealing weaknesses.

Whoosh!

Two Kunai wrapped in flames shot towards the direction of the speaking Mist Ninja.

“Oh, you found me,” the speaking Hidden Mist Jonin dodged quickly, a little surprised.

Speaking to intimidate in thick fog also had its techniques; normally, someone without special training shouldn’t be able to directly pinpoint his location from sound alone.

Shisui closed his Sharingan and attacked the Hidden Mist Jonin with his eyes closed.

To prevent this situation, Muzuki had given him special training: in low-visibility dense fog, he directly abandoned sight to enhance his other senses.

At first, Shisui was very unaccustomed, because the insight provided by the Sharingan was too strong, but after getting used to it, Shisui could basically exert his full strength in the fog, though Genjutsu was a bit inconvenient to use.

At first, the Hidden Mist Jonin thought it was a coincidence, but Shisui’s subsequent close-range attacks made him realize that the most dazzling genius on this battlefield was not famous for nothing.

“This time, your teammates aren’t Might Guy and Kakashi,” the Hidden Mist Jonin, who was at a disadvantage, didn’t panic.

He indeed couldn’t defeat Shisui, even in the fog, but once his teammates finished off Shisui’s teammates, could Shisui really fight all twelve Mist Ninja alone?

Swish!

The sound of a sharp blade cutting through clothing and piercing flesh rang out, followed by Kobayashi Kenji’s sharp gasp of pain.

“Flame Breathing, Full Concentration!”

Shisui could only push his breathing to the extreme, temporarily forcing back the Hidden Mist Jonin in front of him, then flashing over to Kobayashi Kenji’s side to rescue him.

Although he was stronger than the Hidden Mist Jonin, killing a Hidden Mist Jonin was not that simple. By the time he killed the enemy, Kobayashi Kenji’s body would already be cold.

If Obito or Kakashi were here, they might be able to burst out and instantly kill a Hidden Mist Jonin unexpectedly, but Shisui truly couldn’t do it, because his burst ability was the worst among Muzuki’s disciples, apart from Rin Nohara.

Obito had Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, Kakashi had Transparent World, Might Guy had Eight Gates; they all possessed super-strong burst abilities that Shisui had not yet mastered.

Shisui, relying on his precise sensing and ghostly Body Flicker Technique, successfully rescued Kobayashi Kenji, but sensing the state of his other teammates, a feeling of powerlessness still surged within him.

He could fight two Hidden Mist Jonin, but the Mist Ninja who knew his combat power weren’t that foolish. Wouldn’t it be better to first kill off his other teammates and then gang up on him? Why bother fixating on the genius first?

“There are three strong Chakra signatures…” Shisui’s Sharingan quickly swept over all the Mist Ninja, then he frowned slightly.