131 Setting Reason Aside

"Is it that Sasori of the Red Sand's poison is too potent, or that she is unskilled, or perhaps... you simply haven't been teaching her properly?"

Orochimaru curled the corner of his lip, looking at Tsunade with a faint, inscrutable smile.

From a purely rational perspective, all these factors played a role. Sasori’s mastery of toxins, learned from Chiyo of the Hidden Sand, was top-tier in the shinobi world, arguably even surpassing his own puppetry skills. Tsunade could hardly be said to have taught Shizune with diligence; she certainly hadn't offered constant, intensive guidance, and the time she spent training Shizune paled in comparison to the time she squandered on gambling. As for Shizune being unskilled, that was a glaring fact—even if she had been fully focused during her lessons, how much time did she truly have to practice while constantly attending to Tsunade’s daily needs?

Even the finest ninjutsu would wither without dedicated training. Even for someone like Tsunade, had she truly made much progress since they parted ways years ago?

Intertwined as these three factors were, it was impossible to discern which carried more weight. Even a detailed breakdown would be nothing more than an extension of subjective bias. Yet, Orochimaru’s intent lay elsewhere: *Setting all that aside, Tsunade, are you not at fault in the slightest? After all, the fact remains that Shizune was easily incapacitated by poison.*

As long as Tsunade felt a shred of guilt, she was forced to accept the blame. It was not a matter of facts; it was merely rhetoric.

"Orochimaru, you bastard..."

Tsunade glared at him, her chest heaving with suppressed frustration, unable to find the words to retort. It was true: Shizune had been poisoned. She had to find a reason, but what? To admit that Sasori’s poison was superior because it came from Chiyo was to admit her own inferiority. To say that Shizune, lying there in the hospital bed, was simply a talentless hack compared to Sasori? Or perhaps that Shizune lacked ambition and was content to lay idle?

A one-sided perspective could never encompass the whole, and reality was rarely so easily explained. She would neither violate her own integrity to flatter Chiyo of the Sand, nor could she utter such cruel words against her student. Clenching her teeth in silence, she found herself caught in a dilemma.

"Lady Tsunade..."

On the bed, Shizune furrowed her brows and murmured, a look of distress crossing her face. Having spent every day by Tsunade’s side, how could she not understand that Tsunade was defending her? To her, the reason for the poisoning was simple.

"Lord Orochimaru, please don't say that about Lady Tsunade. It is simply because I am unskilled," Shizune said softly, a hint of pleading in her voice. "Besides, I do not possess the talent of my uncle; I could never learn the Spirit Transformation Technique."

"Oh? Is that so? Very well, then."

Orochimaru’s gaze drifted past Tsunade to glance at Shizune. "Still, whether you can truly learn it or not is something you might want to attempt. Come see me later."

The confrontation dissipated, ending with Orochimaru taking a step back. Yet, he had achieved his goal.

"Aoi, stay with Tsunade for the time being. Although she has many flaws, she is still a capable doctor." Ignoring Tsunade’s furious glare, Orochimaru continued, "Tsunade is the same age as I am, yet she looks like this—it shows just how well she maintains her—"

"Orochimaru!" Tsunade snapped sharply.

Orochimaru chuckled, then sealed his lips and said no more.

Aoi held Karin, her eyes darting between Tsunade and Orochimaru. Although she had suspected as much from the way they communicated as equals, having it confirmed by Orochimaru left her stunned. The woman’s skin was even better than Karin’s.

Tsunade shot Orochimaru a fierce glare, but her expression softened when she turned to Aoi. "Stay with me for now."

Aoi sensed the warmth and goodwill radiating from Tsunade and nodded timidly. Even so, she dared not seek Tsunade’s help or reveal the deal she had made with Orochimaru. The short time they had known each other was one thing, but Aoi wasn't sure if all ninja could shift their aura as freely as Orochimaru. Tsunade was undoubtedly a good person, but Orochimaru was undoubtedly dangerous. One only had to look at their previous spat to see who was manipulating whom and who held the upper hand.

*Tap, tap, tap...*

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. An Anbu operative entered the medical room and bowed respectfully. "Lord Orochimaru, Lady Tsunade, the advisors request your presence. They wish to consult with you regarding the war on the front lines."

"Oh?" Orochimaru paused, glanced back at Tsunade, and then addressed the Anbu, "Lead the way."

"Yes!"

...

In the conference room, Orochimaru sipped his tea, his eyes scanning the intelligence report from the front lines, his brows arching slightly.

It was no surprise that the Hidden Cloud Village’s initial surprise attack had been a total success. Driven by various factors, it was hardly shocking. Even if the Hidden Stone Village hadn't been reckless and had instead played it safe, their sheer strength simply couldn't match the desperate, all-or-nothing assault of the Cloud.

Defeat was only natural, especially since Lightning Release ninjutsu held an inherent advantage over Earth Release. It was only because the Hidden Stone specialized in defense that the situation hadn't devolved into a total rout.

Yesterday—or, more accurately, last night—the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had arrived on the scene himself. Alongside the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, who was already on the battlefield, they launched a massive counter-offensive against the Cloud. In the fray, Onoki had wounded Killer Bee with his Dust Release, managing to escape safely thanks to his ability to fly. Had it not been for the other Stone Jinchuriki, Roshi, guarding the border against a potential Leaf invasion, the tide might have been turned entirely.

But missing such a top-tier combatant meant the Stone’s overall strength remained inferior to the Cloud’s, leaving them with no choice but to watch the enemy retreat. The fighting would naturally continue; despite suffering heavier losses than anticipated, Onoki had confirmed that the Fourth Raikage was indeed severely injured, which was why he hadn't withdrawn his forces.

But a head-on collision was clearly out of the question.

Therefore, Onoki had immediately leaked intelligence to the Leaf: the Hidden Cloud, in their shortsightedness, had committed their entire force to the Stone front. He proposed a pincer movement, urging the Leaf to strike at the Cloud’s undefended rear.

Before Orochimaru lay all the intelligence regarding these two conflicts. The Hidden Stone had been very detailed, terrified that the Leaf might not take the bait. The reason this information was sitting before Orochimaru was simple: someone was tempted.

The Hidden Cloud hadn't achieved the total victory they expected, and were now at a disadvantage against Onoki—this was not what they had originally planned.

Orochimaru set down the report and clicked his tongue. "Onoki... he really is a formidable character. He hasn't wasted his long life."

Koharu Utatane’s face darkened, and she glared at Orochimaru; she always felt there was a double meaning in his words.

"Why look at me? I’ve already said what needed to be said. Can’t you see? This is Onoki’s scheme—he wants the Leaf to draw the enemy's ire. After all, nothing is more hateful than a stab in the back." Orochimaru smiled, then added with a hint of regret, "But with this, Onoki will probably be pulling his forces back soon."