Sora asked Orochimaru, "Are the reinforcements Konoha sent this time from the ninja clans?"
Orochimaru nodded.
Sora then followed up, "Are there people from the Uchiha clan among them?"
Orochimaru nodded again and replied, "Yes. This time, the Uchiha clan is sending five Chūnin and one Jōnin as part of the support."
Sora responded firmly, "Don't worry, Lord Orochimaru. I won't let any personal conflicts with the Uchiha interfere with the war effort."
However, Orochimaru shook his head and said, "No, Sora. I'm confident in you. You're not the kind of person who acts recklessly. In fact, I intend for you to lead those five Chūnin."
Sora was stunned, and even Jiraiya was visibly surprised.
Jiraiya couldn't hold back and said, "Orochimaru, isn't this decision a bit rash? You know how the Uchiha clan operates. If they've sent a Jōnin along with those five Chūnin, it's almost certain the Jōnin will take command of them."
Jiraiya paused, then added, "Given Sora's grasp of the bigger picture and his ability to judge situations, I can see why you'd trust him as a leader. But leading five Uchiha Chūnin? How do you expect them to take orders from him?"
It was no secret that the Uchiha clan tended to clash with others, and Jiraiya was no exception in harbouring his own doubts about them.
Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya and explained, "It's precisely because I understand how the Uchiha operate that I'm entrusting Sora with this. What I need are shinobi who follow my orders—not ones who might defy me and act on their own whims."
Jiraiya frowned. "But are you sure Sora can handle this? Even though he performed exceptionally well in Yugakure, dealing with Uchiha shinobi is another story entirely. Suppressing them won't be easy."
Orochimaru didn't respond to Jiraiya. Instead, he turned to Sora and asked, "What about you? Are you willing to take on this mission?"
Sora frowned, falling silent as he considered the situation.
Orochimaru waited patiently, showing no signs of urgency.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was certain that Sora, being sensible, would reject such a troublesome task. After all, wasn't accepting this mission akin to willingly holding onto five ticking time bombs?
After a long pause, Sora finally looked back at Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, I have only one question: how much authority will I have?"
A smirk appeared on Orochimaru's lips. "You will have full authority over those five, as long as you have valid reasoning behind your orders."
A confident smile spread across Sora's face. "Understood, Lord Orochimaru. I'll take the mission."
Jiraiya, no fool, immediately realized what Sora was planning the moment he asked about his level of authority. Now that Orochimaru had granted Sora full control, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the five Uchiha Chūnin heading to the Land of Hot Water.
With full authority, Sora could compel those five to do anything, so long as he had justification. These five Uchiha Chūnin weren't just troublesome; in Sora's hands, they were essentially five ticking stress bombs.
Jiraiya looked at Sora, who was smiling subtly.
'This kid isn't as soft-hearted as Namikaze Minato. Those five Uchiha Chūnin are either going to die or wish they were dead after dealing with him,' Jiraiya thought.
Sora, still curious, asked, "Lord Orochimaru, besides the Uchiha clan, there must be other ninja clans coming to support us, right?"
Orochimaru nodded. "Yes. In addition to the Uchiha clan, there will be ninjas from the Hyuga clan, Nara clan, Akimichi clan, Yamanaka clan, and others joining us soon.
"Typically, ninja clans with kekkei genkai or secret techniques avoid participating in the war early on to prevent their abilities from falling into enemy hands. However, the current situation in Konoha is dire, and these clans must now join the battlefield. Without their support, we don't have enough Jōnin to hold the front lines.
"With reinforcements from the Hyuga and Yamanaka clans, much of the burden in the upcoming battles will be eased.
"War, after all, is primarily an intelligence game. The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, combined with the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, will allow us to gather critical intelligence from the enemy and drastically improve our chances of success."
Hearing this, Sora felt a slight sense of relief.
Since arriving in the Land of Hot Water, Sora had been on edge. The dire situation in the region left no room for complacency. After all, the team hadn't had any proper rest. From the moment they arrived from Konoha, they had been thrown straight into an assault on Yugakure. Now, with plans to push the front lines further tomorrow, there was no time to recover.
Once the reinforcements arrived, the pressure would ease, even if only slightly.
Bidding farewell to Orochimaru and Jiraiya, Sora's stomach rumbled with hunger.
Currently, there were no logistics ninjas to handle food preparation. Instead, the ninjas capable of cooking took turns.
While there had been logistics ninjas in the past, they were often less skilled in combat, and, unfortunately, many had been lost during earlier battles.
When a ninja named Tanaka Kazuyu handed Sora a bowl of rice, his hand holding the spoon trembled violently.
Sora stared at him with a strange expression. 'Is shaking while serving food some essential skill for Konoha chefs? Or is this guy doing it on purpose?'
In truth, Tanaka Kazuyu wasn't trembling without reason. To him, Sora was a terrifying figure.
Tanaka still remembered the battle at Yugakure. During the chaos, his comrade Daigo had been blown away by a Kumogakure shinobi's explosive tag.
In reality, Tanaka was supposed to die. Daigo had shoved him out of the way and taken the blast head-on. What haunted Tanaka most was how Sora had reacted. When Daigo was mortally wounded, Sora calmly attached additional explosive tags to Daigo's body and sent him to take down the enemy in a final act of mutual destruction.
Had Daigo not pushed him aside, Tanaka would have been the one detonated instead.
Now, seeing Sora again, Tanaka couldn't help but tremble.
Sora, unimpressed, snatched the spoon from Tanaka's trembling hand and served himself.
After finishing a large bowl of rice, Sora left, satisfied. Meanwhile, Tanaka released a long sigh of relief.
Looking down at his shaking hands, Tanaka muttered to himself, "Don't worry, Daigo. When this war is over, as long as I'm still alive, I'll take good care of your wife and kids."
After eating, Sora decided to find a quiet spot to train.
The battle with Kuroiwa Tatsuji gave Sora valuable insights, particularly regarding the Fire-Thunder God technique. He intended to consolidate and refine what he had learned.
Finding a flat area in the woods, Sora was just about to begin his training when he heard the sound of movement nearby.
Peering through the trees, he saw a figure darting back and forth, moving gracefully among the branches. Someone else was training.
Focusing his gaze, Sora realized it was Namikaze Minato.
Minato suddenly stopped on a tree trunk, his sharp eyes meeting Sora's. For a brief moment, they stared at each other in silence.
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