I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 74 [Rank A Mission: Orochimaru]!

The legendary Sannin are renowned among the Konoha ninja.

Although Orochimaru did not attend in person, he sent a small snake to deliver the message.

However, neither Nara Rinka nor Yakushi Nonou could ignore the existence of this scroll.

Not to mention that the message recorded on this scroll was specially written using encrypted text at the root!

Nara Rinka could easily guess that Orochimaru's sudden visit was definitely related to Root.

Yakushi Nonou took the scroll and skillfully translated the text on it, while relaying it to the reader.

"This scroll says that Lord Orochimaru invited me and Lan Gui to meet in the forest on the outskirts of Kikyo Castle."

Just a meeting?

Nara Ranka was somewhat surprised and, seizing the key point, asked, "Does this scroll mention the existence of a 'root'?"

"No." Yakushi Nonou looked at the scroll again and answered with certainty.

Nara Rinka's brows furrowed slightly.

Orochimaru deliberately used encrypted text from the Root organization to contact Kikyo's orphanage; the meaning behind this is self-evident.

He was acting on orders from the root, which is why he is doing what he is doing today.

Nara Rinka was aware of the somewhat ambiguous relationship between Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo.

He just didn't realize that their two sides had already colluded before the Third Shinobi World War even began...

The problem is, given the terrible relationship between Nara Rinka, Yakushi Nonou, and Root.

If it really was Shimura Danzo who sent Orochimaru, the other party's attitude in contacting him certainly wouldn't have been so polite—

wrong!

Nara Ranka suddenly remembered the fat nun who had disappeared without a trace and asked again.

"Nonou-nee, do you think the nun's disappearance could be related to Orochimaru?"

"The nun is just an ordinary person, Lord Orochimaru probably wouldn't..."

Yakushi Nonou originally thought that a dignified Sannin would not do anything that would threaten the lives of ordinary people.

But at that moment, Shimura Danzo's bandaged face and his previous threatening remarks suddenly flashed through her mind.

Yakushi Nonou frowned and changed her words, saying, "I can't be sure either."

After some discussion, Nara Rinkei and Yakushi Nonou decided to go to the forest on the outskirts of the city together to keep their appointment.

However, considering the potential risks of meeting Orochimaru, the two made some preparations in advance.

……

When Nara and Katsura arrived at their agreed meeting place in the forest on the outskirts of the city.

Orochimaru, wearing a green Jonin vest and a Konoha headband, was waiting here alone.

"So, you really did come to keep your appointment?"

Orochimaru's signature hoarse voice rang out in the forest, and the birds fluttered away.

"Yakushi-san, Nara-kun."

"Lord Orochimaru."

Yakushi Nonou stepped forward and returned the gesture according to social etiquette.

Nara Rinkachi was also quite adept at learning, but while retaliating, he kept using his "lacquer eyes" to observe his surroundings.

Somewhat surprisingly, there was no unusual flow of chakra in the surrounding woods.

There really is only Orochimaru here.

"Lord Orochimaru, you invited the two of us to come here..."

Yakushi Nonou intended to exchange a few more polite words, but Orochimaru clearly wasn't in the mood for that.

"I'm sure you two both know perfectly well why I'm here, don't you?"

Orochimaru extended his long, thin, blood-red snake tongue and gently licked the corner of his mouth.

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold and murderous aura surged from his standing point toward Nara Rankei and Yakushi Nonou.

Yakushi Nono's pupils contracted slightly. She felt as if a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood suddenly flashed before her eyes. The intensely pungent smell of blood made her want to vomit. Her delicate body, hidden under her nun's robe, trembled slightly.

Nara Rinka also felt the approaching terrifying killing intent, but with his mental strength already surpassing A-level, his performance on the spot was more stable than that of Yakushi Nonou beside him.

"It was merely a murderous aura, but without any real killing intent."

Nara, gazing at Orochimaru from afar, spoke with utter calmness.

"Was Shimura Danzo's order meant to intimidate us?"

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru withdrew his imposing aura, let out a soft laugh, and observed Nara Rinka with great interest.

"Nara-kun, you are indeed the kind of boy I knew before, a bit too confident."

"In any case, Shimura Danzo is a high-ranking elder in the village, and we need to respect him, don't we?"

Nara Rinka smiled noncommittally.

Everyone specifically named Shimura Danzo, so no one should make fun of anyone else for looking down on him.

"Of course, there are respectable Jonin in the village, such as the director of Kikyo Orphanage, and the two generations of Jonin squad leaders."

Nara Rinka makes no attempt to hide his contempt and hostility.

"But Shimura Danzo, does he deserve it?"

"I'm becoming more and more interested in you, Nara-kun."

The curiosity in Orochimaru's eyes grew even stronger.

"Elder Danzo Shimura did indeed give me a mission order, the kind of mission you should all be aware of."

"After all, you've been through this before."

The moment Orochimaru uttered those words...

Yakushi Nonou instinctively reached for the weapon in her ninja tool pouch.

Nara Rinkachi's eyes narrowed, and he mentally prepared himself for the battle.

But Orochimaru suddenly changed the subject.

"However, Danzo Shimura has his ideas, and I have mine."

At this point, Orochimaru extended his pale, somewhat sickly hand toward Nara Rinka, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of poppy allure.

"Nara-kun, I know you are a special child."

"To a genius like you, the Nara clan is like a tiny duckweed on a pond."

"Its strength is too weak and feeble to support the robust growth of a young tree, or even withstand too much wind and waves, so..."

"Would you like to join my ranks, to see a wider world, and experience the revolutionary new trends that will shake the times?"

Yakushi Nonou stared in astonishment at the three legendary ninja opposite her.

She never expected that Orochimaru's goal was to recruit Nara Rinka!

However, faced with the recruitment of the Sannin, who were almost at the very top of Konoha's power pyramid, Nara Ranke simply chuckled.

"Lord Orochimaru, do you know?"

He suddenly brought up a seemingly unimportant topic.

"After graduating from the Ninja Academy, I was unable to become a qualified ninja due to physical problems."

"However, thanks to the adjustments made by the teachers at the Ninja Academy, I was still able to successfully enter the Animal Training and Rehabilitation Class in the Medical Department."

"I already knew about Nara-kun's life trajectory from Elder Shimura Danzo."

Orochimaru showed no displeasure whatsoever, and simply cooperated.

"However, I believe that given Nara-kun's skill level, he probably won't stay at the animal training and rehabilitation center for too long, right?"

"It is indeed shorter than I imagined."

Nara Rinka responded cheerfully, revealing top-secret information that was probably only known to him, Tsunade, and Inuzuka Tsurugi.

"I was fired before I even started working."

"..."

Even with Orochimaru's composure, he almost froze upon hearing this.

What are you doing here?!

"Now that Nara-kun has left the animal training center, he has regained his freedom."

Orochimaru patiently spoke.

"Or... has Nara-kun joined another department?"

To be precise, I don't know either.

Nara Rinka shrugged.

"The last superior who came into contact with my ninja files was probably the head of the medical department."

"In other words, if I had to say, I should now be Tsunade's subordinate."

Is this kid Tsunade's subordinate?

Are you kidding me?!

Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly.

Why was this not mentioned at all in Root's intelligence network?

So...

Nara Rinka deliberately feigned curiosity.

"Lord Orochimaru, are you going to discuss recruiting me with Lady Tsunade?"

Looking at the smiling young man opposite him, Orochimaru's pale, sickly face gradually lost its smile.

"Nara-kun, do you think that because Tsunade is behind you, I won't do anything to you?"

"How could this be...?"

Nara Rankei waved his hand, he was well aware of Snake Aunt's—no, now it should be Snake Uncle's—cold-bloodedness.

"I just want to say that we are two completely different types of ninjas."

"Lord Orochimaru, you aspire to become a new force that shakes the times."

"But for me, life on the pond is already peaceful and leisurely enough."

Looking at Nara Rinka's complacent and unambitious attitude.

Orochimaru felt a faint sense of jealousy and dissatisfaction for no apparent reason.

War is raging, and people are dying every moment, turning into the most insignificant dust.

Why should you, a brat from the Nara clan, be allowed to eat your fill and do nothing all day long?!

"hehe……"

Orochimaru let out another long laugh, but this time his laughter was noticeably colder than before.

"I will pass on Nara-kun's thoughts to Tsunade later."

"But now... let me give you a small gift!"

It's too late to say.

Orochimaru's neck suddenly stretched like rubber, and his head "flew" off his neck, his long black hair dancing wildly like a black snake.

Like a venomous snake ready to devour its prey, Orochimaru opened his gaping maw and viciously bit at Nara Ranka's body.

"May you win the laurel wreath!"

Yakushi Nonou instinctively gasped, wanting to step forward and stand in front of Nara Ranka.

Unfortunately, she was still a step behind Orochimaru in speed.

Orochimaru's snake neck tightly coiled around Nara Rin's body, and the two sharp fangs in his gaping maw, with a few drops of "venom" clinging to their tips, gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

[A-rank ninja battle mission detected!]

[Rank A Mission: Orochimaru]

[Mission Objective: Defeat/Kill Orochimaru]

[Mission Reward: Rank A Ninja Scroll]

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(End of this chapter)