Chapter 54: Konoha's Advance Team
Chapter 54: Konoha's Advance Team
"It seems your escort mission to the Grass Country went smoothly."
Orochimaru regarded Feng Ye, a strange glint in his eyes, and a slight, otherworldly smile played on his lips as he tilted his head back and addressed Feng Ye.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had intended to bring Feng Ye with him to the Grass Country frontier, but when he couldn't find Feng Ye, he learned that the young man had taken on an escort mission.
He had thought that perhaps they would meet in the Grass Country, but unexpectedly, Feng Ye returned today and was assigned to him by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Of course, these were not the key factors that drew Orochimaru's attention.
What truly caught his interest was the change in Feng Ye's demeanor since their last meeting!
Previously, Feng Ye had carried himself with a cautious air, and while a hint of confidence could be discerned, it was always subdued and never overt.
Now, however, Feng Ye exuded an entirely different aura—one of youthful confidence and vitality, as if he had become an entirely different person.
Undoubtedly, if Feng Ye's escort mission had failed, his demeanor would not have undergone such a transformation. This meant that Feng Ye must have not only completed his task but also encountered and flawlessly resolved some unexpected challenges along the way.
Only then could such a significant change in his aura be explained—from cautious and reserved to exuding outward vitality and confidence.
"Yes," Feng Ye nodded. "Although there was a bit of an incident, the mission was still a success."
Hearing Feng Ye's response, Orochimaru revealed a knowing glint in his eyes and emitted a soft, amused chuckle. "I'd like to hear about it."
He was indeed curious about the unexpected event that had brought about such a noticeable change in Feng Ye.
However, before Feng Ye could elaborate, another figure rushed in through the door, their footsteps chaotic and hurried, appearing rather clumsy. It was Might Guy.
"Sorry, sorry, I hope I'm not late."
Might Guy rubbed the back of his head, offering an awkward, embarrassed smile. He then walked somewhat frantically towards Orochimaru and said, "Lord Orochimaru, I'm Might Guy, and Hokage-sama has ordered me to join the advance team..."
Orochimaru's gaze shifted from Feng Ye to Might Guy, and a peculiar glint flashed in his eyes.
Feng Ye was understandable, being his disciple and a remarkable one at that. But this ninja before him, Might Guy, moved with such clumsiness that Orochimaru couldn't fathom why Sarutobi Hiruzen would send him to join the advance team.
The team he was leading was tasked with intercepting the Iwagakure ninja at the border! Every member of the team was an elite; there were a total of sixteen jonin, including six tokubetsu jonin, and the remaining sixty were chunin, all of whom were the cream of the crop.
Could it be a disguise?
Was he merely pretending to be clumsy?
A flicker of doubt crossed Orochimaru's mind.
Although he was getting on in years, Sarutobi Sensei shouldn't have lost his wits to the point of randomly assigning people to the team. This meant that Might Guy before him must possess some talent that made him suitable for the advance team.
As Orochimaru pondered this, some of the ninja who were staring at Might Guy in astonishment could no longer contain themselves.
"Hey, Might Guy, what are you up to? This isn't a place for you!"
"Are you trying to join the advance team because you can't find a ninja team willing to take you in? Are you an idiot? Pulling a stunt like this will get you punished!"
Among the chunin present, there were a few who had been on the receiving end of Might Guy's mishaps, and they glared at him irritably.
The advance team was headed to the Grass Country to engage in the battle against the Iwagakure ninja!
Was this some kind of joke?
Might Guy also noticed a few of the chunin who had once been his captains among the crowd, and their presence made him feel awkward. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ahem... I'm here on the orders of the Hokage-sama."
"Don't joke around!"
Morino Ibiki frowned. "How could a genin like you be sent by the Hokage-sama to join the advance team? If you continue to fool around, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
A genin?
"Enough of this nonsense!"
Morino Ibiki finally lost his patience and stepped forward from the crowd, intending to grab Might Guy, who was ignoring his warnings and continuing to cause a ruckus, and throw him out.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, observing the scene but neither speaking nor interfering. He, too, was curious about Might Guy's situation and wanted to see if there was something special about him or if he was just a bold genin causing a disturbance.
However, just as Morino Ibiki approached Might Guy, a voice suddenly rang out.
"It's true that Guy-senpai is a special jonin. I can vouch for that."
This voice gave Morino Ibiki pause, and many of those present were also taken aback. When they saw that the speaker was Feng Ye, standing next to Orochimaru, he frowned.
Forget about Might Guy.
He had doubts about Feng Ye joining the advance team as well!
He had heard that Feng Ye had graduated early, participated in the Chunin Exams, and was the only one to pass. But even so, Feng Ye was too young! No matter how talented he was, Feng Ye was still a young ninja lacking sufficient experience. Including such a ninja in the advance team was beyond his comprehension.
But then again, Feng Ye was at least a Chunin, so he could barely accept it.
But what about Might Guy?!
Letting a ninja who was notoriously clumsy and had botched countless missions join the advance team against the Iwagakure ninja was a joke. He refused to believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen would make such a decision!
"Hey, kid, don't speak out of turn if you don't know what's going on... Do you know how many blunders this guy has made? There's no way the Hokage would include him in the advance team!" Morino Ibiki said sternly to Feng Ye.
A faint smile played on Feng Ye's face as he replied, "I'm not lying. Guy-senpai was indeed promoted to special jonin by exception... Senpai, you should have a mission order, right?"
"Oh yeah, almost forgot!"
Hearing Feng Ye's words, Might Guy suddenly realized and reached into his pocket, pulling out a mission order with an official seal.
Morino Ibiki looked on in astonishment.
Orochimaru's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he took the mission order from Might Guy and glanced over it. Suddenly, his serpentine eyes narrowed, and he gave Might Guy a serious look.
"I see..."
After a few flickers of uncertainty in his eyes, he made a decision and put away the mission order. "Might Guy, you and Feng Ye will not be assigned to other squads for now. You'll accompany me."
Might Guy heaved a sigh of relief and replied, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Morino Ibiki stood there, bewildered, momentarily at a loss for words. He turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, what's the meaning of this...?"
"You'll find out in due time," Orochimaru replied to Morino Ibiki, then turned to give Might Guy another intense look.
After receiving Orochimaru's response, Morino Ibiki and the others exchanged confused glances, their eyes filled with disbelief as they watched Might Guy stand next to Feng Ye.
What was going on?
Had Might Guy really become a special jonin?!
Those who were familiar with Might Guy almost unanimously wore expressions of bewilderment.
The fact that Orochimaru didn't question the mission order meant that it was genuine and indeed came from the Hokage. However, the order was difficult to comprehend.
They had just finished adjusting their mindset for the upcoming frontline battle, and now a ten-year-old kid and Might Guy had been added to the mix, threatening to undo all the mental preparation they had done.
One was bad enough, but now there were two.
This could spell disaster!
(End of Chapter)
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