Chapter 312: Chapter 312: News Spreads, Shockwaves Across the Nations

Chapter 312: Chapter 312: News Spreads, Shockwaves Across the Nations



Mist Village must be losing its mind by now.

If not for the fact that this intel came directly from Jiraiya, Nara Shikaku would have thought someone was trying to prank them with a fabricated report. The details sounded

unbelievable.

After staring blankly for a long moment, Nara Shikaku finally murmured, "Is this real, sir?"

Takuya had successfully infiltrated Mist Village, completely leveled the Mizukage's office, and destroyed several other important buildings. Mist Village was left in shambles, with numerous casualties and extensive damage. Even the Third Mizukage's life status was unknown. This was beyond impressive-it was an outright miracle.

"You doubt that Takuya could pull this off?" Orochimaru chuckled, seeing Shikaku's utter disbelief.

Shikaku, still reeling, opened his mouth and finally gave a weary smile and nodded. He knew Takuya's abilities were exceptional-so exceptional that even powerful figures like Hanzo of the Salamander were wary of him. But for someone to single-handedly enter Mist Village and cause such chaos? That took ten lives' worth of luck and skill.

Even if most of Mist Village's strong forces had been deployed to the front lines, the remaining forces alone should have been enough to overwhelm anyone who dared invade. Yet, Takuya had accomplished the impossible, leaving the village in chaos and escaping as if he'd simply taken a stroll.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"I entrusted this mission to him because I had full confidence he would succeed," Orochimaru replied with a calm smile. He was perhaps the only one in the village who truly understood the depth of Takuya's power. Not even Tsunade was as familiar with it, as she would never go out of her way to analyze Takuya's true capabilities.

But Orochimaru did.

Since aligning with Danzō, his interest in Takuya's potential had only grown.

"Transmit this intelligence back to the village and make the results public," Orochimaru commanded.

"Yes, sir," Shikaku replied, stepping out to fulfill the order. Orochimaru gave a small, eerie laugh.

"Very good, Takuya," he muttered to himself. "I find myself more and more eager to see what you'll do next."

Once upon a time, Orochimaru's interest in Takuya had been solely as a respected senior observing a talented junior. If anything, his fascination was only because of Takuya's staggering talent and power. But since his collaboration with Danzō and after receiving certain research specimens, Orochimaru's interest in Takuya had grown far more intense.

Meanwhile, the Mist Village's command ship still floated on the open sea, constantly on the move to avoid enemy detection. Despite the late hour, Yagura, the front-line commander, was still deep in his work.

Once upon a time, he could stay up for days without batting an eye, but age was finally catching up with him. As soon as things calmed down a bit, he thought, he would take a well- deserved break.

With a plan in mind for a future respite, the Third Hokage broke the seal on the scroll and

opened it.

"Clatter!"

After just two lines, his pipe fell to the desk. The Third Hokage shot to his feet in shock, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

No mistake. This was real.

"Summon the Council and my advisors immediately. And bring Tsunade as well!"

"Yes, sir," replied the Anbu operative, who hurriedly departed, still unaware of the scroll's

contents.

"Damn it! Can't a girl get a decent night's sleep around here?"

How long had it been?

Tsunade grumbled, half asleep, as she dragged herself out of bed. Ever since the war started, she couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a proper rest. Day in and day out, the endless mountain of work from the logistics department weighed on her, draining her energy and constantly keeping her overtime.

Just when she'd finally managed to sneak home for some well-deserved sleep, Anbu came

knocking.

In times like these, even the most patient person would be irritated, and Tsunade was not known for her patience.

After enduring a barrage of her curses, the Anbu operative could only force a smile and explain, "Lady Tsunade, this is an order from the Hokage. Urgent intelligence from the front has arrived, and the Hokage has requested your immediate presence in his office." "Fine, fine, I get it," Tsunade grumbled as she got dressed, her hair a mess and dark circles under her eyes. Scratching her head, she muttered, "Damn that brat Takuya..."

If not for him, she would never have been saddled with this thankless, exhausting job. It was enough to make her want to scream.