My name is Uchiha Touhuan, and I beat the villagers so badly they cried out in pain.

Upon hearing Inuzuka Kaze's words, Uchiha Touhuan also took them seriously. This was the first ninja clan to take the initiative to show goodwill to the Uchiha clan.

It seems that with the Senju clan, once the leading clan, being tormented in the village, the Inuzuka clan, which serves as a full-time veterinarian in Konoha and has difficulty entering the power center of Konoha, has also developed some special thoughts. However, out of caution, they have no intention of officially taking sides yet.

However, the fact that Inuzuka Fu, a Jonin, brought up this matter with Uchiha Touhuan was clearly an attempt to curry favor. Unlike the Uchiha, the Inuzuka clan has dozens of Jonin who can sit in several rows during clan meetings. Inuzuka Fu's status in the Inuzuka clan is probably only below their clan leader.

"Brother Feng's news is truly a lifesaver for our current security department," said Uchiha Touhuan. "Our newly recruited ninjas haven't fully developed their skills yet, so having the Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs as an assistant would be even better."

Uchiha Touhuan readily accepted the Inuzuka clan's overtures. The Uchiha clan had not yet officially taken the stage, and the Inuzuka clan's current attitude was already a pleasant surprise for Uchiha Touhuan.

The Inuzuka clan's gesture of goodwill represents a good start.

"Speaking of which, the benefits at the Security Department are really enviable," Uzuki Yugao suddenly said. "After learning about the Security Department's benefits, I even considered resigning from the Anbu and joining the Security Department."

"Sister Yugao, you can't have this kind of thinking!" Uchiha Touhuan said seriously. "Where do we work, isn't it all for the sake of Konoha? If the Third Hokage heard this, he'd think I was forming cliques for personal gain."

"Oh, I was just kidding," Uzuki Yugao stuck out her tongue. "I've finally managed to become a Special Jonin in the Anbu, so there's no need for me to resign."

"Alright, enough of that. Come on, everyone, cheers!" Uchiha Touhuan raised his glass, clinked glasses with everyone, and then drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Throughout the entire meal, Kakashi, who sat next to Uchiha Touhuan, remained silent, but his eyes were always fixed on what was happening at the table, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they returned to the inn.

The next morning, everyone continued their journey.

This time, however, the group couldn't even have the most basic communication with Utatane and Mitokado Hayato.

At noon that day, the group arrived at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields.

Before reaching the specific area indicated by the clues, Kakashi also began to fulfill his responsibilities as the person in charge of this mission.

"Inuzuka Kaze, you and Sumeraru search along the scent. Hyuga Takeya and Hyuga Takato, you two keep an eye on your surroundings and make sure your Byakugan is always active. Everyone else, prepare for battle."

"Understood." Everyone, including Uchiha Touhuan, nodded in agreement. Even Utatane Itsuki and Mitokado Hayato, who had basically broken ties with everyone, had no objections.

……

Inside Orochimaru's experimental base within the Land of Fields.

Orochimaru seemed to suddenly sense something and put down the test tube in his hand.

Orochimaru, who is still working for Akatsuki, has no intention of establishing the Sound Village yet, but he has set up an experimental base here for research. This small country, located between major powers and without any ninja villages, is a lawless land for these powerful ninjas.

Although Orochimaru betrayed the village, he still had some backup plans within Konoha.

Orochimaru was fully aware of the recent changes in the village, especially the death of Danzo, with whom he had previously cooperated, and Uchiha Touhuan's recent major moves.

Furthermore, just as the team tasked with capturing Orochimaru set off from the village, Orochimaru's spies left behind in the village sent back a message.

Not wanting to cause trouble, his first thought upon learning of the pursuing forces was to run away.

However, upon learning that the pursuit team included Uchiha Touhuan, an Uchiha clan member who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, Orochimaru also harbored some thoughts of testing the waters.

Although Orochimaru doesn't yet have such a morbid pursuit of the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit, the Mangekyou Sharingan was, after all, the eye of the legendary powerhouse Uchiha Madara. Out of a researcher's instinct, Orochimaru would naturally feel a bit curious.

……

During the search of the surrounding area by the pursuit team, Mo Wan suddenly tensed up and let out a low growl.

Hyuga Keito, who was on alert, also noticed something amiss and shouted a warning: "There's a chakra reaction underground, and a giant creature is approaching at high speed from the west—it's a snake!"

"Prepare for battle!" Kakashi shouted, assuming a fighting stance.

"Watch out!" Hyuga Takato shouted, then grabbed Hyuga Kenya beside him and jumped up to avoid it.

Just then, the ground around them shook violently, and several giant white snakes burst out of the ground, opening their scarlet mouths from bottom to top.

The locked-on individuals leaped high into the air at the critical moment, each employing their own methods. Inuzuka Kaze immediately merged with Sumeraru, using a clan secret technique to transform into a giant two-headed dog and dodge the attack from the ground. Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Zaito fired kunai wrapped in silk threads at the surrounding trees from the left and right, respectively. After catching them, they changed direction in mid-air, then formed hand seals and unleashed a powerful Fire Dragon Technique, striking the giant snake that attacked from below.

Although Seiichi Nagai looked rather disheveled under the attack, he managed to dodge the fatal blow at the last moment by using a water substitute.

On the contrary, the special Jonin in the arena reacted a little slower and found themselves in danger.

Fortunately, just as they were about to be devoured by the snakes, a blue lightning bolt flashed, and Uchiha Touhuan, who had entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, appeared like a phantom and instantly brought them to safety.

However, due to internal conflicts within the team, Tatesuki and Mitokado Jun, who had deliberately distanced themselves from the others during the search, were not so lucky.

The attackers were already planning to deal with the lone survivors first. They had four giant serpent summoning beasts attacking the two of them from underground. In addition, because of the distance, the two of them needed some time to react to Hyuga Takato's warning. With all these factors combined, this surprise attack directly caused heavy losses to the two of them.

Although the strong Utatane Tree survived the surprise attack by sheer luck, his entire right arm was bitten off, while Mitokado Hayato, who only had the strength of a Special Jonin, was directly swallowed by the snake.

Before anyone could think further, in the direction Hinata Takato had indicated, amidst the dust and smoke rising from the fallen trees, the silhouette of a giant snake tens of meters tall loomed in and out of sight.