Chương 499: CH_13.18 (499)

"He's still going to be able to use it, right?" Takuma gazed at Koyai healing Yazo a few paces from the group. Even though it hadn't been that long since the injury, every minute was critical on the field, away from proper medical facilities.

"Koyai is going to do whatever he can here and then move him to the supply base down at the village," Hopper said, looking over at his subordinates.

"He probably won't face any problems in daily life, but there might be lasting damage that could hinder his life as a shinobi. The reduced dexterity and movement alone will interfere with hand seals." Takuma pursed his lips. That in itself wasn't enough to end Yazo's career, but it posed a great setback and served as a hindrance every step of the way. The mental burden of that knowledge in itself was going to be heavy.

He sighed and then turned his gaze to Anko, resting against a tree; she had used a considerable amount of chakra in her attack against Orochimaru. Speaking of others who had used a lot of chakra, Takuma looked at the two jōnin who had used the A-rank ninjutsu.

"Are you planning to go after Gai and Kakashi?" Choza asked.

"I have confirmed that everyone is fine. I might still make it in time," Itachi replied, but he didn't look well, which was expected after using two A-rank ninjutsu so close to each other. The chakra expenditure and the stress on the body were bound to have their effects on his young body.

"You stay put. I'll go instead," Choza said, gently resting his big hand on Itachi's.

"But you—""You have done enough. You're still young; you'll get more opportunities to fight in the future. Leave something for the old men like us," Choza said with a smile. Itachi wanted to argue, but Choza refused to listen and managed to convince him to stay put.

"I'd like to come with you, Lord Choza," Takuma said the moment he got the chance. Arisu, Kameko, Tern, and Aquilla were part of the group chasing Danzo. He had to go there to make sure his friends and subordinates were safe. The other assault squad members also voiced their wish to join him. They wanted to go support their captain.

"No, everyone here has done enough. I will go alone. I don't want to look out for a group of tired chūnin, and if I match my speed with yours, I'll be too late. Even though he wasn't their commanding officer, Choza nevertheless sternly ordered them to stay put and then vanished with the Body Flicker without giving them a chance to respond.

"Stay put," Itachi sighed.

"But, captain—""We are beaten up, tired, and will sooner create problems before we end up being helpful. Believe in our jōnin and trust them to bring the traitor to justice." Despite his words, Itachi didn't look happy about the situation. Putting aside everyone else, it was a humble thing for Itachi to say that, and yet, there was truth in those words.

Even if he was a jōnin and an ANBU captain, he was only a sixteen-year-old with limited experience, whereas Choza was a veteran of the Third Shinobi World War and well-versed in fighting alongside other jōnin from his experience as a third of the infamous Ino-Shika-Cho trio. He would be able to help the group right from the get-go. Though none liked it, they settled down and immediately felt that it might have been a good decision to stay.

Even if they had small roles, the stress of being on the periphery of a fight between two monster jōnin and facing someone like Orochimaru hit them like a train the moment they allowed themselves to relax. Takuma couldn't help but shake his leg in worry for his friends and subordinates. He tried to think positively. The one leading them into battle was Kakashi, someone with a reputation as a great tactical mind; someone who wouldn't get his subordinates killed with harebrained orders.

Though he couldn't go himself, he had taken advantage of his opportunity to communicate with Kawamochi and sent a message to the chasing party, hoping that it would ensure Arisu and Kameko remained safe.

"You did well," Itachi said as he came to lean against the same tree as Takuma.

"It was only because everyone played their roles exceptionally."

"Learn to take a compliment."

"... I'll work on it."

"Things could have progressed in a completely different direction. I don't believe he would have retreated if Lord Choza had entered the battle normally." Orochimaru wasn't a man who would retreat just because he was facing two jōnin, even if they were particularly strong.

"It was only because we injured him so severely in a short amount of time that he decided to flee." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Lord Choza was amazing, wasn't he?" Takuma looked up at the sky.

"Made me want to do something like that one day."

"He's a great shinobi and a tremendous man." Takuma agreed. There were many great shinobi who were terrible people. They had just fought one and had come to kill another one. How someone treated others said a lot, and if Masaaki's treatment in the Akimichi clan was anything to go by, he was a truly great man because a place's culture flowed down from the top, especially in shinobi clans who considered themselves better than the rest.

"Mother is going to be proud and elated," Itachi chuckled. Takuma couldn't help but smile. Even though it was a collective victory, and he couldn't have done it without their help, he had successfully snared a Sannin in his genjutsu.

"Am I even allowed to say anything to her?"

"Most definitely not."

"Knowing her, she'd guess we were without us having to say anything." There was no hiding what they had faced today. A lot of it would be confidential, but Orochimaru's presence here couldn't be hidden. They had learned much shocking information today, each one of them dire enough on its own. Even if it wasn't a surprise, the news of Orochimaru and Danzo would ring alarms and raise questions about whether they were working with other rogues or enemies of the state.

Then there was the finding that the Snake Sannin had created a jutsu allowing him to possess others; a ninjutsu that neither Byakugan nor Sharingan could see through. And finally, Orochimaru had used that ninjutsu to take over an Uchiha, one previously thought to be dead. Just the fact that the Uchiha clan had buried a decoy was going to get a lot of people in the clan in grave trouble.

"This is going to cause chaos back home once we return," Takuma said.

"At the end of the day, a known terror is better than an unknown one," Itachi replied.

"We can at least prepare for something we know exists."

"Precisely." Takuma felt weary about the commotion he would have to deal with at home because of this. People responsible for keeping track of Orochimaru's movement and activities would come out of the woodwork to question him about every single detail of what had happened. He didn't want to go through any of it.

"We still lost a man." Takuma groaned, recalling the gruesome death of the assault squad member.

"Why even do that? He ignored the rest of us until we barged in with the plan."

"A provocation," Itachi said with a bad taste in his mouth.

"He likely imagined that a death would force me to take the fight seriously." He had a reputation of being a master of genjutsu—even among the Uchiha clan, he was considered a primarily genjutsu-oriented user—because he preferred to deal with situations through illusions. He did that because they were often the least violent option, perfect for someone who didn't enjoy fighting or violence.

Orochimaru wanted to fight properly right from the get-go, so he could enjoy himself to the fullest before a Leaf jōnin showed up, which was highly likely to happen given the number of them participating in the operation.

"Did… Did someone manage to get something off the body?" Itachi asked. The Death Seal had already burned the operative's body, but even if that wasn't the case, the corpse would have disappeared from the sheer destruction the jōnin had caused.

"I don't think so… They'll have to find something from his locker." It was a tradition that if a shinobi's body couldn't be returned to their family, something personal on their body at the time of their death was kept as a remembrance. Many shinobi, even ANBU-nin, carried personal items on their bodies that could be recognized by their loved ones for that very reason. Takuma hung his head, thinking that maybe he should also carry something like that.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Itachi standing and walking to the tree that Anko was sitting against. Everyone watched as he squatted right in front of her, surprising even her.

"You disobeyed orders, Chūnin Anko. You put the shinobi under your command at risk. Please reflect on your actions today and the consequences they might have," Itachi said as ANBU Captain Weasel. Anko predictably felt worse because it was true and hung her head in shame.

"But it's also true that we couldn't have done it without you. You were exceptional out there, which is precisely why you need to reflect on your actions."

"Yes, sir. I understand. I apologise and will take responsibility," Anko said, unable to meet anyone's eyes. However, Itachi wasn't done and continued, "I managed to catch what Orochimaru said to you…" Anko looked up at him with confusion and a shade of caution, her body showing signs of pulling up her guard. In her experience, nothing good came when she and her former master were mentioned in the same sentence.

"... and surprisingly enough, I agree with him. You're only a step away…"

"Pardon?" Anko's eyes widened.

"... and if you manage to cross over and evolve your understanding of chakra—it's the most difficult step, many have tried and failed despite their talent—but if you do cross the line, you'll eventually be honoured as a proud jōnin of the Hidden Leaf… However, understand that a position doesn't only represent power, it also carries responsibility, more than anyone expects. You can't act on your emotions as you did today. Each decision of yours will carry more weight than ever.

Remember that and grow to be worthy of that position. I'm looking forward to it." Takuma's lips parted in surprise. Anko sat frozen as though struck by a paralysis jutsu before her shoulders rose from a sharp, ragged breath she tried to hide. She didn't turn her face, but the sunlight caught the side of her face, revealing a flicker of something raw and unshielded in her eyes.

It wasn't the look of an acidic retort she had ready to whip out; it was the look of someone who had just been handed something precious and was terrified of dropping it.

"That's what you end up saying?" she said. Her eyes were bright—too bright—but her expression was set in a grim, new kind of focus. She didn't offer a grin of witty retort. She simply straightened her back.

"I'm not exactly 'responsibility' material yet. But… I'll try not to make people who bet on me look like complete idiots." Before he knew it, Takuma had a big grin stretched on his face behind his mask. It was as though everything that had happened today didn't exist. He just stared at her, taking her in. Her squared shoulders and raised chin—so similar to her usual confidence and yet completely different. He didn't think he had ever seen her like this.

He looked at Itachi, who brought about this change, and couldn't help but admire him. This was the way to motivate someone else; when compared to what he had done, it was completely different. Talent had nothing to do with it; he was simply something else entirely on every level, inspiring a kind of feeling that he couldn't describe.