Naruto: Kushina's Redemption, My Revenge

Orochimaru issued the retreat order.

The Konoha ninja currently engaged in battle within the Hidden Hot Water Village withdrew while continuing to fight, retreating all the way to the village entrance.

Orochimaru scanned the remaining Konoha ninja and slightly furrowed his brows.

Before arriving here, there had been about ninety people—just under a hundred.

Now, counting even the injured, at most no more than forty remained.

Though this surprise attack on the Hidden Hot Water Village was nearly successful, the price they paid had been extremely heavy.

The operation lacked only one final step for full success—the neutrality of Tatsuji Kuroiwa.

Jiraiya, also covered in blood, walked over to Orochimaru's side and asked, "Orochimaru, what about that old man? Did he agree?"

"Unknown. But regardless, we must retreat now. We can't keep fighting any longer."

Jiraiya nodded solemnly. Indeed, they couldn't continue.

Orochimaru firmly believed that Tatsuji Kuroiwa would definitely accept his proposal.

If not, then the Hidden Hot Water Village would no longer have a place to exist.

Orochimaru declared, "Stay here and wait five minutes. Hold this position until the others join us. No matter what happens, we retreat after five minutes!"

Time ticked away second by second.

The ninja stationed here—including Orochimaru and Jiraiya—kept launching ninjutsu into the Hidden Hot Water Village, keeping Cloud and Hot Water Ninja at bay.

Right now, the most active among them was Minato Namikaze.

Using his mobility, Minato kept moving back and forth, rescuing one Konoha ninja with each trip.

Minato was already completely exhausted.

But he still forced himself to keep going, hoping to save as many as possible.

Just as Minato prepared once again to enter and rescue another comrade, Jiraiya stopped him.

"That's enough, Minato. You've done your best. Don't go back—we're about to retreat. You've reached your limit."

Minato pleaded, "Jiraiya-sensei, there's still a little time left. Let me go one more time."

Jiraiya shook his head. "You absolutely cannot go again. Haven't you noticed yourself that your speed has already dropped significantly? Going back again will put you in danger too. And within this short time frame, you won't even have enough time to save another person. Orochimaru said five minutes—it's exactly five minutes, not a second more for anyone.

By now, everyone who could escape has already made it out..."

Jiraiya didn't continue, but the meaning was clear—those who hadn't come out yet probably wouldn't.

Minato lowered his head slightly and said nothing more.

Time was up. Orochimaru immediately ordered, "Retreat now! Place explosive tags along the path as we go! Move!"

All the Konoha ninja gathered here retreated together.

The retreat went smoothly, encountering almost no interference from the Cloud Ninja.

They arrived back at their base near noon.

Chinya, drained of energy, had already returned to his tent to rest.

Others were either receiving medical treatment or resting as needed.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya didn't get any rest — they were in the middle of a critical wartime phase.

Orochimaru asked, "Jiraiya, have you tallied the numbers yet? How many ninja do we have left?"

Jiraiya reported, "Right now, we only have 43 ninja remaining. Of them, only 32 are ready for combat in the short term."

Orochimaru's expression turned somewhat serious. "We need to request immediate reinforcements from Konoha — at least sixty more ninja. Otherwise, we won't hold the line once we push forward."

Jiraiya frowned. "Orochimaru, are you really planning to advance the front line so soon? Isn't that too hasty? Shouldn't we wait until reinforcements arrive before pushing forward?"

Without looking up from the sand table, Orochimaru replied, "We have to advance the front line as soon as possible. If we wait too long and they catch on, our whole plan will fall apart. That would make this entire surprise attack on Hidden Hot Water Village meaningless — and all those who fell will have died for nothing."

Sighing slightly, Jiraiya said, "Got it. I'll take care of it immediately. But how far should we push the front line?"

Orochimaru picked up the flag representing Konoha on the sand table and placed it at one point. "At least ten kilometers!"

Jiraiya was surprised. "That far? Can we even hold such a position?"

Calmly, Orochimaru replied, "With our current numbers, we can't hold this position — which is exactly why we need to push even farther ahead."

Confused, Jiraiya asked, "Why push the front line further when we already know we can't defend it?"

Orochimaru explained, "It goes back to what I said earlier — we need room to maneuver. The ninja coming from Konoha won't reach Hidden Hot Water Village in one or two days. If we advance conservatively by just a short distance and the Cloud Ninja attack, we'll ultimately be forced to retreat back here again.

"But if we advance the front line a considerable distance from the start, fighting while retreating, then by the time Konoha's reinforcements arrive, we'll be able to hold our position."

Jiraiya listened carefully and finally understood. He sighed, "Orochimaru, your mind truly works fast. If you had been sent here to the Land of Hot Water instead, we probably wouldn't be in this situation now."

"There's no 'probably' about it — it's guaranteed," Orochimaru said bluntly. "Jiraiya, you're simply too cautious. War is like two beasts tearing into each other. Once one side shows weakness, the other will latch onto it and never let go — until death."

Jiraiya sat down in a chair. "I don't want to be so cautious either, but if you expect me to attack recklessly like you do, it's simply beyond me. By the way, how are things on the other fronts in Konoha?"

Orochimaru answered, "The fronts against Rock Ninja and Sand Ninja are manageable. The real problem now is that the Mist Village might soon enter the fray. Other than that, the Cloud Ninja in the Land of Hot Water are particularly troublesome, which is why our teacher sent me here to assist."

Sighing once more, Jiraiya muttered, "Peace hadn't even lasted a few years since the end of the Second Great Ninja World War — and now war's looming again? Can't we just live in peace for once?"

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya with his serpent-like eyes. "Jiraiya, you're still as gullible as ever."

Jiraiya grinned and replied, "What's so bad about being a bit gullible every now and then? Must be exhausting living life so cold-eyed and clear-headed all the time. By the way, how's your apprentice doing? Aside from when you carried me and Nawaki back during the Second Shinobi World War, I think the only other time I remember you carrying someone was that time with Chinya."

Upon hearing Nawaki's name, Orochimaru's pupils slightly constricted, though he calmly responded, "Chinya sustained some minor injuries and is physically exhausted, but nothing serious."

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