The supreme commander, Jiraiya, had also received the news from the battlefield between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
“I never imagined it.
Yoru Ichirō’s son is actually this incredible!
Hahaha!”
Jiraiya burst into his usual hearty laughter.
He had always felt it was a shame that Yoru Ichirō had betrayed Konoha.
Now, however, he was genuinely happy to see how far Yagami Yue had grown.
With Kakashi coming before him and Yagami Yue following behind, Konoha’s new generation should be capable of supporting the village in the future.
Jiraiya quickly wrote a letter to Minato Namikaze.
But Minato had already received the news.
“Kakashi, have you ever heard the name Yagami Yue?”
Minato’s voice carried his usual warm and sunny quality.
“No.”
Kakashi’s expression remained cold.
As always, he spoke as little as possible.
“Really?”
“There’s a child who has only just turned eight, yet he’s already used a ninjutsu on the battlefield to seriously injure the Fourth Kazekage.”
Minato smiled.
“Really?”
For the first time, a different expression appeared on Kakashi’s normally frozen face.
“Yeah.”
“He’s an extraordinary genius.”
“Only eight years old…”
Minato sighed.
“…”
Kakashi clenched his fist.
He silently resolved to work even harder.
…
…
The leaders of Iwagakure and Kumogakure also received the intelligence.
Orders were immediately issued to accelerate their efforts to recruit Yagami Yue.
A genius like this—
If they could bring him into their own village, it would undoubtedly provide an enormous boost to their strength.
At the same time, the two Kage couldn’t help feeling a certain sense of schadenfreude.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, you idiot.
You must be having a headache now, right?
…
…
“Lord Yagami Yue…”
“Lord Yagami Yue…”
“Lord Yagami Yue…”
Every shinobi around him stood up and respectfully greeted him.
The battlefield ruins had already been cleared away.
The camp had once again returned to an orderly state.
However, the location where Yagami Yue had fought the Fourth Kazekage remained untouched.
That shooting-star-like technique had been permanently etched into the memories of every Konoha shinobi who had witnessed it.
Brilliant.
Terrifyingly powerful.
And unforgettable.
Admiration.
At this point, Yagami Yue had completely established a lofty position for himself on the battlefield between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
His reputation was now second only to Orochimaru.
He was no less respected than other jōnin who had accumulated impressive battlefield achievements, such as the strategic genius Nara Shikaku.
Yagami Yue maintained a cold expression throughout.
Occasionally, he would simply nod.
Yet even that was enough to make some genin extremely excited.
He walked toward the command center.
He was going to find Orochimaru.
The last time Orochimaru had offered to recruit him, Yue hadn’t given an immediate answer.
He had said he would think about it.
Now, he had made his decision.
Joining Orochimaru wasn’t necessary.
However, Yue was currently alone within Konoha’s political landscape.
Orochimaru was someone worth cultivating as an ally.
Therefore, the best option was cooperation.
And judging from the current situation, Orochimaru should already have begun…
Soon, Yagami Yue arrived at the command center.
“Lord Orochimaru…”
“You’re here.”
Orochimaru looked at Yagami Yue with a meaningful smile.
He even licked his lips.
Yagami Yue’s expression immediately turned awkward.
If I didn’t know what Orochimaru was really like, I’d think he was hitting on me.
“Yue-kun, have you made your decision?”
“I have.”
“And what is your choice?”
Yagami Yue didn’t answer directly.
Instead, he asked:
“Lord Orochimaru, what is your goal in life?”
“Goal in life?”
Orochimaru gave his characteristic hiss.
“Yue-kun, you’re certainly unusual.”
“But that also proves you’re different from everyone else…”
“If I were just like everyone else, wouldn’t life be boring?”
Yagami Yue smiled.
Orochimaru nodded.
After thinking for a moment, he answered:
“If you had asked me that question a few months ago, perhaps I would have told you that my goal in life was to become Hokage…”
“But now…”
Orochimaru’s ambitions had always been enormous.
He was proud and arrogant, and for a long time he had coveted the position of Hokage.
But ever since the Second Shinobi World War, he had witnessed far too many people die.
He had come to understand how fragile life truly was.
Because of that, his ambitions had begun to change.
He believed that the human body contained power that could never be fully utilized within a single lifetime.
Therefore, another goal had gradually appeared in his life.
To uncover the truths of the world and ultimately obtain immortality.
Becoming Hokage had been pushed into second place.
“My goal in life…”
Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed.
“…is to become immortal.”
“Then, using an infinite amount of time, study this world and understand exactly what it is.”
Yagami Yue thought to himself:
Just as I expected.
The Orochimaru of this era had already begun shifting his ambitions toward immortality.
Orochimaru’s talent as a shinobi was obviously extraordinary.
But now, he was probably about to awaken two additional talents:
Scientist.
And…
Underground recruiter and cult-like salesman.
“Yue-kun, what about you?”
Orochimaru was fascinated by Yagami Yue’s unusual personality, so he was genuinely curious about his ambitions.
“My goal in life…”
Yagami Yue thought for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
“I haven’t figured out my long-term goal yet.”
“But my immediate goal is simple.”
“To become stronger.”
“I’m still not strong enough.”
“This shinobi world is far too dangerous, so I have to work hard.”
“If a person isn’t strong enough, the world will eventually bend them until they break.”
Orochimaru was disappointed.
Such a mundane goal…