Originally, he did not pay much attention to the squad of Might Duy and Mokgetsu mentioned in Orochimaru's words.
As the deputy commander of the battle team, Nara Shikaku had already memorized the squads with strong combat capabilities, and the one with Kakashi was clearly not among them.
And if Nara Shikaku remembered correctly, Might Duy was previously known as a perpetual Genin with a bad reputation in Konoha Village.
But according to Orochimaru's special inquiry, perhaps Kakashi and Might Duy contributed significantly in the battle, and were not merely being dragged along.
The other Jonin looked at Orochimaru with some confusion, not quite understanding why Orochimaru would mention Kakashi and Might Duy.
Those who didn't know Might Duy were fine, but those who did found it even stranger, for who would know that a perpetual Genin actually mastered the terrifying kinjutsu Eight Gates.
Although they were puzzled, no one interrupted; it's better to listen when you don't understand.
"Shisui, Obito, and Nohara Rin should recover their combat abilities in about ten days; Kakashi's condition is more severe, requiring at least three weeks of rest. As for Guy, his condition is the most severe, needing at least a month and a half before he can return to battle. I plan to send Guy back to Konoha for rest," Mokgetsu replied after some thought.
Although Obito, Nohara Rin, and Shisui looked miserable, they basically sustained external injuries, which healed quickly under the support of medical ninjutsu.
Kakashi was different. Although he didn't look injured, when he used Thunder Flash Divine Speed at the end, similar to the pattern in the original Ghost Destruction series, he exerted his body strength, causing significant pressure on his body, thus requiring longer rest.
As for Might Guy, there's even less to say; Eight Gates itself is a kinjutsu with strong side effects. Might Guy forcefully opened the sixth gate, which he couldn't bear, simultaneously layering it with the Breath of Rock Chakra Mode, applying extreme stress on his body.
If it weren't for the effective training results of the Breath of Rock and Might Guy's diligence in practice, a truly ordinary Chunin's physique would definitely not withstand this terrifying pressure; even throwing a punch during the battle could break a bone.
"Their ability to repel the Seven Ninja Swordsmen this time was actually an extraordinary outburst, and they don't usually have such strength," Mokgetsu explained a bit.
This time it was mainly Might Guy who shined, but it would take time for him to convert this life-and-death experience into gains.
"As for Senior Dai, his full burst can simultaneously block two ninja swordsmen-level ninjas, but the burst duration cannot be too long."
If Might Duy opened the Death Gate, he could single-handedly crush the entire Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but such extreme measures as the Death Gate can't be used as a normal combat strength.
After listening to Mokgetsu's explanation, Nara Shikaku was once again shocked; the development of this encounter was completely different from what he imagined.
He thought Mokgetsu, not having been assigned a combat task, simply went out with his disciples and then encountered Minazuki Kan and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, leading to a battle where Mokgetsu killed Minazuki Kan and other Hidden Mist Jonin. Mokgetsu's disciple killed the injured Suikazan Fuguki, and Biwa Juzo and Kuriarare Kushimaru escaped in the chaos, failing to be captured.
This was the most reasonable combat process that Nara Shikaku deduced based on Orochimaru's report of the final result.
However, according to Mokgetsu, the correct process should have been that Mokgetsu's disciple squad was on a mission, coincidentally encountering the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, leading to a fight. Mokgetsu's disciple squad along with Might Duy gained some advantage, killing Suikazan Fuguki and repelling the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Then Mokgetsu and Minazuki Kan arrived, resulting in the astonishing follow-up outcomes.
After reasoning it out, Nara Shikaku felt quite overwhelmed; there were so many strong individuals on his battlefield, yet he wasn't aware.
These were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist who could be directly repelled by his ninja squad, even accounting for the extraordinary factors, they were still strong enough.
"Might Duy..." Nara Shikaku silently repeated the name in his heart.
He planned to take some time to meet this ninja after the meeting ends; he truly hadn't expected that the legendary perpetual Genin had strength rivaling two ninja swordsmen.
The other ninjas also wore expressions of surprise and bewilderment.
Yamanaka Inoichi sighed at the talent of the younger generation, even Mokgetsu's disciples had such strength.
Knowing that Mokgetsu himself was only in his early twenties, his disciples couldn't be much older.
"That perpetual Genin actually has such strength." The head of the medical team was extremely shocked in his heart.
Although Might Duy had been promoted to Chunin for a while, due to his widely known past deeds, the first impression ninjas had of Might Duy was still of a perpetual Genin.
However, the head of the medical team believed that once the news of this encounter spread, this situation would change. In the future, when people talked about Might Duy, they would first think of him, as a Chunin, fighting against two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in battle.
"I see," Orochimaru nodded, giving up the idea of forming an elite assassination squad with Kakashi and his group.
According to the intelligence provided by Mokgetsu, the main combat power of the squad was Might Guy, followed by Kakashi, and then the others.
Since the strongest, Might Guy, and Kakashi both needed to rest for such a long time, using them in the upcoming war became difficult.
Orochimaru's initial plan was to take advantage of Konoha's previous weakness on the East Coast Battlefield to disguise the camp's location, strategically exposing it to provoke Hidden Mist into a large-scale attack.
However, Hidden Mist wasn't foolish; they wouldn't fall for Orochimaru's bait after losing so many elite ninjas in one go.
Because Orochimaru's plan hinged on Hidden Mist perceiving that Konoha's ninja force on the East Coast Battlefield was weak, allowing them to gather troops and eliminate many of Konoha's living forces to weaken Konoha's overall strength.
Now, not only did Mokgetsu eliminate Minazuki Kan, the renowned powerful talent and Clan Leader of the Snow Clan in Hidden Mist, but he also reduced Hidden Mist's notorious assassination squad, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, to just two. In such a situation, it's impossible for Hidden Mist to view Konoha as weak.
Therefore, Orochimaru's new plan was an extreme provocation—deploying substantial forces to hunt Hidden Mist ninjas and find their main base, compelling Hidden Mist into a major battle with Konoha.
If there were a squad strong enough to rival the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Orochimaru would undoubtedly deploy them to the frontlines to hunt Hidden Mist.
"Injuries are inevitable in such large-scale battles; I will report your achievements to the higher-ups," Orochimaru reassured Mokgetsu instead of expressing any regrets.
After all, it wasn't as though they were at a dead end. Orochimaru couldn't possibly send ninjas who hadn't recovered to the battlefield. Since they couldn't be used, it was better to say something nice and earn a bit of goodwill from Mokgetsu.
Although Orochimaru appeared very cold and unapproachable, it didn't mean he didn't know the Skill of Manipulating People.
It's just that in most cases, few ninjas warranted Orochimaru using those skills.
Coincidentally, Mokgetsu was worth Orochimaru's effort—not only was he strong and capable but he was also a Root ninja, perfect for Orochimaru's ideal subordinates.
Orochimaru was contemplating how to dig Mokgetsu over to his side; an excellent confidant was indispensable if he wanted to become Hokage.
For now, Mokgetsu wasn't under his command, merely a temporary aid lent by Shimura Danzo.
Although there was in-depth collaboration with Shimura Danzo, Orochimaru had a clear distinction; he didn't want to be greatly restricted by Shimura Danzo after becoming Hokage. Cooperation was acceptable, but once he became Hokage, if Shimura Danzo expected to be on equal footing, he was deluding himself.
Orochimaru was quite confident in his ability to win over talent, as he was very familiar with the tactics Shimura Danzo employed with Root ninjas, after all, Orochimaru was considered a high-ranking member of Root.
Orochimaru believed that he needed only to help Mokgetsu see through Shimura Danzo's true face, which was solely for Konoha, then showcase his own charisma, and Mokgetsu would likely switch sides.
Subsequently, Orochimaru and Nara Shikaku began seriously discussing the specific combat plan, mainly involving the two of them, while the others were just supplementing various details.