This time, Orochimaru did not summon all the Konoha Jonin but only gathered a few Jonin who held key positions on the current battlefield.
Small matters call for big meetings, big matters call for small meetings. Since the meeting's decisions would affect the entire battlefield's final outcome, the content of the meeting itself was confidential.
Aside from Mokgetsu, Orochimaru only invited five Konoha Jonin to this crucial secret meeting.
These five Jonin included Hyuga Hizashi, who was the leader of the perception squad, as well as the entire Ino-Shika-Cho team. It's worth mentioning that Nara Shikaku was the deputy commander of the forces, and the last Jonin was the medical squad leader in charge of logistics and medical care.
"Just today, Mokgetsu-kun, Might Duy, and the squad of Mokgetsu-kun's disciples had an encounter battle with Minazuki Kan and the Seven-Swords Ninja.
Minazuki Kan, Munashi Jinpachi, Jinin Akebino, Kurosuki Raiga, Aohire Karei, Suikazan Fuguki, and other Hidden Mist Jonin were killed on the spot. Among them, Suikazan Fuguki was killed by Mokgetsu-kun's disciple, and the rest of the ninjas were all killed by Mokgetsu-kun."
Orochimaru didn't hold back any suspense and directly stated Mokgetsu and their combat achievements.
Orochimaru did not use any exaggerated descriptions or rhetoric, merely describing Mokgetsu's achievements in a straightforward manner. Inside the tent, all the ninjas, except for Orochimaru and Mokgetsu, had their pupils contract and faces went through an unhideable shock.
If it weren't the unit commander Orochimaru saying this, any ninja here would probably question the authenticity of these words.
The reason is simple, the content is simply staggering.
It's like in the middle of a war, they suddenly muddle through and find out they've wiped out the enemy's elite forces. It brings a kind of dream-like sense of happiness.
For a smart person like Nara Shikaku, this feeling is particularly pronounced, because he clearly did not make any combat arrangements, but Mokgetsu created such results.
Winning battles isn't just about being strong; otherwise, each village wouldn't need to deploy so many ninjas, just send a few top experts, and it'd be over.
Even if you're powerful, you have to be able to find people. Without finding them, no matter how strong, you cannot kill your opponent, which involves other war-related aspects.
"It truly was a battle of both strength and luck." Nara Shikaku sighed inwardly.
Directly encountering the Seven-Swords Ninja and Minazuki Kan without many ninjas around was Mokgetsu's luck, and defeating them was Mokgetsu's strength; both components were indispensable, and lacking either might have resulted in a loss for Konoha.
"It seems we need to reevaluate Habu Mokgetsu's strength. His skills may not differ much from Lord Orochimaru's, perhaps enough to hold off Karatachi Yagura on the battlefield." Nara Shikaku instinctively thought of tactical arrangements.
Although they had some intelligence on Mokgetsu, unpredictability among ninjas is significant. Initially, Nara Shikaku didn't even know if Mokgetsu could win against Minazuki Kan or Hozuki Zangetsu.
But looking at Mokgetsu's latest achievements, it's clear Mokgetsu is definitely much stronger than them; otherwise, he couldn't have faced Minazuki Kan and simultaneously taken down four members of the Seven-Swords Ninja. Therefore, Nara Shikaku estimated Mokgetsu's combat power as slightly inferior to top-level experts like Orochimaru and Karatachi Yagura.
"What a frightening achievement," Yamanaka Inoichi looked at Mokgetsu with some amazement.
In terms of age, Mokgetsu was a junior, but the record Mokgetsu set is something Inoichi probably could never surpass in his lifetime.
After all, the secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan are more supportive; it's rare to see individual ninjas exhibiting immense strength in solo combat.
Not only him, but Yamanaka Inoichi thinks that even if their generation of Ino-Shika-Cho combined forces, they probably couldn't achieve this.
Regarding their strength, Yamanaka Inoichi had realistic self-awareness. Together, they might be able to temporarily hold off Minazuki Kan or Hozuki Zangetsu, but to win, that was thinking too far. If a few of the Seven-Swords Ninja were added, they would undoubtedly face a disastrous defeat.
Indeed, even Orochimaru would find it difficult to achieve such results in an encounter battle.
It's not that Orochimaru lacks strength, but it's rare to encounter such a situation.
"Impressive." Akimichi Chouza gave Mokgetsu a thumbs up.
He didn't really connect Mokgetsu's encounter battle achievements to the wider impact on the battlefield. He just thought Mokgetsu, who could defeat so many strong opponents, was very impressive.
Hyuga Hizashi's look towards Mokgetsu was also full of admiration. Although before today he had virtually no impression of Mokgetsu, that didn't stop Hyuga Hizashi from admiring Mokgetsu now.
In the Ninja World, the strong are revered, and Mokgetsu not only demonstrated immense strength but also made great contributions to Konoha; it was hard for Hyuga Hizashi not to admire Mokgetsu.
If he had Mokgetsu's level of power, perhaps the Hyuga Clan could effect some changes.
The expressions of surprise on the ninjas present did not surprise Orochimaru at all. This was information that even he couldn't help but be amazed by.
"Before discussing the next combat plans, I would like to ask Mokgetsu-kun, how many of your disciples can still fight at full strength, and to what extent can Might Duy contribute in another battle?" Orochimaru looked at Mokgetsu and asked.
In this encounter battle, it wasn't only Mokgetsu's performance that was astonishing; his disciples and Might Duy's performance was equally daunting.
They were all Chunin, yet they were able to directly repel the Seven-Swords Ninja without significant numerical superiority, even killing one of them.
If Mokgetsu's disciples were not injured, essentially it meant having a squad equivalent to match the Seven-Swords Ninja for this side under Orochimaru's command.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Nara Shikaku showed a pensive expression.