A desolate rocky area, an inconspicuous, common mountain.
This was the location of the Hidden Stone's logistics medical unit. Hidden Stone Ninja used Earth Release to hollow out the entire mountain, making it a natural barrier for the logistics medical unit.
Ōnoki, under the treatment of a Medical Ninja, looked at the penetrating wound on his chest and thought that if he hadn't flown up a certain distance before Orochimaru's sneak attack...
Was that woman Orochimaru aiming for my head?
Ōnoki's heart tightened. If he hadn't flown up a certain distance because of the Third Hokage, he would be a corpse by now. He didn't even have time to react to Orochimaru's sneak attack before a hole was punched in his chest, a hole that was originally meant for his head.
I can't believe I owe my survival to the Third Hokage... Ōnoki felt both ironic and fortunate. Ironic that he survived because of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and fortunate that he was still alive, otherwise dying like that would have been too frustrating.
"Lord Tsuchikage, I recommend you return to the Village for a detailed examination at the hospital."
The captain of the medical unit provided emergency treatment for Ōnoki's wound, worried that the injury might not be as simple as it appeared and required a more thorough examination to confirm.
"I understand."
Ōnoki had already planned to do so. He didn't believe the wound caused by that strange Ninja tool would be so simple. In these special times, it was better to be cautious. If anything happened to him, the Four Great Shinobi Villages would not miss the opportunity to attack Iwagakure. He had to recover as quickly as possible.
That hateful little girl... Ōnoki never dreamed he would suffer a loss at Orochimaru's hands. He hadn't suffered much loss in his battle with Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he stumbled at Orochimaru's hand in the end.
Ōnoki led the Hidden Stone forces back to the Village to rest. Their operations against Konoha were not over, but they would no longer be on such a large scale as before.
After the Hidden Stone forces retreated, the Konoha forces took a brief rest and, led by Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, withdrew from the Land of Waterfall border to the Land of Fire.
The Ninja of Takigakure, who had been observing Konoha and Hidden Stone, breathed a sigh of relief. If Konoha and Hidden Stone had engaged in full-scale war in the Land of Waterfall, Takigakure could not have pretended nothing happened, but Takigakure's strength was completely insignificant in front of Hidden Stone and Konoha.
"Orochimaru, do you resent me for stopping you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru beside him and suddenly asked.
"Hiruzen-sensei, why do you say that?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, and she smiled, saying, "I only wanted to kill the Third Tsuchikage because he wanted to kill me, nothing more."
"Is that so..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words caught in his throat.
"You must have had your concerns when you stopped me. I can understand that."
Orochimaru could understand, but she didn't necessarily agree.
If she had another chance, she would aim for a position above Ōnoki, so that when he flew up, she could hit his head perfectly.
Killing Ōnoki might lead to worse consequences, but with an opportunity right in front of her, why not seize it?
At night, the Konoha forces rested within the Land of Fire, returning to Konoha tomorrow.
Orochimaru leaned against a tree trunk, examining the black, matte-textured miniature pistol in her hand.
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