Chapter 239: Destined To Become A Reformer Who Changes This Cruel System

"Still a bit short, but it’s not far from being fully formed!"

Thinking of this, Shinichi couldn’t help but feel a trace of pride.

The Village Hidden in the Cloud had been exploring since the Warring States Period. It took nearly a hundred years and several masters to refine Lightning Style Armour to maturity.

And for him, it had not even been two full years.

Shinichi withdrew his thoughts and walked toward his tent.

"Shinichi-sama, Orochimaru-sama requests your presence."

Just as he returned, a messenger ninja hurried over. Shinichi nodded and turned toward the command center.

"Shinichi-kun, I have a difficult mission here that requires you to carry it out with me."

Inside the command center, Orochimaru’s gaze fell on Shinichi, a slight smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B!"

....

"What an ugly beast."

"You clearly bear the most dangerous power for your companions, you clearly risk your life to protect them on the battlefield, yet you are regarded by your companions as an uncontrollable beast."

"Shut up!"

"Look at the eyes of your companions, Blue B. They are afraid of you, afraid that you will lose control, afraid that you will go berserk, afraid that you will tear them apart along with everything else."

"Roar!!"

Inside the command center, Orochimaru withdrew his thoughts, looked at the young man in front of him, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened slightly.

"After the last encounter with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, I discovered something interesting. Blue B’s mental state is very unstable. He is extremely sensitive to the looks and discussions of his comrades, to the point of being paranoid."

"So he fears the power of the Eight-Tails. The more he uses the Eight-Tails’ power, the more afraid he becomes. He’s clearly someone who can control the power of the tailed beast very well, yet he binds and tortures himself because of these boring glances and comments, pushing himself to the brink of collapse. Hehe..."

Shinichi listened quietly until Orochimaru stopped laughing, then calmly asked, "What does Orochimaru-sama mean?"

Orochimaru turned around, his long, slender fingers pointing to the location of the Village Hidden in the Cloud on the map.

"According to my intelligence, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is not currently on the front lines. He secretly returned to the Village Hidden in the Cloud a few days ago to receive psychological treatment."

"So, Orochimaru-sama, what are you planning to do?"

Shinichi didn’t ask Orochimaru where he got his information. This snake-like uncle always managed to get all sorts of information, some of which Konoha knew, and much more that Konoha didn’t.

"To completely unleash his inner fear and cause the Eight-Tails to go berserk." Orochimaru withdrew his finger and turned around, his golden snake eyes revealing interest.

"The strength of the Village Hidden in the Cloud is incomparable to that of the Village Hidden in the Sand. I’m sure you understand this very well, Shinichi-kun. Even though the last offensive was thwarted and the third Raikage was injured, the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s war machine was not truly crippled. They will soon be able to regroup and launch the next offensive. And that time will likely be when the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki has finished his treatment and returned to the front lines."

"What we need to do is to strike first and completely destroy this trump card of the Village Hidden in the Cloud."

"Next, I will try to infiltrate Village Hidden in the Cloud, cause the Eight-Tails to go berserk, and plunge Village Hidden in the Cloud into chaos."

He turned his head to look at Shinichi, a sharp glint flashing in his snake-like eyes.

"And you, Shinichi-kun."

"I need you to lead your Shinichi battalion and launch a surprise attack the moment the Eight-Tails goes berserk and the Village Hidden in the Cloud falls into chaos. First, completely destroy the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s logistics and medical departments, ensuring their continued logistical and medical support in this war, and..."

At this point, Orochimaru’s eyes showed an even stronger hint of amusement.

"And then there’s the Kumogakure Ninja Academy and the orphanage. Destroying these two places... Would be tantamount to completely severing Village Hidden in the Cloud’s reserve force for the next ten to twenty years, at least 70%!"

Upon hearing this, Shinichi frowned and said directly, "I will complete the mission of raiding the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s logistics department and medical department, but as for the matter of attacking the Ninja Academy and the orphanage, Orochimaru-sama, I’m sorry, please allow me to refuse."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised. After a moment, he let out a soft chuckle.

"You are still kind-hearted, Shinichi. However, Shinichi, you should know very well that most of these students from the Ninja Academy will become ninjas in the future, will take up weapons, and will stand on the battlefield to fight against us. Even the orphans in the Village Hidden in the Cloud orphanage have received military training and education in absolute obedience since childhood."

"If we don’t eliminate them now, they will appear on the battlefield as enemies in ten years."

"I’m sorry, Orochimaru-sama, I still refuse to carry out this mission."

Upon hearing this, Shinichi shook his head again, without giving any reason.

He knew, of course, that Orochimaru was right; those children would indeed become enemies, would indeed take up arms, and would indeed stand on the battlefield.

From a purely military perspective, eliminating the threat at its root is indeed the most efficient approach.

But he couldn’t, because he knew that if he actually carried out this mission, his reputation would be completely ruined.

What did he say in front of the Hokage Building before? What calls did he make?

"So that children don’t have to learn to hold a sword before they learn to read."

He said those words, but what if he turned around and slaughtered someone else’s children?

Is it merely because of the possibility that they might become ninjas in the future, or that they might take up swords and point them at Konoha?

On the battlefield, the ninjas of the two countries served their respective masters. No matter how many Kumogakure ninjas Shinichi killed in direct combat, no one could stand on moral high ground to condemn him.

Because that was war, a survival game of life and death, where both sides facing each other with swords drawn should be prepared to die by the blade.

Not to mention, he himself grew up in an orphanage.

Shinichi is destined to become a reformer who changes this cruel system, a leader who ends this era of war, and even the savior of the entire Shinobi World.

He wanted people to believe that Shinichi Higashino represented hope, change, and a better future, and to unite the hearts of the entire Shinobi World around him, rather than becoming an accomplice to this distorted system and addressing potential future threats by slaughtering the next generation.

For a moment, he even wondered if Orochimaru thought his image was too perfect, too virtuous.

So, was this task deliberately chosen to add necessary blemishes to his character?

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru stared at him for a few seconds before chuckling softly and saying, "Alright! Let’s do as you say, Shinichi. The logistics and medical departments will be handed over to you. As for the other two, let’s just forget about them."

Shinichi was silent for a moment, then bowed.

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."