Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

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**Hokage's Office**

"Is it confirmed?" Tsunade asked gravely as she listened to Tenzo's report.

"Yes. Hawk used the connection through his Curse Mark to locate one of Orochimaru's hideouts. It's been confirmed as authentic," Tenzo replied respectfully.

"Orochimaru…" Tsunade muttered the name with a complicated expression. It had been over a year since she last heard his name, and who knew what kind of mischief he'd been planning in the shadows?

"Can we confirm whether Orochimaru is inside the hideout?" she asked.

"To avoid alerting him, we only scouted briefly after discovering the location. There was no sign of Orochimaru. Fox also used genjutsu to probe for answers and found that Orochimaru hasn't visited this hideout for a long time," Tenzo explained.

"I see…" Tsunade closed her eyes, lost in thought.

Finally, she made a decisive gesture, assigning a squad of Anbu led by Tenzo to encircle and destroy Orochimaru's newly discovered hideout.

Watching Tenzo leave, Tsunade lost interest in her paperwork. She walked over to the window, gazing out at the expanse of Konoha.

For the first time, she understood why previous Hokage liked to stand here. From this vantage point, you could see the entire village.

"Orochimaru…" she murmured, reminiscing about the past. She never expected that cold, sinister man to walk such a path. After a long pause, her expression grew resolute.

"Now, it's Konoha's turn to trouble you!"

....

"Captain, has the order come through?" Sasuke asked as Tenzo returned.

"It has. The Hokage has ordered the encirclement and destruction of Orochimaru's hideout. If the mission succeeds, much of the credit will go to you," Tenzo said, looking at Sasuke, whose body had noticeably matured. He couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration.

"Got it." Sasuke nodded, acknowledging the information without much reaction. He wasn't particularly interested in accolades; he had joined the Anbu only to grow stronger.

Over the past year, Sasuke had fully adapted to life in the Anbu.

During this time, he realized how fortunate he was to have Kakashi as his mentor in Team 7 and Tenzo as his squad leader in the Anbu.

Initially, Sasuke didn't recognize the advantages he had. But after witnessing the harsh reality of teammates from other squads losing their lives, the very people people he'd greeted one day, only to never see again the next—he finally understood it.

This was especially true since the Anbu often handled dangerous missions and dirty work.

Fortunately, his squad had Tenzo, who generally ensured their safety as long as they didn't act recklessly.

This particular mission arose when Sasuke noticed an unusual reaction from the Curse Mark sealed by Natsuro. While the seal remained unbroken, Sasuke could sense similar Curse Mark energy nearby.

Knowing only Orochimaru could possess such marks, Sasuke quickly pinpointed the hidden location, leading to the current situation.

Tenzo, watching Sasuke's departing figure, smiled. He was very satisfied with Sasuke's performance over the past year.

As for Sasuke's identity, most people were well aware of it as there was only one person in Konoha with the Sharingan.

More importantly, Sasuke's personality wasn't difficult to deal with. While he was aloof, he cooperated well when necessary and didn't resist orders.

His strength was another key factor. Though Sasuke initially lagged in teamwork, it wasn't due to lack of skill but unfamiliarity with coordination.

Now, he was the second strongest in the squad, advancing rapidly.

Though he still couldn't match Natsuro's absurd power, Sasuke had truly earned the title of genius.

Tenzo, however, was preoccupied. The Hokage had entrusted him with this encirclement operation, and he needed to devise a flawless plan.

While sacrifices were inevitable, minimizing them was still the goal.

...

**Nightfall**

In the northern region of the Land of Fire, on a remote island near the coast, dense forests surrounded the area.

A prison-like structure stood there, hidden underground, making it almost impossible to find without prior knowledge.

Despite its secluded location, dozens of masked figures now stood in the trees surrounding the hideout.

At the front, Tenzo signaled with a hand gesture. The majority of the team, including Sasuke, moved in.

"Be careful, Hyena, Fox, Hawk…" Tenzo murmured. Forming hand seals, he prepared to seal off all possible escape routes.

"Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees!"

Inside the hideout, the Anbu team began their task: a simple yet ruthless mission to eliminate every enemy. There were no innocents in Orochimaru's hideout.

Sasuke, wielding his Chidori Blade, cut down enemy after enemy without hesitation, moving toward the source of the strongest connection he felt.

Hyena and Fox followed closely behind Sasuke, along with a small group of Anbu. They had witnessed Sasuke's prowess, his Chidori Blade made no distinctions, cutting down anyone in his path. Sticking with him seemed the safest choice.

Sasuke, too, realized why Natsuro preferred using a blade. For missions like these, it was incredibly efficient.

Soon, Sasuke reached a cell-like room. The searing sensation from his Curse Mark told him the source was just beyond the door.

As Sasuke pondered how to open the door—

Boom!

He didn't have to. The prison wall shattered outward, debris scattering across the floor and raising a cloud of dust.

From the smoke emerged a figure.

When Sasuke saw it, his eyes narrowed. It was a monster—a gray-skinned creature with sharp claws, protruding growths on its back, and a crazed smile on its face.

"Kill, kill you!" The creature's gaze locked onto Sasuke with an almost manic excitement as it roared furiously.

With its roar, the surrounding enemies who were still alive began screaming in agony as if under some unseen torment.

"What's going on?!"

This sudden turn of events made all the Anbu pause and instinctively close ranks, ready for any unexpected developments.

Then, they saw those enemies were also transforming into grotesque monsters, similar to the one that first appeared!

"So, without Natsuro's seal, would I have ended up looking like you? How hideous," Sasuke muttered under his breath, disgusted by their appearances.

It was clear that the transformations of the others were linked to the first monster. The only way to stop this was to kill the original as quickly as possible.

Without hesitation, Sasuke formed hand seals.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!"

As soon as the seals were completed, a spear of lightning shot straight at the first monster, piercing through its body in an instant.

For a brief moment, Sasuke and the others thought the creature had been defeated. But Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched the monster, impaled by the Chidori Sharp Spear, showed no signs of falling.

Instead, it reached out with its claws, grabbing hold of the intangible lightning spear and forcibly shattering the electricity that composed it.

What's more, the wound caused by the Chidori Sharp Spear began healing at a visible rate.

"Hawk, be careful of the surroundings," Fox suddenly warned. "It seems my genjutsu doesn't work on them anymore."

Sasuke was startled again. He scanned the area and saw that the transformations of the other creatures had completed. They were now drooling, staring hungrily at the Anbu team.

"You deal with those that have just transformed. I'll handle this one," Sasuke said after a brief pause.

"Be careful," Hyena said without objection.

Normally, this task would fall to Tenzo, but since he wasn't present, Sasuke naturally took up the role due to his rank in the squad.

Facing the orange-haired monster before him, Sasuke's expression grew grim. He started by throwing several shuriken.

To his surprise, the creature didn't even attempt to dodge, letting the shuriken hit its body.

However, the shuriken merely clinked against its skin and fell harmlessly to the ground—they couldn't even penetrate.

The monster, seemingly enraged, charged forward. Each step it took shook the very foundation of the structure.

Sasuke channeled more chakra to his feet and surrounded himself with lightning. His sword, now crackling with lightning, was gripped tightly in his hands. At the same time, his eyes transformed into the two-tomoe Sharingan.

As the creature barreled toward him with a massive, clenched fist, Sasuke swiftly formed hand seals.

But the monster didn't care about Sasuke's actions or his seals. Its enormous fist, larger than a sandbag, smashed down toward Sasuke.

"Boom!"

A puff of white smoke appeared, the monster had only struck a wooden log. Its eyes filled with confusion.

Then it felt a sharp pain in its back and let out a crazed grin.

Sasuke, having used the Body Replacement Technique, had slashed at the monster's back with his Chidori Blade. However, the blade embedded itself halfway into the creature's body and wouldn't go any further. Instead, Sasuke realized, to his dismay, that his sword was now stuck.

Gripping the hilt tightly, he tried to pull it out, but it was lodged firmly in place.

The next moment, Sasuke felt a tremendous force traveling through the blade. His entire body was dragged along with it.

The monster was merely turning around!

Sasuke didn't let go of the sword, but powerful electricity surged from his body, coursing through the blade and into the monster.

"Arghhh! I'll kill you! Kill you all!!"

The monster roared in agony, thrashing wildly as the electric current struck it. But then it swung its massive fist.

Still discharging electricity, Sasuke hadn't expected the monster to remain mobile despite the attack. He knew firsthand the strength of its punches—taking one head-on would be devastating.

Left with no choice, Sasuke let go of the sword and raised his arms to block.

In an instant, Sasuke felt the overwhelming force of the punch and a searing pain ripping through his arms, which gave way entirely.

"Bang!!"

Sasuke was sent flying, slamming into the wall with tremendous force.

"Ugh…"

A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips as he collapsed to the ground.

Feeling his arms go numb, Sasuke thought bitterly, Even while being hit by lightning, it still has this much strength?

Lightning once again surged around Sasuke's body, especially his arms, stimulating them to recover. Meanwhile, he watched as the monster pulled the sword out of its back and threw it to the ground. It stomped on the blade furiously, as if enraged.

Glancing around, Sasuke frowned. The situation was looking grim.

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