Above the Stream Country, Jiraiya, who was sketching out the complete battlefield map, turned to chat with Tsunade beside him.
The two naturally discussed the enemy's formation and made quite reliable guesses.
Orochimaru, steering the flying apparatus, listened quietly to their conversation.
"They probably haven't dared to launch a real attack yet because they can't see through the situation in the Land of Earth?"
"Considering they usually each fight against three opponents at once, being cautious is possible too."
Jiraiya rarely spoke so seriously, which genuinely startled Tsunade.
After a while, Tsunade suddenly slapped her thigh and proposed a bold guess: "What if Rain ninjas decide to join in?"
Jiraiya, resting his chin in his hand, thought for a moment before giving an uncertain answer: "Hmm, Rain has always been ambiguous in its stance. Probably will continue like this?"
"I think they'd rather keep themselves safe and stay out of this major war," Orochimaru, from the cockpit, offered an opposing view.
"What makes you say that?" x2
Their confusion made him think back to a conversation he once had years ago in the Lab while chatting with Shen.
"Konoha is nothing but a hollow shell — all bark and no bite!"
Back then, that comment had frightened Orochimaru quite a bit.
However, from internal disunity to external resource technology, ultimately criticizing the current Hokage's lenient policies, Shen concluded that if a great war broke out, Konoha would definitely end up victorious, albeit at a terrible cost.
Though still feeling defiant, Orochimaru found himself unable to counter any of his viewpoints.
The various peacefully coexisting ninja clans and uneven ninja abilities were all drawbacks of implementing lenient policies.
"Sunagakure's internal unity is actually quite solid; it's just that their overall power leaves much to be desired."
Upon hearing this judgment from Orochimaru, he immediately nodded in agreement.
Indeed, without clan constraints, Sunagakure could have ranked among the top three in the shinobi world if only they had a better geographical location.
Ninja executing missions already faced harsh environments; why would any strong ninja want to join them anyway?
So Sand ninjas developed many puppets and war machines instead of relying purely on personal strength.
It's an interesting idea, but in this world, a ninja's strength still comes down to raw power alone.
The reason Orochimaru said, "Technology alone won't save the shinobi world" was because he deeply knew that depending on external tools couldn't lead to true growth.
Returning to biological research became the only method he could think of that both aligned with his interests and enhanced his strength.
When talking about Mist, the atmosphere became awkward.
Remote from the mainland, Mist received little optimism from both Shen and Orochimaru.
"They'll eventually destroy themselves."
Both reached a consensus that unless Mist was reborn from destruction, it would be completely erased from the shinobi world.
Much to Orochimaru's surprise, Shen held a very positive view of Kumogakure.
The Land of Lightning itself was a military power, and strict systems were necessary to better control those unruly ninja.
"Cough-cough." Orochimaru mockingly cleared his throat, clearly amazed by how boldly confident Shen could be.
Who in the entire shinobi world doesn't know that the Uchiha have always been the biggest troublemakers?
Yet Shen Uchiha spoke as if he didn't care at all, praising Kumogakure's system without so much as a blush or hesitation.
"If this system continues even after unifying the shinobi world, everything will soon fall apart again."
This was the first time Orochimaru clearly understood his thoughts.
It was true that Kumogakure indeed had such plans. But why would someone like Shen, who pursued peace, openly voice such opinions? That itself was quite interesting.
When it came to Iwagakure, Shen's tone became visibly more impassioned: "Iwagakure? Their internal structure is as inflexible as stone. The current Tsuchikage is nearly fifty and still refuses to step down!"
Getting old just means you're out of touch with the times.
Orochimaru figured that if his own teacher hadn't promoted him, this guy would've criticized the current Hokage just the same.
"Still clinging to the old Warring States-era mindset, seeing everyone else as an enemy—true development can never come from that." After calming himself slightly, Shen made his final judgment.
As for those smaller ninja villages in minor countries, he categorized them all as fence-sitters.
There's nothing wrong with relying on powerful allies to survive.
As for Takigakure and Rain ninjas, which harbored greater ambitions, he saw them as ambitious factions full of aspirations yet unlikely to succeed.
Strategically located, Takigakure possessed a natural sense of superiority, along with inexplicable self-confidence.
If they wanted to grow stronger, they'd have to prove themselves on the real stage of the shinobi world.
War-torn Rain ninjas were even less worth mentioning. Despite having the Demigod of the shinobi world to pacify internal conflicts, and possessing formidable power themselves, pure military intimidation could not sustain peace over the long term.
"When Hanzo dies, Ame will surely descend into chaos," Shen compared this to the First Great Ninja War triggered by the death of the First Hokage.
Orochimaru didn't entirely agree with this view.
"One demigod alone can't control all the rain ninja. Once hatred has taken root, it won't dissipate so easily."
In other words, to maintain outward appearances of peace and order, Hanzo would nip any potential threat to his rule in the bud.
Returning to the present, Orochimaru gave an answer after deep recollection: "This would be a war offering no guaranteed gains. There's absolutely no reason for Amegakure to participate."
Originally, Jiraiya and Tsunade had assumed that Hanzo, having quelled civil wars within his country, would be someone fond of warfare.
But after hearing this thorough analysis, they realized the so-called Demigod of the shinobi world was actually someone fundamentally opposed to war.
"Therefore, unless forced into it, Amegakure won't easily enter this conflict," Orochimaru concluded calmly.
He believed that as long as they didn't provoke the other side first, they wouldn't face that long-hidden kusarigama (chain-sickle weapon).
Jiraiya took a deep breath before asking a difficult question: "But what if the war spreads into the borders of Amegakure? Which side would they declare war upon then?"
"I don't know," Orochimaru replied immediately without hesitation.
The hopeful look in Jiraiya's eyes instantly vanished.
Somehow, he felt that Hanzo—driven by the pride of a shinobi demigod—might actually dare to wage war on multiple nations at once.
"Bullshit!" Tsunade smacked the back of his head.
"My grandpa would never dare to make such a claim. What gives this so-called Demigod of the ninja world the right?"
"Uh, it was just a hunch! Did you really have to hit that hard?"
"You deserved it! Who told you to talk trash about my granddad?"
"Come on, I get it already—don't hit my face!"
Expressionless as always, Orochimaru turned his head sideways and resumed flying the plane.
The heartbreaking and tear-jerking scene behind them even made him—someone who rarely let emotions sway his mind—reluctant to look directly.
Even the hotheaded Tsunade and Jiraiya's lecherous grin forced Orochimaru to admit: Humans truly were capable of countless bizarre behaviors.
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