Noticing the suppressed smiles of the two Hokage advisors, Orochimaru curled his lip and didn't say much.
Even the Fourth Raikage couldn't understand his intentions, so expecting Utatane Koharu and the others to get it was just a pipe dream.
But regardless, after this conversation, Konoha held back the idea of sending troops to the Land of Thunder, planning to watch from the sidelines as the two big ninja villages beat each other up and bashed each other's brains out.
Of course, Konoha wasn't doing nothing.
Judging from the current intelligence, Kumogakure might have a slight advantage, so they had to take the opportunity to suppress them and continue pushing forward the previous peace talks policy, demanding more compensation of all kinds.
These subtle adjustments and control had nothing to do with Orochimaru and were still handled by the two Hokage advisors. Although they couldn't 'save the situation from collapse,' they were good at kicking someone when they were down.
Well... this isn't sarcasm. Being useless in good times and not even knowing how to suck up to strong people is being a truly bad teammate.
In short, after a long march, a big battle, and more bickering, Orochimaru finally got time to rest.
And on the other side, after rushing for half a day, the shadow clone Orochimaru had previously created also reached its destination.
...
Land of Grass, a tiny place, a small country.
Similar to the Land of Stone, it was sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, also a strategic buffer zone.
However, compared to the former, the Land of Grass ninjas were doing pretty well, even thriving, able to organize themselves and have the resources to build Kusagakure.
This wasn't because their overall strength was so great, nor was it like the neighboring Land of Rain, which had produced a powerful ninja, a 'demigod of the ninja world.' It was purely because they truly followed the path of a small country.
--You big countries treat the Land of Grass as a strategic buffer, right? Then we'll be a fence-sitter, selling information to everyone.
The Grass ninjas fully used their country's mixed environment, stealing bloodline limits, and plagiarizing other countries' ninjutsu... They would do anything to survive.
They were cruel to themselves, even crueler to others, and cruellest to those in the Land of Grass who they didn't consider their own--like Karin's mother, the poor woman who accidentally ended up in the Land of Grass and whose skin was discovered by the Grass ninjas to have healing effects.
According to the Matthew effect--'the strong get stronger, the weak get weaker'--the ninjas of big countries have strong strength and good credit, making it easier to attract people to post missions, and their competitors are ultimately only each other.
As time goes by, the market share of small countries' ninja villages will shrink more and more, until they completely disappear.
This is the future that small countries' ninja villages must face.
The neighboring Land of Rain was lucky to have Hanzo, raising a 'demigod of the ninja world' brand, even the three great ninja villages had to acknowledge his status, barely able to stand firm.
The Grass ninjas didn't have top ninjas, nor did they hope for such a low-probability event. They lowered their heads and cast their eyes below.
The leaders of Kusagakure are very practical!
--They don't have strong people, but they have a lot of weak ones. If they can't control the path of righteousness, then they'll take the evil path.
Not strong enough? Then force the subordinates to work hard.
Medical ninjutsu is backward? Then trick them into biting 'blood bottles' again.
After repeating this, what was once just common grass has grown jagged teeth, with roots deeply embedded in blood soaked soil, keeping the mission success rate at a good level.
Especially because of their shared sins, they have actually gathered a not insignificant amount of cohesion.
Moreover, the Land of Rain relies on the 'demigod of the ninja world.' Hanzo will get old and die. After he dies, there probably won't be another 'demigod' among the Amegakure ninjas.
But they rely on the Uzumaki bloodline. Although that woman's bloodline vitality is also limited and will be exhausted, as long as her daughter grows up, the previous mission model can continue.
This is cruel to them, mother and daughter, and even their descendants, but who cares?
Although it's a bit bestial to eat your own kind, if the great ninja villages weren't constantly pushing, how would it have become like this?
Kusagakure also had a glorious past, and almost once ruled the ninja world.
Because of this, the leaders of the Land of Grass are unwilling to bow their heads to the great powers, and because they see themselves as weak, they don't think they should lend a helping hand to the weak. They live as if it's only right, and can live very freely until the weak they suppress actually have the power to resist.
Even if that really happens, they can sell pity, saying 'it's all the world's fault,' 'it's all the fault of the great powers,' 'it's all Konoha's fault,' 'it's all Danzo's fault'...
Anyway, the Kusagakure ninjas are so weak, it's definitely not their fault. Putting on a regretful appearance will probably earn them some sympathy.
The worst-case scenario is just killing the main villains, not killing every person who has bitten a 'blood bottle.'
Frankly, Orochimaru quite admires these Grass ninjas who are truly practicing the way of beasts. At least they have survived in this cruel ninja world, which must have some rationality to it.
Even in the past, if he had seen the same scene in Kusagakure, he would have just sighed 'the strong eat the weak' and considered it natural.
But now, Orochimaru thinks that a good thing like 'raising them up and eating them later' has been done so crudely, with so much blood, and no class at all.
Although the Lamp God has been tempting him with the 'leek' theory, he still actually treats the leek as a person.
Like Orochimaru himself, he thinks it's okay to be a leek and be eaten by the Lamp God, even somewhat enjoying it.
But Kusagakure isn't like that. They raise people like livestock and eat them like livestock, turning themselves into livestock in the process.
They don't want to be proper people, but instead become livestock. Isn't this turning back the clock on history?
Shameful, so shameful!
Orochimaru walked through the streets of Kusagakure, even though this wasn't his garden yet, he still felt sorry at this time.
Wasteful, so wasteful!
When he was chatting with the Lamp God before, he would always say some strange words and phrases, like 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never bully a young man for being poor,' or 'I have never seen such a shameless person...' They sounded catchy and impressive.
At this time, a sentence involuntarily emerged in Orochimaru's heart, which felt quite appropriate here.
Heavenly treasures are for those who have virtue!
What are 'heavenly treasures,' and what counts as 'virtue'? There are different explanations. It is said that this sentence was the banner raised when robbing.
Orochimaru felt that that mother and daughter of the Uzumaki clan should not stay in Kusagakure, and the Grass ninjas really didn't deserve them.
They are no longer considered people, let alone virtuous ones.
He should take that mother and daughter away himself.
---
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