"If not, then just die!"
Hearing this, the sheep-faced elder stood frozen in place, his eyes, exposed outside the mask, slightly widening, burning with anger at Orochimaru's ruthless words.
Of course, this wasn't for that Kusagakure Ninja who was sure to die.
He would definitely sell that guy out, without any hesitation or guilt.
On the contrary, for causing so much trouble for the village, even if Orochimaru spared him in the end, the village would punish him.
What truly angered the sheep-faced elder was Orochimaru's dismissive attitude.
You want to kill that ninja, okay, you could talk to us about it. We're so afraid of you, we'd push back and forth a bit, and then definitely agree.
Fine, you don't want to talk to us, then if you want to kill him, just go kill him. With your skills, you could definitely take him out without a trace, right?
Even if you left traces, it wouldn't matter. We're so afraid of you, we'd definitely pretend not to see them.
Why, specifically, do you have to do this in public, using the most humiliating way to treat us, to humiliate Kusagakure?
Looking at the scornful smile on Orochimaru's face, the sheep-faced elder clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly, a look of anger hidden beneath his mask.
After a long while, he finally managed to speak, "Orochimaru-sama, is there really no room for change in this matter?"
Orochimaru gave a cold smile, as if not even wanting to say another word. The giant snake lowered its head, its body tensing like an arrow ready to be released, the pressure of life and death pressing down like a real shadow.
The sheep-faced elder knew that Orochimaru had lost his patience. If he said any more nonsense, he would start attacking directly.
He wouldn't even give them a small bit of respect.
The sheep-faced elder felt sadness and anger in his heart, increasingly aware of how much these ninjas from the big countries looked down on them.
After a moment of silence, he waved his hand behind him.
With a whooshing sound, a team of Kusagakure Anbu entered the medical room below.
"..."
Soon, a commotion came from below, sounding very clear in the silent street.
Driven by the Kusagakure Anbu and other companions, a group of seriously injured people supported each other as they walked out of the gate.
It could be seen that they were walking with great difficulty. They should have been resting, but they were being forced to move, causing their wounds, which hadn't yet healed, to split open, and blood to stain their bandages red.
Such a tragic sight made people unable to bear looking at it.
Seeing this scene, the Kusagakure villagers and ninjas, looking at the black shadow high on the giant snake's head, all gritted their teeth, feeling angry and resentful in their hearts.
The people from other villages who were forced to stay here couldn't help but feel a sense of pity, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.
In this chaotic world, these wandering people had some longing for the large ninja villages, but more than that, they had a complex feeling mixed with inferiority and a spiteful desire that 'if I'm not doing well, neither should you.'
Usually, these emotions were suppressed in the dark corners of their hearts, but now, seeing Orochimaru's 'tyranny,' they finally had an acceptable way to let them out.
At this moment, whether they were Kusagakure people or people from other villages, they all had the same thought—so this is what ninjas from the big villages are like, bullying the weak, really disgusting.
There was even a feeling of unity in purpose.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the hostile gazes gathering on him, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
It was clearly the Kusagakure elder's order. It was clearly him who pushed out these useless leftovers first, holding onto the lucky thought that perhaps Orochimaru's target was among them. Now, it was his fault instead.
He knew that this old guy wouldn't be obedient, but he didn't expect this counterattack to come so quickly.
Tsk, tsk… playing the victim is really a very effective method.
However, Orochimaru stood with his hands behind his back, not only not ignoring them, but instead, cooperating with their thoughts, releasing that long-accumulated, cold, and icy power.
This incredible performance made everyone present feel a chill in their hearts, and the hot blood rushing to their heads cooled down a bit.
Although they still had a sense of unity, focusing their hostility on Orochimaru, they no longer had any intention of attacking now, intending to turn this action into verbal abuse afterward.
Although this wouldn't have much effect on Orochimaru, they could always take it up a level.
The two Kusagakure elders naturally felt the change in atmosphere, and cursed inwardly. As expected, they were just a disorganized bunch, not fit for serious matters.
But even so, they had achieved their goal. By creating an image of Kusagakure bearing a heavy burden, Orochimaru's threats not only didn't cause Kusagakure any loss, but instead allowed its unity to reach a new level.
The word 'unity,' although it sounds unimportant, is extremely important.
If people's hearts are scattered, it will be difficult to lead this village.
Isn't the reason why small ninja villages have such high risks, poor ability to withstand crises, and are not as stable and peaceful as large ninja villages, which prevents them from gathering people's hearts and inevitably leads to decline?
Leading Kusagakure to persist from the chaotic world until now, the Kusagakure elders' council can understand this principle even better than the Hokage advisors.
Losing some face to exchange for the village's unity is a very cost-effective deal.
The number of people and ninjas leaving the medical room was still increasing.
From the seriously injured at the beginning, to the lightly injured later, to the remaining medical ninjas, and the leaders of the medical room.
The target that Orochimaru was looking for, the woman with Uzumaki clan blood, was also among them.
Her face was panicked, and she was holding a seven or eight-month-old baby. Even though she had Uzumaki clan blood, she was a little unsteady on her feet, seeming very weak.
Orochimaru glanced at the woman's exposed skin, covered with dense, clearly scabbed-over bite marks, and was slightly stunned.
Although he had expected it long ago, seeing it in person still made him marvel at how much of animals the Kusagakure people were.
Even if the Sage Body awakening was incomplete, it was still a Sage Body. To be reduced to this state, it was clear how much bloodline they had drained.
But this was also good. Such terrible injuries were definite proof that Kusagakure could not deny no matter what.
Orochimaru controlled the giant snake to lower its head, while he stroked his chin, seeming to examine their faces carefully.
Most of the people on the ground collapsed, feeling a wave of fear under the high-level power, only a small number of strong ninjas managed to stand, but they also stayed where they were, not daring to move randomly.
If Orochimaru's target was them, under the threat of death, they would of course attack at all costs, but wasn't it not confirmed yet?
The giant snake twisted its head, and Orochimaru's gaze followed, turning. No matter who he looked at, the other person's heartbeat would stop heavily, and as his gaze moved away, they would feel a relieved breath.
Repeatedly like this, their minds rose and fell, and the courage to fight to the death was almost worn away in this teasing game.
Orochimaru understood people's hearts so well now. If he said he wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't give them even a slight chance to resist.
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