Chapter 156: Talent can grow in hardship, but hardship does not create talent.

Seeing Orochimaru bringing out Uzumaki Mito, Rima and Shima, though still wearing displeased expressions, no longer said anything. Their identities and positions were there, and they had no choice but to comply.

In fact, they had to be the ones in the village most obedient to Uzumaki Mito's opinions because the blood flowing in their veins destined them to follow the advice of Uzumaki Mito, the wife of Senju Hashirama, and even had to vigorously support it.

Danzo's face was also full of gloom at this time because he dared not refute Orochimaru. There was only one person in the village whom he dared not touch. If it were anyone else...

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen's wife, Sarutobi Biwako, when it came time for real combat, Danzo wouldn't give his old friend face, but Uzumaki Mito was an exception.

If he dared to oppose, perhaps Shima and Rima, who still held significant influence among the dispersed Senju Clan, would immediately turn against him and ignore the unanimous decision they had reached before.

"Since that's the case, then you all should go back to Tsunade's side. The victory on this battlefield will be 'enjoyed' by us few," Danzo said.

Orochimaru softened his previous tough stance and said with a slightly cryptic tone.

"Congratulations in advance to all of you. However, there are some things I'd like to advise in advance. It's good to strive for victory, but if as a result, some individuals who shouldn't be on the battlefield end up there, when the village investigates later, it won't be easy for any of you to escape responsibility."

Orochimaru's indication, of course, referred to those Ninja Academy graduates who had recently arrived at the camp. Although these graduates were already Genin and theoretically could be deployed to the battlefield, this group of Genin was quite special. After graduation, they were not assigned to Ninja teams, which meant their practical combat abilities on the battlefield were not strong. After all, much of what they learned in school was outdated and too 'upright'.

Without experienced Ninja leading them and teaching them newer, perhaps more unscrupulous methods, the knowledge base of Ninja Academy students was completely inadequate to deal with enemies.

In the eyes of Danzo and his Combat Faction, these issues were not problems at all, because they might firmly believe in a viewpoint that wasn't entirely correct: that talent would continuously emerge from the mud.

For the sake of victory in war, they were willing to send batches of children into the mire, allowing them to struggle and then singling out the one plant untainted by the mud for praise and widespread promotion.

They became another classic example in their "Law of Growth". As for those who sank into the mud, were buried, or even rotted away, they didn't care.

Considering Danzo's character, he was undoubtedly the one who would throw those children into the mud. To be honest, Orochimaru didn't care much about the lives of those children either.

But he knew that if Danzo did so, and if any accidents occurred, it would be his sensei who would face criticism. If those children died on the battlefield, his sensei's reputation among civilians and status within the ninja community would undoubtedly plummet by more than one level.

Orochimaru didn't want Danzo's power-hungry actions to ultimately be paid for by his sensei, so he brought up this topic directly. The people in the tent would serve as evidence later to reduce his sensei's responsibility. Danzo had a deep understanding of these political maneuvers, so he instantly grasped Orochimaru's intention. He just grunted and remained silent.

At this point, whatever he said wouldn't be good. If he insisted on sending those children to the battlefield, tomorrow Sarutobi Hiruzen would receive requests from various ninja clans to replace the frontline commanders. If he claimed he wouldn't allow those children on the battlefield, they were still ninjas; if they didn't fight on the front lines, should they just sit in the rear and eat? Therefore, he could only remain silent. He would temporarily refrain from deploying those graduates, but if the battlefield required them, as a final decision, he would not hesitate to send them.

However, whatever his response, it was irrelevant to Orochimaru at the moment. He just needed to steer the conversation then stood up, grabbed Jiraiya by the back of his neck, and said:

"I and Jiraiya won't linger any longer. What's about to be discussed here is confidential, and it's not convenient for us to listen. Goodbye," Orochimaru said.

"Alright, goodbye," replied Danzo.

Jiraiya casually bowed and bounced out of the tent.

"Stinky snake, I didn't expect you to be so rational sometimes. I thought you'd join them in their antics," Jiraiya remarked as they left the tent.

Once outside, Jiraiya draped his arm around Orochimaru's shoulder. Orochimaru squirmed his graceful snake-like waist a couple of times but didn't shake him off or pay him any mind.

Looking at Jiraiya, Orochimaru said, "Hanzo's actions this time won't be an ambush. They will surely give Hidden Sand Village enough time. In that case, if we make a move, Konoha might fall into Hidden Sand Village's trap."

"Why? Hidden Sand Village doesn't know about our poisoning of the Rain Ninjas. They're probably still guessing what Hanzo's gathering of ninja is all about!"

Jiraiya looked puzzled, and Orochimaru rolled his eyes at him, saying, "Rain Ninja have never launched large-scale attacks on Sand Ninja. Why do you think that is?"

"Um, because we from Konoha have been taking care of Sand Ninja?" Jiraiya guessed.

"Yes, but not entirely," Orochimaru replied.

Initially, Jiraiya's face lit up when he heard Orochimaru's agreement, but the latter part of his statement caused his expression to fall. He pounded Orochimaru's chest with his other hand and demanded, "Come on, stop pretending to be profound."

"It's because Sand Ninja have never truly provoked Hanzo, or rather, Rain Ninja's motives are unknown," Orochimaru explained.

Disdainfully, Orochimaru brushed aside Jiraiya's hand still resting on his chest and continued, "Sand Ninja were driven here by us from Konoha. Of course, they came half-willingly, but it's enough for them to claim that entering the Land of Rain wasn't their desire."

Jiraiya nodded. He knew the previous conversation's context, and what Orochimaru said was indeed the excuse Sand Ninja had used at the time. Jiraiya also knew that this was just Orochimaru laying the groundwork for his words.

Sure enough, Orochimaru continued, "Think about why we are being attacked by Rain Ninja in force."

"Because we killed civilians in the Land of Rain?" Jiraiya ventured.

Jiraiya began to grasp the idea, but his brow furrowed as he continued, "But what about those smaller countries?"

"Can Hanzo, along with all the Rain Ninja, defeat Konoha?" Orochimaru asked.

"No, they can't," Jiraiya admitted.

"Can Hanzo, along with all the Rain Ninja, defeat Hidden Sand Village?" Orochimaru posed another question.

"Still, they can't," Jiraiya replied.

"So, can Hanzo, along with all the Rain Ninja, defeat those few smaller countries? If they're not united?" Orochimaru pressed.

Jiraiya slapped his forehead. This time, he fully understood and said, "When facing the strong, one needs to reason with them, stand on the moral high ground, condemn them, and then negotiate terms, demanding compensation. When facing the weak, all you need is to show your fist! Then take what you need."

"Mmm-hmm," Orochimaru casually responded, then continued, "The moral high ground, interesting. Looks like what you've been saying these past few years wasn't just talk."

"Ah-ha! That's right! When has I, Jiraiya ever lied?" Jiraiya suddenly became very excited, but Orochimaru noticed something amiss and asked, "Who told you about the concept of the moral high ground?"

"Um, er... Tatsuma," Jiraiya replied.

"Ah, Tatsuma again. He's quite interesting," Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, then looked at Jiraiya and said, "So, do you understand now? Why I feel our plan against the Sand Ninja won't succeed?"

"Yes," Jiraiya replied, returning to seriousness. He withdrew the hand he had on Orochimaru's shoulder and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Hanzo will strongly condemn Hidden Sand Village's actions and demand compensation. Hidden Sand Village probably won't pay. Even if this action wasn't their doing, they wouldn't compensate a small country for war losses, even if they were responsible."

After a verbal tug-of-war, Hidden Sand Village would make the necessary preparations and deployments. It would simply involve sending an additional team capable of confronting the Rain Ninja. No matter how impoverished Hidden Sand Village might be, they could still muster such a team.

Hanzo's goal isn't really to defeat Sand Ninja but to vie for interests. Therefore, the confrontation between the two sides would likely leave room for maneuvering, much like how Rain Ninja behaves towards our Konoha. Despite their aggressive attacks, each loss inflicted is within Konoha's acceptable range. We should continue maintaining the mindset that there is still a chance for negotiation, waiting for an opportunity for peace talks."

"Exactly, and the incident where the Root Organization disrupted the morale of the grassroots Sand Ninja forces has brought to light numerous hidden dangers lurking within Hidden Sand Village, which have been eradicated. The secrecy level of Sand Ninja's future actions will undoubtedly be classified as confidential, or even top secret. Consequently, there are too many variables that cannot be predicted.

If, at this time, we were to attack Sand Ninja, and Sand Ninja were to reluctantly concede benefits to Rain Ninja and divert teams to support the camp, it would likely lead to a replay of the story of Hyuga Miyako and Hyuga Kai."

The more effort we put in from Konoha, the quicker Sand Ninja will compromise, and Rain Ninja will gain more benefits. In the end, it will only be Konoha that loses, while Rain Ninja and Sand Ninja each gain.

By remaining idle and watching from afar, letting Sand Ninja and Rain Ninja wear each other down, even if both sides suffer minimal losses, it's a gain for us in Konoha."

Orochimaru acknowledged Jiraiya's words and added some points. Jiraiya's expression became very serious. He glanced back at the direction of the command tent and said, "Then why don't you tell Danzo and the others about this?"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru stared at Jiraiya. It took him a while to formulate his response. Finally, he said, "Imagine you did extensive reconnaissance work at a bathhouse, and one day, while you were at the best observation point with binoculars, someone tells you that the girls won't be bathing today, only some old ladies. Would you believe it? Or would you think they're just trying to get you to leave so they can take over your observation point?"

"Um," Jiraiya was left speechless, now understanding why Orochimaru didn't try to convince those people; it was futile. He shook his head, trying to dispel the image of naked old ladies that had inexplicably popped into his mind, before asking, "So what do we do now?"

"We preserve more combat strength for Konoha while also persuading sensei to convince Mifune to apply pressure on Rain Ninja outside the Land of Rain, hoping to force Hanzo to abandon his plans," Orochimaru replied.

"Taking a break on the battlefield? Is that really appropriate?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Would you rather go and get yourself killed?" Orochimaru retorted.

"Um, I'll go talk to Tsunade about heading back immediately," Jiraiya decided.

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