122 Self-Will and Incompetence

"I never expected that a whim of mercy on your part back then would actually prove useful at a time like this."

In the jungle, Orochimaru tucked the scroll containing the Eight-Tails' tentacle into his robe, a strange expression crossing his face.

"To attribute it solely to luck would not be entirely accurate," the Genie glanced at Orochimaru and chuckled. "I treat my 'leeks' well, and in return, they trust me. Isn't that perfectly normal?"

The concept of a sovereign herding his people, the bearing of a king—it all boils down to the same principle. The crux of the matter is whether one possesses the breadth of vision and the confidence to regard the entire ninja world as their own domain.

Just like the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki: he saw that a promising talent from the Cloud Village was growing a bit too well, and he was willing to suffer losses himself just to destroy it. This was because he lacked the necessary breadth of vision and confidence.

From the perspective of a Tsuchikage, this was naturally correct; but to remain confined to the perspective of a Tsuchikage is, in the end, far too narrow.

The Fourth Raikage is the same—confined by the limitations of being a village shadow, he naturally cannot fathom why Orochimaru would spare him.

Orochimaru, however, did not look down on these two Kage for that. A grand vision must be supported by strength; to speak of grand designs without the strength to back them up is a laughable endeavor.

Even for himself, the most he could do for now was to expand his nursery to Konoha. He was beyond reach when it came to the Rock and Cloud Villages, so he would continue to fuel this war to reduce the threat they posed to his own garden.

In the entire ninja world, only the Genie possessed the confidence to view the whole world as a patch of leeks.

Orochimaru glanced at the Genie, unable to help himself from licking his lips. Although he said nothing, he actually yearned for the Genie’s level of poise. And what was worth looking forward to was that he would have the opportunity to achieve it in the future.

...

Dark clouds drifted past, revealing the bright moon. The night was no longer as gloomy as before; the stars twinkled, and the sky grew increasingly profound.

When Orochimaru and his party returned to the battlefield, the fight had already concluded.

On the pitted, devastated earth, Tsunade sat cross-legged, looking lazy and relaxed. Beside her lay a mangled, unrecognizable corpse, yet one could tell at a glance that it was the S-rank rogue ninja from the Waterfall Village, Kakuzu.

Orochimaru scanned the body and laughed. "This truly exceeds my expectations. In that state, you were actually able to kill him?"

Tsunade looked up at Orochimaru, her face weary, and did not reply.

Beside them, Tashiro-hime smiled. "That ninja is not dead. He used Earth Release to escape with one of those mask monsters."

Orochimaru asked in confusion, "You didn't have time to intervene?"

In terms of manipulating the earth, "Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation" was not merely a matter of who was superior compared to standard Earth Release—it was practically ancestral. By all logic, it should have been impossible to miss.

Tashiro-hime gave a delicate laugh. "I only promised you I would keep Tsunade safe; I never promised to help you intercept your enemies."

Her tone carried a hint of playfulness, and her words were impeccable, but in reality, that was not the true reason.

After the Slug Sage appeared, she had ignored the destructive power of the Wind and Fire jutsu, charging straight through with Tsunade until she reached Kakuzu. Fueled by her rage and aided by the Slug Sage, Tsunade had smashed two of the mask monsters to pieces.

Seeing that the outcome was decided, Tashiro-hime had turned her attention to enjoying the jungle nightscape. Even though it had been ruined by the battle, they didn't even have such broken scenery in Ryuchi Cave.

When Kakuzu fled, Tashiro-hime had indeed sensed it, but Tsunade had the Slug Sage’s support. How could an entity of the same rank as the White Snake Sage allow an enemy to escape?

Yet, to her surprise, the Slug Sage did not act.

Why?

It took a few seconds to ponder this question, and by the time she snapped back to reality, the enemy had already escaped her range of influence.

Tashiro-hime had neither figured out the Slug Sage's intentions nor managed to capture Kakuzu to do Orochimaru a favor. Now, she could only force a willful attitude to prevent Orochimaru from thinking her incompetent. After all, willfulness could be tolerated, but incompetence was absolutely unforgivable.

"I see."

Hearing Tashiro-hime’s sophistry, Orochimaru nodded slightly, not taking it to heart. After all, she was a Snake Princess who had lived comfortably in Ryuchi Cave for hundreds of years; expecting her to be as alert as an ordinary ninja was unrealistic.

Furthermore, if Kakuzu had run, so be it. His life or death was not important to Orochimaru. The old man didn't seem like the type to carry his accumulated wealth on his person, either.

Orochimaru turned his gaze toward the massive form of the Slug Sage, his eyes flickering slightly.

Each of the three great sage regions had its own ecology: Mount Myoboku had plants, insects, and toads; Ryuchi Cave had snakes and moss; but Shikkotsu Forest had only the Slug—a single entity that could divide itself into thousands, yet be one when gathered together.

Compared to the White Snake Sage, she was the only one who was truly a clan unto herself.

According to the Genie's speculation, even if she did not surpass the White Snake Sage, she was at least an entity of the same caliber.

Orochimaru wasn't coveting the Slug Sage's combat power—that was, after all, an external force—but the medical effects provided by Shikkotsu Forest's sage arts were of great interest to him. Perhaps they would be a perfect match for the regenerative abilities brought about by his own bodily modifications.

Orochimaru licked his lips, just about to step forward to offer a greeting, when a soft female voice sounded in his mind first.

"Lord Orochimaru, since you have arrived, I leave little Tsunade in your care."

The address was as respectful as ever, but to Orochimaru, it now carried a different meaning. He bowed slightly, not daring to be negligent. "Please rest assured, it is my honor."

"That is good."

Sensing the shift in Orochimaru's attitude, the Slug Sage did not give him another chance to speak, dissolving directly into white smoke and vanishing.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding that this sage might not be as easy to talk to as she appeared. He possessed White Snake-style sage chakra, and she had every reason to be repulsed by it.

Still, it was just a greeting; he hadn't fully mastered the Ryuchi Cave sage arts yet, so he was not in a hurry.

Seeing the Slug Sage retreat, Tashiro-hime did not intend to linger either. She handed the chakra core of the Kazekage puppet to Orochimaru and chuckled, "Don't forget, you must invite me to visit Konoha later."

Orochimaru nodded slightly. After Tashiro-hime released the summoning, he toyed with the metal sphere in his hand and ordered the Shisui squad, "Collect the remains of the Third Kazekage human puppet."

This rescue mission, aside from Anko Mitarashi, had yielded a highly valuable puppet core capable of containing the chakra spiritual body of a Kage-level powerhouse.

With these in hand, his research into the "Spirit Transformation Technique" would certainly be taken to the next level.

Storing these items in a scroll, Orochimaru pondered for a moment and created a shadow clone, which set off in the direction of the Land of Grass.

He then commanded the ninjas present, "The plan for this trip has changed. Before returning to the village, we will first pay a visit to the outpost on the border of the Land of Fire."

"Yes!"