124 Living as a Matter of Course

Noticing the suppressed mocking expressions of the two Hokage advisors, Orochimaru curled his lip and remained silent. If the Fourth Raikage could not grasp his intentions, expecting anything from Koharu Utatane and her peer would be a fool’s errand.

Regardless, after this exchange, Konoha still suppressed the urge to deploy troops to the Land of Lightning, choosing instead to watch the two great ninja villages tear each other to pieces from the sidelines. Of course, Konoha was not doing nothing. Based on current intelligence, the Hidden Cloud Village was likely to hold a slight advantage, so they would take the opportunity to suppress them and push forward the established peace negotiation strategy, demanding more in the way of reparations.

This fine-tuning had nothing to do with Orochimaru; it remained the responsibility of the two advisors. While they were incapable of "turning the tide," they were highly skilled at kicking someone when they were down. This was not sarcasm—in a power struggle, being unable to choose the right side or capitalize on momentum is the mark of a truly incompetent ally.

In short, after the long march and the subsequent bureaucratic wrangling, Orochimaru finally had time to rest. Meanwhile, after half a day of rapid travel, the shadow clone he had dispatched earlier reached its destination.

The Land of Grass was a tiny, insignificant nation. Similar to the Land of Earth, it was sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, serving as a strategic buffer zone. However, compared to the former, the situation for the ninjas of the Land of Grass was actually quite decent—they had even managed to organize themselves and establish the Hidden Grass Village. This was not because their overall strength was impressive, nor was it because they had produced a powerful "demigod of the ninja world" like their neighbor, the Land of Rain. It was purely because they practiced a pragmatic approach suited for a small nation: "You great powers treat us as a buffer zone? Fine, we will be the grass that bends with the wind, selling the same intelligence to all three sides."

The Grass ninjas fully exploited their country’s chaotic status, stealing bloodline limits and plagiarizing the techniques of other nations. To survive, they would stop at nothing. They were ruthless to themselves, even more ruthless to others, and most ruthless to those within their borders whom they did not consider their own—such as Karin’s mother, a poor woman who had ended up in the Land of Grass by chance, only for the Grass ninjas to discover that her skin possessed healing properties.

According to the Matthew Effect—the phenomenon where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer"—ninjas from the great villages, with their superior strength and reputation, attracted more missions, leaving the smaller villages to compete for what remained. As time passed, the market share of small ninja villages would continue to shrink until they inevitably vanished. This was the future every small ninja village had to face.

The neighboring Land of Rain was lucky to have produced Hanzō. By erecting the golden signboard of the "Demigod of the Ninja World," he forced even the three great villages to acknowledge his status, allowing his nation to barely stand tall. The Grass ninjas had produced no such top-tier talent, nor did they pin their hopes on such a low-probability event. Instead, they lowered their heads and fixed their gaze downward.

The leadership of the Hidden Grass Village was remarkably grounded. If they lacked strength, they would resort to crooked paths. If they were weak, they would force their subordinates to risk their lives. If their medical ninjutsu lagged behind, they would entice them to bite into a "blood bottle." Through this cycle, the grass that once seemed easily trampled grew jagged fangs, rooting itself deep into blood-soaked soil, maintaining a decent mission success rate. Especially since they shared a common sense of guilt, they had actually developed a surprising degree of cohesion.

Furthermore, while the Land of Rain relied on a "demigod" who would eventually grow old and die—after which it was unlikely another would emerge—the Grass ninjas relied on the Uzumaki bloodline. Though the life force of that woman was finite, as long as her daughter grew up, their mission model could continue. Cruel as it was to that mother and daughter, or even their descendants, who cared?

Cannibalism might be beastly, but if not for the relentless pressure from the great ninja villages, would things have turned out this way? The Hidden Grass Village once had a glorious past; they had nearly ruled the ninja world. Based on this, their leaders refused to bow to the great powers, yet clinging to their identity as the "weak," they felt no obligation to aid those even weaker than themselves. They lived quite comfortably, and as long as their victims lacked the power to resist, their lives were carefree. Even if that day of reckoning arrived, they could always play the victim, claiming, "It’s the world’s fault," "It’s the great powers' fault," "It’s Konoha’s fault," or "It’s Danzō’s fault." Since they were so weak, it certainly couldn't be their own fault. By adopting a repentant posture, they would surely garner some sympathy. At worst, only the ringleaders would be executed; surely, they wouldn't slaughter everyone who had ever tasted the "blood bottle."

In all honesty, Orochimaru admired these Grass ninjas who practiced such bestial ways. At the very least, they had survived in this cruel world, which implied a certain degree of logic. In the past, he might have seen this scene and merely sighed at the nature of "survival of the fittest," accepting it as a matter of course. But now, Orochimaru felt that the process of "raising them to maturity before harvesting" was handled far too crudely; the stench of blood was too heavy, lacking any sense of style.

Though his inner "Genie" constantly tempted him with the concept of "chives" (resources to be harvested), he still viewed these people as humans. As for Orochimaru himself, he felt that being a "chive" for the Genie was acceptable, even somewhat sweet. But this Hidden Grass Village was different; by raising people like livestock and consuming them like beasts, the ninjas themselves had become beasts. To abandon their humanity to become animals was to reverse the course of history. It was shameful, truly shameful.

Walking through the streets of the Hidden Grass Village, even though this was not yet his own nursery, Orochimaru felt a pang of regret. It was such a waste. Whenever he chatted with the Genie, the entity would spout peculiar phrases—things like, "Don't bully the young because they are poor," or "I have never seen such a shameless person." While catchy and imposing, they didn't fit here. Instead, a different line surfaced in Orochimaru's mind, one that felt perfectly suited to the occasion:

"Heavenly treasures belong to those with the virtue to possess them!"

What constitutes a "heavenly treasure" or "virtue" is open to interpretation—it is said this was the banner raised by a bandit. But Orochimaru felt that the Uzumaki mother and daughter should not remain in the Hidden Grass Village; the Grass ninjas were truly unworthy. They were no longer human, and they were even further from having virtue.

It was only right that he take that mother and daughter away himself.