บท 84: Chapter 84: Trade

Kusagakure wasn't far from the daimyo's mansion in the Land of Grass.

Considering the size of the Land of Fire, it only took about a day to walk from Konoha to its capital. For a ninja running at full speed, that journey would be reduced to just a few hours. The distance from the daimyo's mansion in the Land of Grass to Hidden Grass Village was even shorter barely a half-hour run at ninja pace.

However, Orochimaru wasn't in a rush this time, so he decided to take his time, walking leisurely. He found a secluded spot along the way, changed his clothes, and put on a human skin mask, transforming into a completely different person.

Soon, he looked like a young man in his twenties, with long flowing hair and pale, yet handsome, features. His appearance was sharp and striking he was in disguise, but this version of him was simply a slightly older, refined version of himself.

Why the disguise? Well, he had business in Kusagakure, and this particular identity would be useful. While he wasn't famous yet, Orochimaru preferred to stay cautious and avoid being recognized in case he needed to move in secret.

As for why he chose a human skin mask over the transformation jutsu? The answer was simple. The transformation jutsu required constant chakra to maintain. While it was flawless at first glance, it couldn't hold up in battle or under strain. Any serious combat, or even a strong enough attack, would disrupt the chakra flow and force him back into his original form. That kind of instability wasn't conducive to Orochimaru's plans.

Orochimaru was currently thirteen, and though his height had increased due to growth and the strengthening potions he'd been using, he was still shorter than most adults. Jiraiya, for instance, would grow to be nearly 191 cm tall as an adult. Orochimaru, through his various experiments and body modifications, would fluctuate in height, but his natural height was around 180 cm at best.

At thirteen, however, he had already reached 170 cm, thanks to his enhancements. With the human skin mask making him appear older, no one would question his assumed identity as a twenty-something ninja passing through.

---

The village leader of Kusagakure, Moriyama Yu, was a man in his late forties or fifties. At the moment, he was pacing through the village's hospital, his mind weighed down with concerns about the future of the village.

Unlike the great shinobi villages, which had large populations of ninjas, the smaller villages, like his, were constantly struggling with manpower shortages. With a total population of just over a thousand ninjas, Kusagakure was always short-staffed. Once you factored in those away on missions, the elderly, the injured, and the infirm, they were often left with no more than a few hundred capable fighters at any given time.

Moriyama looked around the crowded hospital, where seriously wounded ninjas were groaning in pain. The constant skirmishes in their country had drained their forces, and they were often under siege by their more powerful neighbors. He couldn't help but think of how the future of the Village seemed to hang by a thread.

It wasn't helping his mood that many of these injuries were apparently the work of rogue ninjas from the nearby Rain Village. The constant pressure from Konoha and Iwagakure had finally subsided for them, and now they were turning their attention to his small country.

"This one needs a blood transfusion!" a doctor shouted from one end of the room. "That one over there needs surgery! Damn it, this one's not going to make it…"

The lack of proper medical ninjas in the Village meant that most of their wounded had little hope of recovery once the injuries were severe. Watching this scene unfold, Moriyama sighed heavily. His village was dying, and he had no idea how to stop it.

"Why were so many of our men injured this time?" Moriyama asked the ninja captain standing next to him.

"They were ambushed by the forces from the Rain Village," the captain replied grimly.

"Rain Village again?" Moriyama muttered, irritation creeping into his voice. "Those bastards finally get some breathing room from Konoha and Iwa, and now they decide to start picking on us? Don't they have better things to do?"

He exhaled sharply, his frustrations growing. It wasn't easy being the leader of a village sandwiched between three major powers each one more than capable of crushing Caoyin at a moment's notice. The Land of Rain had always been a powerful military force, mainly due to the presence of Hanzo, the ninja demigod who ruled over them. That reputation had only grown stronger in recent years.

"We're just caught in the middle," the captain said with a bitter smile. "Compared to the nations around us, we're practically nothing."

Moriyama Yu walked to the second-floor window of the hospital, staring out at the village in the distance. "It's hard to believe there was once a time when Kusagakure almost unified the entire shinobi world."

The ninja captain blinked in confusion. "Unify the world? When did that happen?"

Moriyama waved his hand dismissively. It was a foolish thought there had never been such a time. The village was on the verge of collapse, and no amount of wishful thinking would change that.

Just then, a panicked Kusagakure ninja in uniform burst into the room. "Village Chief! Village Chief!"

"What is it?" Moriyama snapped, his frustration boiling over.

"There's a young man who calls himself White Snake, and he says he wants to see you!"

"White Snake?" Moriyama's irritation gave way to surprise. "Could it be… him? Where is he? Take me to him immediately!"

---

In the reception hall of Caoyin Village, Orochimaru, now in his disguised form as the "White Snake," sat calmly, his pale face twisted into a slight, amused smile. When Moriyama entered the room, flanked by two jounin, Orochimaru greeted them with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Long time no see, Village Chief," Orochimaru rasped, his voice low and hoarse. His appearance pale skin, long hair, and a sinister smile made him appear almost serpentine.

White Snake. The alias was one Orochimaru had given himself to conceal his identity as a Konoha ninja. While it was a transparent name that anyone could see through, it was still useful for certain dealings. Most people in these smaller villages knew better than to ask too many questions.

Moriyama Yu, upon seeing Orochimaru, forced a smile, though there was a clear hint of nervousness in his expression. "It's been a while, Mr. White Snake."

Orochimaru's smile widened. "Let's skip the pleasantries, Village Chief. I'm here for business." He leaned forward slightly, his voice turning colder. "Have you given any more thought to our previous discussion?"

"The medicine you offered is indeed miraculous," Moriyama said hesitantly, "but five hundred thousand ryo per vial? Surely there's room for negotiation…"

"Five hundred thousand ryo too expensive?*" Orochimaru chuckled, standing as if to leave. "If that's the case, then I suppose we're done here. I don't waste my time with those who lack sincerity."

Moriyama's expression changed instantly. "Wait! Do you think you can come and go as you please in this village?"

A Kusagakure jounin stepped forward, blocking Orochimaru's path with an aggressive stance.

Orochimaru's face remained calm, though his smile became even more unsettling. "Oh?" he said softly. "Village Chief, is this how you intend to deal with me? By force?"

There was an eerie stillness in the room, the tension palpable as Orochimaru's serpentine gaze locked onto the guards in front of him. He didn't raise his voice, but the weight of his presence was enough to make the other men hesitate.