He was in Konoha, and his domineering aura was overflowing.

"Ah!! Kill me! Kill me!!"

Isogen looked at the work with satisfaction, took the hot towel handed to him by Hinata Mizuki to wipe his hands, and turned to cut the next test subject.

The elder, Kusanagi, wearing a rat-face mask, was deathly pale. Having witnessed the entire incident up close and heard his companions' mournful wails, he was already drenched in cold sweat from fright.

The tip of the fifty-stringed sword barely touched his arm, yet the decibel level, surpassing even the highest, blared like an air raid siren.

Snapped!

She slapped him on the head and into his chest, then snapped, "Are you even a man?! Don't you have any backbone?! If you're a man, face it bravely!"

"answer me!"

Oysters oysters oysters!

This is something I absolutely cannot face!

If they weren't physically immobile, they could shake their heads and catch a cold with a fifty-string fan.

And how can he answer you when you've already slapped his head into his chest?

Under the horrified gaze of the Kusagakure ninja, Isogen continued to skillfully create the cadavers. In just a moment, five more cadavers, their mouths constantly singing, were placed on the ground, their voices full of energy.

Finally, Elder Grass Flower, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't hold back any longer.

"My lord, please show mercy! If Kusagakure Village has offended you in any way, we will do our best to make amends!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Isogen stop what he was doing and look at her with the eyes of someone looking at a rare and exotic animal.

Why did you give me my things?

She paused for a moment, then reacted, her facial muscles tensing instantly.

If anyone else had said that, she would have definitely refuted it. There's a reason why Kusagakure has been able to stand strong in the treacherous ninja world.

But seeing Isogen's spotless chakra scalpel, and the 'cadaver' stuck in the ground like a scarecrow, she decided to get angry in a fit of pique.

The ninja world is inherently cruel. Even if an entire village dies, there will only be some initial ripples before things fall silent again.

The current situation of the five major powers and several smaller countries has been determined through countless wars.

The existence of the Five Great Nations is not due to their noble bloodlines, but to their real military strength. Otherwise, how could the Land of Fire occupy the most fertile land?

Back then, even if the entire ninja world united, they couldn't defeat Konoha.

The situation is clear now: the other side has the biggest fist and doesn't seem to care about the situation in the ninja world or the pressure at the national level.

She could tell that just by looking at the appearance of the fifty strings.

She appealed to the two adults from Konoha who were present for help.

"Lord White Fang, Lord Orochimaru, please show mercy! We will cooperate with whatever you need, absolutely cooperate!"

Orochimaru glanced at him sideways: "You're not even willing to use honorifics when you address me."

After spending two years with Wuzhixian, he also picked up some of his habits.

Elder Hua was speechless. He couldn't care less about anything else and was about to open his mouth when Orochimaru interrupted him.

"Your hopes are useless. Even the Hokage can't stop what Ichigen has decided."

They won't stop it either.

Fifty strings don't care about a person's status.

In particular, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already faced danger once.

At that time, the number of explosions targeting the Root was increasing. Seeing his good friend being troubled and considering the strength of the dark side of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to persuade him to make peace.

I don't know the specifics of the discussion, but the Hokage Building was almost cut in half that day.

Afterwards, according to Hiruzen Sarutobi's assessment, if it were to forcibly stop Igarashi, given Igarashi's strength at the time, even if he used all his strength, it would take a long time to reach a stalemate.

With the methods of the Fifty Strings, they could easily blast their way from one end of Konoha to the other during this stalemate.

The final conclusion was: Danzo suffered hardship, and Konoha enjoyed peace.

From Orochimaru's perspective, he could clearly see that one by one, the specially made Fifty Strings of Explosive Tags were being sent to various parts of Kusagakure.

Ultimately, the difference between ninjas is greater than the difference between humans and paramecia.

Faced with the unreasonable growth rate of Gojūgen, and still not fully recovered from the losses of the war years, the already weak Kusagakure Village could only helplessly await its demise in the face of Gojūgen's eulogy.

This is not an exaggeration. Orochimaru himself is capable of doing this, and everyone present except for Hyuga Mizuki could do it too.

It's just not as fast as a fifty-stringed instrument.

But back to the point.

"They don't even need to use Conqueror's Haki. It seems that Kusagakure is not worthy of it."

Isogen's ears twitched, and he turned around, his eyes filled with disdain: "If I let them take a hit of Conqueror's Haki, how am I supposed to listen to the songs?"

"Is Konoha planning to destroy Kusagakure Village?!" Elder Hana's expression behind the mask was anxious.

Orochimaru chuckled coldly: "That's a question Konoha should be asking you. By concealing and imprisoning Konoha's allies, is Kusagakure planning to challenge Konoha?!"

Elder Hua's heart skipped a beat.

Although there were previous speculations about the reasons, the impact of Orochimaru's proactive statement far exceeded any random guesses.

That whirlpool woman!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chapter 84 is well said! I'll cut you down first!

Elder Grass Flower, who was also wearing a mask, was sweating profusely.

The whirlpool woman had recently been stranded in Kusagakure Village due to the war.

Although she didn't understand why she would cross the Land of Fire to reach Kusagakure Village, which had absolutely no connection with Utsumi Village.

However, faced with the Uzumaki bloodline delivered to their doorstep, Kusagakure, a village renowned for its research into other countries' ninjutsu, made a decision in accordance with their ancestors' wishes.

They also knew the importance of the vortex blood vessels.

The first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki still exists today, and his lingering power intimidates the ninja world, which is a major factor preventing other ninja villages from sending large-scale troops to attack the Land of Fire.

That Jinchūriki was from the Uzumaki clan.

Sweat dripped from his forehead like a waterfall, the small space provided by the mask trapping the exhaled heat.

Without much hesitation, she was about to hand the person over.

The fact that Orochimaru and Konoha's White Fang appeared in Kusagakure shows that there is no room for compromise on this matter. Konoha's attitude in this regard is frighteningly tough, completely unlike the style of the Third Hokage.

Sakumo Hatake had a strange feeling.

Actually, he knew nothing about the inside story of the mission. He only knew that he was there to pick up someone, but he had no idea who it was or what kind of conflict would occur during the process.

I never expected that the fifty strings would take such an unconventional path.

They came out with the attitude of wanting to expel Kusagakure Village from the list.

A powerful individual capable of wiping out a small ninja village and a small country is among the most formidable in the ninja world.

The small countries essentially act as buffers between the five major powers; the weakest, Sunagakure Village, could be easily wiped out if they were to put in a little more effort.

Destroying a ninja village would not align with Konoha's public image.

However, for Isogen, he acknowledged Madara Uchiha's ideas on this point, and even Danzo Shimura's ideas were not entirely unacceptable.

People are always like this: they fear authority but not virtue, and this is especially true in smaller places.

Kusagakure Village is sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, and its stance has always been wavering. The village's ideology is quite in line with the meaning of its name, Kusagakure: a complete opportunist.

This opportunist is not honest. He is most famous for learning and copying the ninjutsu of other ninja villages. However, his methods are really weak. Most of his ninjutsu are just a copy of a hodgepodge, which is not similar to anything else.

The way Hashirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi were dealt with was still too gentle.

But it's okay!

Because he came!

He came with the will of a hegemon!

Elder Grass Flower processed the situation very quickly.

Before long, a young woman with short red hair and a whirlpool-like appearance was brought over by the ninjas of the Grass Flower faction.

Upon seeing the 'freshly made' scene, she stiffened, her movements became hesitant, and her expression became uneasy.

When her gaze swept over Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake's forehead protectors, Rinne Uzumaki's expression became complicated.

Sakumo Hatake had mixed feelings.

The distance between Tide Village and Kusagakure Village is too great; going to the Land of Fire is the best option, considering only the distance.

But the other party appeared in Kusagakure Village.

Kusagakure Village brought her here? That's impossible.

If Kusagakure Village had that ability, it would have already overtaken Sunagakure Village and become the boss itself.

So what made her travel thousands of miles, avoiding the vast territory of the Land of Fire, and hide in the small ninja village of Kusagakure?

The answer is obvious.

Sakumo Hatake felt a tightness in his chest and slowly exhaled a stale breath.

'Konoha, we're not trusted anymore.'

It's not hard to understand why Konoha, an ally of Uzumaki Village, was so slow to arrive after the Second Shinobi World War. While Konoha was certainly under immense pressure and short-handed at the time, even with such a shortage of manpower, they shouldn't have only managed to bring back one girl.

He knew there wasn't much ulterior motive here, and that his hesitation in the matter of the village had caused him to miss the best time for rescue.

From the perspective of the village's shadow, it's understandable; but from the perspective of an ally, it's undeniably unqualified and implies betrayal.

"You." He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

Orochimaru, who was standing to the side, seemed to sense something and skillfully took half a step back.

next second.

Whoosh—smack!

Isogen soared into the air, executing a fierce spiral whip kick that mercilessly lashed Hatake Sakumo's cheek, helping him fulfill humanity's age-old dream—flight.

After landing, Wu Shixian spoke righteously and justly, driven by a sense of justice.

"Don't startle the pregnant woman!"

"A pregnant woman?" Orochimaru's eyes widened in surprise.

Hinata Mizuki's eyes widened.

Hatake Sakumo, who had just pulled his head off the wall, didn't care about the kick. He turned around and was stunned.

Speaking of which...

As he watched Wuxian continue making 'corpse teachers', his lips twitched.

Speaking of scaring people, you're the one!

“Pregnant…” Whirlpool Bell Sound was at a loss, her hands unconsciously touching her stomach, and she stood there frozen.

Looking back, I realize that I haven't had much of an appetite lately and often feel tired. I thought it was because life in Kusagakure Village wasn't as stable and comfortable as it was at home.

Meeting the bewildered, shocked, and somewhat suspicious gaze of the swirling bell, Isogen pursed his lips.

"You can question my current height, but don't question my medical skills."

"Grandma Mito said my medical skills were good."

"Mito...Grandma? You mean Mito Uzumaki, that one...?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, she instinctively felt excited, but then the words caught in her throat, and she couldn't find the right words to say.

Elder Grass Flower froze upon hearing that Whirlpool Bell was pregnant, as if she were food that had been frozen in a cold storage for three days and three nights.

I understand now, I really understand.