Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 202 Jiraiya: You've changed, Orochimaru

The rain pattered against the glass, leaving wet streaks on the window.

The strong wind made the tents rattle and rustle, the edges twitching from time to time, as if they were about to be blown off and into the rainy night at any moment.

The tents used for deliberations at Konoha's headquarters.

A chandelier, a table, and four cups.

Four people sat around a round table, at the edge of the circular halo of the chandelier. The light shone directly on their bodies, but made their faces appear obscured.

"...I'll say it again, I absolutely disagree with this operation!"

Even the usually carefree Jiraiya had a grim expression, his voice filled with barely concealed anger: "To attack Hanzo now is tantamount to betraying our trust! What will become of the village's reputation?!"

If it weren't for Hanzo and the black cat suddenly striking and severely damaging the Sunagakure forces, Orochimaru's Konoha forces, already weakened and surrounded by enemies, would have been routed long ago.

Even now, the Amegakure forces led by Hanzo are still bearing nearly half of the Sunagakure's main offensive, which is why Orochimaru was able to hold out until Tsunade and Jiraiya brought reinforcements.

Only then were they able to join forces to launch a counterattack against Sunagakure, gradually suppressing Sunagakure's long-standing arrogance and pushing Sunagakure back to the borders of the Land of Wind.

What does it mean to attack Hanzo now?

Crossing the river and then dismantling the bridge? Using the millstone and then discarding the donkey? Forsaking righteousness for profit?

"Jiraiya, do you really think Hanzo has done us any favors?"

Danzo glanced at Jiraiya with his one eye, his expression dark, and said, "I can tell you that from the very beginning, his declaration of war against the Land of Wind was part of my plan and my expectations."

Jiraiya was unaware that Hanzo's sudden declaration of war against Sunagakure was orchestrated by Danzo and Root.

Upon hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what it meant, and his expression instantly turned to shock and anger: "You slaughtered those civilians of the Land of Rain and then framed Sunagakure?!"

No wonder Hanzo made such a coincidental move against Sunagakure when Konoha's defenses were on the verge of collapse.

If the data Hanzo provided in his condemnation of Sunagakure is accurate enough, wouldn't that mean Danzo directly killed nearly a thousand innocent civilians?!

"Yes, I did it."

Danzo selectively ignored the unusual aspects of that operation, as if he had forgotten the fear he felt at the time, and proudly admitted it with his head held high.

In his view, the people Konoha should really thank are not Hanzo and Amegakure, but him, the one who lured Hanzo into making a move and getting involved!

As for the nearly one thousand civilians from the Land of Rain who died?

How can war not result in death? Aren't there enough civilians who die in war?

The Second Shinobi World War lasted for three or four years, and the number of civilians who died directly or indirectly due to the war was far more than a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand.

Besides, they weren't civilians from the Land of Fire. If they died, they died. If anyone's to blame, it's just bad luck.

Because the rules of the game were set by the five major nations, as the rule-makers, they can disregard the rules to a certain extent, and even break or modify them when necessary.

In the face of victory in war and sufficient benefits, so-called principles and justice can be sacrificed, let alone the lives of civilians in other small countries.

There is no need for any reason; it's simply a matter of whether you want to or not, and whether it's worth it.

In the ninja world, weakness is the original sin.

No matter which major power, this has always been the accepted practice, and it has proven effective time and again.

"Are you going to accuse me of indiscriminately killing innocent people and being cruel and cold-blooded?"

Seeing Jiraiya stand up in anger, Danzo remained unmoved and even sneered, "Do you deserve it? What right do you have to retreat to the rear because of personal feelings when Konoha is in danger?"

"you!"

"Enough, Jiraiya!"

Several prominent veins bulged on Jiraiya's forehead. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by a cold voice.

"Elder Danzo is right."

Meeting Jiraiya's gaze, Orochimaru remained calm and indifferent, stating bluntly, "Our cooperation with Hanzo was based on mutual benefit."

"He did help us out of our immediate crisis, but without the supplies we provided, how could he have survived until now with the extremely limited resources of the Rain Kingdom?"

Without a doubt, the Land of Rain relies heavily on imports for its food and has no capacity for self-sufficiency. With insufficient reserves, it naturally lacks the ability to sustain combat operations.

Therefore, under the guise of "cooperation," Hanzo extorted a large amount of "aid supplies" from them at very low prices during this period, including not only food, but also medicine and ninja tools.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Jiraiya was momentarily speechless, suppressing his anger as he said, "If that's the case, why can't we continue cooperating with Hanzo? Using only a few supplies to reduce casualties and defeat Sunagakure is clearly a better choice!"

"idiot."

Orochimaru calmly uttered two words, and before Jiraiya could continue his rant, he continued, "Because those supplies were provided by the Daimyo, and this operation was ordered by the Daimyo."

He said that if he gives something to others, they can take it, but if he doesn't want to give it, no one can reach out and take it.

Jiraiya was just naive, not really stupid.

He quickly understood the meaning behind Orochimaru's words after only a moment's thought.

His Highness the Daimyo does not want Hanzo and Amegakure, representing the Land of Rain, to win this war, even if it means joining forces with Sunagakure, with whom they were previously hostile.

When two great powers fight to the death, no matter which side wins, smaller countries have no say in the matter.

"Moreover, Hanzo's appetite is growing, and he's becoming increasingly ruthless in driving down prices."

Orochimaru sighed and said helplessly, "Faced with Hanzo's offensive, Sunagakure only panicked for a short time at the beginning, but now they have gradually regained their composure and started to fight steadily, and their momentum has completely turned around."

The reason Konoha was so willing to provide resource assistance to Amegakure was that they hoped to join forces with Amegakure to quickly end the battle in the Land of Rain, and then rush to deal with the Sand Village forces in the Land of River to completely secure victory.

But the Third Kazekage was indeed a smart man.

It should be noted that after two years of exploitation, much of the Rain Country's resources had been taken by Sunagakure. With the addition of resources provided by the Daimyo of the Wind Country, Sunagakure was now qualified to wage a protracted war.

Although Hanzo's Amegakure forces seem to be advancing rapidly and are about to drive the Sunagakure forces back to their homeland, in reality they have no way to deal with Sunagakure at all.

Putting everything else aside, the Land of Wind is all yellow sand, and anyone who goes there will suffer from acclimatization problems. Everyone who sees it will have to think twice, let alone the Rain Ninja who are skilled in water-style techniques and rely on water sources.

The timely change in delaying tactics directly eliminated the possibility of a quick victory, and the stalemate at the border between the two countries of Wind and Rain was clearly intended to buy time.

After all, Konoha couldn't keep supporting Hanzo and Amegakure indefinitely. Even if they could offer the maximum discounts, Amegakure wouldn't have enough funds to buy supplies. They couldn't just give them away for free.

It's acceptable in the short term, but not in the long term.

The Third Kazekage clearly understood this.

Sunagakure now appears unhurried, having retreated into its shell. In fact, Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, the puppeteer couple, have been frequently leading attacks on supply points lately, with the frequency increasing.

It is clear that this is intended to further deplete Konoha's reserves, increase Konoha's material burden, and accelerate the breakdown of the alliance between Konoha and Amegakure.

"How could this happen?"

Jiraiya realized this, stood there blankly for a moment, then slumped down dejectedly, muttering, "Isn't there a better solution?"

Seeing that the war had reached its final stage and would end once Sunagakure was completely defeated, they now wanted to change the situation back to its original state.

"Jiraiya, we're not asking for your opinion; we're just informing you!"

Danzo coldly rebuked him without any politeness: "The Third Hokage has already been restored to his position as Daimyo, and Orochimaru, as the commander-in-chief and deputy commander, and I both agree to this operation. You have no right to object!"

Having said that, he stopped looking at the bewildered Jiraiya and instead looked at Tsunade, who had remained silent throughout.

A flicker of covetousness and apprehension crossed her single eye as she asked, "Orochimaru and I are not suited to meet Hanzo. Tsunade, as the one who will be dealing directly with Hanzo in this operation, do you have anything to say?"

Tsunade's face remained calm, devoid of any emotion, only boundless tranquility. Her tone was equally indifferent: "I have no objection to this operation, but I would like to know how I should proceed."

Her reaction was too calm, completely unlike the impulsive and easily angered Tsunade of the past, which made Danzo somewhat uneasy.

He was naturally aware of what had happened in the village recently, as he was in charge of the core affairs.

Including the death of Mito Uzumaki, Tsunade became the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.

Undoubtedly, this is two pieces of good news for him.

First, the death of Mito Uzumaki means that there is one less person who can restrain him, leaving only Sarutobi as the Hokage. The "experiments" that he once wanted to conduct but was afraid of being discovered can now be planned.

For example, regarding the Wood Release experiment on "Hashirama cells," if Mito Uzumaki were still alive, he would absolutely not have dared to touch it.

But now, he is confident that he can get Sarutobi to agree to the plan, and even recruit the Senju clan members who have abandoned their surnames and integrated into Konoha, promising to "restore the glory of Wood Release" so that they will voluntarily participate in human experiments.

Secondly, if he wants to become Hokage, the biggest obstacle is Tsunade, whose threat level even exceeds that of Orochimaru.

However, Jinchuriki are "weapons" and "tools." Unless there are no other candidates, they cannot become "Kage" at all. This alone is enough to eliminate Tsunade's possibility of becoming "Kage."

It's a pity, because it also means that he can't control the Nine-Tails.

But could these two things really cause such a big change in Tsunade?

I don't know if this change is good or bad...

"All you need to do is approach Hanzo under the pretext of escorting aid supplies."

Danzo pondered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm as he explained, "The people I've planted within Amegakure will strike when Hanzo lets his guard down."

"It would be best if we could kill it, but if we only want to severely injure it, then we'll have to ask you to take action."

"Amegakure is not a concern. The real threat is Hanzo. Once Hanzo is dealt with, the Amegakure forces, now leaderless, will immediately crumble."

"Jiraiya's troops will ambush the Amegakure forces on their escape route, and it will be a piece of cake for them to surround and kill the remaining Amegakure troops."

This is the main reason why Jiraiya knew the inside story of this operation. If it weren't for the need for Jiraiya to lead a team to infiltrate the rear of the Amegakure forces, he would never have told this naive and childish guy about the operation.

"...I see." Tsunade pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I thought you would forget about 'Dawn,' but it seems I don't need to remind you now."

"Hmph, of course I won't forget."

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a wary tone, "Their interference once or twice before could be considered an accident, but even that cunning old fox, Onoki, ran into a wall and suffered a setback there."

"Obviously, those peasants are not to be trifled with, so we must be wary of them interfering as they have before."

Information in the black market is shared, so how could he, as a member of Konoha's Root, be completely unaware of Onoki's hiring of bounty hunters?

He simply didn't take it to heart at the time, thinking that there would be no other outcome than "Dawn" being severely defeated.

He even planned to use his connections to get a copy of Dawn's intelligence from the bounty hunters after they returned from the Land of Rain.

Unexpectedly, "Dawn" not only escaped a crushing defeat but also eliminated all the bounty hunters, even hanging their heads and corpses outside the city, slapping Onoki's old face several times, completely catching everyone in the know off guard.

When the photos from the scene reached Danzo, he was astonished by the shocking sight and even came up with a bold guess.

Could it be that Dawn was secretly involved in the operation to lure Hanzo into making a move?

The thought startled him, but the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Because it makes perfect sense.

In that incident, the biggest beneficiary, besides Konoha, was actually Dawn.

Before Hanzo declared war on the Land of Wind, he first seized the position of leader of Amegakure. The leader of Akatsuki happened to lend a hand and even took the initiative to have the black cat assist Hanzo in defeating Sunagakure.

That leader not only eliminated his enemies and demonstrated his strength for the first time, taking away a large number of Rain Village ninjas, but also received Hanzo's reward, thus rightfully seizing control of the northern part of the Land of Rain.

Realizing this, how could Danzo not be wary and fearful of him?

Jiraiya's role, besides dealing with the remnants of Amegakure, was also to cut off their possibility of escaping to the northern part of the Land of Rain, thus preventing the Akatsuki from receiving them and allowing them to grow stronger again.

"I see."

Tsunade nodded calmly, then stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go and make preparations."

Having said that, without waiting for Orochimaru and Danzo's response, he strode out of the tent, lifted the curtain, and walked out.

Seeing him leave, Danzo also stood up, but before leaving, he looked at Jiraiya and sneered, "If you're still a Konoha ninja, then be prepared to obey orders and follow commands. Don't act impulsively or with womanly compassion!"

With the departure of the two, only Orochimaru and Jiraiya remained in the tent, which fell into a deathly silence.

"Are we really doing the right thing?"

After a long silence, Jiraiya spoke in a hoarse voice, as if talking to himself.

That's just how the world is.

Orochimaru looked down at the map and said calmly, "Rational people will always fight against irrational people. There will be endless conflicts, an endless interweaving of darkness and light. Some will achieve great success, while others will be destined to be victims."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he sneered, "If you can't bear it, then consider it an action that you had to take for the sake of peace between the Land of Fire and Konoha."

"If death has any meaning, it only exists when it can be used."

As he listened to Orochimaru's increasingly cold and indifferent words, Jiraiya slowly raised his head, his gaze passing through Orochimaru's bangs and landing on Orochimaru's face, as if trying to see through that pale, bone-white face and discern his true thoughts.

After a moment, Jiraiya shook his head and said in a low voice, "You've changed, Orochimaru. You weren't like this before."

"..."

Orochimaru paused as he swiped across the map, and said calmly, "Perhaps."

"After all, so am I, so is Tsunade, and so are you. People always grow up, don't they?"

(End of this chapter)