He was in Konoha, exuding an aura of dominance.

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

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

Elder Hua's heart skipped a beat.

Although there had been speculation about the reasons before, Orochimaru's proactive statement had an impact far exceeding his own wild guesses.

That woman with the whirlpool!

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

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

The woman with the whirlpool had recently ended up in Kusagakure Village due to the war.

Although she didn't understand why she would cross the Land of Fire to reach Kusagakure, a village that had absolutely no connection to Uzushio Village.

However, faced with the Uzumaki bloodline offered to them, the Hidden Grass Village, which was already famous for studying the ninjutsu of other countries, made a decision that was in accordance with their ancestors.

They also knew the importance of the Vortex Bloodline.

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

That Jinchūriki was from the Uzumaki clan.

Sweat beaded on his forehead cascaded down like rain, the small space provided by the mask trapping the exhaled heat.

Almost without 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 on this issue 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 this 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.

No one could have predicted that the fifty strings would take such an unconventional approach.

They came out with the attitude of wanting to expel the Hidden Grass 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.

Smaller countries essentially act as buffer zones between the five great nations; even the weakest village, Sunagakure, could easily wipe them out if it were to take things seriously.

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

But for Isogen, on this point he agrees with Madara Uchiha's ideas, and even Danzo Shimura's ideas are not unacceptable.

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

Caught between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, Kusagakure's stance has always been wavering. The village's ideology is quite like the meaning behind 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 skills 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 handled was still too lenient.

But it's okay!

Because he came!

He has arrived with the will of a hegemon!

Elder Grass Flower handled the situation very quickly.

Before long, a young woman with short red hair and a swirling vortex was brought over by the ninjas of the Kusanagi faction.

Upon seeing the 'warm and fresh' scene, she froze, her movements became hesitant, and her expression became uneasy.

When her gaze swept over Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake's Konoha headbands, Rin Uzumaki's expression became complicated.

Sakumo Hatake had mixed feelings.

The distance between Uzushio Village and Kusagakure Village is too great; from the perspective of distance alone, the Land of Fire is the best choice.

However, the other party appeared in Kusagakure.

The Hidden Grass Village brought her here? That's impossible.

If Kusagakure had that ability, it would have already squeezed out Sunagakure 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 breath of stale air.

'Konoha, we're not trusted anymore.'

It's not hard to understand why Uzushio Village, destroyed in the Second Shinobi World War, was so late in receiving support from its ally, Konoha. While Konoha was undoubtedly under immense pressure and short-handed at the time, even with such a shortage of manpower, it's unlikely they would only be able to bring back one girl.

He knew there wasn't much of a conspiracy involved, and the Third Hokage wasn't that kind of person; he had simply hesitated too much in supporting Uzushio Village, causing him to miss the best time to rescue them.

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 a half step back.

next second.

Whoosh!

Isogen soared into the air, completing a sharp spiral whip kick that mercilessly struck Sakumo Hatake's cheek, helping him fulfill humanity's age-old dream of flight.

Upon landing, Wu Shixian spoke righteously and out of a sense of justice.

"Don't startle the pregnant woman!"

"A pregnant woman?" Orochimaru looked surprised.

Hinata Mizuki's eyes widened.

Hatake Sakumo, who had just ripped his head off the wall, ignored the kick and turned around, only to be completely stunned.

Speaking of...

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

Speaking of scaring people, you're the one, right?!

"Pregnant..." Uzumaki Rinne was at a loss, her hands instinctively touching her stomach, and she stood there frozen.

Looking back, I haven't had much of an appetite lately and often feel tired. I thought it was because life in Kusagakure was not as peaceful and smooth as it was at home.

Meeting the bewildered, shocked, and somewhat suspicious gaze of the swirling bell, Isogen curled his lip.

"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 Uzumaki Mito, that one...?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, she instinctively felt excited, but then, as if on the verge of speaking, Suzune Uzumaki hesitated, unsure how to utter the words.

Elder Kusanagi froze upon hearing that Rinne Uzumaki 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.

No wonder the elders of the Grass Fruit Sect were so adamant about keeping this woman with the vortex.

The Uzumaki clan's bloodline is already powerful, and if they could produce offspring, it would be a huge boost to Kusagakure. Relying solely on the mother's pregnancy is too slow, but what if the mother herself is already pregnant?

After learning all this, her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Damn it, a bunch of clueless bastards, actually concealing such important information, and they even got found! It's unbelievable... You'll just be used as scarecrows and kept yelling at!

The swirling bell sound was at a loss.

She wasn't alone at first. Although Uzumaki Village was destroyed, many members of the Uzumaki clan were scattered throughout the ninja world. However, as time went by, the ninja world became chaotic, and she had no choice but to wander alone to Kusagakure Village.

I had no experience in this area and no one to teach me. I just thought it was because I wasn't feeling well lately. I never imagined that I was pregnant.

This is the norm for most people in the ninja world; survival is a problem, and without someone to teach them, how would they know the signs of pregnancy?

The fifty-stringed instrument still offers some protection for special groups like pregnant women, for example, right now.

"Wait a minute, wait until I finish making the scarecrow before I blow this up and take you back to find Grandma Mito and Kushina."

Elder Grass Flower suddenly awoke, flustered and at a loss: "Wait, we've already handed them over, you can't do this!"

Isogen looked puzzled: "These people were originally mine, what does it have to do with me blowing this place up?"

Upon hearing this statement, Uzumaki Rinne's eyes widened involuntarily, her large eyes revealing even greater confusion.

Because of her limited access to information, she doesn't know much about the current ninja world, but she received her education from Uzushio Village since childhood, so if the ninja world hasn't changed much...

There must be something wrong with what he said, right?

Who else is on your side? Did I say anything?

She was still wondering when the young people of Kusagakure couldn't contain themselves any longer.

A ninja who arrived later shouted indignantly, "Your Konoha is too domineering! Aren't you afraid that our Kusagakure will defect to Iwagakure?!"

Sakumo Hatake's expression was serious, while Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.

Hyuga Mizuki remained unmoved, her eyes shining as she listened to the remaining song of the fifty strings.

He gave the spokesperson a thumbs-up.

"Well said! I'll cut you first!"

At this moment, ninjas from the border of Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village) noticed the commotion and came to Kusagakure (Hidden Grass Village) to investigate.

"..."

P.S.: I'm not a procrastinator; I was just called in by my family today and won't be back until tonight.

(＞人＜；)

Chapter 85 is currently in a standoff.