"Orochimaru, what do you think of the Sky Ninja?"
Danzo Shimura suddenly asked. He really wanted to know Orochimaru's opinion on the Sky Ninja.
"If we know the Sky Ninja's main base, I suggest deploying a large number of Ninja to completely eliminate them, to prevent future troubles."
Orochimaru recalled the Sky Ninja's repeated actions and always felt that their goal was not merely to gain fame, but also had a deeper reason, perhaps a conspiracy they were unaware of.
"Exactly! We should eliminate those flies before they cause a greater crisis!"
Danzo Shimura clenched his fists. It was clear that Orochimaru's words resonated with him. This was also his thought; he suspected that the Sky Ninja's repeated attacks had another reason, very likely a conspiracy targeting Konoha.
"Even you, Orochimaru, understand this logic, so why doesn't Hiruzen understand it! If he allowed me to deploy more personnel, we wouldn't still be unable to find the Sky Ninja's main base!"
Bang—!
Danzo Shimura slammed his hand on the desk.
"The Various Ninja Villages of various countries have always viewed Konoha as a potential enemy. Would a major move by Konoha touch their sensitive nerves? Hiruzen-sensei might be thinking that way, right? Hiruzen-sensei doesn't want to disrupt Konoha's peace."
Orochimaru could probably guess Hiruzen-sensei's thoughts.
"That's just a false peace! How long such peace can last is unknown! Why doesn't Hiruzen understand!"
Danzo Shimura became even angrier upon hearing this. He wanted to eliminate the Sky Ninja not for himself, but for Konoha. He had money now and didn't care about the position of Assistant Hokage. If it weren't for Konoha, he would have quit long ago!
So troublesome... Orochimaru looked at the furious Danzo Shimura, thinking she shouldn't have come to Root's base.
---
In the warm bathroom, steam billowed, and a pale white arm, tinged with a faint red, rested on the edge of the bathtub. The water, with apple-scented carbonated bath salts, was a light green, bubbling and gurgling. At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for some kind of apple-flavored soda.
Feeling a bit sleepy... it should be fine to just sleep for a while, right?
Orochimaru squinted her eyes, feeling a touch of drowsiness. Yielding to the invading sleepiness, and listening to the splashing water nearby, she fell asleep.
Tsunade, who was staying at Orochimaru's house tonight, sat under the shower nearby, bathing. Turning off the shower, she applied shampoo to her light yellow hair. She was about to call Orochimaru to help her wash the foam out of her hair when she saw Orochimaru lying asleep in the bathtub.
"Asleep again!"
Tsunade looked at Orochimaru with a resentful gaze.
You promised to help me wash my hair! How could you fall asleep?
Tsunade helplessly had to wash her own hair. Looking at the sleeping Orochimaru, her gaze quickly swept over her, then she looked down at herself and immediately felt that she was quite good.
Tsunade reached out to wake Orochimaru. Just as her hand was about to touch her shoulder, a daring idea popped into her mind.
"Hehe!"
Tsunade showed her characteristic grin, a mischievous, toothy smile.
Soon after... "Is it okay for you to do this?"
Hyuga Mio looked at Orochimaru, who Tsunade had dressed in a snake doll pajama, and was a little worried she would be angry when she woke up.
"Relax, it'll be fine! I used to secretly change Orochimaru into pajamas when she was asleep. That time it was cow pajamas."
Tsunade said with a giggle, her eyes full of triumph, as if telling Hyuga Mio that her relationship with Orochimaru was something she couldn't compare to!
Hyuga Mio didn't care about this. After learning that Tsunade wasn't doing this for the first time, she returned to her own room to rest.
Tsunade looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction, carried Orochimaru to the bed, and hugged her like a body pillow, letting out a comfortable sigh.
The nights in the Land of Waves were as lively as the day. The nightlife here was very rich, and the seafood in the ocean was almost being turned into works of art by the people of the Land of Waves.
It was said that a writer named Miya had casually written a snack recipe, and after being improved by the people of the Land of Waves, it became more appealing to them and the merchants who came here to purchase goods.
Due to the black salamander poison sac implanted in his body, Hanzō had trouble eating. When he wanted to gather information, no one was willing to talk to the strange man wearing a snorkel.
Left with no choice, Hanzō used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself and inquired about people's work at the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company. The answers he received were highly consistent: they believed that the Land of Waves' current success was not due to the powerful Daimyo, who was high and mighty and only knew how to exploit them without asking any questions, but rather that they were lucky. The White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company developed in the Land of Waves, carrying them along to prosperity.
The people of the Land of Waves genuinely thanked the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company and harbored great hostility towards anyone who wanted to target the company.
Hanzō even felt killing intent from them, which showed how important the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company was to them.
The next day, a ray of sunlight pierced through the curtains and fell on Orochimaru's face. Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, whose sleeping posture was terribly messy, and with effort, pulled her off herself. Sitting up, she realized her body felt a bit off.
Is this a white snake doll pajama?
After all this time, Tsunade still remembered... Orochimaru didn't even have to guess to know that Tsunade had secretly changed her into these pajamas after she fell asleep in the bathtub last night. If it were Hyuga Mio, she wouldn't do such a childish thing.
"Hehe, it suits you well!"
Tsunade looked with satisfaction at Orochimaru, who, from behind, looked like a white snake with its body raised high.
"Is that so… I think it suits me well too."
Orochimaru turned around, his entire face perfectly framed within the wide-open mouth of a snake. Its tail, dragging on the ground, swayed once. He placed one hand on his hip, tilted his head slightly, and said, "Rather than a snake, it's more like a dragon that has shed its skin and transformed from a snake."
"Pfft ha ha ha ha!"
Tsunade burst into laughter, watching Orochimaru's actions.
---
Hanzō once again arrived at the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company's President's office. Although hope was slim, he still tried his best to change the future of his hometown.
"Mr. Hanzō, our company is willing to establish a factory and a transportation hub in the Land of Rain."
"Transportation hub?"
Hanzō knew what a factory was, but this was the first time he had heard the term "transportation hub."
Aokawa explained what a transportation hub was for, and then detailed what the factory to be built in the Land of Rain would produce and approximately how many workers would be needed.
Hanzō was overjoyed. Given the conditions in the Land of Rain, he hadn't held much hope. The White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company's willingness to establish a factory and a transportation hub in the Land of Rain would undoubtedly bring considerable income to the Land of Rain and change the impoverished lives of its people.
"Mr. Hanzō, this is a temporarily drafted contract. Please review it. As the leader of the Land of Rain, you should be able to make a decision, right?"
Aokawa handed a contract to Hanzō, a polite smile on his face, and said, "If you are satisfied, I think we can sign the contract today."
Hanzō carefully read through the contract. The contract for the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company to establish a factory and a transportation hub in the Land of Rain stated that once the factory and transportation hub were completed, they would require a large number of Ninja and people from the Land of Rain as employees. The benefits offered, from his perspective, were quite high.
However, according to his investigations, the benefits offered in the contract were slightly lower than those of the common people in the Land of Waves. This point was understandable and acceptable.
Considering how difficult it would be to establish a factory in the constantly war-torn Land of Rain, offering such benefits was already very, very generous.
Most people in the Land of Rain, no, the vast majority, would find it difficult to earn this amount.
Wages were calculated hourly at 120 ryō per hour. The basic workday was 8 hours, with no overtime. In case of emergency overtime, the hourly wage was tripled. The money earned in a month was enough for a family of five to eat and drink, with plenty left over to save.
And this was just the money earned by one person. If both husband and wife in a family worked at the factory or transportation hub, one could imagine how their living conditions would change.
(1 ryō ≈ 10 Japanese yen. In real life, the hourly wage offered by White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company is significantly higher than Japan's minimum wage. Considering the desolate state of the Land of Rain, such a wage is likely offered out of consideration for Hanzō. Given the situation in the Land of Rain, most people don't even have enough to eat, and would eagerly take jobs that provide food without pay.)
Hanzō confirmed that the contract had no issues and signed his name on the two copies. He carefully tucked the contract into his embrace and, with a hint of eagerness in his voice, asked, "President Aokawa, when will your company go to the Land of Rain to establish the factory and transportation hub? At that time, I will lead the Hidden Rain Village Ninja to provide full protection."
"Mr. Hanzō, there's no rush. The person in charge will head to the Land of Rain once preparations are complete. Before that, our company hopes that Mr. Hanzō can help us hire a group of workers to build the factory and transportation hub."
Aokawa clapped his hands, and the President's secretary walked forward with a briefcase, placing it on the desk with a heavy thud.
???
Hanzō paused slightly at the sound. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the secretary open the briefcase, and a golden light illuminated his face.
"This…"
Hanzō's eyes widened a few points, and his breathing grew heavier. He was momentarily dazed by the glittering gold inside the briefcase, his mind crashing at that moment.
Hanzō snapped back to reality and, looking at Aokawa, stammered, "President Aokawa, this… this is…"
"This is for the workers and your remuneration. So, Mr. Hanzō, I'll trouble you with this matter. The person in charge will arrive in the Land of Rain in a few days, and I'll have to ask for your continued care."
Aokawa said with a smile.
Sometimes, money is worth a thousand words and can solve most problems. If there are problems that money can't solve, then it's time for Mr. Kakuzu and their Iburi Clan to step in.
"Mr. Aokawa, please rest assured and leave it to me."
Hanzō was both excited and moved at this moment. All his worries were crushed by this box of gold.
Now, with the workers' wages handed over to him, how could the company's people not go to the Land of Rain?
Lord Orochimaru's method truly works!
Aokawa looked at Hanzō, who was completely swayed by the gold, and thought about how Lord Orochimaru had used money to persuade Kakuzu. He felt that this feeling of overwhelming people with money was incredibly satisfying!
Author's Note
PS:
Aokawa gave Hanzō gold considering the special geographical location of the Land of Rain. Money from different countries needs to be exchanged in advance to be used in other countries.
Precious metals like gold are hard currency and can be used in any country.
The Five Great Ninja Villages in the Ninja World all have banks, and there should also be places in the black market to exchange money from various countries. This can be understood by referencing the real world.
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