Chapter 187: Let's Just Cooperate with Him Honestly!
Hearing Kakashi's words, Oborotsuki's heart stirred slightly.
Tsunade was actually active within the Land of Water's borders? He hadn't known about this.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he agreed readily.
"No problem at all."
"Now it's your turn to decide."
"Will you accept my proposal—stay here, eat well, drink well, and get some light daily exercise? Or will you insist on fighting me to the bitter end?"
Oborotsuki turned his head toward the Kumogakure group.
As he spoke, his gaze naturally drifted to Samui's face.
From earlier, Samui's eyes had barely left Oborotsuki.
Now, seeing him look her way, she quickly turned her head aside in embarrassment, pretending to be indifferent.
The corner of Oborotsuki's mouth curved into another playful smile.
At this point, the Fourth Raikage—after being restrained by his subordinates and weighing the pros and cons—had no choice but to make a decision.
"If you want us to stay as hostages, fine!"
"But you must provide us with exactly the same treatment as the Konoha people!"
"You also have to provide medical treatment for our injured shinobi!"
The Fourth Raikage took a deep, furious breath, his face stiff as he spoke helplessly in a deep voice.
"Hmph…"
Oborotsuki gave a meaningful cold laugh and ignored the Raikage's conditions. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the Sunagakure and Iwagakure groups.
Seeing that—among the five great ninja villages—the two strongest leaders, Konoha and Kumogakure, had already compromised and chosen to de-escalate,
Sunagakure naturally had no choice but to follow suit. Rasa let out a sigh.
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time he had to swallow his pride.
In the past, for the sake of Sunagakure's survival, he had labored tirelessly—selling his own developed techniques for funds, even using his Magnet Release to mine and sell the Land of Wind's buried resources just to keep the village afloat…
He had endured humiliation many times before, so he felt no particular burden now.
"Sunagakure is willing to cooperate."
"But…"
Rasa thought of the Land of Wind's current dire situation.
Even if Kirigakure held them hostage to extort reparations from the Wind Daimyō's office, they likely couldn't produce that much money.
He hesitated, then fell silent.
Oborotsuki noticed his expression and asked curiously:
"But what?"
Rasa didn't dare voice his worries.
If Oborotsuki learned how bad things really were, life for Sunagakure's people in Kirigakure would become much harder.
He shook his head: "Never mind… it's nothing…"
Seeing that he didn't want to say more, Oborotsuki didn't press. He turned his attention to Ōnoki and the others.
Now only Iwagakure hadn't spoken yet.
"And what about you?"
He looked at Ōnoki and asked.
"We…"
Ōnoki gritted his teeth in humiliation, took a deep breath, and said:
"I've long heard that the Land of Water has beautiful scenery, pleasant environment, and is an excellent place to live."
"It's quite different from our highland region in the Land of Earth."
"Since you've so graciously invited us, we'll stay for a while…"
This old man was quite good at saying diplomatic things and finding a way to save face.
Oborotsuki gave a light laugh but didn't expose him.
He turned back to look at the restrained Obito, a playful expression on his face. Obito felt a chill when he saw that look.
But the man still said nothing.
"Since that's settled, you'll all be staying here."
"Let me make one thing clear: you may send people back to inform your villages. Have them bring the ransom money to redeem you."
"I'll have someone notify you of the exact compensation amount later."
"But if I discover any of you leaving Kirigakure without permission…"
"Then don't blame me for what happens next."
"Also—a reminder."
At this point, Oborotsuki's gaze drifted toward a figure hidden among the crowd ahead.
Everyone instinctively followed his line of sight.
They quickly noticed a tall, thin man wearing an Iwagakure-style wide-brimmed hat. He gave off an eerie, cold aura—like someone who definitely wasn't a good person.
"Who is he?"
Someone in the crowd asked curiously.
At that moment, Orochimaru—who had disguised himself as an Iwagakure ninja and mixed into the group, hoping to kidnap a few live specimens for experiments—proactively removed his hat and gave an evil, charming smile.
"Heh heh…"
"No misunderstanding, Oborotsuki."
"I only came here to see if there were any suitable materials…"
Orochimaru saw Oborotsuki watching him with a half-smile and hurriedly explained.
Hearing this, Oborotsuki gave another playful laugh.
"I should remind you all—this guy right here."
"Many of you should recognize him, right?"
Oborotsuki turned his head toward the others.
Instantly, he saw many people nodding and pointing at Orochimaru.
"That should be one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru!"
"Orochimaru? How is he in Kirigakure?"
"Looks like he's joined their side!"
"I heard he defected—never got confirmation!"
"…"
Ninja from the other villages whispered among themselves upon seeing Orochimaru.
Meanwhile, on Konoha's side, Kakashi, Shisui, Hiruzen, and the others all frowned gravely as they stared at Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru… I never expected him to be here!"
Hiruzen felt a heavy weight in his chest—his head throbbed.
His once most cherished and talented disciple had gone astray and become one of the ninja world's S-rank missing-nin.
Now that Orochimaru was in Kirigakure, nothing good could come of it.
Sure enough, Oborotsuki—seeing that everyone recognized Orochimaru—continued:
"Right now, Orochimaru is Kirigakure's chief scientist, in charge of some very interesting experiments."
"Some of those experiments require live human subjects."
"If any of you want to volunteer as test subjects, feel free to leave Kirigakure."
He spread his hands casually.
Even though he was saying something horrifying, the way he said it—calm, relaxed, almost cheerful—was chilling.
And just then, Orochimaru let out another sinister, charming laugh:
"Heh heh…"
He even extended his long tongue and licked his lips—like a venomous snake.
In an instant, every ninja present felt their scalps go numb.
But right at that moment, a Kirigakure ANBU rushed back and reported urgently to Oborotsuki:
"Lord Oborotsuki—we've encountered enemies at the rear mountain!"
"Lady Terumī Mei and the others are locked in fierce combat!!"
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