"Go out to find someone? If I'm not mistaken, Orochimaru-san is planning to find Tsunade-san, right?"
Menma looked at Orochimaru with a faint smile, his expression inscrutable.
"Truly, nothing can be kept from Menma-kun. But please don't misunderstand, Menma-kun. It's not that I don't trust you; there are simply some things I need to verify with Tsunade."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, then replied with a smile.
"That's fine. I only need to see that Orochimaru-san acknowledges the terms of our deal. As for what you do, Orochimaru-san, that is certainly your own freedom, correct?"
Menma didn't believe a word of Orochimaru's explanation, but that was the correct approach.
If people like them actually had trust, that would be the biggest joke in the world.
"Heh, that is for the best. So? Does Menma-kun have any interest in meeting Tsunade with me? If luck is on our side, my former teammate might be able to provide even greater assistance to Menma-kun's research."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, looking at Menma with a profound expression.
Menma's eyes sharpened for a moment, but a second later, he smiled indifferently. "No, I won't go. In the next few days, I also happen to need to go out for a trip. I have some personal matters to attend to."
"Oh? Menma-kun is going out too? At this point in time, perhaps that isn't the most appropriate move?"
Orochimaru didn't really care if Menma came with him or not, but upon hearing that Menma intended to leave the Hidden Sound Village temporarily, his expression shifted subtly.
"Why? Does Orochimaru-san intend to restrict my freedom? That seems different from what we agreed upon earlier, doesn't it?"
Menma's expression turned cold instantly. His narrowed eyes revealed a dangerous, chilling glint.
He and Orochimaru were merely collaborators.
To obtain Orochimaru's help, Menma didn't mind cooperating in other areas, and at this stage, being slightly constrained to a certain extent wasn't a big problem.
But that didn't mean Menma would let Orochimaru dictate everything.
This wasn't just a practical necessity.
It was a line Menma absolutely refused to let anyone cross.
The suppressed aura and the gradually permeating fluctuations of chilling chakra...
Having witnessed Menma cleanly execute Genma Shiranui, Kabuto felt a subconscious tremor run through his body as he faced Menma's aura directly. His expression became unprecedentedly grave.
Orochimaru, however, remained composed, replying with a smile, "Why would Menma-kun think that? I am quite pleased with our cooperative relationship, at least for now. I merely wanted to remind Menma-kun that the ninja world isn't very peaceful these days. Not only Konoha, but both the Cloud and the Stone have mobilized. As far as I know, their target is Menma-kun. As for the reason, I assume Menma-kun is well aware?"
"Oh? Is that so? Then indeed, I misunderstood Orochimaru-san. I have taken these issues into consideration. Orochimaru-san need not worry; I won't go too far. I'm just going to handle a small matter."
Menma nodded with a look of sudden realization, replying with a light laugh.
"Oh, that is for the best. Then I ask Menma-kun to be extremely careful. Also, this base will be abandoned soon, so it would be best for Menma-kun to return as quickly as possible."
Orochimaru stared intently at Menma with his narrow, snake-like pupils.
His words carried a clear hint of warning.
"Mhm, I understand. It will only be a few days. Perhaps I'll even return before you do, Orochimaru-san. Besides, aren't there other means of contact?"
Menma replied nonchalantly.
"Heh, if Menma-kun knows what he's doing, then that's naturally best. I wish Menma-kun a smooth journey."
Orochimaru took a deep look at Menma, then slowly nodded.
He didn't ask what Menma was going to do.
Asking would be pointless.
Through this conversation today, Orochimaru further confirmed their positioning and relationship.
His wariness of Menma was growing higher and higher.
His initial impression of Menma had long since vanished.
Mentally, Orochimaru now treated Menma as an equal, and he certainly wouldn't underestimate him due to his age.
"I'll take Orochimaru-san's good wishes then."
Menma raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
Immediately after...
Orochimaru turned and left directly with Kabuto.
Watching Orochimaru's retreating figure...
A faint, peculiar glint appeared in Menma's eyes.
"Menma, are we leaving here? Where are we going?"
Beside him, Karin, who had remained silent from start to finish, turned to ask Menma softly after Orochimaru had left.
"Mhm. This was decided before we even left Konoha. There's something I need to obtain as soon as possible. For us right now, it will be a very good aid. It's not far, just west of the Land of Rice Fields, at the border with the Land of Waterfalls. From here, it's probably less than half a day's journey," Menma replied warmly.
"The Land of Waterfalls?"
Karin nodded, half-understanding.
Menma didn't explain further.
"Let's go pack. We'll set off this afternoon."
The two turned back into the house. After packing simply, just as Orochimaru and Kabuto left, Menma took Karin and departed the Hidden Sound Village, heading toward his predetermined destination.
The Land of Waterfalls.
As one of the few countries in the ninja world possessing a hidden village...
The status of the Land of Waterfalls was second only to the Five Great Nations. The reason was simple: the Hidden Waterfall Village possessed a Tailed Beast. Decades ago, when distributing the Tailed Beasts, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, personally assigned one to the Hidden Waterfall. Clearly, this was because the Waterfall Village's strength at the time was truly second only to the Five Great Ninja Villages. Otherwise, why didn't the Grass, Hot Water, or Rain Villages receive a Tailed Beast!?
Kakuzu, the financial manager of the Akatsuki organization, hailed from the Hidden Waterfall. The forbidden jutsu he relied on to become strong, Earth Grudge Fear, also originally belonged to the Hidden Waterfall.
This was a village that once had the potential to catch up to the Five Great Ninja Villages, or even become the sixth Great Ninja Village. However, over the subsequent decades, the Hidden Waterfall continuously declined. This was due to both the Great Ninja Wars and internal reasons—Kakuzu's defection being one of them.
Having declined continuously over the years, the current Hidden Waterfall could only act tough against other small ninja villages.
Once faced with the Five Great Nations, the Waterfall still had to tuck its tail between its legs.
The Five Great Nations maintained absolute dominance over these small ninja villages.
The reason these small ninja villages could continue to exist was due to a tacit understanding among the Five Great Nations. Until someone possessed—or felt they possessed—the strength to flatten the entire ninja world, these small villages had a purpose for existing.
Just like in the world Menma lived in during his previous life—why didn't the great colonial powers localize their colonies? Why not truly integrate them into the nation?
Did those politicians lack foresight? Did they not see the benefits of doing so?
The answer was obviously no.
The reason those powers maintained numerous colonies was that doing so maximized their interests.
This was similar to the reason the Five Great Nations deliberately left these small countries sandwiched between them.