The seven great swords of the Hidden Mist Village.
They couldn't be called divine artifacts, but judging from their respective functions, they were existences far beyond ordinary chakra weapons. Especially the Twin Swords—Hiramekarei and the Great Sword—Samehada were the most special existences. The latter was like an independent living entity that could absorb chakra and feed it back to its master, which was truly extremely powerful.
Compared to these two ninja swords, the performance of the other five ninja swords was slightly inferior, but they were all top-notch ninja swords in the ninja world. As long as a suitable ninja obtained a compatible ninja sword, their personal strength would definitely rise to a higher level. For ninja who hadn't reached the supernatural level, weapons still had a very important strengthening effect. Suigetsu Hozuki also had his own ambitions.
Among these ambitions.
Collecting the seven ninja swords of the Hidden Mist Village was the foremost goal!
And at this moment, this Executioner's Blade attracted Suigetsu's gaze directly, tugging at his heartstrings.
In the original story, Suigetsu was willing to agree to travel with Sasuke for many reasons, including his own interest in Sasuke. But equally important was that Sasuke agreed to take Suigetsu to find the Executioner's Blade. As a transmigrator, Menma naturally knew this.
However, unlike the original story where the Executioner's Blade was buried at the place where Zabuza died, in this life, it was brought back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to use it as one of the important bargaining chips for negotiations with the Hidden Mist Village.
Later, with his own death in battle, this matter was shelved.
The reason Menma could get this Executioner's Blade was thanks to Orochimaru obtaining it through Danzo.
Don't look at how that old thing seemed to wish he could swallow Orochimaru alive, and indeed used actions to show his anger towards Orochimaru, but he still couldn't give up cooperation with Orochimaru. It was really because Danzo had too many things that couldn't leave Orochimaru's help.
Especially now, under the circumstance where Menma had fallen into Orochimaru's control (from Danzo's perspective), Danzo was even less willing to truly completely break contact with Orochimaru, maintaining such a delicate connection.
In Danzo's view, this was the most appropriate way to seize more benefits in the future.
A mere so-called Executioner's Blade, Danzo naturally didn't care about it. The power Danzo coveted was still the Sharingan and Wood Style. Others? They were just child's play. Therefore, after Orochimaru paid a certain price, Danzo very readily used his authority to get the Executioner's Blade and secretly sent it directly to Orochimaru.
Then, a few days ago, it came into Menma's hands.
A stick must be followed by a sweet date. Suigetsu wasn't his true direct subordinate. If Menma wanted to drive him, and even more wanted to completely subdue him in the end, he must let him see the benefits and a bright future.
Otherwise, why should Suigetsu obey his orders!?
This Executioner's Blade was the best start.
"What's wrong? Suigetsu, not coming up to take it?"
Looking at Suigetsu's stunned appearance.
Menma smiled gently and said leisurely.
"Oh? Yes, thank you very much, Lord Menma!"
Suigetsu seemed to wake up from a dream, hurrying forward. As he directly lifted the Executioner's Blade and felt the weight transmitted to his palm, Suigetsu's eyes instantly sparkled with bright colors.
"I leave the matters here in the Hidden Grass Village to you. I also believe you will definitely do it, right? Suigetsu?"
Menma looked at Suigetsu meaningfully, speaking lightly.
"Yes, Lord Menma, I will definitely not disappoint your expectations."
After taking a deep breath, Suigetsu nodded heavily in reply.
And Mui, who had rich life experience, could more or less "hear" at this moment that the relationship between Suigetsu and Menma was definitely not what he had imagined before. In that case, Menma's arrangement had even less special meaning.
Instead, it might be a further requirement for him.
Slowly shifting his gaze upward.
At the moment their eyes met.
Meeting Menma's calm and deep gaze.
Mui had a pretty good idea in his heart.
"Go, I will stay in the Hidden Grass Village for two days temporarily. Wait until everything stabilizes, then I will leave!"
Menma waved his hand to Mui, Suigetsu, and the others.
"Yes!"
After bowing in salute, the three slowly exited the office to execute the orders Menma just gave.
"Menma, is it appropriate to let Suigetsu-kun stay? And regarding Mui-san, I always feel like we need to prepare a bit more? We finally got the Hidden Grass Village; we should arrange things more thoroughly, right?"
And just after Mui, Muku, and Suigetsu left.
Karin, who had remained silent on the side, stepped up to Menma's side after sensing no other excess chakra fluctuations around, asking with a slightly worried look.
Unlike Menma, who truly had varying degrees of trust in others.
Karin might have a tiny bit of "persecution delusion." Towards anyone, including Shibuki and Utakata, Karin had varying degrees of suspicion. Of course, this couldn't be blamed on Karin being suspicious.
It was purely because their current situation wasn't that stable.
Adding Karin's own past experiences, these combined to create such a mentality in Karin.
As Menma's most staunch supporter, Karin didn't want to see Menma's plan fail, or even lead to defeat and death due to someone's betrayal.
In the face of any plan arrangement.
Karin was even more serious than Menma, hoping even more than Menma to achieve perfection, but this was actually very difficult, or more accurately, impossible to do.
Between people.
Where would there be so much unconditional 100% trust?
"Don't worry, Karin. Suigetsu is different from before. As for Mui-san, there's even less need to worry. I can see that Mui-san is sincerely willing to follow us. And taking ten thousand steps back, isn't there still Muku-kun's problem? As long as Muku-kun still needs my help, Mui-san will definitely stand firmly on our side. You don't need to worry too much about this point. Besides, we don't have a suitable candidate to arrange here in the Hidden Grass Village now. We can't let Agun-san stay here in the Hidden Grass Village, right? His identity is also inappropriate."
Menma patted Karin's small head gently, shaking his head and speaking warmly.
"No, I mean I stay here in the Hidden Grass Village, Menma!"
After taking a deep breath, Karin looked straight at Menma, speaking with a face full of determination.
Almost at the same time.
Menma shook his head and said: "This won't work. You are not suitable to stay here, Karin. It's better to go back to the Hidden Waterfall Village with me. I still have some experiments there that need your help, it's just..."
"You are worried that I will be stimulated if I stay here in the Hidden Grass Village, aren't you? Menma?"
But before he could finish speaking, he was directly interrupted by Karin.
"I..."
This was almost an obvious answer.
But Menma couldn't say it out loud.
Indeed, according to common sense, Karin was the most suitable candidate to stay in the Hidden Grass Village. Whether it was her own Mind's Eye of the Kagura, her talent in barriers, Menma's trust issue, or the fact that she also possessed the summoning contract of the lacquer rock desert lizard clan, all were sufficient conditions to prove that Karin staying in the Hidden Grass Village...
Could best help Menma coordinate the progress between the two ninja villages.
Especially when it involved the need for joint combat.
With Karin there.
Communication would be much more convenient.
No need to worry about one side being too adventurous or too conservative.
"Karin..."
But Karin's origin and tragic childhood experiences.
Were the points Menma scrupled about the most. And don't forget Karin had only followed Menma for just a year. There was still a part of people in the Hidden Grass Village who knew Karin. From the strange gazes of some Grass ninja under Mui when entering the Hidden Grass Village just now.
This point could be proven.
Menma truly didn't want to let Karin stay in such a place full of sad memories.
"It doesn't matter, Menma. I have you now. The past things, I have long let go. And I can't always follow behind you. I want to become your greatest help. Did you forget? One day in the future, I will also have to face everything alone. Now is just a suitable opportunity. Trust me, Menma!"
Karin raised her small head, those beautiful bright red eyes looking straight at Menma like that, with a determined look revealed on her face.
After Menma stared at Karin blankly for a few seconds, an extremely gentle look also appeared on his face.
"Ah, I trust you, Karin. Then I leave the Hidden Grass Village to you. For our plan, and also for our future!"
Menma nodded gently and solemnly, seemingly cautiously holding Karin's small hand, slowly interlacing fingers.
The warmth transmitted slowly to each other.
A faint lovely blush also appeared on Karin's cheeks, but she still looked back at Menma intently, nodding heavily with unprecedented seriousness and said: "Mhm, for our plan, and also for our future!"
The step-by-step plan unfolded completely according to the established prediction.
No unexpected accidents occurred.
In just less than a week, Menma smoothly achieved the goal of controlling the Hidden Grass Village.
Accompanied by the news of Hisashi Shigeru's death and the return of the more than two hundred captured Grass ninja spreading throughout the Hidden Grass Village.
The restless emotions in the village also slowly calmed down accordingly.
Almost the vast majority of Grass ninja chose to submit to the current situation. Even if a small group of people were still unwilling in their hearts, they could only forcibly suppress it. They had to admit that Mui had comprehensively controlled the highest power of the Hidden Grass Village!
Now, any order issued by Mui, even if not by his diehard subordinates, other Grass ninja would also execute.
As long as he didn't ask these people to go to their deaths.
Controlling the entire ninja village situation step by step, Mui also followed Menma's instructions. After ascending to the position of the Hidden Grass Village leader, he directly issued news of an alliance with the Hidden Waterfall Village in the name of the leader, announcing that from tonight onwards, their two ninja villages would advance and retreat together, jointly confronting other hostile forces in the ninja world. Subsequently, he dispatched corresponding personnel to build fixed strongholds in the corresponding southeast and northeast directions, and under the leadership of Karin and Suigetsu, arranged corresponding sensory or defensive barriers.
These were very rough arrangements.
They might not really play a particularly big role.
But for general reconnaissance, early warning, and message transmission, they were more than enough.
And just after completing this series of arrangements.
Menma also officially embarked on the return journey.
Taking Agun and the Waterfall ninja who set off together back toward the direction of the Hidden Waterfall Village. The commotion this time couldn't be said to be particularly large, but it definitely wasn't small either. As long as interested people paid a little attention, they could definitely scout the corresponding intelligence.
Not to mention Menma openly appeared inside the Hidden Grass Village.
As long as the scouts of various ninja villages weren't blind, they could all obtain this information.
This wasn't to say Menma didn't have awareness of confidentiality.
But there was no longer that necessity.
Now it was even more the moment for Menma to personally step onto the stage. Continuing to hide would do more harm than good!
And just as Menma cut the knot to resolve the situation in the Hidden Grass Village...
Preliminarily integrated the power of the two ninja villages, and stepped on the return journey, the ninja world was also undergoing turbulent changes. In the Land of Hot Water in the northeast of the continent, Hidden Leaf ninja and Cloud ninja were already fighting with real anger.
The casualties on both sides were further expanding.
And in the southeast area.
The Hidden Mist Village, apart from dispatching corresponding combat power to the border position to exert pressure at the beginning, had been watching the situation unfold from the sidelines later.
Genji naturally didn't hope to see the Hidden Leaf Village forcefully capture their Hidden Mist Village's Six-Tails Jinchuriki. That was a bottom line not to be breached. But without real confirmation, the Hidden Mist Village, currently still in a weak period of licking wounds, couldn't really launch a war so arrogantly. At least Genji wouldn't do that.
Especially since the Hidden Leaf side also provided certain evidence and intelligence.
Combined with the news transmitted back by their own ninja village's Anbu.
Genji also had a certain degree of suspicion.
Anyway, with Cloud ninja holding the front now, Genji wasn't anxious.
For anything in this world, unless you really do it silently, or kill all witnesses and parties involved, otherwise, the truth will eventually come out one day.
Various ninja villages also fixed their gazes tightly on the Hidden Leaf Village during this period.
Until Tsunade really felt she couldn't continue fighting with the Hidden Cloud Village, she proactively announced some information, especially involving intelligence on Orochimaru and Menma. Only then did the gaze of various ninja villages shift to a certain extent.
And before that.
Land of Earth.
Hidden Stone Village.
That Third Tsuchikage—Ohnoki, one of the oldest qualified figures in the current ninja world, received relevant information one step ahead!