The following day, a refreshed Orochimaru woke up early and began practicing his swordsmanship with enthusiasm. He felt as joyful as a child receiving a beloved toy. Well, it's good to let the kid enjoy himself.
Holding the Kusanagi Sword, Orochimaru felt a surge of confidence. Even his basic sword techniques were executed with flamboyance. He refrained from cutting grass or wooden stakes since the sword was incredibly sharp and easily cut them upon impact.
Lately, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been assigning the Sannin to various tasks, such as exterminating thieves or hunting down fugitive ninjas. For B-rank missions, Sarutobi led the team himself, while for C-rank missions, the three Sannin handled them alone or enlisted the help of dissatisfied staff members.
During wartime, teams often suffered attrition, and the leading ninja could recruit new members after the casualties.
If even a Jounin was killed, two Chunin would lead the team, forming a stronger and larger unit.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was the pillar of the village and couldn't spend all his time fighting bandits. Thus, the Sannin often took on tasks individually.
Sarutobi had faith in Orochimaru's abilities, and since the mission wasn't particularly difficult, he turned a blind eye to it.
In truth, Orochimaru had already sensed it. Every time they embarked on a mission with Tsunade, two masked ANBU ninjas would discreetly trail them. One seemed perceptive with a strong mental power, while the other exuded formidable chakra. Orochimaru estimated that the latter was likely a Jounin!
Impressive, as expected of Lady Mito. Hokage-sama had certainly struck a gold mine by pitting one Jounin against the other!
However, Tsunade was probably unaware, and Orochimaru chose not to divulge this information.
With Orochimaru's current soul strength and mental perception, even a Jounin couldn't detect him. As for whether Sarutobi could uncover his true identity, Orochimaru believed that simple detection was impossible.
And even if they did find out, they wouldn't recognize him!
At this point in time, the establishment of the Five Great Nations' Ninja Villages was on the rise. After the turbulent times, many remnants of small factions sought refuge in hidden locations. The situation in the surrounding small countries remained corrupted.
Today, Orochimaru received another "mission list" alongside two friends. Their objective was to hunt down a group of mercenary ninjas.
Small ninja villages were sprouting up like bamboo shoots after the rain, and even impoverished and desolate small countries had resorted to military forces. However, these ninja villages could be destroyed overnight, leaving behind only a few scattered ninjas.
All the influential figures in the five countries understood this reality. Only with ninjas could they possess the power to protect themselves and hold diplomatic sway.
As some small countries lacked military strength, they either became vassals of the major nations or were annexed directly. The worst-case scenario involved the small countries situated in the cracks between the major nations, transforming into war zones and strategic buffer zones. Chaos reigned, and the entire population suffered.
Orochimaru followed the two leading Chunin through the bushes. Their target was a group of mercenaries who had caused significant bloodshed. As a ninja, the concept of good or evil was irrelevant. Konoha, which always upheld justice and benevolence, had also annexed numerous surrounding small countries after the first Hokage's death. Ultimately, everything came down to a matter of gain and loss.
