Reaching immortality (Reborn as Orochimaru)

15. The Tsuchikage was an old man

Back in the meeting room at the enemy base, I sat with Sakumo at my right, with the two foot tall man sitting across from me. Han was predictably standing behind the Tsuchikage, at his left. 

"What do you want?" The Tsuchikage ground out through clenched teeth. He was far more willing to speak to me, with the threat of this disease spreading throughout the entire camp. 

It was a fast moving disease, but slow in it's infection. It did not make it any less difficult to be rid of. Especially when no one in this world seems to practice safe hygiene. I tilted my head in thought at Onoki's question.

Sensei had wanted Iwa to be running with it's tail between it's legs in this war. I was not opposed to making that happen, but this war was happening due to my skills and everyone wanting their hands on it. I was never against sharing my discoveries with other countries, and I still have not found a decent enough reason to keep my skills from them.

Sensei and the council wanted Konoha to be the strongest village in the elemental nations. They already were, however, they also wanted to hoard that strength and rub it in everyone else's faces. This is what caused this war.

Our village's blatant show of advancement and blatant refusal to share it with anyone else. What was the point of it? 

We had a lot of land that no one was using that we could sign over to Suna, but Konoha wanted to hoard it. We had numerous textbooks I'd made to advance our society, and other villages wanted to buy shipments, but Konoha hoarded them. Konoha did not allow for the things made in Fire country to be sent off to Iwa or any other country simply because they did not want other country's to get stronger. 

Konoha was afraid to be knocked off the highest hill and was willing to go to war to keep everyone else off of it. 

What could be so wrong in letting other villages improve their livelihood? What could be so wrong in creating treaties that had mutual interests in it? Why did Konoha have to control and be in charge of everything? 

Was this the method to peace that the first two Hokage's had developed and left behind for my Sensei to follow and enact? Or was my Sensei becoming a man increasingly obsessed with power? Was his sense of duty to his people so strong that he had lost the ability to care for people of any other village?

Or was this the basics of how this world ran. A world with five great villages at it's center fighting to create an empire through trickery and sabotage? A place where no one was content to just live their lives and enjoy the magic this place had to offer?

 "I want this war to end." I sighed. "I was told that this war was due to the advancements I'd made in my village, correct?"

Onoki was stunned as he looked me over before he frowned. "Not entirely, brat. This war has been years in the making. Years of trying to make peace through agreements that no one ever agreed on. Your advancements were just the tip of the iceberg."

"I see, I don't suppose you'll share some of the contents in these peace talks? I find I am horribly misinformed." I said as I pulled out a bottle of my best sake and a few bowls and began pouring it. 

"Hmph, as you should be. This is between me and your Hokage." The Tsuchikage growled as he accepted the sake and gulped it down like water. 

"If that were true, then the both of you could fight it out and leave us out of it, no?" I suggested with a mocking sigh as I gestured to Han and myself.  

The old man frowned as I poured him some more sake. "If something as simple as that could work to get something to be agreed on then I would have done it ages ago."