The Temptation of Returning to the Village

Unlike ordinary missions, any unexpected gains ninjas obtained during a mission belonged entirely to them. However, for large-scale combat missions like this, thirty percent of the loot had to be turned over based on its value.

It was not really a loss. Ninjas were forbidden from slaughtering civilians at will, and aside from robbing people, only certain ninja clans specifically trained people for business. They could hardly earn much otherwise. Most ninjas still relied on mission rewards for income.

But for ordinary missions, fifty percent of the money earned had to be handed to the captain, and only then could the rest be divided among everyone else.

Inside the tent, Orochimaru was tallying the spoils.

"First Company turned in thirty-one Explosive Tags confiscated? How could there be so many after such a brutal battle? Change it! Twenty-one!"

The remaining ten would be his.

"Seventh Reconnaissance Squad discovered a secret warehouse established by Sunagakure? Eight hundred Kunai, one thousand shuriken, and twenty ninja blades confiscated!"

Hadn’t Sunagakure already issued all these things?

Forget it. Swallowing everything would be a bit excessive and might attract attention. Better just erase a zero from everything before reporting it.

Jiraiya walked into the tent and saw Orochimaru writing furiously at the table with an excited expression. He assumed Orochimaru was still riding the high of their great victory.

His own spirits were quite high as well.

Hearing the sound, Orochimaru merely glanced back. Seeing that it was Jiraiya, he paid no attention and continued writing at his desk. This was all funding for his research!

Jiraiya clasped his hands behind his head and plopped down carelessly across from Orochimaru.

"Yo, Orochimaru. Being Deputy Commander is this exhausting? It’s hard to imagine how much work the old man has to do."

Jiraiya looked at the mountain of documents beside Orochimaru, then at Orochimaru’s arm moving so quickly it left afterimages as he reviewed them, and secretly clicked his tongue.

The old man must spend plenty of time in his office using the Crystal Ball Jutsu to peep on people! He was probably the type to slack off too, unlike me, Orochimaru, who was wholeheartedly thinking of Konohagakure and working overtime to handle these documents!

"You’re planning to leave again?"

Orochimaru did not even raise his head. The pen in his hand continued rapidly altering the figures.

Funds, funds, funds. So much research funding!

"Yeah. This sage thinks he’s found the Child of Prophecy!"

Jiraiya hesitated, but he did not mention the Rinnegan. He feared that Orochimaru, who devoted himself so wholeheartedly to Konohagakure, would eliminate someone who might pose a threat to the village in the future.

"Jiraiya, don’t let that vague prophecy bind your life."

Orochimaru rarely raised his head to glance at Jiraiya before lowering it again to look at the next document.

"Come on, Orochimaru, don’t worry. I’m the Toad Sage, the carefree and uninhibited Hero Jiraiya. Even the position of Hokage couldn’t bind me."

Jiraiya did not directly answer Orochimaru’s words. In his heart, he deeply respected the Great Toad Sage. Without Mount Myōboku’s help, he would never have achieved what he had today.

"Orochimaru, I’ll leave Tsunade’s matter to you. If you need anything, I’ll come back and help."

Jiraiya was referring to what Tsunade had said about the truth behind Dan’s death. He now had to train Nagato, whom he believed to be the Child of Prophecy. At the very least, he would wait until the three of them had enough strength to protect themselves before leaving.

Orochimaru nodded.

"This can’t be rushed. The investigation is progressing very slowly. Whoever is behind it has considerable influence. With the authority I currently possess, continuing the investigation will be difficult."

Orochimaru’s authority was only temporary, and he only had a few days left. Once the war ended, his position as wartime Deputy Commander would certainly be revoked.

Fortunately, he had used this opportunity to win over quite a few Konoha Ninjas, such as Mito Uzumaki, who were now leaning toward him.

After figuring out the key point, Jiraiya bid Orochimaru farewell. Next, he needed to report to the Third Hokage. With the war now over and powerful fighters like Sakumo and Orochimaru still available in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi probably would not refuse his request.

Orochimaru continued raking in money.

"One hundred and twenty grams of Chakra Metal discovered? How could there possibly be so much of something this precious? It was clearly seventy—no, fifty grams would be reasonable! Skim the rest!"

The moment he saw the words Chakra Metal, Orochimaru thought of Raijin’s Sword in Aoi Rokushō’s hands within Amegakure.

Like the White Fang Shortsword, it was forged from Chakra Metal.

Generally speaking, a shortsword seventy to ninety centimeters long was suitable. Any longer, and it would require too much Chakra Metal, so they usually weighed around one to one and a half kilograms. These one hundred and twenty grams of Chakra Metal might barely be enough for a fraction of one.

Unfortunately, he would be setting out to return to Konohagakure tomorrow.

With Hanzo of the Salamander stationed in Amegakure, he likely had no way to formulate a plan in the span of a single night.

It would be difficult to deal with Aoi Rokushō without alerting Hanzō.

Suddenly, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. Just because he had no time did not mean others had no time…

Orochimaru took out the contact information Kakuzu had left behind.

After Kakuzu had concluded a major deal with Orochimaru, he had decided Orochimaru was a wealthy, high-quality client. Thus, he had left the location written on this note as a way to contact him.

The location on the note was an underground black market, where someone worked for Kakuzu.

A small white snake slithered out from Orochimaru’s sleeve. He grabbed a scroll, wrote down his bounty and the requirement for the employer to bring back Raijin’s Sword, then stuffed it into the small snake’s open mouth.

The little snake crawled into a dark corner and hid. Once everyone from Konohagakure had withdrawn, it would head to the underground black market and contact Kakuzu.

Aoi Rokushō was still only a Chunin. Although he could contend even with a Jōnin while wielding Raijin’s Sword, he was absolutely no match for Kakuzu. As long as he found an opportunity to avoid Hanzō, it would not be difficult for Kakuzu.

Orochimaru continued processing documents.

He had finished dealing with the loot from which money could be skimmed. Next came the battle merit statistics. There was not much profit to be made there, and it was easy to get himself into trouble, so Orochimaru had no intention of seeking benefits in that area.

When he opened the first page, he saw a photograph of a handsome youth with dazzling golden hair and a sunny, radiant smile on his face.

This was Jiraiya’s disciple, Minato Namikaze.

Although he had yet to master the Flying Thunder God, Minato still possessed incredible speed. Combined with his already somewhat proficient Wind Release, his strength was already impressive.

Although this was Minato Namikaze’s first time participating in such a large-scale war mission, he had still earned considerable battle merit. Both his strength and achievements met the standards. As long as his theoretical knowledge passed, there would be no issue with this fourteen-year-old becoming a Jōnin.

After all, Tsunade and Jiraiya of the Three Ninja had both become Jōnin at this age. Orochimaru had been a year younger, becoming a Jōnin at thirteen.

Rows upon rows of ninja rosters and battle merit statistics lay before him. Orochimaru only needed to determine whether any of the records had been falsified.

He also used this opportunity to observe whether there were any promising talents he could recruit to his side.

Orochimaru worked through the entire night before finally completing his official duties.

The next morning, the silvery remnant moon hung at the edge of the sky. The dawn gradually showed a reddish hue, and morning light shone across the land, making the puddles on the ground resemble gems embedded in the earth.

The heavens had been kind. The Land of Rain had rarely seen such fine weather.

As ninjas, they often carried out missions such as assassinations and infiltration, where opportunities vanished in an instant. Thus, staying awake for two or three consecutive nights was commonplace, let alone for a Kage-level expert like Orochimaru.

The weather was gradually growing colder. The winter of Konoha Year 36 was about to arrive.

Orochimaru handed the processed documents to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat moved. He knew how much work he had given Orochimaru, yet Orochimaru had completed every task he assigned overnight.

In truth, Orochimaru had been too excited to sleep after making so much money during the first half of the night, so he had simply finished handling the documents.

Patting his beloved disciple on the shoulder, Hiruzen Sarutobi roughly reviewed the documents. He did not notice Orochimaru’s falsified accounts. Instead, he felt quite satisfied, apparently finding the gains acceptable.

The Konoha Ninjas dismantled the camp and packed up anything that could still be used. Most wore smiles on their faces, because they no longer had to worry whether they would die in battle tomorrow. Soon, they would return to the village and see their wives, children, friends, and relatives again.

The Second Ninja War had erupted in Konoha Year 31 and now ended in Konoha Year 36.

Orochimaru’s increased strength had brought about many positive effects, allowing the war to end somewhat earlier than it had in the original timeline.

Even so, the war had lasted a full five years. A small number of ninjas were already exhausted in both body and mind, having endured this hellish battlefield for five whole years.

The first group of ninjas to enter the battlefield five years ago had suffered the greatest number of deaths. Although they had occasionally rotated back to Konohagakure to recuperate over the past five years, as long as they were neither dead nor injured, they had to pack their ninja tool bags again after only a few months of rest and return to the battlefield to fight.

Every day on the battlefield demanded that they remain on edge. Without sufficiently strong willpower, they would never have endured until today.

But fortunately, they could go home.