Inside the Shadow Building of Otogakure.
"Since you, the Shadow, have been brought into the open, why not temporarily hold down the fort for me in Otogakure? I need to go to the ancient land of Loulan..." Orochimaru said to Ryun.
Orochimaru had wanted to make the trip to Loulan years ago, but due to the ninja war period, official duties were busy, and in addition, Ryun was unwilling to help him shoulder these administrative tasks, which led to delays until now.
Today, no matter what, he was determined to temporarily put down this burden and wander the ninja world for a bit.
"Don't... You know I hate trouble the most. Besides, I have no experience handling official duties... Can't you assign it to other subordinates..." Ryun couldn't help but complain.
"I don't feel at ease handing it over to others... Besides, you are the Shadow, what's wrong with doing some administrative work? Don't try to weasel out of this, kid. I'm just going to Loulan to take care of some proper business, I'll be back soon..." Orochimaru said, his face unusually stern.
"Alright... Then go and come back quickly..."
Ryun seemed somewhat helpless. He was the one who had foolishly recommended the Loulan Dragon Vein to Orochimaru, so now he had no choice but to accept this trouble.
That same day, after Orochimaru finished explaining matters, he set off for Loulan. He left in a hurry, as if afraid Ryun would change his mind.
Fortunately, Orochimaru didn't leave any messes for him before leaving, so Ryun reluctantly took on part of the responsibilities of the 'Kage'.
Currently, the ninja world was in a state of war. The Five Great Hidden Villages were too busy to take on many bounty missions requiring ninja assistance. Thus, Otogakure seized the opportunity to take over some of the mission shares originally belonging to the Five Great Ninja Villages.
The ninjas of all ranks in the village basically had work to do. Everyone was making plenty of money, and their daily lives were generally quite comfortable.
"Someone, bring Kisame Hoshigaki to me." Ryun said while reviewing documents, issuing an order to the people outside the door.
"Yes!"
Not long after, Kisame Hoshigaki was brought into the Shadow Building.
"Shadow-sama, you asked for me?" Kisame Hoshigaki knelt on one knee and asked respectfully.
"There is an S-rank mission I need you to carry out." Ryun got straight to the point.
"I am at your service, Shadow-sama. Please give the order."
Kisame Hoshigaki was slightly excited. Ryun starting to assign him missions proved that he was willing to accept him, and his own safety was now somewhat guaranteed.
"Deliver an important batch of supplies to the front lines of the Fire-Earth battlefield... I will assign a ninja squad and civilian laborers to go with you. You must ensure the safety of the personnel, and the supplies must be successfully delivered into Konoha's hands."
Ryun directly stated the mission content. He did not mention the mission reward, nor did he intend to give him the Samehada sword he desired.
This S-rank mission was very dangerous, yet Ryun gave him very few personnel...
"I guarantee the mission will be completed!" The honest Kisame Hoshigaki accepted the mission without hesitation.
Without first doing work for Otogakure, it was impossible for him to gain their trust, and they certainly wouldn't just give him the Samehada sword. This was something Kisame Hoshigaki completely understood.
"This is the mission number. Take the number to the mission desk outside, they will tell you the detailed mission content."
Ryun casually tossed out a card. Kisame Hoshigaki caught the number plate and looked at it closely; it was the number '6'.
"Yes!"
Ryun glanced at his retreating back, then turned his attention back to the documents.
Many in the ninja profession did dirty work. For missions with fast money like 'war profiteering', Otogakure naturally would not refuse.
In this regard, they were quite similar to Amegakure and the Akatsuki organization.
The Land of Rice openly sold high-priced war provisions, while Otogakure secretly took on expensive war missions. The entire country was profiting greatly from the war. The lives of its citizens were becoming more and more affluent. Wealthy people from abroad were breaking their necks trying to enter the Land of Rice seeking stability and protection, let alone refugees...
The total population of this country had tripled in ten years. If not for the fact that they couldn't possibly absorb so many people, and the Daimyo strictly limited immigration, the Land of Rice might have been overcrowded long ago...
Based on these prosperous reasons, Orochimaru had the patience to stay in the position of Sound Shadow for a long time. The current Otogakure had strong soldiers and sturdy horses, unlike the trash small village in the original story. This led to Orochimaru having no time to abduct talented children from all over the ninja world...
Even some of his scientific research he could only hand over to Kabuto Yakushi to handle. He himself only controlled the research direction and results.
"Shadow Captain, come in for a moment."
After finishing one document, Ryun took a sip of the fragrant tea beside him and called out.
The next moment, an Elite Jonin pushed the door open and bowed to Ryun. "Shadow-sama, you asked for me?"
"Sit..." Ryun casually pointed to a seat in the distance.
"Yes!"
"Tell me about the current status of the major battlefields in the ninja world, and your judgment and views on the situation..."
Ryun leaned back in his office chair, his feet brazenly propped up on the desk, the atmosphere seeming very relaxed.
Seeing the Shadow Captain seemed slightly nervous and unsure where to start, Ryun automatically gave him a starting point:
"Who are the commanders on each battlefield, who has the advantage, who is at a disadvantage, you can say it all. Relax. You, I, and our teacher all came from Konoha. There's no need to be too reserved between us."
The Shadow, who was usually elusive, suddenly showing up for work had surprised, or rather, made all the subordinates working in the Shadow Building somewhat nervous...
This Shadow Captain was a Jonin who had followed Orochimaru from Konoha. He was originally a member of Konoha's Anbu. Orochimaru knew he had leadership ability and also understood Anbu structure, so he simply let him serve as the Shadow Captain in Otogakure.
In this world, Orochimaru had not yet been defined as a rogue ninja by Konoha to this day. He and his student still held Konoha identities. Back when Orochimaru came to build Otogakure, he was not alone. Several Elite Jonin from Konoha were willing to follow him.
"Yes!"
"Shadow-sama, I'll start with the Wind-Fire battlefield..."
The current Konoha commander on the Wind-Fire battlefield was still the Yuhi Clan Leader, assisted by the Ino-Shika-Cho, Aburame, and Sarutobi clans. The opposing Sunagakure commander was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, himself.
The Land of Wind had a slight advantage against the Land of Fire.
The current Konoha commander on the Fire-Earth battlefield was still Jiraiya, assisted by Tsunade. The opposing Iwagakure commander was the son of the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, Tsuchi.
The Land of Earth had a clear advantage against the Land of Fire. Although Konoha was defending with great difficulty, they had not yet reached the point of total collapse.
The current Konoha commander on the Water-Fire battlefield was Sarutobi Hiruzen. He led the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and part of the Uchiha clan to resist the Land of Water.
It is also worth mentioning the Shimura clan. The old fellow Shimura Danzo was not content to stay idle or fade into obscurity, so he brought his clansmen to the battlefield to earn military merits...
Sarutobi Hiruzen expressed great appreciation for his old friend's willingness to share the nation's hardship. He put in a good word for his old friend with Sakumo Hatake, and Shimura Danzo thus regained much of his authority.
The Shimura clan was willing to contribute money, lives, and effort. The Fourth Hokage had no reason not to utilize Shimura Danzo anymore, and found it difficult to deliberately restrict his power, especially since the old fellow originally handled dirty work. With his help, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have an easier time on the battlefield.
Politics sometimes requires compromise, especially in times of national crisis.
The commander of Kirigakure's forces was the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, assisted by Mei Terumi and the Six-Tails Jinchuriki.
The Land of Water also had an advantage against the Land of Fire. Konoha was still fighting very hard on this battlefield.
The Lightning-Fire battlefield was the only main battlefield where the Land of Fire held an advantage. The commander who brought this advantage to the Land of Fire was Konoha's famous 'Yellow Flash', Namikaze Minato!
He used the Flying Thunder God Technique to influence the entire battlefield, and could even fight the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki simultaneously without falling behind!
It was no exaggeration to say that Namikaze Minato was the hope of the entire village, and even the entire Land of Fire!
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