If only they could find a sustainable way to generate income that placed minimal strain on the Land of Rain's resources...
The three of them couldn't help but think this.
What did the Land of Rain have in abundance that was also a renewable resource?
Almost simultaneously, they all realized something.
"Water!" ×3
"No, no, water can't be sold for money."
Yahiko shook his head with a bitter sigh.
The Shinobi World wasn't lacking in water—except for...
Once again, the three of them simultaneously thought of something and exchanged glances—they had all envisioned a country bordering the Land of Rain, one with vast territory but a land that lacked arable soil.
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, officially became the potential big sucker—ahem!
The potential big client in their minds at that moment!
"But how do we transport the water there?" Yahiko asked again.
Konan rolled her eyes.
"Are you stupid? How else? Just dig a river."
"The scale of this project... wouldn't it be a loss?"
"Do you even have any vision at all?" Konan, the current finance minister of the Land of Rain, couldn't help but show a hint of disdain before elaborating confidently.
"This kind of project would operate at a loss for years. But if we can secure the deal, it'll be a long-term business. As long as no war breaks out, the Land of Rain can sustain this trade indefinitely. By then, it'll be pure profit. This business earns the future, not the present!"
"The future, huh..."
After murmuring to himself, Yahiko fell into thought.
Yahiko wasn't foolish either—he quickly grasped the idea.
Water, as the source of life, was something the other side couldn't do without.
If this deal succeeded, it would indeed provide the Land of Rain with a steady and lasting source of income in the years to come.
Once they grew accustomed to the Land of Rain's water, cutting it off would be nearly impossible.
And if Sunagakure tried to stir up trouble, all they had to do was shut the water gates—then they'd see whether the Land of Wind would erupt into chaos or not.
Water can both carry and overturn a boat—a principle Katsura-sensei had repeatedly emphasized.
If the people rose up due to a water stoppage, Sunagakure would find itself in deep trouble.
Among the Five Great Nations, if the dissatisfaction of the common people toward their hidden village grew too loud, even the position of the Kage could be affected.
Convinced that this deal might actually be viable, Yahiko was the first to leave, intending to discuss the feasibility of the trade with the other high-ranking officials of the nation.
If everyone agreed, they would send envoys to Sunagakure to propose a cooperative water supply agreement.
...
While Yahiko and the others were scheming how to rope Rasa into their plan, deep within the underground base of Root in Konohagakure of the Land of Fire, Orochimaru was packing his belongings, unable to suppress his internal grumbling.
First and foremost, it was because earlier that year, the Third Hokage had appointed Jiraiya's disciple as the Fourth Hokage, rejecting Orochimaru's self-recommendation.
As for why he had to recommend himself instead of being nominated by his dear comrade Danzo—well, that had to do with the latter's severe case of amnesia!
In six months, Danzo had lost his memory five times!
Each episode lasted about a month, and each time he regained his memory, he remained lucid for no more than a week before relapsing again!
Not even doctors—let alone Orochimaru himself—could identify the root cause of the condition!
Moreover, based on his observations, Danzo's intermittent amnesia seemed to be contagious!
Once, while reporting to Danzo—who had just regained his memory—several Root members inexplicably suffered memory loss on the same day as him!
And among those poor suckers was Orochimaru himself!
No matter how hard he tried to recall after regaining his memory a month later, he couldn't remember what had happened that day.
All he knew was that they had been together—and then, suddenly, amnesia struck!
'I heard from the villagers that during that period, Jiraiya had tricked me into believing I was his underling, and then he actually convinced me to help him gather some material! We got caught red-handed by the Konoha Military Police Force!'
'Then the Third Hokage came to the Konoha Police Department to pick me up with a cheerful expression, wearing a relieved look that seemed to say 'this disciple has finally returned to normal'—though few understood why he seemed so pleased.'
'And then... today came. Today, I regained my memories.'
'In short, I can't stay in this Root organization anymore!'
'Until Danzo's terrifying amnesia is cured, I absolutely won't come back!'
'And Jiraiya, you're lucky you ran away fast and didn't stay in Konoha, otherwise our friendship would have been completely over!'
'Don't let me see you again!'
Creak—
"Orochimaru, has the experiment made progress?"
Danzo, who had just pushed the door open, frowned as he saw Orochimaru packing his things.
"For secrecy, I'm moving the experiment elsewhere. We can communicate through snakes to avoid detection by the village."
The masked Orochimaru said this while subtly taking two steps back, mentally preparing himself in case Danzo suddenly had another episode.
Danzo nodded. "Fine. Recently, Hiruzen and the Fourth Hokage have indeed heard some rumors. Keeping our distance is wise."
Orochimaru smiled and nodded, but internally, he was cursing up a storm.
Stay the hell away from me!
I don't want to lose my memory!
"Huh? Is Orochimaru-san leaving Root?"
Hearing the clear voice of a child, Orochimaru turned to see a short-haired little girl peeking out from behind Danzo—his niece, Otae.
"What a shame. I was really interested in Orochimaru-san research. Could human experiments help women develop their chest?"
"Tsunade might have experience with that."
Orochimaru replied, genuinely baffled as to why such a young girl was so fixated on that topic.
She had asked him about it multiple times and even urged him to research it.
Women are truly incomprehensible creatures.
Orochimaru thought this from the bottom of his heart.
"Well then, Orochimaru-san, since you're leaving, why not try the delicious egg pancakes I made today?"
Danzo suddenly felt a little sulky.
Weren't they supposed to be for him? Why were they being given to Orochimaru now?
Danzo, a pitiful patient who hadn't been lucid for more than a month in the past half-year, had initially been tormented by this inexplicable, incurable condition.
But over time, he had grown accustomed to it.
What else could he do? It wasn't like it could be cured.
Whenever he regained his senses, Danzo would write down all the tasks that needed to be done over the next month and hand them to his trusted Root subordinates.
During his amnesiac episodes, they would impersonate him and carry out his orders.
The intermittent amnesia had to remain a secret.
If Hiruzen found out, he would undoubtedly use it as an excuse to claim Danzo was unfit to lead Root and force him to step down.
In any case, after eating the farewell/consolation egg pancakes, both Orochimaru and Danzo suffered simultaneous memory loss!
Then, the next day, a certain white-haired ninja who had left the village days earlier for a journey reappeared in Konoha, accompanied by a pale-faced, black-haired subordinate, ready to resume his "research."
"Hey hey! Hurry up! I'm getting impatient, Orochimaru!"
In the men's changing room of the Leaf Village bathhouse, Jiraiya urged Orochimaru, who was carefully wielding a kunai, diligently tunneling a passage to the women's changing area.
"Don't rush, it's almost through, Aniki!"
Watching Orochimaru's nervous response, Jiraiya secretly smirked to himself.
He wasn't fooling around—this was the Third Hokage's order.
Hiruzen had instructed him, as someone deeply connected to Orochimaru, to spend more time with him, hoping it might stimulate his memory recovery or something.
Taking a bath together and chatting—perfectly normal!
He absolutely had no ulterior motives!
The sun and moon could bear as witness!