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If Konoha's actions were merely simple revenge, the outcome might still be manageable.
What they feared was Konoha running amok without restraint—then the entire Land of Earth would be plunged into the flames of war.
"Damn it!!!"
Ōnoki couldn't help but curse.
Unfortunately, cursing was useless. The most important thing now was how to defend against Konoha's attack.
Simultaneously, he needed to find a way to drive all the Konoha ninja who had invaded the Land of Earth out—or kill them all.
Otherwise, the Land of Earth would have no peace.
One Iwagakure was already troublesome enough. Now even Konoha had joined the war with a sneak attack. Ōnoki's head felt as big as a bucket.
Upon receiving the news, Ōnoki immediately dispatched large numbers of ninja to investigate the movements of Konoha's main force.
At the same time, he ordered the mobilization of new ninja units. As soon as enough intelligence was gathered, they would launch a counter-offensive.
Even if they couldn't wipe out all the Konoha ninja, at the very least, they had to drive them out of the Land of Earth.
Though Konoha ninja had a relatively good reputation in the shinobi world, Ōnoki didn't dare gamble. What if Konoha, seeking revenge, turned their attention to villages and towns...
Then, the entire Land of Earth would descend into chaos.
What Ōnoki didn't know was that even as he issued his orders, many places in the Land of Earth were already suffering. Some mining areas and transfer warehouses had been visited by Konoha ninja.
The most extreme was Orochimaru.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, he had already begun targeting villages and towns within the Land of Earth.
"As much as possible, do not kill. If anyone resists, just knock them unconscious. Unless it's essential supplies, do not collect or take anything else. Concentrate the money and put it into sealing scrolls."
Whether it was gold, silver, or paper currency, Orochimaru didn't discriminate.
This was all money. Even though he could only get a portion, as long as they stole enough, he would still receive a considerable amount.
Therefore, after sweeping through several mining areas, Orochimaru decisively split the force, selecting several elite Jonin to lead teams. He then took a portion of the men and began making money.
Once this kind of thing started, it would attract all kinds of condemnation, and his own reputation would be severely impacted.
But Orochimaru, already twisted, didn't care about any of this. After all, they weren't stealing money from the Land of Fire.
Reputation?
Could it be used as research funds?
Could it buy equipment?
Could it purchase materials?
Since it couldn't, why care about it? Making money was the real priority.
When Orochimaru's orders came down, the ninja who hadn't been reassigned hesitated.
They all looked toward Itachi, who was constantly by Orochimaru's side.
Everyone knew Itachi was Kazuki's guard and the person closest to Kazuki. When uncertain, asking him was the right move.
"This is Lord Advisor's order. Everyone just comply."
"Brothers, move out! Follow the Lord Advisor's orders: minimize casualties as much as possible. If the attackers are civilians, just knock them out."
Since Itachi said so, everyone had no objections.
Orochimaru said steal, so they'd steal!
As ninja, they had to be prepared to carry out some special missions. What was stealing money compared to, say, being ordered to kill an entire village?
Orochimaru knew it wouldn't be easy to freely command this elite group of village ninja.
After all, everyone knew about the heinous things he had done in the past. They would be wary of him.
Fortunately, Orochimaru didn't care about any of this, as long as no one disobeyed orders.
Whose orders they were specifically didn't matter; the important thing was that he was the one who would take the blame.
When news spread, the headlines would be:
Orochimaru led a team, frantically looting the wealth of villages and towns within the Land of Earth...
Iwagakure might even embellish the story: how black-hearted Orochimaru was, how many people he killed, how many atrocities he committed, and so on.
Konoha ninja swarmed in, and soon the entire village was in chaos.
Itachi, leading a group of Uchiha ninja, stood quietly not far from Orochimaru.
He was responsible for watching Orochimaru, and this group of Uchiha was his backup.
Cries, pleas, uproar—all kinds of sounds mixed together. The Konoha ninja strictly followed orders.
Only steal money, take nothing else. Knock out anyone who resists. Only kill if they are ninja.
Of course, if someone refused to part with their money and fought to the death, that was their own misfortune.
In less than fifteen minutes, the entire village was looted clean.
"Continue."
Looking at the large amount of money being stuffed into sealing scrolls, Orochimaru's smile grew even brighter.
This was just the beginning. Though they hadn't killed many people or taken anything else, simply taking all the money—leaving behind a mess—was enough trouble for Iwagakure to deal with.
The villagers' losses might even have to be compensated by Iwagakure.
Orochimaru moved quickly. Iwagakure's scouting teams were not slow either.
But by the time they arrived, all that remained was a mess, wailing villagers, empty warehouses, and looted mining areas.
Those in the know were fine, but those not might think the desert bandits from the Land of Wind had stormed into the Land of Earth.
The absurd part was that the attackers only stole money, didn't kill indiscriminately, and left everything else untouched.
The scout teams were dumbfounded.
All they could do was immediately report back to the village.
They needed to follow the intelligence trail and continue tracking the movements of the Konoha ninja.
A large amount of intelligence was sent back to Iwagakure, delivered to the Tsuchikage's office. Ōnoki's aged face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
All the intelligence pointed to one fact: Konoha was taking advantage of the chaos to plunder.
Plundering various resources was one thing—every village that started a war plundered resources.
Iwagakure had done the same when they invaded the Land of Fire.
We're all in the same boat; none of us are good people, and no one has the right to accuse the other.
What truly made Ōnoki almost vomit blood was that Orochimaru was leading a team to steal money everywhere.
Villages, towns—even several of the larger cities within the Land of Earth hadn't escaped. The stationed ninja couldn't stop them.
In just a few days, the entire Land of Earth was in complete chaos.
The Land of Earth's Daimyō was already running around in circles, incessantly cursing Orochimaru's name.
"Huff....."
Letting out a heavy breath, Ōnoki rubbed his nearly exploding temples. His voice was laced with boundless fury.
"Konoha has dispatched a considerable number of elite ninja into the Land of Earth, plundering resources everywhere. The most despicable part is that Orochimaru is leading a team, stealing money all over the place."
"Now, many villages, towns, and even some larger cities have been attacked. Although not many people have been killed... but..."
The money has all been stolen!!!
Damn it, Orochimaru! Have you no shame? How can you do something like this?
If Orochimaru had swept through, killing and looting all the way, Ōnoki wouldn't be this angry.
But he wasn't doing that.