When the order to move came down, they didn't drag their feet.
Under Orochimaru's command, the ninja in the stronghold quickly completed all preparations for the relocation. Aside from a small group that stayed behind in the Land of Grass to establish a new outpost elsewhere, the rest left the country in waves, heading toward the southern part of the continent.
Menma was in the first wave.
He departed the Land of Grass the very next day after the order was given, traveling south with Orochimaru.
Upon reaching the southernmost region of the Land of Rivers, they boarded a ship and left the mainland, sailing toward the southern seas.
Their destination was the Land of Tea.
Menma had learned this from Kabuto before they set off. To secure a more stable environment, Orochimaru had dispatched a significant number of personnel with essential supplies, materials, and data to the Land of Tea immediately after the failure of the "Konoha Crush" plan.
Strictly speaking, the Land of Tea wasn't an island nation.
Its northeastern limit was a peninsula connected to the southeastern corner of the Land of Fire, bordered by one or two small countries. However, because it was located at the southernmost tip of the continent and surrounded by the sea on three sides—connected only by that narrow strip of land—it was geographically isolated.
Additionally, it wasn't a particularly wealthy nation.
Orochimaru had used some minor tricks to bring the country's high-ranking nobles and officials under his control, establishing his own base in the southwest corner of the nation. This time, he brought Menma, Sasuke, and the others here to avoid the core regions of the continent and lay low for a while to let the "heat" die down.
"This is actually a really nice place. As expected of you, Orochimaru-san. Every step of your planning is meticulous."
Stepping off the ship, they arrived at the stronghold Orochimaru had established near the coast.
Of course, this was just a forward outpost.
Orochimaru had clearly poured a lot of effort into the main base located deeper inland. Although the primary goal was to evade enemy tracking and raids, not every base was meant to be disposable. Unless absolutely necessary, some key strongholds needed to be maintained long-term.
Just like the hideouts managed by Karin, Guren, and others in the original story.
Orochimaru still needed to build some permanent safe houses.
"Heh, reality forced my hand. Wouldn't you agree, Menma-kun?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, chuckling in his signature raspy voice.
"That is true. But I believe this phase will eventually pass. I'm sure you have your own thoughts on that, Orochimaru-san?"
Menma smiled lightly, looking directly at Orochimaru as he spoke with hidden meaning.
"The world is unpredictable. Nothing is set in stone, Menma-kun."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, giving a noncommittal answer.
"Well, that's true enough," Menma replied indifferently.
Following that, the group headed toward the base located deep in the hinterlands.
This stronghold was clearly newly built, but the interior was incredibly spacious. Aside from the standard underground facilities, there were also extensive structures above ground.
It was obvious that Orochimaru intended to use this as his main base for the foreseeable future.
Over a hundred subordinates had arrived with Orochimaru.
Among them was Tayuya, the sole survivor of the Sound Four, and Guren, a Crystal Style user who, in the original story, appeared only in the anime filler arcs. She was fiercely loyal to Orochimaru and actually felt frustrated and indignant that she hadn't been chosen as his vessel.
Oh, and there was a white-haired kid.
Suigetsu Hozuki.
He would later become Sasuke's teammate in the original story. In terms of talent and potential, he was definitely worthy of being called a prodigy.
It had to be said that Orochimaru had an abundance of talent under his command. Each of them possessed strength or potential ranging from Elite Jonin to Quasi-Kage, or even higher.
Including the late Kimimaro, and Jugo, who was currently locked away in a special location—not to mention Kabuto Yakushi—it wasn't an exaggeration to say that if Orochimaru were given more time, he really might have built a "Sixth Great Ninja Village" from scratch.
Provided, of course, that Orochimaru's own personal strength could improve further.
However, Orochimaru's ambition clearly didn't lie in nation-building.
Ultimate power and immortality.
Those were his true intentions. Creating a faction and grooming these subordinates were merely means to serve those two goals.
Menma knew this better than anyone.
Even in the original story, Orochimaru never abandoned his philosophy right to the end; he simply took a slight detour in his path.
This was why Menma was happy to continue cooperating with Orochimaru.
An Orochimaru walking this path was the best partner he could ask for—at least until their core interests conflicted and they truly turned on each other.
Menma hoped to avoid such a fallout in the future if possible.
However, it would obviously be difficult.
Sasuke was an unavoidable issue between them. Fortunately, there were still more than two years before the deadline, giving Menma plenty of time to maneuver slowly.
For the current stage, Menma needed to focus on his own plans.
Specifically, building his own force.
After a period of infiltration and preparation, Menma had established a certain foundation regarding the Hidden Waterfall Village. Now, he was just missing a key opportunity—a catalyst that would allow him to intervene in the Hidden Waterfall's internal affairs openly and legitimately.
And that opportunity arrived at the end of Konoha Year 60, just before the new year.
"Oh? That Hidden Waterfall Jonin finally made a move? Tsk, tsk. It seems keeping a close eye on that guy was the right call."
Outside his exclusive laboratory, Menma looked at the intelligence report specially delivered by Kabuto's men.
A faint smile appeared in Menma's eyes.
Honestly, in the beginning, Menma hadn't planned to tell Orochimaru about his moves regarding the Hidden Waterfall.
He thought it would be disadvantageous to let Orochimaru catch wind of his operations. Although Orochimaru would likely guess some of his actions or uncover things through investigation, that was different from Menma actively confessing them.
So, initially, Menma planned to act in secret.
But later, he realized that was completely unrealistic.
Because he didn't have any direct subordinates.
Forget about executing complex plans; Menma was powerless to conduct even basic intelligence gathering on his own.