Friend or Foe Today?

The Land of Rice Fields wasn't like this before.

This country is colder than the Land of Fire, but almost the entire territory is arable. Although it only yields one harvest a year, it is much better than the neighboring Land of Iron and Land of Hot Water.

The Land of Land of Iron is mostly covered in snow year-round, which is only possible because of its abundant mineral resources. In contrast, the Land of Land of Hot Water is mostly mountainous, and its main industry is tourism.

Such places, lacking ninja villages, naturally become hotspots for various wandering ninjas and small ninja organizations.

Until the appearance of Sound Village).

"This is indeed a good situation. As a result, the pressure on the Land of Fire has been reduced," said Uchiha Shingen.

This land is capable of supporting a ninja army of considerable size and quality.

At the end of the Warring States period, there was a powerful ninja organization here capable of protecting a country, but it was disbanded in the early Kunimura period after offending Leaf Village.

Murders committed with Impure World Reincarnation are never delayed until the next day.

Since then, the Ninja World of this country has been in chaos. Despite having relatively prosperous territory, social order has always been poor, and the common people have suffered greatly, which has also affected the border areas of the Land of Fire.

Until the establishment of Sound Village).

The strategy of Sound Village is similar to that of Nagato after he took over Rain Village.

Faced with those roaming, unruly scoundrels, the approach was a two-pronged strategy of both appeasement and execution.

The difference is that, in the Land of Land of Rice Fields, those who opposed the Sound Village disappeared more completely.

Orochimaru is definitely not a good person, but it's common knowledge that he only messes with people who can refine Chakra; he has no interest in ordinary people.

And those who threaten the social order of the Land of Rice Fields, every single one of them, is a perfect subject of study.

Thus, this guy, who exuded villainous aura from head to toe, brought peace to the Land of Rice Fields in every sense of the word.

Wherever his lab opened, the place became peaceful and quiet, without even a vibrant social organization.

However, the deep incursion of a Leaf Village ninja army shattered the peace of the country.

However, this unease was limited to the nobility, because the Konoha Ninja discovered that the common people of the Land of Rice Fields were not afraid of them, the ninjas in their uniforms, unlike the people of other small countries.

The lords, on the other hand, seemed to be putting on a brave face.

As was customary, Uchiha Shingen first went to visit the daimyo of the field.

The previously uneasy Da Ming felt relieved upon hearing that it was Uchiha Shingen who had come.

He warmly received Uchiha Shingen and readily agreed to all of Uchiha Shingen's intentions and the related requests made on behalf of Leaf Village.

Both host and guests had a wonderful time.

Then Uchiha Shingen continued his journey, heading towards Sound Village).

The Sound Village is now fully completed.

Before Uchiha Shingen even reached the village entrance, he had already spotted the so-called high-ranking members of the Sound Village.

In reality, this village has no high-ranking officials, only highly skilled "tools."

The leader, the so-called village chief, has been replaced by the original number two tool. As for where number one went, Uchiha Shingen felt there was no need to ask.

After all, the reward and punishment mechanism for Sound Village is quite simple.

But asking questions you already know the answer to is also a traditional virtue of ninjas.

As Uchiha Shingen and his team approached, the "tools" (a term used to describe people who are skilled at exploiting others) came forward to greet them.

The Sound Ninja, under Orochimaru's tutelage, dare to challenge anyone because they believe themselves to be elites who emerged from a battlefield of carnage.

But the people in front of them were ghosts, so they were overly enthusiastic.

"Where's your boss?" Uchiha Shingen looked around. "Why isn't he here?"

When interacting with other villages, it's necessary to be polite.

There's no need to Sound Village.

He's so "familiar" with Orochimaru, why is he being so polite with these preparatory materials?

"Shingen, our village has recently changed its leader," the new tool said with a fawning smile.

This is the guy who can chat and laugh with Orochimaru; he's not someone you can mess with.

As a member of the privileged class in the Sound Village who could enjoy Orochimaru's sinister laughter at any time without having to lie on an experimental table, he had witnessed the "laughing and joking" up close.

He could tell right away that Orochimaru was genuinely happy, not faking it.

This is absolutely terrifying.

Even Kabuto couldn't do that.

"So, you're in charge of Sound Village now?" Uchiha Shingen glanced at him.

"No, no, no! Lord Shingen, I'm just serving everyone!"

The number one tool was so scared he almost peed himself.

With so many people around, someone is bound to go and tattle on Orochimaru, since that's how the previous one died.

Being in charge? Using the lab bench as a bed is more like it.

He needs to clarify this quickly.

As a result, according to Orochimaru's rules, the person who tattled on him had no choice but to repeat his clarification.

The culture of Sound Village is just that simple.

Those who disrespect this culture are used as materials.

"You guys are pretty forward-thinking." Uchiha Shingen nodded. "As the head of the clan, your service awareness is so good. The future of Sound Village is promising."

The person in charge believes that Uchiha Shingen just wants him dead.

He was certain he had never offended this old man...

"My lord, please spare me..." He was about to cry; he felt he could get out of bed today.

This is not an exaggeration, it's a fact; the ecology of Sound Village is very unique.

Orochimaru's "generosity" played a very important role in gathering such a large group of people, and the number of people gathering kept increasing.

Trading one's life for Ninjutsu, taking a gamble, turning a bicycle into a motorcycle—this equation seems perfectly reasonable to wandering ninjas.

"Hahaha, look how scared you are, just kidding." Uchiha Shingen suddenly laughed, and the atmosphere seemed to relax instantly.

"Lord Shingen, please."

"Sure, let's do it together."

A large group of people entered the village in a grand procession.

The Sound Village had made ample preparations for the arrival of the Konoha Ninja. Upon entering, the Konoha Ninja found the village sparsely populated.

"Everyone, Sound Village is a small village with a limited number of ninjas. Recently, it's been a peak season for missions in the Land of Rice Fields, so most of you aren't here," the number one ninja explained, noticing everyone's confusion.

Uchiha Shingen neither confirmed nor denied this.

He didn't know exactly how many people Orochimaru had recruited, but there were definitely more than just those people in the village.

They've moved everyone underground.

This was likely to avoid conflict between the majority of the lower-ranking Sound Ninja and the Konoha Ninja who accompanied him.

Given the spirit of those Sound Ninja, this is highly likely.

"If an enemy invades, leader, I'm afraid your small force won't be able to hold out, will it?" Uchiha Itachi suddenly asked.

"Look at what you're saying, everyone in the Ninja World knows we're protected by Leaf Village, how could anyone dare to attack us?" Although Number One didn't know Uchiha Itachi's identity, seeing that this young man could speak freely in front of Uchiha Shingen without being stopped, he concluded that this was a close associate of Uchiha Shingen and dared not be negligent.

Fearing he hadn't gone far enough, he then showered him with praise. Unfortunately, Uchiha Itachi perfectly inherited his father's poker face when dealing with outsiders, and didn't even blink an eye at him.

Although the first person didn't receive any positive feedback, they didn't show any dissatisfaction and maintained their enthusiasm.

Once everyone entered the core area of Sound Village, he invited Uchiha Shingen to enter the building that represented the village's central hub.

"Shisui, Torune, you two stay here with everyone and wait. Remember to respect the customs of Sound Village," Uchiha Shingen said, then went inside with the helpers.

The remaining Konoha Ninja waited where they were.

Both Uchiha Shisui and Aburame Torune understood what Uchiha Shingen.

As seasoned ninjas, they all felt there was something wrong with this village.

The leader didn't act like a leader, and the subordinates didn't act like subordinates.

Moreover, after entering the village, they observed the surroundings and felt that something was amiss.

Putting aside the ninjas of the Konoha Military Police Force, even the ninjas of the original Root felt that this place was filled with an aura of "I'm going to trick people."

So although it's called waiting, everyone is in a state of readiness to fight at any moment, it just depends on whether someone really causes trouble.

Meanwhile, the Sound Ninja who remained in the village were also observing these Konoha Ninja.

"Dosu, are those Leaf Village ninjas?" On a high point in Sound Village, a black-haired boy looked into the distance. From his perspective, the Konoha Ninja gathered in front of the nominal leader's building were just black dots.

"So what if I am? Don't cause trouble," said the hunched-over companion. "I don't want to lose my exam spot because of this."

"I heard that Genin our age in Leaf Village are protected by their parents," another girl said, toying with a Kunai in her hand. "I really want to go to the exam soon so I can see them cry."

[Although they're supposed to be companions, these two seem like complete idiots...]

The boy named "Dosu" thought to himself.

How could a village become the most powerful in the Ninja World simply because it has a large population?

What do these two use their brains for normally?

This time, the three of them were selected as candidates to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams, but Dosu felt that with these two teammates, he probably couldn't expect too much from team battles.

However, recalling that Orochimaru's task for them was to do well in the exam, Dosu felt uneasy.

Is he really only focused on the exam? Is this still the Sound Ninja?

What exactly is Orochimaru planning?

Not being informed means not being recognized. In the Sound Village, a ninja who is not recognized by Orochimaru has no future.

Because there is no Sound Village Ninja Academy in Otogakure, the only source of knowledge that can make you stronger—no, the only source of Ninjutsu —is Orochimaru.

Dosu hopes to find out why they took the exam in order to gain Orochimaru's approval.

He is not Zaku. Although Zaku is a reckless man, Orochimaru Zaku.

Dosu joined the Sound Village in order to gain power; he had no master, his master was himself.

[I will make you acknowledge me, Orochimaru...]

Chapter Forty-Three: Friend or Foe Today?

It's clear that Otogakure (Sound Village) imitates Leaf Village (Legend of the Leaf Village) in many ways.

For example, the building that represents the center of power in the village.

The difference is that there is no government affairs hall here. Sound Village accepts missions from the outside world, but their mission processing is done elsewhere.

Uchiha Shingen entered the building that represented the power center of Sound Village. As soon as he entered, the door behind him slammed shut with a loud bang.

The first tool revealed his true colors, bowing respectfully to Uchiha Shingen and saying, "Lord Shingen, please."

I'm not pretending anymore! I'm coming clean! I'm just an employee!

He conveyed this meaning fully through body language.

Uchiha Shingen: "..."

This person is so dramatic.

"Lead the way."

"Okay."

After a brief conversation, the number one "tool" happily led Uchiha Shingen around the building.

The interior layout is also similar to that of the Hokage Building.

Orochimaru had been a big shot in Hidden Leaf Village for many years, and the place he knew best was the Hokage Building.

In the Hokage Building, in the Hokage's office, there is a plaque on the door that reads "Hokage's Room".