A border watchtower stood along the coast of the Land of Fire.
It connected to the Land of Rivers and was also the nearest coastal route from the Land of Wind to the Land of Fire.
During the Third Shinobi World War, it had served as a bridgehead for the Hidden Sand Village's supply transports.
Fierce battles had erupted here between them and Konoha.
Countless casualties had been suffered on both sides.
But in peacetime, this place was merely a site of exile.
Those exiled here were all Orochimaru's former subordinates.
Orochimaru had once been one of the Sannin.
During the Third Shinobi World War, he had also been one of Konoha's most prominent figures.
He had been a frontline commander as well, leading Konoha's ninja in repeated battles against ninja from enemy nations.
Naturally, he had gathered a large group of followers around him.
But when Orochimaru defected, the Third Hokage had driven him out. He had fled in great haste and had no time to worry about those former subordinates.
He could only leave them to fend for themselves.
Orochimaru had been able to defect because of his formidable strength.
Those followers did not dare defect. They did not have the Uchiha Clan backing them like Shisui and Itachi did.
Nor could they withstand an ANBU manhunt.
Those who had followed Orochimaru were all quite capable. Imprisoning them would have been wasteful, but using them would have been untrustworthy.
So the Third Hokage had sent them all to the border, where they served as guards in the harshest and most exhausting posts.
Those places were completely isolated, without water or electricity, and they even had to solve their own food problems.
But every so often, the Third Hokage would allow some whose ties to Orochimaru were less severe