Orochimaru returns

Muneaki and Fugaku glanced at him, completely ignoring what he said.

That's very well said. If you had the strength of those two, you would also be qualified to compete for the Hokage position.

"If only Madara Uchiha were still here."

The atmosphere within the clan sombered after those words were spoken.

Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha is not qualified to stand before Ryuuzaki Eiji.

"More important than any of that right now is the entire process of Ryuuzaki Eiji killing the Third Kazekage. If only there were Ninjutsu that could record it all."

The somber atmosphere was broken by the words of one of the Clan Members, and others immediately echoed his sentiments.

"I've been in contact with my friends at the Frontline using Summoning Beasts. I heard the scene was quite spectacular; the Third Kazekage was mercilessly defeated by Ryuuzaki Eiji like a bouncy ball."

"Damn it, I didn't even see it with my own eyes! How am I supposed to study now!"

A Clan Members slammed his fist on the Tatami, his expression one of deep sorrow.

"Clan Leader, we need to develop Ninja Tools that can record what's happening on the spot! Please!"

"That means investing money in this area!"

"Go and give the Hokage your feedback; Konoha needs inventions in this area!"

As he listened to the increasingly chaotic discussions within the clan, Uchiha Fugaku's lips twitched uncontrollably.

While diligently improving their strength, the Clan Members have been discussing how to defeat their enemies in a more spectacular way, and have even come up with many ways to show off.

But to be honest, he was also somewhat interested in seeing it.

◇

Soon, news of Sunagakure's heavy losses at the Frontline Konoha swept across the entire Shinobi World like a typhoon.

When the news arrived at the Daimyo's Palace, Shinka Shinazugawa of the Land of Wind was still struggling to carry a bucket of water towards the kitchen.

Because she had been constantly bossing around the people in the Branch Family, she was warned by the reviewers, so she had to work hard herself to get a good score.

At that moment, murmurs arose from inside the dormitory of the Land of Wind.

"How terrifying... Ryuuzaki Eiji actually killed the Kage of our Land of Wind's Shinobi Village, and all two thousand of his Ninjas were wiped out."

"We're going to lose this war."

"I also heard from my father in his letter that the era of Ryuuzaki Eiji is coming up, and he told me to make sure I get along well with Kushina from the Uzumaki Clan."

Shinka dropped the wooden bucket she was holding, spilling water all over the ground and wetting her clothes.

A questioning voice came from inside the house, Shinka immediately turned and ran outside.

She gritted her teeth, unable to believe it.

Shinka didn't believe anyone could kill a thousand people in a row; killing two hundred was already outrageous enough. Do people these days even exaggerate when passing on intelligence?

She made her way to Daimyo's villa and found her father.

Wanting to witness the results of the Bride Training, the Daimyo also chose to live nearby.

Somewhat worried, she asked her father, who told her that the First God of Shinobi could easily destroy any country single-handedly.

Upon hearing about colossal Buddha statues hundreds of meters tall, Shinka felt her worldview suddenly collapse.

This is something a samurai could never do; are Ninjas really such an absurd existence?

"By the way, Ryuuzaki Eiji is quite a good business partner. Speaking of which, you're about the same age as him, so I'm planning to marry you off to him after you come of age. What do you think?"

"... ha?"

Shinka blinked, looking astonished.

Shouldn't her Future fiancé be a nobleman from her own family?

Upon learning that she was to be sold to Ryuuzaki Eiji to improve their relationship, Shinka said urgently, "This must be a joke, Father! Aren't we enemies with them?"

"How could they be enemies? This is just a war between Villages. It doesn't have much impact on us nobles. At most, it will only cause a temporary blow to our country's economic income."

We are nobles; we cannot view the war between Shinobi Villages with such a hateful mindset. Doing so is pointless. Marrying Ryuuzaki Eiji is a blessing for you. You should know that some people have already started comparing him to Hashirama Senju, something many women wouldn't even dare to dream of in their lifetime.

"Then... doesn't he already have Kushina?"

"Well, being a concubine is fine. It might be difficult for you, but for the sake of the family, I hope you can make the sacrifice."

Shinka's face turned ashen instantly, and his legs gave way, causing him to kneel on the ground.

Is that really the case?

If I were to marry Ryuuzaki Eiji, would he really not take it out on me every day and humiliate me because I was harsh with Kushina?

At this moment, Shinka even wanted to abandon her noble status and run away to a place where no one knew her to live the life of an ordinary person. She was now experiencing Sayuri's older sister felt.

◇

News that the major Shinobi Villages were consolidating their forces and deciding to hold peace talks at the border of the Land of Wind quickly reached the Frontline.

This time, not only the Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Amegakure, Konoha who participated in the conflict, but also the Kumogakure, which chose to withdraw midway, plans to participate.

It is said that the newly appointed Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure insisted on finding the mastermind behind the Tailed Beast rampage that had occurred in Kumogakure.

After receiving news of the ceasefire, Eiji began making puppets in the camp. He had collected quite a few puppet parts last time, and with some modifications, he should be able to make a few decent finished products.

Orochimaru, who had been missing for a long time, finally returned to the Konoha camp. Seeing that he looked travel-worn, Tsunade and Jiraiya immediately rushed up to him and asked why he had left the battlefield.

Eiji then found Orochimaru.

"Welcome back, Orochimaru- senpai. Did you get what you wanted?"

"Thanks to you, things went very smoothly."

Orochimaru was not at all surprised that Eiji had seen through his intentions.

"I obtained some good materials during the battle a few days ago. Orochimaru, feel free to take them if you're interested."

Eiji tossed the prepared storage scroll to Orochimaru, Orochimaru immediately understood what it was after one glance.

"Thank you, I appreciate it very much."

Orochimaru licked his lips in satisfaction.

The corpse of the Third Kazekage —that's extremely high-level experimental material. Eiji always manages to provide him with what he wants.

"Then, in return, I'll give Eiji the Kusanagi Sword I've collected, though it's far less valuable than the gift I received."

After saying that, Orochimaru also gave Eiji a storage scroll.

That's how I got my second Kusanagi Sword. If I ever have the chance to go to the world of One Piece, I might even be able to pretend to be a dual-sword master.

So what kind of weapon could possibly deserve the name "Kusanagi"?

Could it be a series of weapons forged by a sword-making family surnamed Kusanagi?

Just like the famous sword series Kitetsu in the One Piece world, I wonder if the Kusanagi Sword can make it onto the list of famous swords in the One Piece world.