The Land of Grass lay wedged between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire. It was not a powerful country and had few ninja with much combat strength. It survived by trading intelligence between those three countries, exchanging information for a chance to endure, and frequently stole ninjutsu from other ninja villages.
Because it lay between those three countries, it had become a battlefield during the Great Shinobi Wars. The same location was also why it still existed: whoever attacked it first would become an enemy of the other two countries.
Compared with the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Grass had even fewer resources and faced greater danger, so there was little reason to occupy it.
For the sake of profit, leaving the Land of Grass alone would naturally have been the best choice. But Madara's ambitions were far greater. As long as there was life in that country, it fell within his plans.
While Sasuke and Neji headed to the Land of Grass to gain experience, Madara and Orochimaru's plan also got underway.
"The Land of Grass's ninja village is Kusagakure. At present, there are only two truly powerful ninja in the village: its leader, Kusagari Eiji, and its strongest jōnin, Kusagari Wanamaru. They're brothers, ruthless in their methods and cunning in their actions. They rarely leave the village. Our target this time is the Land of Grass's daimyo, so those two won't stand in our way."
The Land of Fire had just expanded its influence through the internal strife in the Land of Rice Fields. If it tried the same trick now, the other great nations would not stand idly by and watch it expand, whether its actions were justified or not. Unlike the open deployment in the Land of