"Come with me, I have something to say."
Orochimaru turned and walked towards the north and south corners of the camp, with Shin'un and the other two following behind.
After turning a corner, the giant puppet lying flat on the ground no longer obstructed their view, and Shin'un and his companions then discovered that there was a normal-sized tent placed at the north and south corners of this huge camp.
Following Orochimaru inside, a large number of books came into view, along with a pair of tables and chairs in the center and a somewhat simple bed in the corner.
Shin'un saw this and understood that this was Orochimaru's real living quarters, while the huge tent outside was just a place to place and study giant puppets.
"Please sit down, and pour your own tea."
As soon as Orochimaru entered the tent, he seemed to relax immediately. He went straight to the chair in the middle of the tent, sat down, and let out a deep breath, looking somewhat tired.
Orochimaru poured himself a cup of tea, which had long since gone cold, from the teapot on the table, and drank it. Only then did he feel a little more awake.
Orochimaru raised his head and looked at the three disciples standing in front of him, then suddenly said something that left everyone puzzled.
"The war has been going on for four years now."
Seeing Orochimaru say those words with a sigh, Shin'un turned to look at Shiina Kō beside him.
"... That's right. If we start counting from when the Sand Ninja and Stone Ninja attacked our Konoha's base in the Land of Rain, it has indeed been four years."
After briefly recalling the events in his mind, Shin'un began to speak.
Hearing Shin'un's words, Orochimaru downed the rest of his tea in one gulp and frowned, saying:
"Three days ago, I received letters from two advisors urging me to end the war as soon as possible, even if the final outcome was not ideal for Konoha."
"I believe that not only I, but also Tsunade, Hatake- senpai, and Nara- senpai must have received these letters."
Seeing Orochimaru's solemn expression, Shin'un frowned and asked in confusion:
"Is... something wrong with this?"
"Didn't those two consultants start writing letters every few months to urge us on this since last year?"
As he spoke, Shin'un suddenly broke into a smile.
"What's the point of those two consultants urging us on?"
"Didn't the Lord Hokage and Danzo consistently support this war?"
Hearing Shin'un's teasing words, Orochimaru's serious expression eased slightly, a smile appearing on his face. He then shook his head and said:
"That's the problem. Three days ago, I received not only letters from the two advisors, but also a letter from my teacher."
Upon hearing that the Third Hokage's letter had arrived along with those of the two advisors, Shin'un immediately frowned.
The two advisors' words were nothing to Orochimaru, who was away on campaign, but they would have to be taken seriously if the Third Hokage changed his mind and decided to end the war directly.
Glancing up at Orochimaru's solemn expression, and recalling Hiruzen Sarutobi's image in the original work, Shin'un suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Has the Third Hokage lost his mind and directly ordered the withdrawal from the Land of Rain?"
"No way, the last few times we met, the Third seemed quite resolute about whether the war would continue..." M.
With his mind wandering, Shin'un's expression gradually turned serious, and he directly asked Orochimaru a question.
" The Lord Hokage doesn't mean...?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru looked up from his teacup and, seeing Shin'un's serious expression, immediately guessed what he was thinking. He shook his head and said:
"Don't worry, the teacher's attitude towards the war is firm, and he has always trusted and supported the Konoha Ninja on the front lines."
Seeing that Orochimaru had figured out what he was thinking, Shin'un smiled slightly awkwardly, then asked curiously:
"What did the Lord Hokage say in his letter?"
"Sigh," Orochimaru sighed, "The letter mentioned quite a bit, but it can be summarized in just a few sentences."
"The war has lasted for four years, and Konoha is no longer able to hold on."
"The teacher has already transferred Danzo and all the Root ninjas to support the Stone Ninja battlefield on the other side of the Land of Rain."
"They've given us two months; we need to defeat the Sand Ninja and achieve victory within that time."
"Otherwise, the teacher will have to lead Konoha's last defensive force into the battlefield."
Upon hearing the contents of the letter from Orochimaru, Shin'un was surprised and pondered in his heart.
"If the Lord Hokage goes to the battlefield, the village will be completely without any defenses."
Orochimaru closed his eyes and nodded.
"That's right, so the teacher is also taking a gamble."
"The village has paid a heavy price for this war but has yet to reap the rewards. It is foreseeable that Konoha will face a long period of weakness in the future."
"Since that's the case, let's gamble everything now and fight our way to a conclusion in this war."
"But..." Shin'un frowned and said, "That would definitely result in heavy casualties..."
"And the risks definitely outweigh the potential benefits, don't they?"
"You're right." Orochimaru nodded with his eyes still closed, confirming what Shin'un said.
Seeing that Orochimaru wasn't going to explain, Shin'un simply lowered his head and began to think seriously. Gradually, he understood the Third's thoughts and frowned as he said:
"They're only doing this because Konoha has a strong foundation... and isn't it too cruel to ordinary ninjas?"
Orochimaru lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, then looked at Shin'un with a heavy expression.
"You're right, but this is the most rational decision the teacher made after much deliberation. To be honest... that's what I think too."
"After Konoha goes all out, its ordinary ninjas will suffer heavy casualties, and Konoha will be in an extremely weak and awkward situation. It may be subject to repeated extortion by other ninja villages, and there may be a dark period."
"But... only the Third Hokage, myself, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake- senpai, plus you and Minato Namikaze."
"If three of these seven people survive... no, even if only two survive, Konoha will still be Konoha, and it will remain one of the five strongest ninja villages in the Shinobi World."
Hearing Orochimaru's rational words, Shin'un, though feeling conflicted, nodded in agreement.
In the Shinobi World, strength ultimately reigns supreme. If even one or two of these people survive, Konoha will have ample time to restore its current ninja population and cultivate powerful new ones.
"That's right, if we only consider the lives of ninjas as numbers, it could indeed be considered a rational decision, but..."
While inwardly lamenting the Third Hokage's ruthlessness, Shin'un smoothed out the seriousness on his face and looked at Orochimaru. "Don't we still have two months to work hard?"
Upon hearing Shin'un's words, Orochimaru smiled and opened his eyes with satisfaction.
We've got the same idea.
"Since this final gamble is destined to be disastrous, why not just prevent it from happening?"