Yellow sand swirled, sandstorms raged, and massive amounts of dust filled the sky over Roran, obscuring the sun.
Disaster struck again, a terrifying scene just like yesterday.
But similarly, the people of Roran weathered this natural disaster safely, even without a single stampede injury due to the chaos, as this was the second time.
However, this time, they didn't feel lucky to have survived. Instead, a subtle worry began to surface.
Two consecutive days of sandstorms, and each one started earlier than the last… While the desert has harsh weather, with extreme highs and lows, natural disasters of this scale are uncommon, and for Roran, which is usually quite stable, it was even more unusual.
After all, this place is a rare large oasis. If it were constantly subjected to sandstorms, it would have long ago been buried under the yellow sand, unable to maintain this scale.
But now…
Stepping out of the underground shelter and looking around, all the buildings were dilapidated, doors, windows, and decorations had vanished, and the entire land was covered in a layer of yellow sand.
Their home, their livelihood, had become a ruin. While it was bad news, upon closer thought, there was good news too – their home had already been destroyed yesterday, so there was no real loss today.
But no one could manage a smile. If a sandstorm were to happen again tomorrow… they would be no different from live fish placed on the sand under the blazing sun, slowly having their body moisture evaporated.
Thinking of this bleak future, the atmosphere at the shelter's exit grew heavy.
Silently, the crowd began to move. Their footprints converged, drawing crooked lines on the sand.
…
In the Hall of Worship, the Queen of Roran withdrew from her connection with the Dragon Vein, breathing softly and holding her chest. Beside her, Sara had already collapsed on the ground.
However, having done this before, she was experienced this time. She took a small sip from her water skin from a pouch at her waist, then handed another water skin to her mother.
"You drink it yourself, I'm not thirsty…"
The Queen of Roran shook her head, not scolding her daughter for her casualness in the Hall of Worship.
The Dragon Vein was not human, its consciousness was simple, and it didn't have many rules. Respect wasn't shown through rigid rituals. Besides, she was about to put the entity on the bargaining table like an item, so there was no need to be overly concerned.
"..."
In silence, the Queen of Roran looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling the sunlight was a bit too bright.
The sandstorm's return today proved to some extent that Orochimaru's words were not false.
This disaster sweeping across Roran was not a natural event, but a man-made one, a weapon of war controlled by Orochimaru.
She continued to tell herself that the other party merely possessed some knowledge that allowed him to predict the sandstorms, but this was self-deception, clinging to a sliver of hope.
The Queen of Roran wanted to solve the problem more than to gain a moment of peace.
"Mother, did something happen?"
At some point, Sara had stopped drinking and was looking up at the Queen of Roran, her face showing obvious worry. "Will this sandstorm happen tomorrow too?"
Having grown up in the desert, connected to the consciousness of the Dragon Vein, and having personally defended against the disaster, Sara also noticed that these past two days were somewhat unusual.
"Yes, the sandstorm will happen tomorrow too."
The Queen of Roran was not lying. She gently stroked her daughter's head and said softly, "But it's okay, I will definitely protect you and the people of Roran."
"Yes, I'll help you too."
Sara opened her arms and hugged her mother. Then, without being told by the Queen of Roran, she walked out of the Hall of Worship,
"Mother, you rest here for a while. I'll go inform and comfort everyone."
"..." Watching Sara's retreating figure, the Queen of Roran sighed softly, understanding that her child had probably guessed something.
But before she could gather her thoughts, a voice mixed with laughter and mockery rang out, "What touching mother-daughter affection."
The Queen of Roran's expression changed slightly. The next moment, a figure leaped down from high above and landed in front of her.
Orochimaru said with a smile, "How about it, Queen of Roran, have you thought about it? Will you agree to this deal?"
"You don't even mention the price of the deal, and you expect the people of Roran to abandon their homes and leave everything behind with just a few words…"
The Queen of Roran's eyes widened, her eyebrows shot up, and she said angrily, "How can I agree to such a bandit's behavior?"
With the enemy being strong and her side weak, she knew she couldn't take the initiative in negotiations. But if she didn't even know the other party's background or leverage, she would only be at their mercy.
This was unacceptable to the Queen of Roran.
At this moment, she wasn't as truly angry as she appeared, but was merely using the situation to probe the other party.
"Bandit? To call me that is quite excessive."
Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, his smile widening. "I think I'm just a merchant right now."
As he spoke, he took out ten black leather bags from a scroll and casually tossed them in front of the Queen of Roran. "Here is four hundred million ryō, considered the price for the Dragon Vein and a resettlement fee for the people of Roran."
"..."
The Queen of Roran's expression stiffened. She looked at Orochimaru, who appeared calm and composed, and then at the row of money chests on the ground, struggling to maintain her shock.
Although she was the Queen of Roran.
Although she owned a small city and nominally possessed all its wealth.
Although Roran's survival in the desert for so long was a miracle.
…
But, but, Roran was truly poor.
In fact, all their wealth combined wasn't even a tenth of what was here.
The currency of the ninja world was indeed valuable. A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only cost forty ryō. While there were people in the ninja world who could casually produce four hundred million ryō, they were basically large factions acting collectively.
An individual like Orochimaru doing so was unprecedented.
Faced with such a large sum of money, the country bumpkin from a poor rural village was instantly stunned.
The Queen of Roran subconsciously licked her lips, even wanting to check each chest to see if the money was real.
She knew that there was no room to refuse the deal from the beginning. The reason the other party had been so pleasant the whole time was because he was confident and could turn hostile at any moment. He was simply trying to maximize his profit.
For her and for Roran, having this money and moving to a new place would be acceptable. It was better than being forced to face annihilation by sandstorms.
But all this depended on the other party not turning hostile after the deal was completed. With Roran's strength, they couldn't possibly protect so much money.
Having figured this out, the Queen of Roran's eyes regained their clarity, and she unhesitatingly looked away from the money chests.
"Tsk… Is this price still not to your satisfaction?" Orochimaru asked knowingly, smiling. "Being too greedy is not good."
"... Honestly, you being able to produce this much has indeed exceeded my expectations."
The Queen of Roran looked at Orochimaru and said seriously, "But you must understand, Your Excellency, the people of Roran don't lack money right now."
Leaving Roran meant losing their homes, losing the protection of the Dragon Vein. In this war-torn ninja world, that would be fatal.
"Correct, you are very clever and very sensible."
Orochimaru looked at the Queen of Roran, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
Of course, he could have cut to the chase and revealed his plan immediately.
But that would have been a wasted opportunity to understand the Queen of Roran's character.
Although Orochimaru had some confidence in his judgment, it was a matter of the First Hokage's cell transplant surgery, so being overly cautious was never a mistake. He aimed to eliminate all potential hidden dangers before the surgery.
And as one of the participants in the surgery, the Queen of Roran absolutely could not be a foolish person.
Cooperating with a foolish person, or a self-righteous fool, was even worse than dealing with a clever enemy.
With the latter, you could easily grasp their actions through logic once their needs were met. But with the former, you could never predict the thoughts of an idiot.
Engaging in schemes with such a person would only drag you down to their level and you'd be defeated by their vast experience.
"You're very good. Although due to your limited perspective, seeing this money swayed you, you managed to adjust your mindset so quickly. That's quite good."
Orochimaru nodded with a smile. "And I have finally confirmed that you are indeed a smart person, so I won't have to resort to the backup plan."
The ability to control the Dragon Vein's consciousness wasn't limited to the Queen of Roran; her daughter Sara also possessed it. And compared to the former, the latter was less resilient and evidently easier to manipulate.
But if the conditions allowed, Orochimaru still preferred the Queen of Roran.
The two rounds of interviews over the past two days clearly showed the Queen of Roran's superior performance.
For a better surgical experience, he wouldn't be stingy with a little money; it was all external possessions.
"..."
The Queen of Roran was a bit confused by the sudden evaluation and frowned slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"That's not important for you. Let's talk about what you care about."
Orochimaru raised his hand, conjured a sand chair and table, sat down, and waved his hand. "Please, let's discuss slowly."
After the Queen of Roran sat down with a heavy heart, he continued to speak,
"Without the Dragon Vein, Roran needs money and a protector. I can provide the former, and the latter…"
"Why not choose Sunagakure Village."
"Sunagakure Village?" The Queen of Roran was slightly taken aback. With the strength of Sunagakure Village, they could perhaps somewhat balance this person before her.
She had heard that the One-Tail Shukaku also had the ability to create sandstorms and was a terrifying monster. Perhaps the two were… similar?
But after a moment of contemplation, the Queen of Roran shook her head. "I don't trust them."
Possessing treasure leads to trouble. Regardless of who was in front of her, she had to consider the possibility of them turning on her.
Her trust in Sunagakure Village was even lower than her trust in Orochimaru.
Orochimaru smiled at this. "You don't need to worry about that. With me here, they wouldn't dare to double-cross you."
The Queen of Roran's expression changed, and she almost stood up, saying gravely, "Are you working together?"
If that were the case, Roran would truly have no way out.
"Not entirely. I did bring Sunagakure Village here, but our relationship is, at best, that of collaborators."
Orochimaru retold the speech he had given in the Kazekage's office from a different perspective,
"With me here, you don't need to worry about Sunagakure Village going too far. On the other hand, once you truly integrate into Sunagakure Village, you'll be considered part of them. If I wanted to harm you, I would risk falling out with them."
"In other words, the people of Roran can play both sides."
The Queen of Roran frowned and pondered. If everything Orochimaru said was true, then it would indeed be a good way out for the people of Roran.
Living under someone else's roof was better than being displaced.
But the problem was, did Orochimaru have the confidence to protect the people of Roran within Sunagakure Village? Or, after the deal was done, would he be willing to confront Sunagakure Village for Roran's sake?
The Queen of Roran voiced the doubt in her heart.
"The reason is simple."
Orochimaru pointed a finger at the person in front of him. "Because I need you to do me a favor, to help me suppress the potential uncontrolled surge of natural energy from the Dragon Vein."
The Queen of Roran's expression changed. "What exactly do you intend to do with the Dragon Vein?"
"That's not something you need to concern yourself with." Orochimaru leaned back slightly in his chair and said slowly, "All the planning and arrangements so far have been for this matter. If it were just for the Dragon Vein, it wouldn't be this complicated."
The Queen of Roran's expression turned serious as she sensed a hint of danger.
This person in front of her was by no means easy-tempered. Looking at his previous methods, casually causing storms to achieve his goals, he couldn't possibly be a benevolent person who cared about the lives of an entire city.
This deal, which could satisfy all three parties, had been meticulously planned by him, but in the end, it was all for one thing: to gain her trust, to ensure she had no ulterior motives and would obediently become a helper.
Otherwise, with his capabilities, why would he involve Sunagakure Village? He alone could have easily subdued Roran. Even with the Dragon Vein, they would have had no room to resist.
Come to think of it, it was almost unbelievable.
After learning that he had gone to such lengths, the Queen of Roran found herself unable to suppress her belief in his plan and words.
Although there were still questions she didn't understand, such as how one person could contend with a great ninja village of the ninja world, and what he was planning that would cause the Dragon Vein to go out of control and require her to pacify it…
But with his power and methods, he had much easier options. Even simple coercion by threatening the citizens of Roran might not have led her to betray him.
This method would have required no cost at all.
"It seems you agree."
Noticing the Queen of Roran's complex and unreadable expression, Orochimaru curved his lips and returned a smile. "However, how the people of Roran will be arranged can be discussed later. You might have something else to handle now."
The Queen of Roran's eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, confused, "What are you talking about?"
She didn't believe there was anything more important than the people of Roran.
"Heh, the little girl outside the door, you can come out now."
Orochimaru looked back and said with a smile, "Or should I invite you out?"
A rustling sound was heard. Sara slowly walked in from outside the Hall of Worship and came to the sand table. Her expression was complex and unreadable.
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