Chapter 241:
Why were all the Kumo ninjas tasked with ambushing Orochimaru in the valley this time?
It was because the other two villages had already cooperated in an earlier operation, and Kumo had only recently reached an agreement to align with them.
To demonstrate their sincerity in this alliance, it was decided that Kumo would handle the assassination attempt.
Since this was a mission to eliminate a specific target, thorough research into Orochimaru's abilities was essential to minimize losses.
Naturally, Konoha wouldn't hand over any information about Orochimaru.
After all, having so many forces target a single individual would be a humiliation for Konoha if they were forced to provide intel. It would appear as though Konoha was capitulating to the demands of others, which would undermine their standing.
Moreover, allowing Orochimaru's personal information to fall into enemy hands could lead to further complications.
Thus, Kumo had to rely entirely on their own battlefield analysis to gather intelligence.
Perception skills, snake-based ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God, and other techniques, these were the fragments of information they had pieced together about Orochimaru.