Chapter 265:
No matter what kind of army it is, it requires a large amount of equipment and all equipment costs money.
The same goes for Orochimaru's clone army.
Even though Orochimaru has his own arsenal and the means to produce equipment, it still demands a massive financial investment. His hidden village doesn't accept missions, so selling potions alone isn't enough to cover the expenses.
Thus, long ago, following Orochimaru's instructions, Chana began working with merchants to generate funds. She started selling basic necessities like bread and milk. With Orochimaru's advancements in lifestyle technology, the products he manufactured were far superior to others on the market, resulting in excellent sales. Orochimaru didn't need to oversee this himself, Chana managed it all on his behalf.
Thanks to these efforts, Orochimaru was never short on money.
However, Nono's base didn't have an arsenal, nor could it connect to the Sound Ninja Village. This meant the clones stationed there had no equipment. So, where did the gear used for infiltrating the Land of Earth come from?
The answer was simple, the equipment was taken directly from the Iwa ninjas themselves.
From the very beginning, Orochimaru had planned to adopt an old strategy: war sustains war.
No equipment? Kill the Iwa ninjas and take theirs. No ninja tools? Eliminate the enemy and confiscate theirs.