Orochimaru and Bunbuku — The Night the Desert Trembled
Orochimaru had already gathered most of the data he needed.
Bunbuku, the unusual monk hosting the One-Tail Shukaku, had become a perfect vessel at a young age. Ever since childhood, he had rarely—if ever—lost control. As an adult, he had achieved a level of stability that most jinchūriki could only dream of.
To Orochimaru, the Sand's explanation for keeping Bunbuku locked away was laughably flimsy.
A perfect jinchūriki? Imprisoned?
Are they truly afraid of him? Or just removing a political obstacle?
If it didn't align so neatly with the internal politics of Sunagakure, he would have suspected their elders of simple abuse of power.
But for the rest of the ninja world, this was good news. While other villages desperately hunted for suitable jinchūriki candidates, the Sand locked away the most stable one on the continent.
Don't have a jinchūriki? Then I simply won't use mine!
It was a ridiculous strategy—but one Orochimaru intended to take advantage of.
For days, he slipped into Bunbuku's underground prison at night, performing quiet, invasive experiments on the nature of a jinchūriki's connection to its Tailed Beast.
As the results accumulated, he came to a conclusion that surprised even him.
It wasn't only the chakra that was intertwined.
The life force of the Tailed Beast and its host were connected.
When a Tailed Beast was forcibly extracted, it took both chakra and life with it. Without an immediate influx of both, the jinchūriki would die.
This discovery brought Orochimaru's research to a natural end.
"Bunbuku," he said softly, setting down his tools, "tonight's experiment is the last. I won't be returning."
The monk smiled gently, as serene as ever. "I'm glad I was able to help."
He sensed no malice from this mysterious shinobi—only curiosity, intelligence, and something like genuine concern for jinchūriki. It was strange… but comforting.
---
Chiyo's Quiet Suspicion
Meanwhile, in the shadows above the prison, Chiyo, the veteran puppet master of Sunagakure, felt something was off.
The guard stationed outside Bunbuku's cell stood stiffly. His eyes were unfocused. His chakra flow was sloppy and thin, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Something's wrong…" Chiyo murmured.
She pressed a finger between the guard's shoulder blades.
"Release!"
The guard jolted violently, collapsing to one knee.
"Lady Chiyo!" he gasped. "How did I—where am I?"
"You were under genjutsu!" Chiyo snapped, her eyes turning sharp. And then a dreadful realization struck her.
"That intruder… his target is Bunbuku!"
She sprinted toward the prison with all the speed her veteran body could muster.
---
The Final Experiment — And a Dangerous Offer
Inside the dim cell, Orochimaru held up a kikaichu beetle that had landed on his hand.
So I've been discovered, he thought, irritation flickering across his face. But to realize it this late… they really are incompetent.
He turned toward Bunbuku, who watched him with calm curiosity.
"Bunbuku," Orochimaru said quietly, "come with me willingly."
The monk froze.
Orochimaru's expression twisted into something sharp and persuasive.
"The Sand Village imprisoned you because they fear your power. Why grow old and die alone in this hole? Come with me. I'll free you from this place—and make your village regret locking away their greatest weapon."
Shukaku stirred inside the seal.
"Eh? What are you talking about? What's happening out there?"
But Bunbuku shook his head with unwavering conviction.
"I will not betray Sunagakure. This place is not a prison to me. It is a training ground."
His voice was steady, resolute.
Even Orochimaru paused for a moment.
Then—
A scream echoed through the prison corridor.
"STOP!"
---
Young Chiyo's Fury
Orochimaru turned and saw her—Chiyo, still young, still fierce, still full of sharp edges.
She was beautiful in a mature, deadly way, with dark eyes that burned with anger.
So this is what she looked like in her prime, Orochimaru mused. Quite different from the old crone she becomes.
"Get away from Bunbuku!" Chiyo roared, and with a flick of her hand, dozens of kunai flew toward him along shimmering chakra threads.
Lightning chakra crackled as Orochimaru summoned a blade of pure chakra in his hand. Electricity surged across its edge.
Chiyo's eyes widened.
Lightning Chakra… and a sword? A Cloud ninja?
Orochimaru swept the blade once—
CRACK—CRASH—!
Every chakra-threaded kunai shattered in a blink.
He reached for Bunbuku—
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
A puppet head sprang from Chiyo's scroll, transforming into a lion-shaped biting maw.
It lunged, biting Orochimaru in half.
His torso exploded into dirt.
"Earth Clone?!"
Chiyo spun just in time to block a kick from behind. Steel rang as Orochimaru's chakra blade swung down. Sparks flew as she parried.
She lashed out with her own threads, wrapping them toward his neck—
—but Orochimaru slipped away like a snake.
A cloud of smoke erupted behind him as ANOTHER kunai hurled past his ear.
He flinched and dissolved the Transformation Jutsu.
Chiyo froze.
His skin tone.
His features.
His chakra nature.
"He really IS a Cloud ninja!"
---
The Battle of Sand and Lightning
"Lightning Style: Thunder Crash!"
Orochimaru slammed his palms together, releasing a bolt of lightning that tore through the stone floor.
Chiyo leapt onto the wall, rolling effortlessly. Two scrolls snapped open from her hands—
—and two humanoid puppets emerged, rushing forward.
"Orochimaru," she spat, "I will personally end you."
The puppets' arms extended, revealing hidden blades. Their mouths opened, launching volleys of poisoned needles. The sound of whirring gears echoed through the chamber.
Orochimaru deflected the needles with twin kunai, stepping back, weaving between puppet strikes.
He wanted the sword back.
Chiyo saw his gaze flick toward the weapon.
He's going for it?
Her fingers danced, chakra threads turning the puppets' limbs into unpredictable, spiraling angles. Steel wires shot out, trying to bind him.
Orochimaru bent lightning into a kunai and hurled it—
—not at the puppets.
At the chakra threads.
Chiyo's pupils shrank.
He figured it out!
She retracted both hands immediately, dodging the lightning kunai.
That was all the time Orochimaru needed.
He dove, rolled, and reclaimed his chakra blade just as Chiyo spread her threads to resume control.
The Yin Seal on his wrist pulsed.
Yang chakra surged through his arm.
One swing—
SLASH!
A puppet collapsed in two.
Another swing—
Wires flew apart.
Orochimaru marveled briefly.
This standard chakra sword is surprisingly effective.
His eyes narrowed.
"I can't waste any more time with an OLD WOMAN like you!"
"…Old woman?"
Chiyo froze.
A vein bulged on her forehead.
She ripped open a sealed scroll—
The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
"YOU RUDE LITTLE BASTARD!" she screamed. "I'M IN THE PRIME OF MY YOUTH!"
Orochimaru took one glance at the scroll—
—and immediately turned to run.
No hesitation.
No shame.
Pure survival instinct.
He stabbed the chakra blade into the floor—
BOOM—FLASH—!
Lightning exploded outward, blinding Chiyo long enough for him to vanish.
"That insolent brat ran!" Chiyo howled, furious. "Unbelievable!"
She stomped the ground, nearly shaking the prison apart.
"Shameless Cloud ninja! Trying to kidnap our Ichibi!"
Her rage doubled as she remembered him calling her an old woman.
---
Aftermath
Once Chiyo stormed off, a tiny kikaichu shook itself free from debris and buzzed out of the prison.
Shukaku muttered inside Bunbuku's seal.
"Was that guy really a Cloud ninja? He didn't smell like one."
Bunbuku shrugged. "I don't care who he was."
He resumed meditating as though nothing had happened.
---
The Storm in Hidden Sand
Chiyo reported everything.
The Third Kazekage exploded with anger. Without hesitation, he ordered Bunbuku moved to an even deeper facility.
He also sent a furious letter to the Hidden Cloud.
Never once did he suspect this was an impersonation.
In his mind, no one else would stoop to such underhanded tactics.
---
The Raikage's Rage
In the Lightning Country, a deafening crash shook the Raikage's office.
Ay slammed his fist into his desk, splintering it into pieces.
Lightning flashed across his body as he read the letter.
"Slander! Ridiculous SLANDER!" he roared. "Why would the Hidden Cloud try to kidnap the One-Tail when we already have the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails?!"
His anger crackled in the air.
Cloud shinobi hadn't even left the village recently.
They didn't even know who the One-Tail's jinchūriki was.
This accusation was nothing but—
"A bucket of manure thrown from the sky onto our heads!"
Lightning surged around him as he tore the letter apart