Not long after returning to Konoha, Uchiha Fugaku once again departed.
This time, however, he slipped away quietly, with only a select few aware of his absence.
Disguised as a wandering shinobi, he headed north of Konoha, leaving the Land of Fire and crossing into the Land of Rice Fields.
The Land of Rice Fields had once been a small nation without a shinobi village. But only a few years ago, a new hidden village was established there—Otogakure, the Village Hidden in Sound.
Though small and nowhere near the level of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, its founding had strengthened the nation's overall power. After all, many smaller countries lacked shinobi villages of their own and had no choice but to rely on the Five Great Villages whenever crises arose.
Little was known about Otogakure beyond rumors that its leader was formidable. But Fugaku knew better. The man at the helm was none other than Orochimaru, a legendary shinobi who had defected from the Akatsuki.
With someone of Orochimaru's caliber—a veteran with Kage-level power—Otogakure's strength rivaled that of the Five Great Villages, making it arguably the strongest of the smaller shinobi villages.
Fugaku had come here for one reason: Orochimaru, having once been a member of Akatsuki, was the most likely person to know the organization's hidden whereabouts.
The Land of Rice Fields wasn't large, and Fugaku soon reached Otogakure. He made no effort to conceal his presence, and was quickly spotted by its shinobi.
Whoosh!
Three figures flickered into place, surrounding him.
"What business do you have in Otogakure?" one of them demanded.
"Bring Orochimaru to me," Fugaku replied plainly.
With his current strength, he had no need for pretense.
The three shinobi's expressions hardened. Among them, a long-haired woman wielded a senbon with tiny bells attached.
"This is Otogakure. There is no such person as Orochimaru, the S-class rogue of Konoha!" she snapped.
"No need to cover it up," Fugaku said calmly. "I know Orochimaru is the leader of this village. Go fetch him."
Their eyes turned cold. "The fact that Lord Orochimaru's position as Otogakure's leader has leaked is unacceptable. Capture him and interrogate him—we must find out how much he knows!"
The three moved in to strike, but before their weapons landed, Fugaku's hands blurred and tapped each of them. In an instant, their bodies froze in place, unable to move.
He had severed their chakra flow, rendering them immobile. It was a technique he had once seen used by the Byakugan clan on the moon—and copied for himself.
"Looks like I'll have to find him myself."
Stepping past the immobilized shinobi, Fugaku pressed deeper into the village.
"Enemy attack!"
The alarm rang through Otogakure, and more than a dozen shinobi rushed at him. Others converged as the warning spread.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Though it was the simplest of wind-style jutsu, in Fugaku's hands—bolstered by his mastery of ninjutsu and tailed-beast-level chakra—it unleashed terrifying power.
A violent storm roared forth. The onrushing shinobi were shredded with bloody gashes and hurled back faster than they had charged. They hit the ground hard, too injured to rise.
Fugaku strode past them.
"Who dares storm Otogakure?"
Reinforcements arrived—four young men and one girl, clearly the elite among the crowd. Their chakra was stronger than the rest, and the others instinctively rallied around them.
Fugaku's gaze lingered on one youth with two crimson markings on his forehead.
It wasn't his strength that drew Fugaku's eye—it was recognition.
This was Kimimaro, the boy Orochimaru had once taken from Kirigakure. By all rights, Kimimaro's deadly bloodline illness should have flared up by now. Somehow, Orochimaru had prolonged his life.
"How dare you invade Otogakure!" the girl snarled, lifting a flute. A haunting melody spilled forth, twisting into a genjutsu.
"A genjutsu triggered by sound?" Fugaku mused, intrigued. Clever enough to catch the unprepared off guard—but too weak.
The tomoe in his Sharingan spun.
"Aah!"
The girl's eyes widened in horror, and she collapsed with a scream, unconscious.
"Tayuya!" the other four stiffened. For her to fall so quickly…
"Use the Curse Marks!"
Dark patterns spread across their bodies, twisting their forms—horns sprouted, hair turned white, their power surging.
But Fugaku looked almost bored. Even Orochimaru himself struggled to pique his interest.
They attacked with deadly techniques:
"Secret Art: Spider War Bow—Terrifying Split!""Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis—Flower!"
…
Fugaku responded with another wind-style jutsu.
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
Compressed gales blasted forward like a typhoon, obliterating everything in their path. The quartet's attacks crumbled, and they were swept away in the storm's fury.
Only Kimimaro managed to withstand the blast; the others were hurled aside, broken and bleeding.
Even many of the surrounding shinobi were sent flying.
"What terrifying strength…"
Kimimaro's expression tightened. The enemy before him radiated a danger even greater than Orochimaru himself—though he quickly dismissed the thought. Orochimaru could not be surpassed.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern!"
He began weaving hand seals, ready to unleash his strongest jutsu despite the toll it would take on his frail body.
But before he could complete it—
"Kimimaro, stand down."
A cold, serpentine voice cut through the chaos.
Kimimaro froze.
From the shadows emerged a pale-skinned man with purple markings around his eyes and snake-like earrings dangling from his ears.
Orochimaru.
"So, you finally show yourself," Fugaku said with a faint smile.
He had concealed his true identity for this very moment, worried Orochimaru might not appear otherwise.
"Sharingan… and such mastery of it. You must be of the Uchiha clan. That isn't your real face, is it?" Orochimaru asked, narrowing his eyes.
In truth, he had been watching all along, observing from the sidelines until certain this intruder posed no direct threat to him.
"It's been a while, Orochimaru."
Fugaku released his disguise, revealing his true face.
"…Uchiha Fugaku."
Orochimaru's casual air vanished, his body tensing, hair standing on end. He remembered all too well the humiliation of being captured by this man. Worse, he knew Fugaku hadn't even shown his full power then.
Anyone who could defeat him without going all out was not to be taken lightly.
Still, Orochimaru had since delved deep into forbidden techniques, growing far stronger.
"Why have you come here?" he asked coldly.
"I need information. The Akatsuki have gone underground. If anyone knows where they're hiding, it's you."
"And why," Orochimaru hissed, "should I tell you?"
His slit-like eyes narrowed dangerously. He indeed had theories about Akatsuki's base—but why share them with an enemy?
"Do you really think you're in a position to refuse me?" Fugaku smiled, though the menace in it made Orochimaru's skin crawl.
"You're too arrogant, Fugaku," Orochimaru sneered. "I am no longer the same as before. If you think you can bend me to your will, you are gravely mistaken."
His hands flashed through seals.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Seven coffins erupted from the ground, their lids crashing open one by one.
From within stepped figures of legend:
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
The Third Raikage, A.
The Third Kazekage, the strongest in his village's history.
The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
Every one of them—former Kage of the Five Great Villages.