Orochimaru lifted his head slightly, a confident smile stretching beneath the shadow of his hood. His posture alone radiated certainty. The White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Corporation had already demonstrated its capabilities to every shinobi village. The weapons mounted on their compact armored trucks were proof enough: White Snake Company was not an entity to provoke casually.
Anyone who dared make a move against them would have to accept the consequences.
Uzumaki Chigusa, standing beside Orochimaru, watched the confidence on his face and felt her worries melt away. When Orochimaru finally pulled back his hood, exposing the pale white horns that sprouted only in Sage Mode, her eyes widened in fascinated curiosity.
"Ah… Orochimaru—can I touch them?"
She reached toward his horns, ignoring the startled glances from Aokawa, Setsuryu, and even Kakuzu. Everyone secretly wondered what they felt like. Those porcelain horns only appeared when Orochimaru accessed Sage Mode—something no one else present had ever been this close to.
"Chigusa, that's enough." Orochimaru gently pushed her hand away. "There is something I need to ask you—and the survivors of Uzushiogakure."
Chigusa immediately sobered at his tone. The playful spark vanished from her eyes.
"What is it?"
Orochimaru folded his hands. "In the future… what do you all plan to do? Do you wish to rebuild Uzushiogakure on its ruins? Or join Konoha? Or perhaps remain here, in the Land of Waves?"
To Orochimaru, it didn't matter where they chose to live. He already possessed cultivated samples from many Uzumaki clan members. Zero-Tails cells had eliminated his dependency on Uzumaki vitality for his experiments.
Still, since he had intervened on behalf of the survivors, he felt compelled to follow the matter through. If he was going to help someone—he would help them completely.
Chigusa inhaled deeply. "Honestly… I don't know. I respect their wishes. Some may want to join Konoha. Some may want to rebuild our original homeland. And some may prefer to stay here."
Her gaze softened with melancholy. Uzushiogakure was already gone. Trying to force a revival without the villagers' will would be meaningless.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is that truly what you want? If you asked them to rebuild the village… every Uzumaki survivor would follow you. They'd stand behind you without hesitation."
"People change," Chigusa said with a soft smile. "I've thought about this a long time. Let the villagers decide. We'll hold a meeting and gather their opinions."
"…Inform me when the decision is made."
Orochimaru closed the topic, uninterested in dictating the fate of the Uzumaki. His priorities were elsewhere. He turned his attention to Aokawa, Setsuryu, and Kakuzu.
"How are things progressing in the Land of Rain?"
Setsuryu stepped forward and placed a thick document on the table. "Lady Orochimaru, we have completed reconnaissance. Rain Mountain remains the primary cause of the Land of Rain's constant precipitation. Destroying it with chakra explosives is possible but requires an enormous amount."
Orochimaru flipped through the papers. As he suspected—Rain Mountain obstructed airflow, generating the permanent storms of Amegakure.
Blowing up the mountain was one option, but not the ideal one.
A mountain shaped by nature… can be reshaped by Sage Art.
There was another method.
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation.
By altering the very terrain, Orochimaru could transform Rain Mountain from a single towering peak into a chain of smaller, connected ridges—removing the obstruction entirely. However, using such a technique on that scale would demand massive amounts of Sage Chakra, far more than he alone could supply.
Whether the Land of Rain was worth such an investment… that was the real question.
At present, they were allied with the White Snake Company. But the future? Who knew?
Hanzo in his prime was formidable. But the older Hanzo? He had devolved into a paranoid tyrant, eventually manipulated by Shimura Danzo. His failures had indirectly birthed Pain and warped the original ideals of the Akatsuki.
People—especially leaders—tended to make foolish decisions as they aged.
Not only Hanzo—Konoha's elders were no exception.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, while still energetic now, was already making questionable decisions. During the Sky Ninja invasion, Hiruzen, Danzo, and the two elders had rushed to the front lines dramatically. Rumor even claimed Hiruzen pushed the enemy's airborne fortress away with his adamantine staff—an exaggeration, but widely believed.
Sarutobi ninjas idolized him.
Monkey Mountain's monkeys idolized Enma.
And Danzo… was immortalized for drinking Shimura herbal tea.
The rumor that Shimura tea made Wind Release easier to learn spread so fast that its sales skyrocketed. Danzo was furious—yet helpless. Even his own clan members bought the tea in bulk, asking whether drinking it could help them master Wind Release sooner.
All Danzo could do was suffer in silence.
Meanwhile, two assistant Hokage who fought alongside them were completely forgotten by the public.
Orochimaru, hearing these stories, couldn't decide whether to laugh or sigh. The common folk of Konoha possessed terrifying creativity—linking herbal tea to ninjutsu proficiency.
In retrospect, Konoha's upper echelons had made foolish decision after foolish decision in their twilight years—except during the Nine-Tails Attack. After that, they seemed to vanish conveniently from responsibility.
Regardless, the Land of Rain was currently aligned with White Snake Company. If Hanzo ever made another foolish decision in the future, the Land of Rain would simply gain a new leader.
Orochimaru closed the document. "Our immediate priority is restoring Naino's vitality."
"Aokawa, prepare a room. Chigusa, fetch Naino."
Chigusa blinked. "Orochimaru… have you already found a solution?"
Her expression was full of disbelief. Orochimaru had only recently studied the Uzumaki Forbidden Scrolls. Could he already have deciphered a countermeasure?
Orochimaru smirked and pulled out a prepared scroll. "Based on the Uzumaki Clan's Forbidden Technique — Cursed Seal Blood Trace — and Sky Ninja Leader Shinno's Forbidden Art — Body Regeneration — I have created a new technique."
He placed the scroll on the table.
"Reverse Cursed Seal: Blood Trace. You will soon witness its effects."
Hyuga Mio, sitting quietly on the couch, lifted her eyes the moment Orochimaru mentioned her. Even so, her expression remained distant, her posture stiff and unapproachable — as if her very presence whispered, don't talk to me unless necessary.
Kakuzu perked up at the term "Forbidden Technique." After all, his Jiongu threads were technically one as well.
Chigusa, meanwhile, stared at the scroll with growing excitement. If this technique truly restored vitality, then Naino's faded hair color — the Uzumaki sign of diminished life force — might return.
"Orochimaru," Chigusa said anxiously, "this won't harm you, will it? If it does, Naino and I won't accept it."
"Don't worry," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "It harms no one."
Except those with vitality-rich flesh… but you won't know that now, he added silently.
"Go get Naino quickly. Unlike you adults who have time to drink tea all day, I am very busy."
Chigusa puffed her cheeks but hurried off.
---
The Procedure Begins
Inside the designated room, Naino stood nervously, hands twisting together.
"Orochimaru, w-when does it start? Do I need to draw sealing formulas? Prepare anything? I can help! I've gotten really good at sealing scripts lately—Chief Chigusa even praised me!"
She puffed out her chest proudly, clearly hoping to delay the process.
"Stop. You don't need to do anything," Orochimaru said flatly. "Just stand still."
"Mio," Orochimaru called.
Hyuga Mio activated her Byakugan immediately. The veins bulged around her eyes as she focused on monitoring Naino's internal condition.
"Imu, prepare for emergencies."
"Yes, Lady Orochimaru!"
Imu's hands moved quickly, laying out a frightening number of medicine bottles—revitalization pills, blood-replenishing pills, soldier pills, pain suppressants, healing stimulants, and more.
Setsuryu stared blankly. "How much… did you teach her?"
The scroll Orochimaru tossed into the air unfurled by itself. A glowing crimson seal shot toward Naino.
"Ah!" Naino yelped, trying to run.
"Kıpırdama." Orochimaru growled—his long white snake tail instantly coiled around her and pinned her in place.
"Reverse Cursed Seal: Blood Trace — Reversal of Life!"
Brilliant red sealing scripts wrapped around Naino's body. The air shimmered. Her dull hair shifted—first sparkles of red, then deepening into a vivid, brilliant crimson.
Warmth flooded through her body. The fatigue from using the Forbidden Technique evaporated. Her skin regained its rosy glow.
Everyone stared in amazement.
"It… worked?" Imu whispered, disappointed she didn't get to use her medicines.
Hyuga Mio exhaled. "Successful. Her vitality has fully returned."
Orochimaru nodded, satisfied, and withdrew his snake tail.
"Thank you, Orochimaru!" Naino cried, leaping into his arms in excitement. "You're amazing! A genius! The greatest genius ever!"
At that exact moment—
Deep within Shikkotsu Forest, Tsunade paused mid-punch. Her fists tingled, and an inexplicable irritation washed over her.
"Katsuyu… did something annoying happen?"
The slug sage tilted her head. "What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?"
"I don't know," Tsunade muttered. "Maybe I'm imagining things. Anyway—let's continue training! I'm going to show Orochimaru just how strong I've gotten!"
---
Suspicions
Later, in the quiet corridor, Chigusa confronted Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru," she said sternly, "tell me the truth. Where did the vitality come from?"
She wasn't fooled. Reverse Cursed Seal: Blood Trace was a Forbidden Technique for a reason. It absorbed life force from external sources.
"Chigusa," Orochimaru replied calmly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Trust me. The vitality does not belong to anyone. Perhaps one day… you'll understand."
Or perhaps you won't, he added silently.
His golden eyes met hers, deep and unreadable.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)