In Iwagakure, Kitsuchi sat at the heart of the village—utterly blindsided by the news.
The old man had barely left, and already Deidara—his treasured pupil, no matter how often they clashed—had been abducted.
On top of that, far too many Iwa shinobi had died.
"Any updates from the investigative team?" Kitsuchi asked, rubbing his temples.
So far, 73 confirmed fatalities—both from the ambush squads at the border and the group escorting Kurotsuchi and Deidara.
Only two pieces of intel were worth anything:
Rainbows. Invisible.
Genjutsu. Effective, but not perfect.
Anyone who sees the rainbow turns into a snail—without exception.
The rainbow had vanished from the battle's center, but the ground was still crawling with snails.
Out of the 48 investigators, 3 had completely turned, and the remaining 45 were all in various stages of irreversible snailification.
"Genjutsu slows the transformation, but unless we find a genjutsu user strong enough, it's only delaying the inevitable," said a hardened jonin.
He wasn't just anyone—this was Diego, Deidara's older brother.
"I'm already tracking the rainbow's source. The caster can't fully suppress it. Once I find him... I'll eliminate him." Diego's tone was like steel.
Someone had dared to abduct Deidara—on Earth Country soil. Unforgivable.
According to Kurotsuchi, Deidara was still alive. But Diego knew: Sandmaru was dead.
And Sandmaru mattered more than most realized. Diego knew the truth—his own left eye and Sandmaru's right eye came from the same sacred corpse.
If Sandmaru weren't an Iwa shinobi, Diego would've taken that eye long ago.
He couldn't let it fall into Konoha's hands.
"Can you handle it?" Kitsuchi didn't question the decision—just its likelihood.
"Yes." Diego bowed. "That jutsu is an existential threat to our nation. If he activates it in a vital location, it could spell doom for the Land of Earth. So I have the resolve, the will—and the obligation to act."
"Then take anyone you need. Full support." Kitsuchi affirmed.
"Yes, Lord Kitsuchi!" Diego already had his squad in mind. He had identified the rainbow's key weakness and was confident in his plan.
"The range of the jutsu is enormous, and indiscriminate," Kitsuchi continued. "Until it ends or the caster is stopped, he won't leave the Land of Grass."
We must kill or capture him before he moves.
The ideal outcome: capture. If the caster held the method to undo the transformation, he could be weaponized by Iwagakure.
Kitsuchi looked calm, but his grip on the report trembled. He imagined Onoki returning—he'd be flayed alive for this.
"All hope's on you, Diego," he muttered.
As for Kitsuchi, he couldn't leave the village. The Tsuchikage had taken the Jinchūriki to Turtle Island—Kitsuchi's absence would invite Konoha or the Land of Wind to strike.
Ishiki Kujo was oblivious to all of this.
He was still experimenting with Weather Report, trying to explore its potential.
But today, something changed.
He felt movement—life—beneath the soil.
A snake?
The thought barely formed before the ground beneath his feet cracked open, and a colossal serpent's maw lunged straight at him.
A summoning jutsu.
Only one person came to mind: Orochimaru.
Ishiki's hands flashed through seals—
Triple Rashōmon!
Three massive demonic gates slammed from the sky, pinning the snake in place and hurling it away.
Clouds formed beneath Ishiki's feet as he floated above the chaos.
"A bit excessive for a greeting, don't you think, Lord Orochimaru?" he called out.
From the snake's gaping mouth, a figure emerged, wearing a Konoha jōnin flak jacket.
Orochimaru.
"Quite the jutsu you've developed, Ishiki," he praised, grinning. "I didn't expect you'd isolate yourself here in the Land of Grass."
"And your reason for dropping in?" Ishiki kept his tone neutral—though his heart was racing.
They were both inside the Heavy Weather zone.
The rainbow was active. The serpent—massive as it was—had already begun transforming into a snail, its body bloating, its scales softening.
But Orochimaru was unaffected.
How?
"I came to bring you a gift," the Sannin said casually.
"A gift?" Ishiki frowned.
"One to make you stronger." Orochimaru's grin stretched. "Ishiki... have you heard of Cursed Seals?"
Ishiki shook his head.
"Remember what I told you last time? Human potential has limits. But to break those limits—I created the cursed seal." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with obsession. "With one inscribed on your body, you'll gain power beyond humanity."
"I'm not interested," Ishiki replied flatly. "I'm fine as I am. And I hope you're not expecting anything strange from me."
"Oh? And what makes you think you still have a choice?" Orochimaru said, unbothered. "Your jutsu is likely a bloodline limit. Strong, but not unbreakable. A little work on one's subconscious is all it takes to nullify the rainbow's effects."
He reached out—through the rainbow.
The light passed through his palm harmlessly. No snailification. No change.
"See? Science, Ishiki. Once you understand the core principles, any jutsu can be unraveled." His voice trembled with excitement. "Yours is powerful, yes—but also flawed. If one fails to identify the threat, it's nearly unstoppable. But once you know, the curse is slow... predictable."
"I analyzed it carefully," Orochimaru added. "Even I would've succumbed—had I not prepared."
Then his smile deepened.
"You're remarkable, Ishiki. Accept my cursed seal. Become my true apprentice. With your potential... you'd surpass all my former experiments."
"I can offer you eternal life, limitless jutsu... anything you desire. Isn't that what you want?"
His confidence was absolute.
He believed he understood Ishiki: someone willing to abandon attachments, betray villages, risk everything to transcend limits. Cold, calculating, self-reliant.
He believed Ishiki would trade anything for evolution.
But—
"No."
Ishiki looked him dead in the eye, voice steady.
"I refuse."