Yoru took on the Land of Snow's mission not to play at "princess raising" or "superstar crafting," naturally.
After all, if he truly wanted to play such games, he wouldn't even need to say a word. Just a slight hint of his desire, and countless top-tier Kunoichi in Kirigakure Village would be climbing into his bed that very night.
That was the level of prestige Yoru now held within the village.
And no — it had nothing to do with "international prestige." The Land of Snow was an isolated, resource-poor territory, sitting on the outer fringe of the shinobi world. Even a top-class mission there wouldn't significantly raise his reputation.
What interested him were the assets buried within that land.
Chakra-Based Technology.
The Chakra Armor used by the Snow Ninja in the original timeline, and the advanced industrial tech of the Land of Snow — both were of tremendous value. Most crucially, there were the Hexagonal Crystals and the so-called "Geothermal Generator," the Rainbow Glacier.
In the events of Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, Dotō Kazahana used the Hexagonal Crystal to activate a Geothermal generator. In a matter of seconds, the blizzard-locked country turned into a land of eternal spring. Such force — capable of defying the very laws of nature — wasn't something a mere generator could replicate.
Even if it were a machine, it would require an impossible amount of energy to activate — and that energy was sealed within the Rainbow Glacier!.
Was it a mass accumulation of chakra?
Or a crystallization of natural energy?
Yoru wasn't certain. But one thing was clear: the Rainbow Glacier was a top-tier classified relic — an artifact on par with the Ryūmyaku in the Land of Wind, the "Star" from Hoshigakure, or the Grerl Stone.
Or even Mōryō — the monster that once threatened the entire world.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss, found in Kusagakure, had already allowed Yoru to unlock the secret to creating Hollows. If that was possible… could these other artifacts be combined with his Shinigami powers to create something even greater?
"Lord Fourth!"
The door opened and Hoshigaki Kisame entered, shark-like features sharp as ever.
At this stage, Kisame was already on the rise. His Water Release and kenjutsu were refined, and his brutal, unflinching combat style — honed during the height of the Bloody Mist era — placed him firmly among the elite jōnin.
Thanks to Kirigakure's political reforms and Yoru's purging of the intelligence division, this prodigy — who in the original timeline fell into disillusionment — was now back on the right path.
A soldier who doesn't want to become a general isn't a real soldier.
A Kirigakure shinobi who doesn't aspire to wield one of the Seven Ninja Swords isn't a real shinobi.
Kisame had already submitted an official request to inherit Samehada, one of the Seven Swords of the Mist.
"Mizukage-sama," Kisame bowed respectfully.
To him, Yoru — the man who led Kirigakure to victory over Konoha and seized the mantle of the Fourth Mizukage — was nothing short of a legend.
"This is your mission scroll," Yoru said, handing it over. "You'll be working with an ANBU team this time. Your objective is to protect Princess Koyuki Kazahana... but you'll also be handling a secret mission."
Kisame's eyes gleamed. "A secret mission?"
"I want you to acquire all chakra-based technology from the Land of Snow — including the Chakra Armor. Also, secure the Hexagonal Crystal, and investigate the Rainbow Glacie. Confirm whether it is a powerful artifact or something more... anomalous."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
Yoru continued, "This won't be an easy mission. I see you applied for Samehada... I'll authorize its use this time. If you prove you can wield its power effectively and return with results, I may approve its permanent transfer to you."
Kisame's normally impassive face lit up with a rare smile. "Understood!"
"Go."
Kisame bowed deeply and exited the office, energized.
But before Yoru could resume matters with Yuki Akira, another figure suddenly appeared in the room — tall, striking, with birch-green hair and a mask.
Her Shinigami shihakusho was tailored, open-backed to reveal smooth, pale skin. At her waist hung a wooden insignia, engraved with the kanji for "Ten" and a narcissus flower.
It was Pakura — or rather, the soul-form she now inhabited.
Without a word, she tossed something toward Yoru — a cage filled with restrained venomous snakes.
One white snake lifted its head inside the cage, golden slit eyes flickering, hissing as it scanned the room.
"Fascinating," Yoru said. "Where was it found?"
"Keimu Island," Pakura replied calmly.
Yoru's brow furrowed.
Keimu Island wasn't a well-known location. A barren outcrop in the Land of Water, it was recently designated by Yoru as a restricted zone for experimental summoning — a place to cultivate spiritual creatures and soul-bound anomalies.
"Curiosity without power will only get you killed," Yoru said coldly.
"Orochimaru."
His gaze shifted to the white snake. "Your Konoha and our Kirigakure are allies... but if you think sneaking into our territory is acceptable, you're mistaken. If I crush you here, I doubt Namikaze Minato would say a word."
The snake said nothing — and then, unnervingly, spoke in human language.
"I didn't expect the rumors to be true... you really can control souls."
"Shinigami. The Soul Society. And the soul-monsters you've caged on Keimu Island... Yuki Yoru, your ambitions go far beyond Kage or village."
Yoru raised an eyebrow. "And you?"
"You were one of the legendary Sannin. You earned distinction in the Second and Third Shinobi Wars... and yet Minato swept the Fourth Hokage title from under you."
"Now you bury yourself in research. I don't know if that's escapism or sincerity, but one thing I do know — Minato won't turn a blind eye to your human experiments the way Hiruzen once did."
"So what?" the snake hissed. "Then I'll defect."
"Have your bonds with Konoha truly faded?"
"Bonds are meaningless. I'm no longer that naive youth shouting about friendship. My purpose now is to master every ninjutsu, uncover the truth of the world — and ascend to the perfect form."
Yoru chuckled softly. "When did you get the impression that understanding all ninjutsu... would grant you the truth?"
The white snake flinched. Its golden eyes narrowed.
It slithered quietly across the desk, glancing at Pakura — once a deadly Sand shinobi, now utterly changed, under Yoru's command.
It said nothing for a long time.
Then finally:
"...Have you grasped the truth?"
"Not yet."
Yoru shrugged.
"I don't set lofty ideals as my life's endgame. I break them into stages. End the war. Become Mizukage. Establish the Shinigami and Soul Society within this world. One step at a time."
"So, Orochimaru — how far have you come in chasing your so-called 'ultimate form'?"
The snake was silent again.
"You lost the Hokage seat. Your experiments are restricted. Your ninjutsu incomplete."
Yoru's voice was as cold as a kunai's edge.
"Instead of managing your troubles in Konoha, you come crawling to my island... but guidance comes at a cost."
Orochimaru remained still, but unease crept through the golden eyes.
"What do you want?" the snake finally asked.
"That depends on what you can offer," Yoru replied. "I've extracted countless secrets from the dead — forbidden techniques, classified intel. If you want to barter with me, your price must be high."
"But take your time. Not everything happens overnight. You're at a turning point in life. You'll need the wind at your back."
"One last question."
"...Go on."
"Do you seek immortality for its own sake — or are you forced to pursue it because the truth lies further ahead?"
Yoru leaned in, eyes calm.
"Don't answer now. If you're serious, go to Wave Town. Someone will meet you."
"And before that, don't trespass in the Land of Water again."
The white snake suddenly felt the world twist. Its vision blurred, space distorted.
When it blinked again, it was in a forest.
It looked around — the Land of Fire.
"Yuki Yoru..."
The white snake murmured, its entire body turning into a white smoke and vanishing from the spot.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha...
In his underground lab, Orochimaru — seated calmly — suddenly trembled.
His connection to the white snake clone had just been severed.
He didn't panic. But for a brief moment, his chakra fluctuated — and that was enough.
The venomous snakes he had summoned earlier for training surged out of control. One even bit his exposed shoulder before he could react.
Anko, still young and inexperienced, gasped.
"Sensei!"
The snakes dispersed into puffs of smoke as Orochimaru countered, but a dark purple poison spread rapidly across his pale skin.
He staggered.
...Only for the toxin to rapidly recede, dissipating from his body as though it had never been.
Orochimaru exhaled slowly, then turned to Anko with a cold glance.
"This kind of poison won't affect me. You need to learn to create toxins only you can counteract... not recycle my discarded toys."
Before Anko could respond, a cold, masked voice cut through the air:
"Orochimaru-sama."
Several Anbu appeared in the courtyard.
"The Fourth Hokage requests your presence. Immediately."
Anko tensed. Panic flickered across her face.
Orochimaru gave a quiet nod, stood, and adjusted his robes.
"That's all for today. Anko—if you go out, remember to close the door."
"…Sensei…"
Later that day.
Mitarashi Anko sat across from Yūhi Kurenai at a dango stall near the training grounds, gloomily scarfing down red bean soup.
"Sensei's been so weird lately… Every day those Anbu show up like clockwork. Something's wrong."
She stuffed another skewer of dango into her mouth. Kurenai looked on helplessly and ordered two more skewers just to keep up.
"Orochimaru-sama is one of the village's top leaders," Kurenai said gently. "He was the chief commander during the war. And with the Fourth Hokage just taking office, of course he's got work to do."
"But he hasn't touched any of the political affairs…"
Anko stopped mid-chew, realizing she might've said too much. She quickly added, "I just… I've been having bad dreams, okay?"
"You're just under pressure," Kurenai reassured her. "You're a Sannin's disciple. You're bound to feel stressed."
She ruffled Anko's hair.
"Come on, you'll be Hokage one day, just like the Fourth."
"Sensei says I have red bean soup and dango for brains… not chakra."
Kurenai laughed. "Considering your stomach, he might be right."
She eyed the empty bowls stacked like a fortress around Anko, then glanced at her stomach — still as flat as ever.
"…You're not human."
In the Hokage's Office
"I'm willing to recognize Root's existence," Namikaze Minato said coldly, standing behind his desk, "but the actions carried out under its banner — those require answers."
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.
"Let me ask you again, plainly — does the individual who appeared at Higashimatsuyama have anything to do with Konoha?"
Minato was rarely angry. As the newly appointed Fourth Hokage, he often deferred to the Third's experience and respected the elders of the village.
But now?
Now he had found something intolerable: a living Wood Style test subject — in his own Anbu.
And not just any Anbu — those personally vetted by Hiruzen himself.
Tenzo... now called Yamato.
"You said it was an accident?" Minato's voice sharpened. "An accident born from human experimentation?"
"Konoha can have shadows. We can have a Root. But those shadows exist to nurture the village — not to cut off its branches before they bloom."
He stared at Hiruzen, eyes unwavering.
"Third Hokage. Do you really think I don't know what happened during your reign? The secret labs. The mind control techniques. The test subjects. The cover-ups. One after another."
"Enough!" Hiruzen snapped, his old pride rising instinctively — but his eyes fell on Minato's Hokage cloak.
He couldn't speak the words on his tongue.
He was no longer the Hokage.
The room went quiet.
"…I will fix it," Hiruzen said at last. "Everything born from my negligence... I'll deal with it."
"Can you really do that?" Minato asked. "Can you pass judgment on people who were your tools for decades?"
Hiruzen didn't respond.
He reached into his robes and threw down a scroll.
"Yamato is yours now. You handle him. As for Root... I will settle it."
He turned toward the door, pausing.
"…Konoha still lives in my heart. I served it as Hokage for thirty years."
Beneath Konoha — deep in one of his publicly known research labs — Orochimaru sat at a desk when the door suddenly slammed open.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, now armored, entered with a full squad of Anbu at his back.
Orochimaru didn't flinch. He turned slowly in his chair.
"So… you're here to settle accounts for Jiraiya's student, old man?"
Hiruzen's expression twisted.
"Why, Orochimaru? Why did it come to this?"
Was it Danzo's influence? Was it his own fault — neglect, power-hunger, pride?
Or was it just fate?
"Orochimaru," he said sternly. "Have you truly fallen so deep into darkness?"
"I'm curious," Orochimaru replied softly, "if you really cared about cleansing the darkness… why didn't you deal with Danzo before stepping down?"
"You gave him Root. Again. I thought you were using him to build political clout for the Fourth. But now… I see it clearly."
"You sacrificed me — your own student — for him."
Hiruzen clenched his fists.
"…When did you start the forbidden experiments?"
Orochimaru laughed.
"You still pretend you didn't know?"
"You already had Tenzo… Yamato. You saw Danzo's logs. You read his files."
"Don't lie to me."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
He had seen it all, long ago. But he had let it go — one was his lifelong comrade, the other his own disciple.
He had looked away.
But Minato had pushed too hard. Now there was no escape.
"Orochimaru," he said grimly, "come with me to the Hokage's office. I'll ensure your safety. The Fourth won't expose this yet — not so soon after taking power."
He used a Sound Release jutsu to whisper the words directly to him.
But Orochimaru's eyes didn't soften. He stared at the man who once called himself his teacher.
"…Orochimaru!"
"Orochimaru!!"
"…Sensei."
Orochimaru's voice was low and calm.
"You're truly old."
At that moment — dozens of serpents erupted from his sleeves.
The Anbu had no time to react before the snakes struck like lightning.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin