Around the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company, the most prosperous business district of the Land of Waves had formed. Merchants bustled through the streets, their voices blending with the creak of wagon wheels and the clatter of hooves. Inns and hotels filled with travelers and traders stood side by side, their banners fluttering in the coastal wind.
Dockworkers strained under the weight of crates as they carried goods to the trade ships anchored at the harbor. Teams of hired ninja escorted the vessels to the Land of Fire, where they would deliver the medicines and supplies to designated towns. Business was booming; the Land of Waves had never been so lively.
Jiraiya crouched by the roadside, his expression sour as he watched the stream of workers.
"When will it be our turn?! We've been waiting forever!"
Tsunade crossed her arms, equally restless. "It should be soon." Her golden eyes shifted toward Orochimaru, who sat calmly nearby, scribbling furiously in a notebook.
Curious, she leaned over his shoulder, but instantly regretted it. The dense wall of characters filled the page like a suffocating tide. She retreated with a sigh. What is he writing at a time like this?
Then it hit her. Don't tell me this is another draft of that shameless novel, "Royal Uncle"…
Her cheeks flushed. She clenched her fists, imagining what Jiraiya's reaction would be if he ever discovered that Orochimaru, of all people, wrote a romance novel.
"You…" she turned and glared at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya flinched as though he had been struck by lightning. "W-what are you going to do now?!" He backed away instinctively, sweat beading on his forehead. He couldn't possibly know what she was thinking, but Tsunade's glare made him feel like a condemned man awaiting judgment.
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White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company
Inside the company headquarters, Orochimaru's Shadow Clone placed a neatly folded paper on the desk in front of Qing He.
"Qing He, this is the herbal tea recipe. The effects are written on the second page."
"Herbal tea?" Qing He frowned and flipped the page. His eyes widened. The description of its restorative effects made his hands tremble. This tea… could it really do all this?
He looked from the recipe to Orochimaru, then back again.
"Qing He," Orochimaru said with a faint smile, his tone polite but carrying a chilling undercurrent, "remember, you must not tell anyone this came from me. Officially, this recipe is a gift from Konoha's Vice-Hokage, Danzo Shimura. Do you understand?"
Qing He swallowed hard. "Yes… Orochimaru-sama, rest assured!"
Even though Orochimaru smiled, Qing He's skin prickled. Goosebumps rose along his arms, and he instinctively activated his life-saving Smoke Clone Technique. His body dissolved into drifting smoke, half-substantial, half-ethereal—difficult to strike with taijutsu or ninjutsu that wasn't Wind Release. The form drained chakra rapidly, but Qing He used it whenever he felt threatened.
At that moment—
Bang!
A sticky, mud-like substance clung to the window, glowing with dangerous light before exploding.
The commercial district outside erupted in chaos. People who had been laughing moments earlier now screamed, scattering in every direction.
"Isn't that the White Snake Company?!"
"They're attacking the President's office!"
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Counterattack
"Wind Release: Fierce Wind Palm!"
Orochimaru's hands blurred through seals, movements so fast they left afterimages. He clapped his palms together, releasing a violent gust that swallowed the explosion and blew away the smoke.
When the dust cleared, a ninja with painted facial markings stood in the room. His disdainful gaze landed on Qing He.
"White Snake Company President, even if you're going to hire bodyguards, at least pick reliable ones. What good is a child? Can he protect—"
Before he finished, Qing He dissolved into smoke again. The intruder froze, eyes widening as his limbs refused to obey him.
"How dare you look down on Orochimaru-sama!"
Qing He's voice echoed beside his ear. The smoke coalesced into hands that seized the ninja's neck, tightening slowly.
"My… body… I can't move…" The intruder choked, panic twisting his features as saliva dripped from his mouth. "W-what are you…?"
"You'll die in pain for insulting Orochimaru-sama!" Qing He's fury was genuine. To the Iburi Clan, Orochimaru was no mere master. He was their savior, the one who had lifted them out of darkness and given them dignity. To insult him was unforgivable.
The ninja's face turned red as he struggled against the invisible grip.
"Wataru! What are you doing?!"
A woman burst through the shattered wall. Her eyes widened at the sight of her comrade strangling himself. Even the cruelest Genjutsu couldn't make someone voluntarily choke to death.
She rushed forward to intervene.
"Wind Release: Night Wind!"
Orochimaru's fingers curled, shaping the air currents into a spiraling tornado that swallowed her.
Bang!
The woman's body twisted—and turned into a chair before being shredded apart.
"Substitution Jutsu?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, stepping aside. Lightning crackled at his fingertips.
"Lightning Release: Five Finger Lightning Bullet!"
The woman reappeared, lunging with a kunai. But instead of striking Orochimaru, she impaled herself upon his waiting hand. Electricity surged through her body. She shrieked, smoke rising from her clothes, before collapsing unconscious.
Orochimaru bent and retrieved the kunai. The blade gleamed with a sickly tint. He sniffed it lightly.
"A paralytic poison… prepared in advance to capture Qing He alive? Hmph. Such troublesome persistence."
He tossed the weapon aside. "Qing He, don't kill them. We need information. Find out who sent them."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
The smoke figure of Qing He stepped from the paralyzed ninja's body, solidifying again. His eyes blazed with hatred. If not for Orochimaru's orders, he would have ended their lives without hesitation.
---
Reinforcements
A shadow streaked across the room as Orochimaru vanished in an instant, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to slip away. Qing He's heart trembled. So fast… I couldn't even see him move!
Moments later, the true Orochimaru entered with Tsunade and Jiraiya. They stopped short at the wreckage.
"Konoha ninja?" Orochimaru's eyes glinted as he examined the attackers on the ground.
Qing He straightened his clothes, voice calm. "As you see, these hired assassins came for me. Fortunately, my guards neutralized them." He glanced at the ruined walls and sighed. "I'll need to have my office repaired."
Jiraiya stared at the unconscious intruders, crestfallen. "I didn't even get a chance to show off…"
Tsunade smacked his back. "Quit whining!"
"We must continue our mission," Orochimaru said. His form blurred into shadows as he leapt out through the broken wall. Tsunade and Jiraiya followed.
Outside, the merchants who had witnessed the attack shouted in anger, rallying with improvised weapons as if their own homes had been threatened. Their loyalty to the White Snake Company baffled outsiders. Why was this business so deeply respected?
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Chapter 65: Uzumaki Chigusa, Who Likes to Read Royal Uncle Novels?
Far across the sea lay the Whirlpool Country, home of the Uzumaki Clan. Though called a country, it was little more than a single village: Uzushiogakure. According to maps, the island nation was tiny, nestled near the Land of Fire.
The Uzumaki were distant relatives of the Senju Clan, descendants of Asura Ōtsutsuki, and inherited his boundless vitality. Their trademark was their crimson hair, which would fade to white when their chakra or life force was depleted.
Because of their resilience, the clan members lived long lives, and Uzushiogakure was nicknamed the Village of Longevity. After the death of Uzumaki Ashina, who had signed the alliance with Hashirama Senju, leadership passed to Uzumaki Chigusa, a vivacious young woman with brilliant red hair and eyes to match. She was hailed as the strongest sealing technique user of her generation.
Disguised as the kunoichi Miya, Orochimaru's Shadow Clone crossed the Uzumaki Bridge, taking in the village's scenery.
Danzo had provided much of the information about Uzushiogakure. Since it wasn't classified, Hiruzen had no reason to object. After all, Orochimaru's curiosity was well known. His every great discovery had started as idle research.
The bridge overlooked a river winding into the sea, where a vast whirlpool churned eternally. Many believed this whirlpool inspired the clan's spiral crest. Throughout the village, houses and towers bore the emblem proudly.
Children's laughter rang behind Miya. She paused to watch two little ones dash past, their red hair bouncing in the sunlight. For a moment, her expression softened. Such a peaceful place.
Yet the peace was an illusion. History recorded that Uzushiogakure would soon face destruction. Its unparalleled sealing techniques had alarmed the great nations, prompting a coalition invasion.
Though mighty in Fuinjutsu, the Uzumaki lacked warriors. The attack by the Shinobi Alliance should not have gone unnoticed by Konoha, Miya thought. Given Uzushiogakure's small size, surely the villagers could have been evacuated? Why hadn't they been saved?
Perhaps it hadn't been the full Alliance that attacked, but handpicked elites from multiple villages. That would explain why Konoha did not intervene—or perhaps why they could not.
Mito Uzumaki was still alive then, the wife of the First Hokage. Could Hiruzen really have allowed her people to perish? Or had the situation been manipulated from the shadows?
And another question lingered: why would rival ninja villages cooperate so readily?
Was it pre-arranged?
Miya's crimson eyes narrowed as she crossed into the heart of Uzushiogakure, where destiny awaited.
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