"Can't we just ask the people around us?"
Riku noticed that the pedestrians nearby didn't seem surprised by the golden object flying overhead. It looked like an everyday sight to them.
"Excuse me," Ashu said as he approached a passerby. "May I ask what that thing in the sky is?"
The man looked at them with slight surprise, then chuckled. "You don't know? Is this your first time in the Land of Waves? That's Mr. Kakuzu's personal vehicle—a luxury sedan developed by the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company. It isn't sold to the public. Only company personnel are allowed to use it. Mr. Kakuzu often flies it around to patrol the Land of Waves and the surrounding region."
"Patrol?"
Ashu glanced at the golden sedan again. The word brought up some unpleasant memories.
"Yes, patrols," the man continued. "The Land of Waves is safe, but there are always conflicts when merchants from many nations gather. Mr. Kakuzu's patrols remind troublemakers to behave."
"Thank you very much," Ashu said.
"No problem. Enjoy your time here."
Ashu returned to the others and relayed what he had learned.
"So it's not a special ninjutsu tool…"
Ran Do stared at the shrinking golden speck in the sky. He had assumed it was a secret ninja device.
Riku had thought the same.
The three walked on, observing their surroundings, until they finally reached the towering headquarters of White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company. The building gleamed in the sunlight, luxurious and imposing. The trio froze at the entrance for a moment, trading uneasy glances, before gathering their courage and stepping inside.
"Hello, may I help you?"
The receptionist greeted them with a polished smile. From their clothing, she instantly recognized them as ninja.
"Ah—hello."
Ashu hurried forward, fumbled in his pocket, and produced a business card. He handed it over with both hands. "We… we were sent by Orochimaru."
Surrounded by the receptionist's immaculate attire, the marble floors, and the elegant employees, Ashu felt painfully out of place. Compared to this world of refinement, he and his clanmates looked like people from another era. And all the gazes in the lobby seemed fixed on them.
"I see…" The receptionist's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, but her smile warmed. "Please wait a moment. Someone will come to escort you."
A chime sounded as the elevator opened.
"Hello. I'm Setsuryu. Please follow me."
The man motioned for them to join him. As they walked, he studied them discreetly.
So these are the Chinoike… They didn't send the whole clan, just three representatives.
It made sense. The Chinoike Clan, after generations of persecution and exile, had learned to be cautious. Carelessness could have erased them from history.
The elevator carried them to the rooftop lounge.
"This is the company's rooftop rest area. Please relax while you wait."
The trio explored the open-air lounge, marveling at the modern furnishings and the view. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind swept over them.
The golden sedan descended onto a landing platform nearby. Its door opened, and a tall figure stepped out—Kakuzu, in a suit and sunglasses, polished shoes gleaming like gold.
"Whoa! That's so cool!" Ran Do breathed.
Kakuzu approached them, adjusting his tie as he removed his sunglasses. His gaze lingered briefly on Ran Do before shifting to the group as a whole.
"You are from the Chinoike Clan, yes? I am Kakuzu, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company."
"I-I'm Ashu. This is Ran Do, and this is Riku," Ashu introduced nervously.
"I've already heard about your clan from Orochimaru," Kakuzu said. "I'll show you around the company. Whether or not you join is entirely up to you."
He guided them through various departments, explaining the company's philosophy—using science to improve lives—and making something else clear: even if the Chinoike joined, the company would not participate in revenge against the Land of Lightning or the Uchiha.
White Snake Pharmaceutical was neutral. It would not involve itself in the grudges of any nation or clan. If the Chinoike wished to join, they must abandon all thoughts of retribution.
This unsettled Riku and Ran Do, but since no decision had been made yet, they kept their thoughts to themselves.
Ashu, however, agreed with the philosophy. When he let go of his clan's resentment toward the Uchiha, even if only momentarily, he found the truth in Orochimaru's words: joining this company was the Chinoike Clan's only path forward.
The three didn't stay long. They soon returned to Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Springs.
Shortly after, the entire Chinoike Clan migrated to the Land of Waves and officially joined White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company. News spread quickly across the ninja world, reaching even the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Chinoike Clan…
Raikage A read through the report his secretary had compiled. The longer he read, the more the veins on his forehead bulged. He slammed a fist onto his new desk, barely stopping himself from breaking it again.
"Those idiotic nobles! The Chinoike Clan should have been a Bloodline Limit clan of the Hidden Cloud!"
The Ketsuryugan was not inferior to the Uchiha's Sharingan. To think that arrogant nobles had exiled such a valuable clan—to Hell Valley, no less!
If the Chinoike hadn't resurfaced on their own, A wouldn't even have known so many of them were still alive.
And now, White Snake Pharmaceutical had taken them in. Hidden Cloud had lost a treasure because of past stupidity—and there was nothing A could do about it. It felt like having something precious snatched right out of his hands.
---
Chapter 138 – War Among the Small Nations
After the Mount Yura incident, tensions between nations eased slightly—only for renewed skirmishes and probing attacks to break out soon after.
The Land of Iron initially planned to bypass the hard-to-invade Land of Waterfalls and instead strike the Land of Grass. But before its samurai reached Grass territory, they were intercepted by ninja forces dispatched by the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields.
Though the Land of Rice lacked a hidden village, it had many ninja clans—proud, ambitious, eager to prove their worth. Backed by their Daimyo, they believed defeating the Land of Iron would bring prestige and strengthen their clans' reputations across the ninja world.
Mifune had not expected the usually quiet Rice Fields to launch a direct attack on the Land of Iron. Abandoning his plan to invade Grass, he rallied his samurai to confront the ninja forces head-on.
The forest battlefield shook with screams, explosions, and clashing steel. Blood soaked the earth, streaming together into crimson rivulets.
The Rice Fields ninja soon realized they were no match for the disciplined samurai. They retreated in disarray.
Mifune, unwilling to let such a justified opportunity slip away, regrouped briefly, then prepared an invasion of the Land of Rice.
Meanwhile, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass learned of the Land of Iron's earlier intentions. Enraged, he commanded the leader of Hidden Grass Village to retaliate.
But the Grass Village chief had no desire to face Mifune's fearsome samurai directly. Instead, he dispatched ninja to conduct hit-and-run raids inside the Land of Iron.
Boom—boom—BOOM!
Explosive tags tore apart buildings in Iron's towns. By the time samurai arrived, the attackers had already vanished.
Mifune received these reports just as he was cutting down ninja in the Land of Rice. Furious, he abandoned the Rice campaign and redirected his forces toward the Land of Grass.
The Rice Field ninja clans, traumatized by their earlier defeat, refused when their Daimyo attempted to conscript them again.
Fight the Land of Iron again? Are you insane?
Their pride had already taken a beating—literally.
Instead, they discussed a different idea:
What about attacking Hidden Hot Water Village in the neighboring Land of Hot Springs?
The village was small, not very powerful, and the loot could be considerable. It seemed like a safe target.
Thus, Rice Field ninja advanced toward Hot Water Country, while Mifune's samurai clashed with Grass ninja in a new theater of war.
As conflicts flared between the smaller nations, tension across the entire ninja world rose sharply.
---
In the Laboratory
Under the bright lights of his lab, Orochimaru studied a scroll.
He could not understand what the Daimyo of the Land of Rice was thinking.
Was he afraid of the strength of his own ninja clans? Did he start this war to thin their numbers? Or is he simply insane?
Of all the nations he could provoke, he chose the Land of Iron.
A pointless war.
That was Orochimaru's assessment.
"Lord Orochimaru, the Jiongu modification is complete," Imu reported respectfully.
"Let's take a look."
The scroll in Orochimaru's hand burned to ash. He walked toward the cultivation chamber where Kakuzu and four masked monsters floated in nutrient tanks.
Zero-Tails cells had been grafted into them, along with transformation formulas etched directly onto their bodies.
"How do you feel?" Orochimaru asked, tapping Kakuzu's tank.
"Incredible… This sensation is unlike anything I've experienced…"
Kakuzu opened his eyes, glaring at Orochimaru, Mio, and Imu outside the glass. He was extremely grateful he had insisted on keeping his pants on—otherwise he'd be floating completely exposed like the chunks of flesh infused with Zero-Tails cells.
"Lord Orochimaru, how much longer must I stay in this tank?" Kakuzu grumbled. He hated the feeling of being an experimental specimen.
"Once all your vitals stabilize, you and your little monsters can leave," Orochimaru replied, scanning the diagnostic charts. "Not bad. At this rate, you'll be out soon."
He added casually, "By the way, I saw information about the Chinoike girl, Ran Do. She fell into a boiling spring as a child and ended up with blood-red burn scars. The treatment is simple—extract the heavy metals from the scar tissue and apply a regenerative formula."
He sighed exaggeratedly. "I never expected you to be the type who's cold on the outside but warm inside. Soft-hearted, even. Unfortunately, you no longer have the… ability for that sort of thing."
Mio covered her face with her hand. Orochimaru's constant deadpan teasing had clearly influenced her sense of normalcy.
Why is this even normal to me now? Orochimaru has corrupted me…
"Orochimaru! Don't twist my intentions!" Kakuzu roared from inside the tank. This wasn't anger from embarrassment—it was righteous indignation. Now that he had no physical desires at all, how could he be interested in a little girl?
"Mm-hmm, sure," Orochimaru said, nonchalantly dismissing him.
Kakuzu trembled with rage.
"What are you planning to do with these little creatures?" he demanded.
Orochimaru gestured to the four masked monsters. "Your combat style pairs well with them. Without the weakness of needing extra hearts, you're as good as five separate shinobi. Perfect for combined ninjutsu."
Kakuzu paused—realizing suddenly that with Jiongu enhanced by Zero-Tails cells, he was nearly immortal.
If he couldn't die, then… shouldn't he fight Orochimaru? He'd wanted to for a long time.
"Kakuzu," Orochimaru said calmly, as if reading his mind, "don't assume I have no way to deal with you. I have mastered many Uzumaki sealing techniques. Sealing you for a few centuries would not be difficult."
"…When can I get out? The company needs its Chief Financial Officer."
"Soon. The Zero-Tails cells require nutrition. Unless you plan to consume soldier pills like candy, you'll need to finish stabilizing first."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)