Swish… swish… swish…
As night fell, rain drizzled steadily onto the rooftops, each droplet arching through the air before shattering into pieces. The lights of Konoha shimmered like an illusion amid the mist.
Dark silhouettes soared across the rooftops like owls in the night. They were clad in light grey tactical vests, short swords or straight blades strapped to their backs. Many still carried the scent of blood that hadn't faded, and beneath their white masks were eyes filled with solemnity and cold resolve. Villagers instinctively stepped aside in fear at the sight of them.
They passed through the bustling streets and arrived at the quiet outskirts of the village.
They stopped in front of a building marked with the kanji for "Dark", the headquarters of Konoha's Anbu Black Ops.
Every Anbu member had been urgently summoned from their homes. Though the building was packed, not a word was spoken. The atmosphere was oppressive, as if they were attending a funeral.
Among them stood Hatake Kakashi.
His forehead was wrapped in bandages, and his brow furrowed deeply. In his dead-fish eyes was only confusion.
Who had planted those explosive tags? Was it the Third Hokage?
Kakashi hadn't seen the strange black cat. All he saw was Orochimaru bursting from underground, only to be blasted mid-air by a trap of explosive tags beneath his feet.
Though Kakashi had been nearby and suffered some collateral damage, it paled in comparison to the full force Orochimaru took head-on. Even after trying to offset the blast with ninjutsu, he still lost an arm to the sheer impact.
But… hadn't the Third shown no sign of preparing such a trap beforehand?
Creak,
The doors of the Anbu HQ opened, the screeching echo breaking the silence.
Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts, donned his mask, and looked up to see two figures stepping out.
One wore the red and white robes and hat of the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The other, dressed in black with bandages wrapped around his right arm and eye, had a sunken face, narrow eyes, and a scar running across his chin.
The founder and leader of the Foundation, Konoha's "roots."
Shimura Danzō.
"This emergency gathering is to capture the missing Orochimaru, who slipped away during the operation."
Hiruzen stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the assembled Anbu as he spoke plainly and without pretense.
"Reports indicate that Orochimaru has sustained serious injuries. Given his condition, it's unlikely he can leave the Land of Fire anytime soon."
"Orochimaru's knowledge, intel, and research are priceless to Konoha. Do your best to bring him back alive."
"If he escapes the country… the damage to Konoha could be catastrophic. At that point…"
He paused briefly.
"…we'll be racing against time."
"Everyone, begin the search."
With a cold expression, Hiruzen raised his head and ended the briefing with a single word:
"Disperse."
Swish, swish,
The Anbu scattered into the darkness, shadows sweeping across rooftops and into forests. Hiruzen turned to enter the Anbu building.
But just as he passed Danzō, a mocking voice reached his ears.
"You really do love that little student of yours, don't you?"
Hiruzen paused, head slightly lowered. The brim of his hat cast a shadow over his face.
"Even someone like you can… 'slip up,' it seems." Danzō continued. "I heard you rescued a Hyuga child from Orochimaru's lab?"
They'd known each other for decades. Of course Hiruzen understood the implications behind those words. He sighed wearily in his heart.
"That boy is just a pitiful child," Hiruzen replied softly. "He's from the Hyuga branch family."
In other words: give up on whatever you're plotting.
Even if Orochimaru had achieved some success experimenting on him, a branch member of the Hyuga Clan, cursed with the Caged Bird Seal, could never be truly useful.
Had it been anyone else, Hiruzen would've gladly taken him in, no matter how talentless, even if he was a civilian. He would've found him a spot teaching at the ninja academy.
But sadly, that boy wasn't…
A branch family member of the Hyuga Clan could only ever serve the main family.
Once the "secret seal" was activated by a main family member, the Caged Bird Seal would instantly destroy the branch member's brain.
Even the "Tongue Cursed Seal" Danzō used, merely paralyzing the body and silencing speech, was merciful in comparison.
"…"
Danzō turned his face toward the night, eyes closed. His voice returned to its usual calm, cold tone.
"Regardless… I will offer my full support."
"For the sake of Konoha, I'll do everything in my power."
"…Then I must apologize," Hiruzen said flatly, glancing sideways at him. "For troubling you."
Without another word, he stepped inside.
Though Danzō had insulted him, and though Hiruzen knew Danzō had dealings with Orochimaru behind the scenes,
The moment Orochimaru defected, Hiruzen knew this old friend of his would stop at nothing to eliminate the threat.
In fact, he even suspected the final explosion that maimed Orochimaru had been Danzō's doing, one of his many secret preparations.
That's why Hiruzen had long turned a blind eye to Danzō's "small moves." In the end, he believed it was all… for the good of Konoha.
Just like that Hyuga boy had said:
If Konoha was a great tree, then its growth required "roots hidden from the sun."
But only hidden.
After Hiruzen left, Danzō opened his eyes.
Caw!
A black crow descended, landing on his shoulder and dropping a small scroll into his raised hand.
"…"
He opened the scroll and read its dense characters, written in Foundation code.
It was a report on the clean-up of Orochimaru's lab.
Unfortunately, most of the experimental equipment and records had been destroyed by the explosion.
Shockingly, explosive tags had been placed throughout the entire underground complex, completely and utterly obliterating the facility.
That equipment… had cost Danzō a fortune to obtain through special channels. Some of it couldn't even be found in Root's own facilities.
"Orochimaru… did you do this just to spite me? Even if it meant destroying everything?"
Danzō narrowed his eyes in anger. But quickly, he shook his head.
Orochimaru had also lost an arm in the explosion. Even with his modified body, it would take time to regenerate.
And given how drained he'd been…
He wouldn't have had the strength to stage such an elaborate ruse.
Besides, knowing Hiruzen's guilt and indecision, it was unlikely he would've ordered such a brutal trap either.
He probably thought it was Danzō's handiwork.
"So… who was it?"
Danzō's brow furrowed deeper. He sensed an invisible hand orchestrating this entire affair behind the scenes.
He thought of the one surviving boy, but reason quickly dismissed the idea.
So precise. So ruthless. So clean.
There was no way a fifteen-year-old child could've pulled it off, especially one from the Hyuga branch family.
A parentless weakling… with a cowardly personality?
"Damn it! Who was it?!"
He crushed the scroll in his hand, furious at the sense of danger creeping in from the dark, danger he couldn't identify or control.
Whoever it was posed a threat to Konoha greater than even Orochimaru.
And the man known as "Konoha's Darkness"… would never allow that to continue.
Better to kill the wrong person than let the right one live.
His gaze narrowed as he thought again of that Hyuga boy. Pulling out another scroll, he wrote swiftly in code and tied it to the crow.
Let it fly.
Just a branch family "failure." No one would care if he died in some "accident."
Meanwhile, deep in a forest hundreds of kilometers from Konoha,
Crack.
A branch snapped. Birds scattered from their cover as a disheveled figure stumbled into view.
"Hah… hah…"
Orochimaru leaned against a tree, tasting iron in his throat, blood pooling from ruptured vessels.
His left arm was severed just below the elbow. Torn flesh and white bone stuck out grotesquely, and half his body was soaked in blood.
This was the worst injury he'd suffered since modifying his body.
He'd anticipated this outcome and had made preparations.
Among them, a clan called the Iburi.
They possessed a Kekkei Genkai that let them turn into smoke and possess other people's bodies. But in smoke form, even a gust of wind could kill them.
Because they couldn't control the ability well, many Iburi died. It was only with his help that they stabilized and gained extended lifespans.
And more importantly, their blood could heal.
He'd kept them alive… as blood bags.
Had he only suffered Hiruzen's blow, he could've made it to their hideout.
But now,
"Damn it! Damn it! It's all because of that brat!!" Orochimaru howled, clutching his chest.
The ancient scroll was still on him, thankfully unharmed.
He was certain that if he could decipher the remaining seals, he would learn more of the Ōtsutsuki.
He even managed to smuggle out a piece of their flesh.
If he could perfect the Impure World Reincarnation…
His only option now was to use Reverse Summoning.
But he hesitated.
If he summoned Manda in his current state, the giant snake might devour him on sight.
And the White Snake Sage, along with her attendants Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Takitsuhime, were all dangerous in their own right.
Cough! Cough!
He hacked up more blood.
His vision blurred. His hearing buzzed. His body trembled with collapse.
Tree shadows twisted like claws. Vines became shackles.
He was dying.
He couldn't die, not here. Not now. He hadn't taken revenge on that brat. He hadn't grasped all the world's truths!
He gritted his teeth.
And just as he prepared to summon,
Poof!
White smoke exploded.
And Orochimaru vanished.
Seconds later, a figure arrived, white-haired, tall, rugged.
Jiraiya.
"…Reverse Summoning?" he muttered, frowning. "Orochimaru, what the hell are you doing…"
At the same time, in a natural cavern converted into a shrine,
Stalactites hung like daggers overhead.
The stone floor was etched with snake-patterned carvings. Phosphorescent green flames flickered in sconces, while glowing blue crystals pulsed between the walls.
"…This is…"
Orochimaru blinked as his vision cleared. "The Ryūchi Cave?"
He hadn't summoned Manda. Why had he been brought here?
"Orochimaru."
A voice like age-old wind echoed.
He looked up.
On the throne coiled an enormous white-scaled serpent, radiating ancient power.
The White Snake Sage, founder of Ryūchi Cave. She had lived for over a thousand years. Her strength was beyond comprehension.
Normally, she appeared as a kindly elderly woman in white.
But now, this was her true form. And the smell of rot in her breath filled the air.
"…Impossible…"
Those amber snake eyes stared him down, disbelief flickering in them.
"…Your fate… has been altered?"
Back in Konoha, in a rundown house on the outskirts of the Hyuga compound,
"Meow."
A soft cat's cry mixed with the chirping of crickets.
Lying on his bed, Hyuga Sho slowly opened his eyes.
"They're finally gone."
He sat up, glanced at the quiet night outside, and gently touched the bandages on his neck. A faint smile appeared.
A wound that should've been fatal, nearly healed in just one day.
This kind of regenerative ability couldn't compare to Hashirama's cells, but it was enough to rid him of the "fragile ninja" weakness.
And that… was only one of the perks this new body had brought.
Sho looked toward the glowing screen before him.
[Name: Hyuga Sho]
[Age: 15]
[Bloodline: Hyuga Clan → Ōtsutsuki Clan (5%)]
[Chakra Capacity: D-rank → S-rank]
[Chakra Attributes: Wind → Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang]
[Ninjutsu: ...]