Night fell as rain pattered against rooftops. Water arced through the air, large droplets shattering on impact. Konoha's lights blurred in the downpour, hazy like a mirage.
Black figures leapt across the rooftops like owls in flight.
They wore lightweight gray tactical vests, short swords or straight blades sheathed at their backs. Many still carried the lingering stench of blood. Beneath white masks, their eyes were cold and solemn, causing civilians on the streets below to instinctively avoid them.
They passed through Konoha's lively districts and arrived at the quiet outskirts of the village.
Before a building marked with the single character "An" , they halted.
This was ANBU Headquarters.
Nearly all ANBU operatives had been urgently summoned from their homes. Though crowded, the formation was orderly and silent—the atmosphere oppressive, like a funeral.
Among them stood Hatake Kakashi.
Bandages wrapped around his forehead. His brow was tightly furrowed, one half-lidded eye filled with confusion.
Those explosion tags… who placed them?
Was it the Third Hokage?
Kakashi had not seen the strange black cat.
All he saw was Orochimaru erupting from the ground—only to be blown apart midair by explosion tags hidden beneath his feet.
Because he was close, Kakashi had been affected as well, though far less severely than Orochimaru. Even after releasing ninjutsu to mitigate the blast, one of Orochimaru's arms had been completely destroyed.
Yet earlier—
The Third Hokage hadn't seemed to have prepared anything like that…
Creeeak—
The heavy doors of ANBU Headquarters opened, the harsh sound cutting through the silence.
Kakashi brushed aside his doubts, donned his mask, and looked up.
Two figures stepped out.
One was Sarutobi Hiruzen, clad in the red-and-white Hokage robes and hat.
The other wore a black kimono. His right arm and right eye were wrapped in bandages. Narrow eyes and a scarred chin gave him a perpetually grim look.
The founder and leader of Root.
The man who controlled Konoha's darkness.
The most powerful figure beneath the Hokage.
Shimura Danzō.
"This emergency assembly," Hiruzen announced calmly, "is to apprehend Orochimaru, who escaped during the earlier operation."
"According to reports, Orochimaru has been gravely injured. Given the severity of his wounds, it will not be easy for him to leave the Land of Fire in a short time."
"The knowledge, intelligence, and techniques he possesses are invaluable to Konoha. Do your utmost to capture him alive."
"If he succeeds in defecting beyond our borders, the damage to the village will be catastrophic."
He paused briefly.
"…We must race against time before he crosses the border."
"All units—conduct a full-scale search."
Hiruzen raised his head, expression cold.
"Dismissed."
Shua! Shua!
The ANBU dispersed like shadows.
They would hunt that cunning serpent relentlessly—through sky, land, and water.
Once the last ANBU vanished, Hiruzen turned back toward the building.
But as he passed Danzō, a voice laced with mockery reached his ears.
"You're quite gentle with your beloved student."
Hiruzen stopped.
His face was hidden beneath the shadow of the Hokage hat.
"For someone like you," Danzō continued, "to 'miss'—how rare. I hear you rescued a Hyūga brat from Orochimaru?"
They had known each other for decades. Hiruzen understood the implication perfectly and sighed inwardly.
"He's just a pitiful boy," Hiruzen replied.
"A member of the Hyūga Branch Family."
So abandon the thought.
Even if Orochimaru had achieved something through experimentation, a Branch Family Hyūga—burdened with the Caged Bird Seal—was unusable.
Otherwise, with Gin's demonstrated Will of Fire, Hiruzen would have intervened long ago.
Talent or not wouldn't matter.
Even a civilian could be arranged a teaching position at the Academy.
But—
A Branch Family Hyūga was nothing more than property.
At the Main Family's command, the seal could destroy their brain instantly.
Compared to that, Danzō's Tongue Curse Seal—which merely paralyzed and silenced—was practically merciful.
Danzō fell silent, gazing into the night.
"…Very well," he said flatly.
"I'll assist fully. For Konoha, I'll do everything necessary."
"…Then I apologize," Hiruzen replied calmly.
"For troubling you."
He turned and entered the building.
Despite Danzō's barbed words—and despite his possible dealings with Orochimaru—
From the moment Orochimaru defected, Hiruzen knew Danzō would spare no effort to eliminate the threat.
Perhaps that explosion—
Was Danzō's hidden contingency.
That was why Hiruzen had repeatedly overlooked his small schemes.
Because, in the end, it was all "for Konoha."
Just as that Hyūga boy once said—
For the great tree to grow, it needed roots hidden from the sun.
But only hidden roots.
After Hiruzen left, Danzō opened his eyes.
"Kah."
A crow descended, landing on his shoulder and dropping a small scroll into his hand.
He opened it.
Dense Root cipher filled the page.
It detailed the cleanup of Orochimaru's laboratory.
Unfortunately, most of the equipment and records had been destroyed by the explosion.
Analysis showed the explosion tags had been placed throughout the entire underground pipeline—utterly annihilating the base.
Those instruments had cost Danzō a fortune, acquired through special channels.
Some even Root did not possess.
"Did Orochimaru destroy it all… rather than let me have it?"
Danzō's eyes darkened—then narrowed.
No.
Orochimaru himself had lost an arm. With his chakra nearly depleted at the time, there was no reason to stage such a scene.
And Hiruzen—
With his guilt and hesitation, he would never go that far.
In fact, knowing Hiruzen, he probably believed Danzō was responsible.
"…Then who?"
Danzō's brow furrowed deeply.
An unseen hand seemed to be manipulating everything from the shadows.
His thoughts turned briefly to the surviving boy—
Then he dismissed it.
Impossible.
Such ruthless precision, such flawless concealment, manipulating both Orochimaru and Hiruzen—
No fifteen-year-old could accomplish that.
Especially not a timid, orphaned Branch Family Hyūga.
"Damn it—who is it?!"
Danzō crushed the scroll in his fist.
He despised unknown threats lurking in the dark.
This individual was more dangerous to Konoha than Orochimaru.
And Danzō would not allow such a threat to exist.
Better to kill by mistake than let it slip away.
He wrote a new order on a scroll and sent the crow flying.
A Branch Family "failure."
No one would care if he died in an accident.
Far away, deep within a forest hundreds of kilometers from Konoha—
Crack.
A branch snapped.
Birds scattered as a figure staggered from the shadows.
"Hah… hah…"
Orochimaru leaned against a tree, tasting blood with every breath.
His left arm was severed at the forearm. Torn flesh and exposed bone were clearly visible. Half his body was soaked crimson.
Even after countless body modifications—
This was the gravest injury he had ever suffered.
He had prepared contingencies within the Land of Fire.
One was the Iburi Clan.
Bearers of the Smoke Release Kekkei Genkai, capable of turning into smoke and entering others' bodies—though vulnerable to wind, which could scatter them to death.
Because of this instability, many Iburi died.
Orochimaru had helped them stabilize the ability, extending their lifespans.
Their blood could heal wounds.
They were his living "blood reserves."
Had it not been for the final explosion—
Even after being struck by Hiruzen, he could have made it there alive.
"Damn it… DAMN IT!! That brat!!"
Orochimaru clutched the scroll against his chest.
Thankfully, the ancient Ōtsutsuki records were still with him.
As long as he continued deciphering the seals, he would uncover even more secrets.
He had also taken a fragment of the Ōtsutsuki body.
If Edo Tensei could be perfected—
His only option now was to have Manda perform Reverse Summoning.
But that beast would devour him the moment it sensed weakness.
And the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave—along with Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Tayuyahime—were no less dangerous.
Cough—!
Blood spilled from his lips.
His vision blurred.
The forest twisted into claws and snares.
His body was failing.
He dug his fingers into the bark, moss crushing into green paste.
He still had to kill that boy.
He still had to grasp all truths.
He could not die—
Not here.
Just as he resolved to summon—
POOF—!
White smoke exploded.
Orochimaru vanished.
Seconds later, a tall figure arrived.
White hair to the waist.
Jiraiya.
"Reverse Summoning…?" Jiraiya frowned.
"Orochimaru… what have you—"
At the same time—
Within Ryūchi Cave.
A vast cavern of natural stone, stalactites like inverted blades hanging from the ceiling. Snake-carved stone tiles covered the ground. Ghostly green flames flickered in wall niches, while blue-violet minerals glimmered faintly.
"…This is—"
Orochimaru opened his eyes.
"Ryūchi Cave?"
He hadn't summoned Manda.
Why had he been pulled here?
"Orochimaru."
An ancient, hollow voice echoed.
He looked up.
A massive white-scaled serpent coiled upon a stone throne.
The White Snake Sage.
A being over a thousand years old—its power beyond measure.
Usually, the sage appeared as an elderly woman in white robes.
This was the first time Orochimaru saw its true form.
The calm was gone.
Only the stench of a predator remained.
"How is this possible…?"
Amber snake eyes fixed on him.
Shock—distinctly human—flickered across the serpent's face.
"Your fate…"
"…has been altered?"
Meanwhile, back in Konoha—
At the edge of the Hyūga compound, inside a dilapidated house.
"Meow."
A faint cat's cry mingled with the chirping of insects.
Hyūga Gin slowly opened his eyes.
"So… he finally left."
He sat up, gazing out the window at the quiet night, touching the bandages around his neck.
A smile crept onto his face.
Such a fatal wound—
And in just one day, it had mostly healed.
Not quite as monstrous as Hashirama Cells—
But enough to erase a shinobi's fatal weakness.
And this was only one of the benefits.
He looked at the translucent panel before him.
Name: Hyūga Gin
Age: 15
Bloodline: Hyūga → Ōtsutsuki (5%)
Chakra Capacity: D-rank → S-rank
Chakra Nature: Wind → Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang
Ninjutsu: …
(End of Chapter)