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The Sound Village.
It was nothing more than a small, unremarkable shinobi settlement, without anything resembling a Kage.
It had no fame, no presence, and little reason to draw attention. Yet behind the scenes, its true master was Orochimaru, The village itself existed only because he had ordered it to be built.
Most of the shinobi here were his loyal subordinates.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru had already removed his Konoha jonin uniform. His forehead protector had long since been discarded, replaced by a black cloak draped over his body.
The moment he stepped through the village gates, he was recognized.
Those golden, serpentine eyes were unmistakable.
"No need to make a fuss."
"I am only passing through."
Orochimaru said calmly.
As if recalling something, he added an instruction to the Sound ninja standing guard.
"Also, keep an eye out for someone."
"A red-haired girl, around five years old, Her name is Karin."
"If she appears within the borders of the Land of Grass or near the Sound Village, bring her back peacefully if possible."
"If she resists, make sure not to injure her arms or legs."
After giving these instructions, Orochimaru took Anko's hand and led her into the village.
These people were intelligent. He did not need to explain further.
"Sensei."
"Who is that Karin?"
Anko asked curiously.
"A surviving member of the Uzumaki clan."
"She has some limited use."
Orochimaru replied indifferently.
"Come~ Let us change our outfits first. This trip to the Land of Whirlpools will take about a week."
"Yes."
Three hours later.
When they left the Sound Village once more, both of them were dressed differently.
Orochimaru now wore the standard attire of a Sound shinobi, Nothing flashy. A black cloak draped over it, and no forehead protector.
Anko had changed into casual clothing more suited to a young girl, A light red top and black shorts.
She still wore shinobi sandals, though they were a fresh pair.
The outfit looked light and comfortable, brimming with youthful energy, while still allowing for combat and travel.
"Looks good."
Orochimaru offered a simple compliment, yet Anko reacted as if she had been given candy.
Having a capable and presentable subordinate was oddly satisfying.
"The curse mark."
"Come to think of it, I never implanted the Heaven Curse Mark into Anko's body."
"She should be able to withstand that power."
"But such violent strength can easily turn someone into a mindless monster."
Orochimaru shook his head.
After a brief moment of thought, he abandoned the idea.
He already had curse mark test subjects stationed across multiple hidden laboratories. One more made little difference.
If he wanted Anko to grow stronger, there were other methods.
Whoosh~
Two figures streaked through the endless forest, leaping across treetops.
He could have traveled using giant snakes, but that would have drawn far too much attention.
Anything involving serpents would immediately make the entire shinobi world think of one name.
Orochimaru.
He had no intention of exposing his movements or location.
----
At the same time.
Konoha Village.
Bang!
Danzo sat in the Hokage's office, staring coldly at the Third Hokage.
Also present were the two senior elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
"What happened a few days ago?"
"You owe us an explanation."
Danzo snorted.
The deaths of three ordinary Uchiha were one thing But Uchiha Shisui was different. He was a renowned prodigy of the clan.
Danzo had valued Shisui highly and had intended to recruit him into Root.
Now, however, Shisui had vanished mysteriously in a forest not far from Konoha. The site was littered with traces of snakes.
Combined with Orochimaru's long history of suspicion, possible involvement in harming village shinobi, and his own sudden disappearance.
The implications were impossible to ignore.
The culprit was all but confirmed.
Orochimaru.
As Orochimaru's former teacher, the Third Hokage had noticed nothing and done nothing.
"Since things have reached this point,"
"We have no choice but to officially declare Orochimaru a rogue ninja, An S rank criminal."
"Danzo, there is no need to press the issue so aggressively. I believe Hiruzen is already suffering deeply over this."
The two elders spoke up to mediate.
Danzo's accusations were aimed at the Third Hokage on the surface, but his true intention was obvious. He wanted to force Hiruzen out and take the Hokage's seat for himself.
As if he had not suspected Orochimaru already.
Root had accomplished nothing either.
The difference was that as Hokage, the responsibility naturally weighed far heavier on Hiruzen.
"There is no need to continue."
"I agree to placing Orochimaru on the wanted list."
"But this position will never be handed to you, Danzo."
"This duty was entrusted to me personally by the Second Hokage. Unless the day comes when I die."
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a plume of smoke and sighed.
"Heh."
"Then you had better do your job properly."
"Do not let something like this happen again. Take a good look at the kind of student you raised."
Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Silence returned to the Hokage's office.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, Jiraiya sat quietly, staring off into the distance.
Tsunade had suffered a complete psychological collapse after Dan Kato died in the war. She had sunk into gambling and decadence, to the point that no one even knew where she was within the Land of Fire.
Of the three teammates from back then, even Orochimaru had now defected from the village.
It had happened so suddenly that Jiraiya had not even had the chance to see him one last time.
"Maybe it is time for me to travel again."
"Even if it is just for gathering material for my next book."
He muttered to himself.
Konoha remained lively and bustling on the surface, just as it always had.
But beneath that calm, many things had already begun to change.
...
Five days later.
The Land of Whirlpools.
A small island nation located in the sea bordering the Land of Fire.
The Uzumaki clan were distant relative of the Senju, both descended from Asura. They were renowned for their mastery of sealing techniques.
The wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had also come from the Uzumaki clan.
Over time, however, the Uzumaki presence within Konoha weakened more and more. Eventually, they were forced to return to their ancestral homeland, this island in the surrounding sea.
Unfortunately, the Uzumaki name carried too much weight.
Even after retreating into seclusion, they were hunted down by shinobi from other lands who followed every trace they could find.
Surrounded and attacked by multiple nations and villages, the clan was nearly annihilated. Only a handful of survivors escaped by hiding their identities and scattering across the world.
Pure-blooded Uzumaki shared one defining trait. Crimson red hair. Nagato and Karin were among them.
Waves crashed rhythmically against the shoreline.
Under brilliant golden sunlight, a small boat approached across the blue sea. The boatman rowed hard, while two unusual passengers sat behind him.
A somber middle-aged man.
And a beautiful young girl.
"So this is the island of the Land of Whirlpools."
"It looks deserted."
Anko spoke softly.
Curiosity filled her expression. Her gray-brown eyes widened, reflecting the ocean and the beach.
"Ah~"
"I heard there used to be plenty of people here."
"No idea what happened, Anyone living on the island now came later, people with nowhere else to go."
The boatman explained.
"I see."
"Here is your payment, Wait here for us. We will return once we are finished."
Orochimaru nodded slightly and handed over a thick stack of bills.
He was not worried about the boatman fleeing with the money.
If he dared.
He would die.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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