The state of chaos in Konoha's Land of Rain camp finally came to an end—regrettably, because an Iwa offensive brought it to a screeching halt.
Early that morning, Aburame Tetsumaru felt a shift in the atmosphere. He soon realized it wasn't just a hunch; his insects were relaying data to him. They had sensed an anomaly in the ambient chakra fluctuations.
Tetsumaru activated Insight, observing his own Grand Chakra Circulation. The ripples in the flow were rhythmic and frequent, manifesting as beautiful, fish-scale patterns under his internal vision.
This was the result of a massive amount of external chakra radiation approaching—which could only mean a massive force of shinobi.
Now an expert in the art of making a tactical exit, Tetsumaru didn't hesitate. He rounded up his subordinates, ordered them to stick to him like glue, and began scouring the camp for any sign of Orochimaru.
Soon, Tetsumaru made contact with six Kikaichu colonies scattered throughout the camp. Through the "secret language" of the insect dance, he gathered intelligence and quickly determined the status of several clansmen.
Those six Aburame ninjas had already bolted. Two captains had taken their squads with them; of the four team members, one had convinced their captain to leave, while the other three had failed to persuade theirs and simply abandoned ship on their own.
Fine. So I'm the only one left in the family still in the camp? Total shrewd operators, the lot of them.
Tetsumaru smirked. The Aburame truly were a clan of survivors; they had made it all the way to the series finale for a reason. Their ability to read the tide and adapt on the fly was nothing short of remarkable.
Low presence, steady temperament, diverse skill sets, cautious execution, and decisive action—this was the true essence of a shinobi.
(Of course, that didn't count the few clansmen brainwashed by Root into becoming "wooden" tools. Those weren't even people anymore—just breathing instruments of the state.)
Tetsumaru wasn't worried, though. Running fast didn't mean running far. With the enemy's movements still unclear, running blindly was a good way to collide with the main enemy force. He needed a "Correct Answer" to use as a reference.
Why Orochimaru?
Because in this entire camp, Orochimaru was the only person Tetsumaru knew lived through the series finale.
In the pre-plot timeline, this slick, pale man only ever suffered one major setback: losing the race for the Fourth Hokage. Beyond that, his judgment and luck were peerless. More importantly, as a top-tier ninja who had fought through the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, he had never been reported as suffering a major injury except when facing Hanzo of the Salamander. His "Luck" stat was worth betting on.
The caveat, of course, was that one had to stay close. Wandering off was a different story—take his disciple, Nawaki Senju, for example. In the near future, the boy would leave Orochimaru's protection for a mission and end up dead.
Tetsumaru focused his Kikaichu and scouting bugs on searching the camp. He was convinced Orochimaru was still here. Based on his deduction, the Hokage had sent Orochimaru to the Rain specifically to marginalize the newly appointed commander.
An enemy raid on the camp was an opportunity Orochimaru couldn't afford to miss. If the "incompetent" commander allowed a raid through inaction, and Orochimaru stepped up to turn the tide, he would gain the fanatical loyalty of the troops. At that point, marginalizing the commander wouldn't even be necessary—he could simply replace him.
Orochimaru wouldn't pass this up. Unless, of course, the danger was so great that his own life was at risk.
Tetsumaru found his target and immediately signaled his team to move.
By now, Uchiha Akira and Kurama Yun were growing restless. The faint alarm bells ringing in their heads, combined with their Captain's bizarre maneuvers, had them on edge. However, the authority Tetsumaru had established over the short months was absolute; they didn't dare grumble. This was a dynamic Tetsumaru found deeply satisfying.
They soon approached a boy with short, light-brown hair. Technically, he was a year older than Tetsumaru, but his baby face and signature "silly" grin made him look much younger.
Well, the boy was only twelve—he was just a child.
In contrast, Tetsumaru was eleven, yet he utilized his height and attire to disguise himself as a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, comfortably barking orders at subordinates who were older than him.
Seeing Nawaki, Tetsumaru finally exhaled. Finding Orochimaru was like finding a needle in a haystack, but finding Nawaki-senpai was easy. As Orochimaru's first disciple and Tsunade's younger brother, his importance was massive. Orochimaru would never abandon him.
Stay close to Nawaki, and you're staying close to Orochimaru. Plan: Success.
"Nawaki Senju!" Akira blurted out, his voice a mix of recognition and immediate irritation.
Tetsumaru and Yun shot him a look. Tetsumaru realized that Akira must have graduated in the same year as Nawaki. That was the year Uchiha Fueka and Hyuga Tokuma had also graduated early because no one in their class could match Nawaki's scores. To save face, the Hyuga and Uchiha had pushed their own juniors to graduate early.
If Akira was one of those Uchiha who had been crushed by Nawaki's academic performance, it was no wonder the memory was so vivid.
"Captain, if you're looking for Nawaki," Akira whispered urgently, "can I sit this one out?"
"No. I'm looking for Nawaki-senpai to stay alive. If you want to die, be my guest," Tetsumaru replied flatly.
Six minutes had passed since Tetsumaru first sensed the danger. By now, more and more ninjas were waking up to the threat, and the camp was beginning to rumble with a chaotic energy.
Both of his subordinates were Genjutsu specialists with sharp senses; they had felt the seeds of danger, but their frustration with Tetsumaru's "busywork" had suppressed the feeling. His blunt words acted like a cold bucket of water, snapping them into high alert.
"Looking for Nawaki helps us survive?" Yun asked, confused.
Akira shared the skepticism. The gap at graduation had been significant, but after two years of real combat, they had grown rapidly. Akira, with his two-tomoe Sharingan, didn't believe he was inferior to a Nawaki who lived under constant protection.
The problem was that neither of them could get a read on their Captain. All they knew was that he was powerful—strong enough to restrain Akira with one hand—and that their Genjutsu was useless against him.
If the Captain was stronger than Nawaki, why did he need him for protection? It didn't make sense.
After a moment's hesitation, Tetsumaru gave them the truth. "The danger this time is too great. I don't believe I have the strength to handle it alone. We need Nawaki-senpai. And remember: his personal strength isn't what will save us. His teacher, Lord Orochimaru, is the key."
"Oh? You have that much confidence in me?"
Orochimaru was standing right behind Tetsumaru, looking at the tall, cloaked boy with genuine amusement.
Akira + Yun: I knew it! A guy as cynical as the Captain wouldn't just give out compliments. He must have sensed Lord Orochimaru was already here.
"Lord Orochimaru."
The Sannin gave an elegant nod. He glanced at Nawaki, who still hadn't noticed he was being followed, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
He turned back to Tetsumaru. "I remember you. The little Aburame. Are those strange insects from your Academy exam still with you?"
"That specific species died that same day, my Lord. The insects I carry now are fourth-generation updates. You wouldn't recognize them."
"Oh? Is that so?" Orochimaru's eyes brightened with a smile. "Such rapid iteration. Impressive."
"So, why were you looking for me?"
Tetsumaru didn't mince words. "A massive force is gathering outside the camp. Likely a joint Iwa-Ame offensive. I didn't know how to respond, so I came to find you, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru blinked. "Why?"
"Because your strength, wisdom, and luck are the greatest in the village."
Hahaha—!
Orochimaru's eyes crinkled into crescents as he broke into a genuine laugh.
He didn't continue the conversation. With a smile, he used a Body Flicker to appear beside Nawaki. "Nawaki, why aren't you sleeping?"
"AH! O-Oro—I mean, Sensei!" Nawaki's panic vanished the moment he saw Orochimaru. He started gesturing wildly. "Tonight is so weird! I just felt this... this tightness in my chest, like someone was holding a kunai to my stomach. I couldn't sleep at all!"
A sharp glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, and his brow relaxed. The boy might be a bit of a dunderhead, but his talent was undeniable—massive chakra, strong physical stats, and now, a powerful danger intuition. This was the kind of talent that ensured a ninja survived a war.
Hidden in the shadows, Tetsumaru and his team were equally surprised. Tetsumaru relied on the amplified senses of thousands of insects; Akira and Yun had only felt a vague discomfort. For Nawaki to have such a visceral reaction from sleep was incredible.
"There will be enemies tonight. When the fighting starts, stay behind me. Go prepare your gear."
"YES!" Nawaki shouted, his excitement at fighting alongside his teacher overriding any fear. He vanished into his tent.
Orochimaru watched his disciple's retreating back with a look of indulgent, slightly helpless affection. Once the tent flap closed, he tilted his head slightly to the right, his eyes fixing on a patch of ground.
Two of the three figures in the shadows hesitated, but Tetsumaru didn't miss a beat. He used a Body Flicker and appeared exactly where Orochimaru was looking.
Orochimaru nodded in approval. "Follow me to the eastern perimeter. Let's see the caliber of our guests."
"Yes, sir," Tetsumaru replied, taking a step back to stand at Orochimaru's rear-right.
Yun and Akira emerged from the shadows and fell in behind Tetsumaru. Tetsumaru felt a smirk pull at his lips; his subordinates' reaction speed was improving. He was becoming more and more satisfied with them.
Nawaki soon emerged from his tent, fully geared up. He expressed a brief, loud shock at the three "new" ninjas before noisily waking his two own teammates. Fortunately, Nawaki's teammates were veterans; they had been ready for combat before they even closed their eyes. Soon, the group of seven headed east.
Midway there, the battle erupted. First to the south, then to the north.
Through seventy Ghost-faced Moths scattered across the camp, Tetsumaru "saw" the battlefield. He quickly confirmed that the southern assault was led by Iwa, while the northern prong was primarily Ame.
So what's to the east?
The east was the "open" side of a three-sided encirclement—a classic "Besiege Three, Leave One Open" strategy. There were no enemies there. Orochimaru stationed the six of them at the eastern gate to organize an orderly retreat for the Konoha forces. Well-structured squads were assigned to defensive lines to provide rolling cover, while stragglers were registered and sent directly to the next rendezvous point.
As Orochimaru argued heatedly with several Jonin nearby, Akira finally couldn't hold his tongue. "Why are we retreating? Konoha is the strongest village in the world!"
Kurama Yun let out a high-pitched, melodic giggle, but offered no answer.
Akira's mouth twitched, but he didn't press her.
Yun had been assigned to register the names of the stragglers. The shy, socially anxious girl had "logged off"; in her place was a "Social Butterfly" big sister persona.
Talking to this version of Yun was an education in the phrase: "When a woman decides to be a rogue, a man has no place left to stand." Within three sentences, she'd have you on a "metaphorical train" to a destination you didn't agree to, pelting you with a barrage of suggestive jokes and double entendres.
Akira was terrified of her. The sheer awkwardness of being teased by a "female rogue" was a nightmare. He preferred the valiant warrior persona—at least with that one, they could just argue or fight. He knew he wouldn't lose to her in a brawl.
Akira turned to his Captain. Tetsumaru sighed. He had just given directions to over ninety people; he'd spoken more in the last hour than in the last two months. His throat was dry, and he had no desire to talk.
But Akira was oblivious. "Captain, you insisted on finding Lord Orochimaru. Don't tell me it was just to do this?"
If they weren't surrounded by people—including several Jonin—Tetsumaru was fairly certain his hand would have been palming Akira's face by now.
Suddenly, a Ghost-faced Moth relayed a visual: to the north, a ninja surrounded by a large contingent of Ame-nin was calmly stepping through a breach in the camp wall.
The ninja carried a specialized weapon—a kusarigama. He wore a full-coverage respirator. As he cleared the wall, he reached up, pulled the mask away, took a deep breath, and exhaled a massive, roiling cloud of purple poison mist.
Salamander Hanzo.
This was the scene Tetsumaru had dreaded most since entering the Rain: being caught in the radius of the battle that would earn Hanzo his "Half-God" title.
The strongest ninja of the era was currently deploying his full combat mode less than two kilometers away. It was a literal death sentence.
"You're about to have your answer," Tetsumaru said, not even looking at Akira. He barked an order to Yun: "Swap!"
Yun didn't hesitate. She "wiped" her face, switching instantly to her valiant warrior persona. She tied her hair into a crisp ponytail and straightened the headband that had been hanging askew on her neck.
BOOM!
A massive explosion of white smoke heralded the arrival of the giant Ibuse. Before the smoke even cleared, a tidal wave of purple fog erupted from the summon, instantly swallowing a quarter of the camp.
Tetsumaru's visual feed from his insects cut out in less than a second. The last thing he saw was the carapaces of his other bugs in the vicinity being dissolved by the acid in the mist.
Tetsumaru knew: his swarm was gone.