Chapter 121: Orochimaru:

Kikyō Mountain. Orochimaru was inside the base, studying the mysteries of Magnet Release. After several attempts, he realized that Sunagakure’s Magnet Release was indeed different from what they had been researching. Sunagakure’s version was closer to natural magnetic forces. Electricity generating magnetism... How fascinating! Orochimaru’s lips curled into a slight smile as he began performing techniques, adding modifications to the corpse. Of course. This thing had to be returned to Sunagakure, so he didn’t dare go too far—he merely altered the Third Kazekage’s internal organs and bodily functions slightly. Once taken back, Sunagakure would essentially have no way to turn it into a human puppet. Then, his gaze shifted to a bottle nearby. Blood containing Scorch Release. Just as he was about to take it for research, a figure hurried in from outside. An ANBU ninja. "Orochimaru-sama, news from Kyōhiko on the front lines." "Good." Orochimaru took the report. It wasn’t that he distrusted Kyōhiko and had deliberately sent him to monitor the situation—rather, he wanted firsthand updates on the front lines so he could adjust strategies accordingly. After all, those were forty elite Konoha shinobi. There was no room for carelessness. However. When he opened the report, Orochimaru was stunned. Was he seeing this correctly? No! Could this be a mistake? He turned to the ANBU ninja beside him, his gaze filled with scrutiny and silent questioning. "Orochimaru-sama, everything written here is true. Not a single word is fabricated." "..." Orochimaru lowered his head. The intelligence scroll stated: Kyōhiko used Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees, causing massive casualties among Sunagakure’s forces and shattering their will to fight. Shattered their will to fight... Just how large-scale was this Wood Release to have such a terrifying effect? Orochimaru’s mind went blank. Could this kid actually be the First Hokage reborn? He licked his lips, then considered that a jutsu of that scale must have required an extraordinary amount of chakra. "Is Kyōhiko alright?" If anything happened to Kyōhiko, Orochimaru truly wouldn’t dare return to Konoha. "He seemed heavily drained of chakra. Also, he had Kakashi use a clone to disguise as another child, apparently to mislead Sunagakure’s forces." The ANBU ninja described the scene at the time. Orochimaru visualized it, then couldn’t help but chuckle. "This kid..." By now, even Sunagakure must have fully grasped Kyōhiko’s strength. Kakashi was the son of the White Fang. So, what about the extra child who suddenly appeared? What was his identity? This was clearly a setup. If Sunagakure actually fell for it, Kyōhiko would probably have Tsunade steer their suspicions toward Yamato. Then, by having Yamato make a public appearance later, the truth about Wood Release could be concealed a little longer. So young, yet so full of cunning schemes. Compared to Kyōhiko, his teacher Jiraiya radiated nothing but naivety and foolishness. To hand such a promising seedling to Jiraiya... The old man must have been blind! Orochimaru sighed inwardly, then rolled up the scroll and smiled faintly. "No need to worry. From what I see, Rasa is like a child in front of Kyōhiko." His subordinate pondered for a moment, then nodded in solemn agreement. That was absolutely true! "However, this kid might dump his troubles on me." Orochimaru muttered to himself. Still. Ōnoki up north was also getting restless... At this point, they really needed that kid, which meant Kyōhiko couldn’t be running around everywhere. Orochimaru rubbed his temples. "Keep a close watch on Pakura. That woman is highly valuable." "Are you heading out, Orochimaru-sama?" "Yes." With that, Orochimaru sealed the Third Kazekage’s corpse into a scroll, left behind a shadow clone, and departed the base. ... In the Land of Rivers, as Minato, Kyōhiko, Kakashi, and a few chūnin who weren’t skilled in stealth, reconnaissance, or speed were making their way back to the Land of Fire, they encountered Orochimaru. Orochimaru smiled as he looked at Kyōhiko—and the shadow clone resembling "Yamato" standing beside him. "Well done." "Orochimaru-sama..." Everyone bowed respectfully. Orochimaru gave a slight nod. Then, he turned to Kyōhiko. "The corpse has been dealt with. Leave the rest to me." "Pakura is your responsibility now." At this, Orochimaru’s lips curled slightly. "Huh?" Kyōhiko was momentarily stunned. Handing her over to him... "Scorch Release doesn’t interest me much." "Then maximize her value. In any case, since you captured her, you handle her." Orochimaru replied with a faint smile. Kyōhiko fell into thought. Pakura... He had to admit, by the time of the mecha battles, Scorch Release wouldn’t be particularly useful. But against opponents below Kage-level, its lethality was immense. Even his previous techniques would have struggled against her—most would have been hard-countered. If he could recruit her to Konoha, the rewards would undoubtedly be substantial! No. She didn’t even need to officially join—a "temporary transfer" would suffice. Kyōhiko’s eyes lit up. "Orochimaru-sama, I have an idea." "Oh?" Orochimaru looked at him with interest. This kid always had something up his sleeve! Kyōhiko leaned in and whispered, "Inform Sunagakure that Pakura is alive, then set a condition: if they want her back, the Fourth Kazekage must be her." Orochimaru studied him, pondered briefly, then smirked. "You want to stir up internal conflict?" "For example, when sending her back, slip a scroll into her belongings—one detailing Sasori’s human puppets, along with some ’words of caution’ and ’concern.’ Ideally, she shouldn’t even know the scroll exists." Kyōhiko added quietly. Orochimaru’s mind raced, already formulating a plan. He stared at Kyōhiko, his gaze profound. This move... Was ruthless! Still, Orochimaru’s lips curved into a smile. "You’re trying to recruit her to Konoha?" "We can’t let Sunagakure keep her, at least." Whether she could be persuaded was uncertain, but her loyalty to Sunagakure had to be undermined. Kyōhiko replied with a grin. Orochimaru nodded. "That makes sense." He then said, "Ōnoki is also making moves. Before news from Sunagakure spreads, head north for reinforcements. Leave this place to me." Orochimaru’s earlier strategy of luring the enemy had been due to caution against the Third Kazekage’s strength, fearing greater losses. But now that the Third was dead, someone like Rasa... Was hardly a threat. "Oh, and Ebizō is dead too." Kyōhiko added. Orochimaru paused briefly, then sighed. "Ebizō... He was one of the few in Sunagakure who actually used his brain. To think he’d die by your hand." No— Come to think of it... The Third Kazekage, Ebizō—both killed by Kyōhiko. If you included Chiyo (who likely died rescuing Sasori) and the captured Pakura, didn’t most of Sunagakure’s elite losses tie back to Kyōhiko? Orochimaru’s expression turned slightly odd. He patted Kyōhiko’s shoulder, offering no further advice, merely giving a faint nod before vanishing into the earth. This kid needed no worrying. Even if the entire shinobi world perished, Kyōhiko would probably still be bouncing around—a perfect fusion of the First and Second Hokage. Orochimaru couldn’t help but muse— If Kyōhiko had been born a decade earlier, what would the Sannin have amounted to? Hell, even that old fool Hanzō might have died! Though he never spoke of it, losing to Hanzō still rankled him somewhat. ... At the outpost on the Land of Wind’s border, silence and grief once again weighed heavily on everyone. If before, they had believed their loss was due to the Third Kazekage’s carelessness and underestimation of the enemy, falling into a trap... Now, they were utterly despondent. Wood Release. That was the First Hokage’s power! Konoha had actually produced another Wood Release user. It must be that child. Rasa’s eyes darkened as he recalled the formation during the battle. Namikaze Minato, Ryōhō Kyōhiko, and Hatake Kakashi had surrounded an inconspicuous, pale-faced child. He hadn’t seen that boy before, but an unexpected addition to their ranks was undoubtedly noteworthy. Wood Release was likely tied to that child. Konoha had restricted their movements precisely to prevent this intelligence from leaking. He understood the reasoning perfectly well. However. At this moment, as the leader of a defeated village, he had no other choice. Furthermore. Rasa hesitated internally— If only Sunagakure had been beaten like a dog by Konoha, wouldn’t the other villages take advantage and seize their territories and missions? Thinking this, he abandoned any notion of secretly leaking information. To hell with the other villages! He should focus on figuring out how to become the Fourth Kazekage instead. Rasa gazed ahead and let out a quiet sigh. At that moment— "Rasa-sama, someone from Konoha has arrived!" "Who?" "Orochimaru." Iso reported in a low voice. Rasa’s spirits lifted slightly, though not without concern. Orochimaru! Even Ebizō had been wary of this man. Now that Ebizō was dead, who could he turn to for help? Iso? Rasa glanced sideways, a flicker of disappointment passing through his heart. Relying on him would doom Sunagakure. Taking a deep breath, he walked outside. There, Orochimaru approached steadily—alone, yet exuding an imposing aura that made others hesitant to meet his gaze. However. After a few steps, he stopped midway, making no further advance. Rasa sighed quietly. He knew he had to go out and greet him. So he hurried forward, forcing a smile. "Orochimaru-sama, has Konoha reached a decision?" "First, we haven’t fully tallied Konoha’s casualties yet, but you will undoubtedly compensate for the losses." Orochimaru stated coolly. Rasa nodded. "That’s only fair." "We will return the Third Kazekage’s body to you. Though he died in battle, Konoha does not disrespect a Kage." Orochimaru produced a sealing scroll as he spoke. Then, he formed hand signs and released its contents. A corpse. At the sight of the Third Kazekage, everyone’s eyes reddened—some with anger and resentment, others with grief and quiet sobs. This was their strongest Kazekage. Now, he was dead. Rasa nearly shed tears on the spot— The Third had been his teacher, personally guiding him in mastering Magnet Release. To see him again like this tore at his heart. Yet. He couldn’t cry. Not now, at least. Gritting his teeth, Rasa steadied himself. "Orochimaru-sama, on behalf of all Sunagakure, I thank you for your magnanimity." "Good." Orochimaru gave him a sidelong glance. Stupid as Rasa was, he had some redeeming qualities. He smiled faintly. "The second condition: Sunagakure is forbidden from using human puppet techniques. We will negotiate this with other villages to draft a joint agreement." "Of course. Sunagakure also finds human puppetry abhorrent." Rasa lowered his head, eyelids shielding his emotions. Human puppet techniques. Konoha had considered everything—no wonder they hadn’t immediately agreed to return the body. Orochimaru smirked coldly before listing several demands regarding interests in the Land of Rivers, though without pushing too hard—like demanding they relinquish missions in southern waters. Even if Sunagakure conceded those, Konoha would still have to compete with Kirigakure. Not worth the trouble. Rasa could only nod in agreement to each condition. Finally... Orochimaru narrowed his eyes with a smile. "The last condition: We want Pakura as the Fourth Kazekage." "What?" Rasa looked up, stunned. Kazekage—Pakura? "Pakura is still alive?" He couldn’t believe it. Orochimaru’s lips curved slightly. "She’s merely a guest of mine. Why would she be dead?" Rasa opened his mouth but stopped himself. Alive... But why insist on her becoming Kazekage? Konoha had no right to dictate Sunagakure’s leadership. Yet he didn’t dare say so. After a long silence, he asked, "Why her?" "She’s tough. I respect that." Orochimaru grinned. This was true. If Pakura became Kazekage, he could foresee certain developments. As for Rasa— This man was more cunning, likely to secretly strengthen while feigning submission—making him harder to handle than Pakura. Rasa didn’t believe a word of it. His mind was in turmoil. He knew he had no room to refuse, but still wanted to try. "Appointing the Kazekage is Sunagakure’s most sacred right. Even I cannot decide this alone." "No matter." Orochimaru’s smile widened. "If you refuse, we’ll wait for you to die before accepting surrender." Rasa froze, then fell silent. Pakura’s merits matched his own. If he died and she returned, Sunagakure truly would have no alternative. Because... No third candidate could rival them for the position. Orochimaru chuckled. "Well?" "I agree." Rasa’s voice was thick with bitterness. Orochimaru smiled and turned to leave, leaving the corpse behind. "Compensation details will be delivered to Sunagakure with Pakura once finalized. You may withdraw now." "Thank you." Rasa bowed deeply. Only after Orochimaru departed did he straighten, his expression icy as he stared at the retreating figure. "Rasa-sama..." Iso approached cautiously. Rasa inhaled deeply. "Prepare to return to the village." "The Kazekage matter...?" "We’ll discuss it back home." Rasa closed his eyes. Orochimaru was ruthless. He couldn’t discern Orochimaru’s motives, nor whether Pakura had defected to Konoha. But either way, he couldn’t allow her to become Fourth Kazekage. She would lead the village to ruin! Yet. If not her, then what? Rasa’s steps were heavy as he walked back inside. She had to die. A glint of murderous intent flashed in Rasa’s eyes. Even before, Pakura’s views and policies had clashed with his. Whether she’d betrayed them or not, her return would obstruct him. Decision made, his mood—and footsteps—lightened. Just then, he noticed a youth practicing Wind Release techniques by the doorway. After a moment’s thought, he recalled the name. Baki. While others wallowed in grief, this boy trained harder than ever. Impressive! He might go far. Approaching, Rasa asked, "Baki, would you like to learn Wind Release from me?" "Eh? Of course!" Baki blinked in surprise before nodding eagerly, his tear-streaked face alight with joy.