Orochimaru's intelligence and cunning were unparalleled, even among the legendary Sannin. Some would argue he was the most brilliant mind in the entire shinobi world. Climbing to the top was never the problem—it was the cost that gave others pause.
So when Uchiha Kai came knocking on his door, Orochimaru didn't take it at face value.
If this boy was so overt with his actions—so blatant in approaching him—then it wasn't a lapse in judgment. Kai wasn't stupid. If he came here knowing Orochimaru might have already relocated his laboratory, then the only conclusion was that this was intentional. A provocation.
A trap.
It wasn't just to uncover something. It was to make noise. Kai wanted this confrontation noticed—wanted it to ripple through the higher echelons of Konoha. But why?
Was it really necessary to stir such a commotion with no guaranteed reward?
No. That meant Kei's true target wasn't him.
It only looked like Orochimaru was the target. In reality, this entire operation was aimed at the people behind him—Root, or perhaps even the Third Hokage himself.
This boy was dangerous. Mysterious. Everyone assumed he was Uchiha Fugaku's subordinate, a clan loyalist executing orders. But Orochimaru had never bought into that.
He remembered it clearly—that day. The dark chakra that swirled around Uchiha Kai like a physical manifestation of death itself. It was no ordinary chakra. It was suffocating… oppressive… tangible.
And now, that same boy had become the head of the Konoha Military Police Force. Add to that his battlefield reputation and the disturbing rumors that followed him, and Orochimaru's analysis led to a chilling conclusion:
Kai wasn't Fugaku's puppet. He might even be pulling Fugaku's strings.
Fugaku had shifted drastically after Kai's return. His policies changed. His tone softened. His aggression was now cloaked behind bureaucracy and law.
Orochimaru's former sensei, the Third Hokage, might have noticed the changes—but the weight of war and the compromises made in its aftermath had dulled his edge. Hiruzen Sarutobi, once a man of ideals, had turned into a tired guardian of power. Orochimaru saw it clearly. His mentor no longer pursued truth—just control.
Where once he had admired Sarutobi, now Orochimaru felt... detached.
And in front of him stood Kai, calm and unreadable, facing down two massive snakes Orochimaru had summoned as a show of force.
Kai drew his ninjatō in silence. Azure chakra danced across its blade, flaring with deadly intensity.
"I'll handle Orochimaru," he said coolly. "You two—secure the lab."
"There's no need for that," Hyuga Aya muttered, her Byakugan active. "Even if there are seals and barriers, that underground space is too large to be empty."
"We'll handle him together," said Imai Kenta, his tone grim as his own sword gleamed under the moonlight.
Orochimaru's tongue slithered from his mouth with a hiss. "Worried I'll destroy the lab again? Don't worry—this time, it won't come to that. But if you don't check below, how will you know whether there's truly nothing there?"
Orochimaru's voice was raspy but melodic—soaked in dark allure. Kai and his team tensed. As always, Orochimaru was unreadable. Every move could be a smokescreen.
"Follow orders," Kai said, now fully in combat stance.
"...Yes, Captain," Kenta replied after a beat. Aya nodded silently.
As soon as they moved out, Kai struck.
He hadn't fought Orochimaru before—not directly—but he'd studied him. He didn't need full knowledge to know what he was up against. Orochimaru was a living experiment, a serpent that refused to die.
Kai's body blurred forward—without even using the Body Flicker Technique—and his blade cut through the air with precision aimed at Orochimaru's throat.
Orochimaru bent unnaturally, dodging with snake-like grace. He retreated and unsheathed the Kusanagi sword from his mouth, intercepting Kei's follow-up strike with a metallic clash.
"Hm... This blade of yours," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. "Made from the same alloy as White Fang's, no?"
Kai didn't answer at first.
"It was a gift," he eventually said. "From Kakashi. Swordsmanship may not be my strength, but it's enough to cut down most enemies."
"And paired with the Sharingan..." Orochimaru mused. "A dangerous mix. Yet even with that, the Uchiha are... limited."
Kai narrowed his eyes. What did Orochimaru mean by that?
But there was no time to ask. Orochimaru's legs snapped forward like coiled steel, but Kai slipped past with fluid speed, his sword sweeping low.
Orochimaru twisted again—inhumanly flexible, bones and muscles contorting as if he had none at all.
But then... he paused.
A flicker of disorientation crossed his golden, slit-like eyes.
Kai's blade flashed—and with a clean arc, Orochimaru's head was severed.
Without wasting a second, Kai fell back, evading the giant snakes lunging for him. He formed hand seals mid-air.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Three massive fire dragons erupted from his mouth, coiling and roaring through the forest toward the serpents. Their massive size left them vulnerable, and the flames consumed them in moments, their screams echoing as the woods began to burn.
Ash and smoke choked the air.
"...Do you know that old Konoha saying?" Kai spoke, voice low.
"As long as there are leaves to burn, the fire will never die.
The shadow of the fire will light the village and help new leaves grow."
He exhaled. "I don't see the new leaves yet. But I know the fire's shadow will shine on the village."
"Perhaps you are that new sprout, Minister Kai," came a familiar voice.
Orochimaru's body slithered out of the ground—unharmed.
"But your fire also casts long shadows... and blocks others out."
"Jiraiya-sensei?" Kai muttered, catching the reference.
Orochimaru laughed softly, then coldly. "You believe too strongly in the Fourth Hokage. What if he can't uncover what you're looking for?"
Kai's face darkened. Orochimaru had guessed too much.
This entire confrontation had been a diversion. A distraction. Something loud and public enough to force the Third Hokage—and the elders—to reveal if they had tampered with the evidence at Root.
Evidence of human experimentation. Danzo's atrocities.
But now... Orochimaru was dropping hints.
"Did they destroy the data?" Kai wondered.
"Or just bury it deeper?"
"If it's still at Root, then it's sealed," he said aloud, voice flat. "That's manageable."
Orochimaru smirked.
"It's still there. I know, because I helped create it. But don't worry—no one else will find us in this chaos."
He made a seal, and the flames grew higher, cloaking their battlefield from view.
"Then why all this?" Kai asked, tensing.
"I had a gift for Jiraiya, but I think you'll appreciate it more." Orochimaru's grin widened unnaturally. "Let me see that power... that legendary power."
"...You want to see my Mangekyō?"
Kai sighed. "So you figured it out."
He opened his eyes—and the Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed, its pattern shaped like interlocked diamonds.
"Feel free to experience it," Kai said coldly.
"But remember—playing with the unknown can get you killed, Orochimaru."