"It's been a while, Mirai Uchiha."
Seeing the sudden appearance of Mirai Uchiha, Orochimaru's long tongue slithered out as he dragged it across his pallid cheek.
Witnessing this up close, Mirai Uchiha instinctively frowned.
Indeed...
Without the stylized charm of cartoonish portrayal, Orochimaru was nothing more than a repulsive creep.
However, the aura surrounding Orochimaru was clearly different from before.
Activating his Byakugan to observe, Mirai Uchiha's expression shifted.
This guy was currently inhabiting a woman's body!
"Mirai Uchiha, what about your eyes?"
Orochimaru tilted his head and took a curious step closer. Without reacting, Mirai turned away and strode off. "It's the power of the Byakugan."
"I gained the Byakugan Bloodline Limit during my battle with Hiashi Hyūga."
Hearing Mirai's explanation, Orochimaru couldn't help but reveal an envious look on his face.
"Mirai Uchiha, your abilities are absolutely astounding. To think you could even replicate a Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan."
"Unlike me, who has to endure endless trials just to scrape together a bit more strength…"
Feeling the burning mix of fanaticism and envy in Orochimaru's gaze, Mirai Uchiha felt extremely relieved he had controlled Orochimaru immediately after obtaining Kotoamatsukami.
Otherwise, this guy would have caused countless headaches.
Not wanting to linger on this topic, Mirai Uchiha asked directly: "Orochimaru, is this your base?"
"Cold, damp, dark..."
"Can you honestly say this place is suitable for your research?"
Hearing that, Orochimaru gave a slight chuckle. "Mirai Uchiha, have you forgotten? I'm currently a rogue ninja. A quiet place is hard to come by; I can't afford to be picky about conditions."
Mirai raised one eyebrow. "I didn't order Anbu to harass you."
Sighing, Orochimaru replied, "That idiot Jiraiya."
"That guy has strong intelligence-gathering skills. If I hadn't kept a low profile around him, he probably would've found me long ago."
"Want me to take care of Jiraiya for you?"
Orochimaru paused, then shook his head. "No need. That guy is just an idiot. It's not worth taking it too seriously."
After speaking, Orochimaru dropped the small talk and cut straight through the pleasantries: "Mirai Uchiha, I called you here today to finalize the details regarding the Chunin Exams."
"How do you plan to ruin our teacher's reputation?"
Mirai Uchiha replied indifferently: "The third round individual matches will be held at Konoha's largest central arena. Most of the participants in this Chunin Exam will be there to watch."
"Besides that, there are political leaders and nobles from various countries, wealthy merchants..."
"Your task is very simple. During the third individual battle, you'll launch an attack on Hiruzen Sarutobi and expose his crimes one by one."
"The plan is called the Konoha (Leaf Village) Destruction Plan."
"What a great name." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Mirai, leave this to me."
"But he's still officially the Hokage. The others won't just ignore it if I go after him directly, will they?"
Facing Orochimaru's concern, Mirai Uchiha chuckled lightly. "You only need to find a few people to cast a protective barrier trapping you and Hiruzen Sarutobi inside."
"If you don't have the right people in mind, I can send some assistance."
Orochimaru shook his head with a knowing smile. "No need to worry about manpower. Though I'm now a rogue ninja, I still have quite a number of loyal subordinates."
"Actually, I've recently acquired several children with exceptional talent."
Following Orochimaru's lead, the two soon arrived deep within the cave—an immense underground colosseum awaited them.
Around the ground-level arena were many "rooms" carved into the cave walls.
On the battlefield lay dozens of corpses in various states—some already reduced to skeletons, others still in the bloated stage of decomposition, exuding a strong stench of rot.
Combined with the dim atmosphere of the cave, the scene before them was nothing short of hellish.
"Kids, come out."
As the words fell, several cold-faced children emerged from different rooms.
Lifting his gaze, Mirai observed familiar faces: Kimimaro, Kidomaru, Tayuya, Jirobo—all around three years old.
Guren was probably the oldest among them, yet still barely under ten years old.
"These are my new children. All of them possess outstanding talent."
"It was I who gave them hope for life and a reason to live."
Like showing off, Orochimaru proudly waved his hand slightly. "Kimimaro, come here."
A gray-haired boy with two red dots on his forehead obediently walked over and bowed respectfully. "Lord Orochimaru," he said.
Orochimaru nodded, then glanced at the quiet Kimimaro standing beside him. "Kimimaro is the last known genius heir of Kaguya Clan from Kiri, once labeled as a killing weapon by those madmen..."
"Not long ago, the Kaguya Clan was annihilated by Yagura Karatachi. Mirai, aside from yourself, Kimimaro is now the final living wielder of the Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit in the entire ninja world."
"To waste so many excellent experimental materials like this is truly a shame."
Orochimaru gave a brief introduction, then couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "After the losses in the Third Great Ninja War, the Kekkei Genkai clans of Kiri have grown increasingly dissatisfied with Yagura Karatachi's rule. Now he's wiped out the Kaguya through ruthless methods... Kiri has already turned into a total chaos zone."
"The ninja world never really changes. Even in times of temporary peace, the slaughter never stops."
Mirai Uchiha replied with a calm tone, "I will change all this."
Though just a few simple words, they carried a strange sense of conviction.
Kimimaro studied Mirai Uchiha with curiosity.
Could it be that this person was from the same clan as me?
"Kimimaro, this is Mirai Uchiha. She is my sworn master."
Upon hearing Orochimaru's introduction, Kimimaro's mouth opened wide in shock.
He had assumed the other was just another recruit Orochimaru had recently taken in. He never expected her to be someone capable of earning Lord Orochimaru's loyalty.
What kind of existence could this person possibly be?!
Looking at Kimimaro, an idea suddenly struck Mirai. "Orochimaru, do you know about a child who can naturally absorb natural energy?"
Orochimaru paused briefly before smiling. "That's why we call you Future. You even know about such secret matters."
"Not long ago, I indeed received intelligence about a boy whose body automatically absorbs natural energy. His name is Jugo."
"When that kid stays in places filled with intense natural energy, his body transforms and his strength surpasses his normal form."
"If it weren't for the upcoming Chunin Exams, I'd already have tried to get in touch with him."
"His abilities might help improve my experiments."
Upon hearing this, Mirai smiled. "Tell me where he is. We'll pay him a visit together."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>