Kitazawa arrived in the Land of Rice Fields, which borders the Land of Fire to the north. In the past it had no shinobi village—only scattered ninja clans—until Orochimaru appeared and founded Otogakure, the Hidden Sound.
Heading north, Kitazawa soon spotted Otogakure. He didn't walk straight in; instead he detoured to a nearby valley.
Before the Sound's rise, the most famous ninja clan here was the Fūma. They'd tried to revive their clan by riding Orochimaru's coattails, only to be used and discarded, suffering heavy losses and complete failure.
Though they didn't formally join Otogakure, they still did jobs for Orochimaru—chief among them, watching for foreign shinobi near the village and killing anyone whose target was the Sound.
In the original storyline, they even ambushed Jiraiya and Naruto.
Kitazawa quickly found the Fūma's base. The clan had fallen on hard times—only three jōnin remained: Fūma Kagero, Fūma Kamikiri, and Fūma Jigumo. Kitazawa didn't pick a fight; he took one look and moved on. As he walked, he formed hand seals. His body and face shifted until he looked exactly like Fūma Kamikiri.
In that guise, he slipped into Otogakure without a hitch and began gathering intelligence. With his level of skill, the only one in the Sound who could see through his Transformation was Orochimaru.
As long as he stayed away from the leader's tower where Orochimaru resided, he'd be fine. He could have infiltrated without changing his face, but better safe than sorry.
Kitazawa arched a brow and ghosted into an underground hall that looked very much like an arena. A crowd of boys and girls were locked in brutal combat. Kitazawa considered the scene.
These were clearly the "talents" Orochimaru had collected—partly to choose usable subordinates, and partly to find suitable "vessels." Obsessed with immortality, Orochimaru had ultimately devised the Living Corpse Reincarnation: when a body grows old, you switch to a new one—hence the need for vessels.
In the original story, he groomed Uchiha Sasuke precisely because Sasuke was his perfect choice.
Leaving the underground hall, Kitazawa continued his sweep of the Sound. Before long he spotted a white-haired youth—Kaguya Kimimaro. He wasn't yet the bedridden invalid we know from the original.
An idea struck Kitazawa: bring Kimimaro into the Advanced Class. The current rankings there had grown a bit entrenched; it needed a disrupter, and Kimimaro was perfect.
First, he fit the age range—about the same as Haku, two or three years older than Naruto and the others. Second, in terms of ability, he had the potential to contend for the top spot.
Shikotsumyaku is elite among kekkei genkai—terrifying control over one's own bones, which harden like blades for offense and shields for defense. Near-unbeatable up close, and with respectable ranged options too.
There were two problems. One, he had the kekkei genkai disease; in the original, it killed him, and even Orochimaru and Kabuto couldn't save him. Still, with Tsunade, Kitazawa, Yakushi Kabuto, Yakushi Nonō, and Shizune in Konoha now, there might be hope.
Two, he only followed Orochimaru's orders. If Kitazawa wanted him in the Advanced Class, he'd have to settle things with Orochimaru. That might be possible: Kitazawa already planned to collaborate with Orochimaru—under plenty of restrictions—to leverage his research for Konoha. Would Orochimaru agree? Probably. He doesn't want to die.
After making a circuit of the Sound, Kitazawa ran into Kimimaro and Guren, but not the other four members of the Sound Five. As he suspected, they were still too young and hadn't come under Orochimaru yet.
Once his reconnaissance was basically complete, Kitazawa left Otogakure and returned to Konoha the next morning. Ocean's Heart Jewelry had already opened.
On his way to Anbu HQ, he swung by for a look; business was booming, with a line out the door. That was normal for a grand opening—especially with Tsunade's backing. Give it time and the crowd would thin. Shinobi can earn well, but their expenses are high—tools, explosive tags, medical bills. Usually only jōnin have spare cash for jewelry.
Back in his office at Anbu, Kitazawa picked up pen and paper and began writing up his Sound intel, including the Fūma clan. Their base wasn't far from Otogakure; if Konoha moved to encircle Orochimaru, they would definitely notice, so that had to be addressed first.
Halfway through, he realized something was off. He looked up and called, "Konan." No reply. "Did she go back to Akatsuki?" he wondered, but let it go and kept writing. Thirty minutes later he'd filled an entire scroll. After a quick check—no issues—he headed to the Hokage's office.
He knocked, pushed the door open, and said, "Tsunade-sama, here's the intel on Otogakure," handing over the scroll.
"That fast?" Tsunade was surprised. Less than two days to map out a hidden village? From almost anyone else she'd think it was a joke. But Kitazawa was serious when it mattered.
"Otogakure is young. There isn't that much to collect," Kitazawa said.
"True." Tsunade nodded and read. After a moment, she rolled it up. "Orochimaru is impressive," she observed. "Given time, the Sound might grow into a power just below the Five Great Villages." She was referring to his Root-like talent-brew system—effective, but cruel. And who knew where he found so many "geniuses."
"For Konoha, the real threat is only Orochimaru," Tsunade added with a light laugh, sounding more at ease. She'd been worried the Sound might be so strong it would bleed Konoha heavily. Now it looked like a small village with limited bite.
"I think Kaguya Kimimaro is valuable. We should bring him into the Advanced Class," Kitazawa said after a pause. "And since he suffers from the kekkei genkai disease, he's a worthwhile treatment subject."
The disease is rare in the ninja world; most med-nin have never seen it, let alone documented it. Kitazawa's point was simple: Kimimaro has medical value. He also feared Kimimaro might be killed in a Konoha-Sound clash, so better to flag him now and spare his life.
"The kekkei genkai disease, hm? Worth studying," Tsunade agreed. "But if he joins the class, will he behave?"
"He listens to Orochimaru," Kitazawa said, anticipating her concern. "If Orochimaru is in our hands, he'll comply."
"Very well," Tsunade said. Kitazawa had clearly thought it through. As the Advanced Class instructor, he wouldn't endanger his students.
"When do we move?" Kitazawa prompted. "Sooner is better—don't give Orochimaru time to brace."
"In that case, Saturday," Tsunade decided after a moment. Even a small war shouldn't be rushed into. Today was Wednesday; Saturday left two days for Konoha to prepare.
"Kitazawa, I'll need you to notify everyone over the next two days," Tsunade said, happily delegating. He'd just been to the Sound and understood their strength best, and as Anbu Commander he was the right one to brief the teams.
Kitazawa blinked. That was essentially handing him command. He could decide who went and who didn't.
He thought it over. Uchiha Itachi had to go—his Mangekyō Sharingan was an insurance against Orochimaru. Might Guy could go too; if Orochimaru went berserk, Guy could open the Eight Gates and kick his dreams to pieces.
Hiruzen and Jiraiya were options, but those two didn't always take orders from him or Tsunade; if they snatched the final blow, that would be awkward. And frankly, you didn't need that lineup just to fight Orochimaru.
Kitazawa suddenly went, "Oh." Orochimaru also had Edo Tensei. Still, without Kabuto's later refinements, Edo Tensei wasn't as scary. Even so, they should bring a sealing team; fūinjutsu worked well on reanimated shinobi. Besides, Edo Tensei required prepared DNA and living sacrifices—hard to pull off mid-fight on short notice.
There were also Orochimaru's summons—snakes from Ryūchi Cave. With Tsunade present, Katsuyu from Shikkotsu Forest could counter. The summoning beast of the Three Sacred Lands are roughly on par.
"I'll round them up now," Kitazawa said, and left the tower. After a little thought, he headed to the Hyūga compound. Hiashi had sent about twenty Hyūga to help Ocean's Heart craft jewelry, including several jōnin. They might be needed in the Sound fight, so best to warn them early.
"Konan," Kitazawa said after walking a bit, sensing her presence. She appeared at once.
"Back to Akatsuki?" he asked.
"I went to the Fire Country Capital," Konan answered honestly. "I wanted to see what kind of necklace sells for eighty million ryō."
"Want to learn how to make them?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
Konan hesitated two seconds, then nodded. He wasn't surprised; Akatsuki needed money. It would be stranger if she didn't want to learn.
"What's your plan?" Kitazawa asked, curious what she'd picked up following him.
"The Land of Rain has found a silver vein and started mining," Konan said. "We were going to sell the ore outright, but now we're thinking of selling jewelry."
"Jewelry is definitely more profitable," Kitazawa nodded. Selling ore makes you a raw-materials supplier at the bottom of the chain. Selling jewelry moves you upstream—you control the value chain.
"But that leaves two problems: who designs, and who buys," he added. Konoha could sell to Fire Country nobles thanks to Tsunade's name and ties to the daimyō's court. Akatsuki didn't have that, and they couldn't outcompete Konoha here.
"We don't have designers—yet," Konan said. She'd seen the two necklaces showcased in the capital; they didn't look like something just anyone could design. "Could we sell to nobles in the other four great nations?" she asked sincerely. Fire Country was out; Ocean's Heart dominated. Outside the Five Great Nations, the smaller countries were too poor for high prices.
"At the start, maybe," Kitazawa said after a moment. "But once local merchants catch on, competition will crush you. They'll have home-court advantages in resources, logistics, and labor." Ocean's Heart wasn't worried about competition for two reasons: ties to the daimyō, and distinctive designs. If Akatsuki just followed, they had neither.
Konan fell silent, realizing big money wasn't so simple and having no immediate fix. Then a thought struck her. She looked at Kitazawa and asked, "Could you be our consultant?"
Wild as it sounded, hiring Kitazawa as Akatsuki's consultant could make money. One necklace at eighty million ryō matched six months to a year of Kakuzu's "work."
"Why would I help you?" Kitazawa asked, genuinely surprised.
"Not help—a deal," Konan said after a beat. "You help Akatsuki make money, and we pay you accordingly."
"Not bad," Kitazawa said. "I can agree."
"What payment do you want?" Konan asked, relieved.
"A revenue share, or… Akatsuki takes on commissioned jobs for me," Kitazawa smiled. "You know how it is. In my position, there are things I can't conveniently handle myself."
Konan thought it over. That wasn't bad for Akatsuki. They were already a mercenary outfit; working for Kitazawa wasn't much different from any other client.
"One condition," she added. "If you become our consultant, you need a different identity." Some Akatsuki members had grudges with Konoha. If Nagato knew she'd invited Kitazawa, he'd never agree; they'd have to make up a cover and keep him in the dark for now.
"No problem," Kitazawa said. In Akatsuki, most had beef with Konoha: Nagato's parents were killed by Konoha jōnin; Sasori's parents died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake; Orochimaru was formerly Konoha; the masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara—Obito—hardly needed an introduction to his grudge; even Kakuzu's path to missing-nin started with a failed assassination of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
If not for Kitazawa's butterfly effects, you could add Uchiha Itachi to the list. If he showed up flashing Konoha high-command credentials, they'd dog-pile him.
"Keep mining for now. Once you've stockpiled enough silver, come find me," Kitazawa said. "If I design the jewelry lines, there's a design fee."
"Understood," Konan said. Business is business.
"I'm heading to the Hyūga compound. No need to tail me," Kitazawa waved and walked on. Konan vanished.
"Kitazawa," Hyūga Hiashi came out to meet him.
"I'm here with Tsunade-sama's orders," Kitazawa said gravely.
"Go ahead," Hiashi replied, face turning serious.
"Assemble four Byakugan squads—ideally all jōnin," Kitazawa said after thinking. Hiashi couldn't hide his surprise. Even for a great clan, deploying sixteen jōnin at once was rare.
"Are we going to war?" he asked.
"Half right," Kitazawa said, offering no details. "Rally at the Forest of Death at 9 a.m. Saturday. You'll know our goal then." A village-gate muster would draw too much attention. The Forest of Death was vast and discreet.
After Hiashi, Kitazawa headed to the Konoha Police Force—Uchiha Fugaku was there during the day, so no need to go to the Uchiha compound. "Clan Head Fugaku," Kitazawa said directly, "please assemble four Sharingan squads—ideally all jōnin."
"What's this for?" Fugaku asked, astonished.
"Rally at the Forest of Death at 9 a.m. Saturday. Tsunade-sama will explain then," Kitazawa said, then added, "Make sure Itachi is on the roster."
Fugaku's eyes lit up. If Tsunade specifically wanted Itachi, it meant she trusted him—ever higher odds the Uchiha would produce the next Hokage.
Kitazawa then informed Might Guy, Hatake Kakashi, Maruboshi Kosuke, and the other jōnin he considered true elites. One way or another, this raid would not let Orochimaru slip away.
Two days flashed by. The village stayed outwardly calm, but among the jōnin there was a charged undercurrent.
Saturday, 9 a.m., somewhere in the Forest of Death. The assembled jōnin looked at one another, puzzled. The lineup was too stacked.
Were they about to kick off the Fourth Great Ninja World War?
~~~
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