The Land of Whirlpools.
Or rather, what remained of the once-prosperous Uzumaki Kingdom.
The land had long been reduced to wilderness—half wasteland, half forest. From time to time, wandering travelers passed through, and if fortune favored them, they might stumble across the ruins of Uzumaki Village, once known as the Village of Longevity.
It was said that during the Second Great Ninja War, the great nations, fearful of the Uzumaki clan's legendary sealing techniques, had banded together to annihilate them. Their combined assault led to the destruction of the Uzumaki Kingdom.
Kenya was not particularly interested in distant history, though a faint suspicion lingered in his mind—things could not have been so simple. Still, the truth of the past was meaningless to him now.
In the forest of these ruins, two figures moved swiftly through the trees.
One of them wore a plain gray shinobi uniform, a rapier strapped across his back. His speed and focus made him look every bit like Uchiha Sasuke at the age of fourteen.
The second was a girl with long, fiery red hair—her appearance alone enough to reveal her Uzumaki bloodline.
Karin.
"At ten o'clock, seven hundred meters ahead!" she shouted.
Sasuke gave no reply. Instead, he burst forward in the direction she indicated, his speed blinding.
Within five minutes, he returned, carrying the unconscious form of a tall man dressed in a tattered prison uniform.
One of Orochimaru's escaped test subjects.
"So fast…" Karin muttered under her breath.
She was the caretaker of Orochimaru's ruins here in the Land of Whirlpools. Her task was to oversee and monitor the experimental subjects left behind.
Today's escape had been her error. After reporting the incident, Orochimaru dispatched Sasuke to handle it. The boy's display of power left Karin stunned. Not only did he surpass anyone her age, but even compared to the countless shinobi she had met in her life, Sasuke's strength stood in rare company.
In one of Orochimaru's underground strongholds hidden within the ruins, Kenya stood before a row of glass tanks. Inside floated preserved remains of shinobi once renowned for their kekkei genkai.
The sight drew a murmur from him.
"Impressive. So many bloodline limits gathered in one place…"
Here lay the remains of Hōzuki Mangetsu of the Mist, Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan, a shinobi of Sunagakure's Magnetic Release, and even fragments of the Eight-Tails' horn stolen from a former jinchūriki.
The corpses of such rare individuals were suspended in specially treated formalin, preserved for future study.
According to Orochimaru, many had been acquired during his travels, scavenged from warfields or taken from orphans with rare bloodlines.
"Ah, Kenya-kun is also interested in such things?" Orochimaru's hoarse voice came from behind, a twisted smile curling his lips.
Kenya returned his smile, sly and unreadable.
"In fact, I came here today with more than Sasuke in mind. I have an experiment of my own I'd like your help with, Lord Orochimaru."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's yellow eyes glimmered with intrigue. "With Kenya-kun's strength, you still have need of me? What experiment could that be?"
Kenya leaned close and whispered his idea.
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed, disbelief flickering across his face. "You… can do something like that?"
"Of course. Whether it succeeds will depend on the results. But it's worth attempting."
Orochimaru's smile stretched wider, his voice a rasping chuckle. "Interesting. Very well—I'll lend my assistance."
Kenya tapped a nearby tank, his tone shifting. "Then let's move on to the real issue—Sasuke."
At the mention of the boy, Orochimaru's smile faded. His expression grew solemn.
"To be honest, Sasuke's growth has been terrifying. Compared to him, I—once called a 'genius'—feel utterly ashamed."
"Spare me the false humility," Kenya said dryly, eyes still on the floating specimens. "Tell me what concerns you."
Orochimaru's voice dropped lower.
"I cannot wait for my next Living Corpse Reincarnation. Sasuke's strength already threatens me. He may soon try to kill me. And should I attempt to take him as my vessel, I fear I would fail. With my current condition, if he decided to flee, I could not stop him."
"Kenya-kun," Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "You've done something to his body, haven't you?"
Kenya smiled faintly.
"I only triggered his potential. The rest comes from his bloodline… and his soul."
"His… soul?" Orochimaru murmured, deep in thought.
Kenya's gaze sharpened. "We'll need to adjust the plan."
The look in his eyes made Orochimaru recall the fearsome day Kenya had orchestrated the downfall of Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing the mask of Aizen.
Kenya leaned in and explained his revised strategy.
When he finished, Orochimaru drew in a long breath, then released it with a twisted chuckle.
"Kenya-kun… just as when Konoha fell, your scheming is still so poisonous."
Kenya shrugged lightly, smiling as though it were nothing.
"Oh, it's just a matter of thinking a few steps ahead to reach the goal."
As he turned to leave, his presence seemed to blur into the darkness.
"Then I'll leave Sasuke to you. I can't stay here now."
By the time Orochimaru looked back, Kenya had vanished without a trace.
"If that man ever turns against me…" Orochimaru whispered, his voice grim, "…I might never even know how I died."
A moment later, Sasuke's voice echoed from outside the chamber.
"Orochimaru. I brought them back."
Orochimaru looked at the boy again. The fear that had flickered in his eyes moments ago was gone, replaced by something else entirely—sympathy.