Contrary to what many Konoha shinobi believed, Orochimaru's decision to hunt down this group of Kirigakure ninja alone was not out of public duty. The driving force behind his actions was, in truth, personal desire. Ever since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, when he had come to understand how fragile human life truly was, he had begun his pursuit of immortality.
For years now, in order to study the arts of eternal life, he had tirelessly delved into the domain of forbidden jutsu. Countless lives had already been consumed as fuel for his research, and as his work progressed, both the quality and the quantity of the materials he sought continued to rise.
Quantity was never an issue—there was never a shortage of expendable lives in this world.
The problem lay in quality.
High-grade research materials were rare, not easily obtained—especially those with unique traits. He could not, and would not, recklessly target his own comrades in the village. For now, at least, he wasn't willing to.
And so, his gaze turned outward.
Yet the finest "materials" were concentrated in the other great shinobi villages, and not even Orochimaru dared provoke them openly.
Fortunately, just as he found himself troubled by the lack of quality specimens, the Third Great Ninja War erupted.
For Orochimaru, it was like rain after a long drought.
He prowled every battlefield, reaping enemy lives with abandon—securing victory for Konoha while also feeding his own research. In his eyes, it was a perfect balance between duty and desire.
This time, what caught his attention was a report: a group of Kirigakure ninja had fled south, led by geniuses of both the Hōzuki clan and the Kirigumo clan. That instantly stirred his interest. After all, the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique and the Kirigumo clan's Boil Release kekkei genkai were both forms of high-quality material he had yet to obtain.
Thus, he set out personally, taking on the task of hunting them down.
And fortune greeted him right away—he managed to catch a big fish. Hōzuki Mangetsu himself.
"Now then… I'll have to think carefully about how best to capture you."
Orochimaru looked at the restrained Mangetsu, brows furrowed in contemplation.
From the old scrolls he had dug through, he had only managed to find records on how to counter the Hydrification Technique. But there were no notes on how to keep a Hōzuki alive after capture. Conventional restraints were useless on someone whose body could liquefy.
And it wasn't as though he could simply keep paralyzing Mangetsu indefinitely with Lightning Release chakra. Orochimaru could endure the chakra drain, yes—but in doing so, he'd also be tying himself down.
"…Let's test a sealing technique first."
His golden eyes narrowed to slits. He wasn't certain which method would work, so he would try them one by one. If none succeeded, he'd be forced to split off a clone to keep Mangetsu paralyzed with Lightning Release—a crude, wasteful solution, one he'd rather avoid unless he had no other choice.
Crouching beside Mangetsu, Orochimaru raised his right hand. Chakra surged densely at his fingertips, the sealing technique ready to be inscribed onto his captive's body—
But suddenly, he stopped.
The chakra at his fingertips dissipated.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
Snapping around, he lashed out behind him with a casual sweep. Dozens of serpents burst from his sleeves, striking toward empty air.
In the next instant—blood sprayed.
Each serpent's head was severed by a single gleaming slash of a blade.
"The Camouflage Concealment Technique of Iwagakure…"
Orochimaru shook his wrist. The headless snake corpses tumbled lifelessly, landing atop the remains of larger serpents.
He stared into the empty space and allowed a strange smile to creep across his face.
"As far as I know, even in Iwagakure, only a handful have mastered this secret art. There's no reason for an Iwa shinobi to appear here of all places. Aside from them, there's only one other person who has mastered the Camouflage Concealment Technique—and that person happens to have allied himself with the Kirigakure shinobi…"
His words trailed off. There was no need to finish. The meaning was clear.
To his left front, the seemingly empty space began to shimmer—and a figure materialized out of nothing.
Black hair. Black eyes. Striking, handsome features. At his waist hung a brilliant yellow gem.
None other than Kyoichi.
"…Koeda Kyoichi."
Orochimaru's slitted eyes narrowed further, his smile growing ever more inscrutable.
Though it was their first meeting, he had long since seen Kyoichi's portrait, and studied every report about him that Minato had submitted. More importantly—Hanzō of the Salamander had been slain by this very youth. That was not something Orochimaru could ignore. After all, Hanzo had once overwhelmed him, Jiraiya, and Tsunade single-handedly. The Sannin's very title had been earned under Hanzo's shadow.
So he had engraved Kyoichi's face and every scrap of intelligence about him deep into memory. The moment an unseen enemy crept close, only one name had come to mind.
"Kyoichi-kun, so you've already pledged yourself to Kirigakure? Here to throw your life away for them?" Orochimaru's voice dripped with mocking amusement.
"Why not? If I don't sell my life to Kirigakure, should I sell it to you in Konoha instead?"
Kyoichi smiled back, unflinching. "Once you've chosen your path, you must give everything to carve out your future. That's what being a shinobi means. We live with blades at our throats. Selling one's life is proof it still holds value. The day you can't even trade your life for a price—that's when things are truly tragic, isn't it?"
"And another thing—don't call me by name. We're not familiar enough for that."
He made no move to rush Orochimaru, nor to immediately free the restrained Mangetsu.
Orochimaru's eyes flicked around, his tongue wetting his lips as he chuckled. "Not alone, are you? Quite a crowd has gathered…"
The very next moment—
The sound of a flute drifted through the air, light and lilting.
It slipped straight into Orochimaru's ears before he had time to prepare.
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