The Rebirth Pill was officially released to the public, but it wasn't something an ordinary villager could buy on a whim. Its purchasing location was the Hokage Building, and every sale required a Konoha shinobi to register their real name. The announcement sent a ripple through the entire village—because when the Hokage's office revealed the developer of the pill, the name Orochimaru once again landed squarely in the public eye.
The invention immediately became the talk of Konoha. Around dinner tables, in tea shops, and along the bustling main street, villagers and shinobi alike whispered in awe. The Rebirth Pill promised something extraordinary: a second chance at life for any ninja undertaking a dangerous mission. The so-called "drawbacks" were so minor that no one cared. If anything, the absence of major side effects only made people marvel more.
Rumors quickly followed.
"Such genius! Surely Orochimaru will be the next Hokage," some declared.
"Who else could it be?" others agreed. His accomplishments for the village were impossible to ignore.
While the villagers speculated, spies from rival hidden villages quietly collected every scrap of intelligence on Orochimaru and the mysterious pill, smuggling information out of Konoha through secret channels.
---
Training in the Forest
On the outskirts of the village, an open grove near Orochimaru's house had been transformed into a training ground. Dozens of taut steel wires stretched between tall trees, each dangling a wooden target. Kunai held the wires in place, their metal glinting faintly in the sunlight.
In the center of the clearing, Orochimaru moved like a phantom. With a flick of his slender hands, the targets began to slide along the wires. His golden eyes darted from one to the next, calculating every angle. In a blur of motion he leapt high, twisting midair while unleashing a storm of kunai and shuriken.
"Wind Release: Swift Wind Wall!"
He formed a single Tatsu hand seal. Instantly, a rush of chakra-born wind enveloped the spinning weapons. Kunai and shuriken that should have flown off-course suddenly curved in sharp arcs, slicing through the air with added velocity.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each target shattered perfectly at its center.
Orochimaru landed lightly, a faint smirk on his face. Not bad.
This new jutsu manipulated the wind to alter the trajectory of thrown weapons while also amplifying their cutting power.
Since his failed attempt to manually create a Truth-Seeking Ball, Orochimaru had avoided the Third Training Grounds. Instead, he honed his skills here in the forest's solitude.
A soft voice called from behind. "Wind Release: Swift Wind Wall… Orochimaru, you've developed another remarkable technique."
It was Hyūga Mio, the veins near her eyes fading as her Byakugan deactivated.
Orochimaru shrugged. "Just a little trick for target practice. Nothing serious."
In truth, he had never enjoyed endless shuriken drills. Meditation and chakra control felt far more meaningful. Still, a shinobi without basic weapon skills would be laughed at. Thus, almost out of laziness, he invented a technique to cheat at throwing weapons. A single hand seal was all it required—simple enough that even the ever-careless Jiraiya could learn it.
---
Tsunade's Entrance
"Orochimaru! There you are!"
A lively voice rang across the clearing. Tsunade bounded toward them, waving enthusiastically. When she caught sight of Hyūga Mio, however, her cheerful expression tightened, a flash of hostility flickering in her eyes.
"Hehe, you've cooked up a new medicine again, haven't you?" she teased, draping an arm over Orochimaru's shoulder. The look she shot at Mio was unmistakably provocative.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Everyone has their own specialties, Tsunade. Yours are nothing to scoff at."
Her frown softened slightly, though curiosity soon replaced it. "Wait—are you practicing shuriken throws? The targets are a mess."
"Not exactly. I was testing a new jutsu," Orochimaru replied.
"A new jutsu?" Her eyes sparkled with interest.
With a resigned sigh, Orochimaru reset the moving targets. He tossed a single shuriken and flashed through hand seals faster than the eye could follow.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The lone weapon split into dozens.
"Wind Release: Swift Wind Wall!"
A whirling current of chakra surrounded the clones, steering them with impossible precision. Bang, bang, bang! Every target exploded into splinters.
"Wow!" Tsunade squealed, seizing Orochimaru and spinning him around in delight.
"???" Orochimaru blinked, completely nonplussed as the world whirled around him.
Hyūga Mio politely turned her head, pretending not to witness the scene.
As Tsunade finally set him down, she said with a grin, "You know, everyone in the village says you're destined to succeed Hiruzen-sensei as the Fourth Hokage."
Orochimaru, sipping from his ever-present thermos of medicinal tea, choked and sprayed a glittering arc of liquid into the sunlight. "Hokage? I've never considered it. You or Jiraiya are far more likely candidates."
Hokage? He inwardly scoffed. Who wants to sit chained to an office chair all day?
"Not me," Tsunade replied instantly. "I can't gamble from behind a desk."
Orochimaru gave a small, insincere shrug. "Every ninja dreams of it, or so they say. But it's not a dream I share."
Tsunade studied him suspiciously but let the matter drop.
---
Council Concerns
Meanwhile, deep in the Root headquarters, a different conversation unfolded. Since Danzō Shimura had reluctantly abandoned his own Hokage ambitions, his relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi had thawed somewhat. Yet the Rebirth Pill's debut—and the covert intelligence gathering it provoked—couldn't be ignored.
"The other villages won't stay idle," Danzō said, arms crossed, face grim. "The Rebirth Pill could dramatically reduce Konoha's casualties. They'll covet it… or try to destroy it."
Homura Mitokado nodded. "Then we must protect Orochimaru. He's critical to the village's strength."
Utatane Koharu frowned. "Protection is difficult. Orochimaru has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. Restricting someone who can manipulate space-time is nearly impossible. He's still a child, but stubborn as ever."
"Regardless," Danzō said firmly, "any enemy action against him must be eliminated before it begins."
---
A Lesser but Vital Creation
While the Rebirth Pill captured headlines, another of Orochimaru's projects quietly spread across the ninja world: the Healing Pill. Though weaker than the Rebirth Pill, it could mend serious injuries and often meant the difference between life and death for both shinobi and ordinary law enforcers. Demand skyrocketed.
Yet production was limited by a rare medicinal ingredient, creating chronic shortages. Rival villages and underground organizations desperately tried to reverse-engineer the pill. They identified most ingredients, but the crucial one remained elusive. Counterfeit attempts often ended in near-fatal poisoning.
---
The Hidden Ingredient
Far away in the Land of Waves, the bounty hunter Kakuzu walked across the sea's surface, reviewing the latest financial report. The Healing Pill was proving more profitable than even he had expected. Its strategic value was obvious: fewer casualties, less pressure on medical-nin, and massive wartime advantage.
But such value came with danger. A treasure unguarded is merely a blade at its owner's throat.
Kakuzu wasn't overly worried, though. The White Snake Pharmaceutical Company maintained strong alliances with multiple villages. Still, he had warned Qing He and Orochimaru to stay vigilant.
What fascinated him most was the key ingredient: the Chimera Bug's secretions—a translucent, slightly viscous, light-brown substance capable of miraculous healing. Orochimaru had somehow bred these enormous insects to produce it.
In a mangrove forest nearby, the bugs clustered high in the treetops, their massive pincers and scorpion-like tails glinting. The largest, the Chimera Bug King, occasionally dipped its head as if conversing with its kin. Kakuzu shook his head in disbelief. Each creature was a fortune crawling with golden potential.
---
Clouds of Suspicion
Elsewhere, in the stony halls of Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage's council chamber buzzed with frustration.
"Konoha tricked us," one elder growled. "They revealed the developer's name from the start, knowing we'd doubt a child's genius."
"Orochimaru's accomplishments have already strengthened Konoha immensely," another snapped. "If this boy can achieve such feats now, what will he create in ten years? Shall we simply watch Konoha grow stronger while we do nothing?"
The room fell into tense silence, each leader weighing the same question that now unsettled every hidden village:
How do you confront an enemy whose greatest weapon is a prodigy still at the dawn of his power?
---
The wind in the Leaf Village carried quiet whispers of ambition and fear alike, and at the center of it all stood Orochimaru—smiling faintly, a genius no one could ignore, and perhaps a danger no one could yet measure.
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