The thirtieth year of Konoha slipped away like sand through a loosely held hand, fading into memory before anyone realized it.
This was a year destined for upheaval.
The three great hidden villages first clashed fiercely in Amegakure, where Konoha ultimately emerged victorious.
After that decisive battle, the war splintered into scattered fronts.
The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind fought bitterly in the Land of Rivers, while the Land of Lightning launched an assault into the territory of the Land of Earth.
By now, four of the five great nations were directly drawn into the conflict that would later be known as the Second Great Ninja War, a struggle that shook countless lands and civilians.
As the thirty-first year of Konoha arrived, Konoha and Sunagakure did not immediately resume hostilities.
Instead, a strange, delicate stalemate formed.
Both villages quietly withdrew to recover from the heavy toll of the previous year.
"It should be snowing in Konoha by now."
Hayashi, finally recovered from his injuries, glanced at his thin windbreaker and exhaled softly.
He found himself missing Konoha's winter.
The closer one traveled toward the Land of Wind, the hotter the air became.
Snow practically didn't exist here.
Rain itself was rare enough that the people valued every drop.
It was also the reason many Sand shinobi avoided frequent bathing—not out of neglect, but because water was a true luxury.
"Captain, do you really like snow that much?" Himeji asked, dressed in her newly issued flak vest.
Yes—a Special Jonin vest.
Her performance during the battle against the Sand Shinobi Guards earned her enough merit to apply.
Hayashi recommended her, and the village quickly approved it.
A fourteen-year-old Special Jonin was impressive, but beside an eleven-year-old Jonin, the shock weakened slightly.
Hayashi thought for a moment.
"How should I put it… I like the feeling of it.
Walking in heavy snow with someone you care about, and without noticing, both your heads turn white together.
Doesn't that sound peaceful?"
Himeji blinked, taking a moment to picture it.
He chuckled.
"Never mind, you're still young.
You'll understand someday."
He lifted his eyes toward the cloudy sky.
Realizing there was still time before dusk, he stood.
"I'm heading out for a bit."
"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked immediately.
Hayashi waved a hand.
"No need."
Ever since the last incident, Himeji had become overly cautious, worried that an enemy shinobi might appear from nowhere.
She asked the question every time he stepped outside.
To be fair, thanks to her constant vigilance, Hayashi hadn't had a moment alone in days—and the ridiculous side effects of his transmigration, like sudden urgency in the middle of missions, had almost completely disappeared.
A bizarre blessing.
"I'm just going to see Orochimaru-sensei.
Our team is down to just the two of us, so I need to confirm what comes next."
"Alright… be careful.
Captain, I'll wait for you so we can eat together."
"Got it."
He pushed open the tent flap, then paused and turned back.
"You're a Special Jonin now.
You're no longer my subordinate.
You can just call me Hayashi from now on."
"…Okay, Ha… Hayashi."
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Hayashi made his way to the westernmost part of the base—the entrance to Orochimaru's field laboratory.
This was his first time entering it.
Orochimaru never went long without research.
No matter where he traveled, a laboratory would appear soon after.
At this rate, he'd become the ninja with the most real estate on Earth.
Was real estate secretly his true profession?
Shaking the thought away, Hayashi slipped into a concealed passage leading underground.
Like the labs in Konoha, this one was built deep below the surface, reinforced with advanced Earth Release to stabilize the structure.
The air was cold—unnaturally so.
"Already here?" Orochimaru stepped out from the inner room, rubber gloves stained with fresh blood.
"Want to have a look?"
"Isn't the mission more important?" Hayashi asked.
"We aren't fighting at the moment, so there's no rush," Orochimaru answered, stepping aside.
Hayashi entered.
The room was chilled enough that his breath formed pale mist.
A surgical table stood in the center, flanked by shelves of jars containing preserved bodies and various animals.
"Sand shinobi, mostly.
Nothing special," Orochimaru said casually.
"Now this, however… is worth your attention."
He pulled away a white cloth.
A dissected ninja lay on the metal table.
But what caught Hayashi's eye was the body—pierced outward by dense, white bone growths that looked like an enormous skeletal spider.
"A shinobi from the Kaguya clan, originally from Kirigakure," Orochimaru explained.
"They possess the kekkei genkai known as Shikotsumyaku.
They can manipulate their bones freely, shaping them into weapons with incredible density.
A perfect blend of spear and shield."
His golden eyes gleamed with fascination.
Hayashi understood the excitement, remembering the Kaguya heir he had seen in the original story.
The ability was terrifying, but Orochimaru's enthusiasm was to be expected.
This version of him stood at the very beginning of his research into human genetics—any rare kekkei genkai would ignite his curiosity.
If he ever saw Susanoo manifest… he'd probably explode with excitement on the spot.
Hayashi suddenly realized something else.
The first stage of Susanoo resembled Shikotsumyaku in form—both skeletal constructs.
One was shaped from bone, the other from chakra.
Descendants of the Sage of Six Paths really did share certain traits in their abilities.
"Sensei," Hayashi asked after a moment, "where did you get a Mist shinobi body?"
Kirigakure hadn't joined the war.
None of their forces were near the Land of Rivers.
Orochimaru seemed unsurprised by the question.
"Danzo's Root operatives delivered it."
"Danzo?" Hayashi frowned.
"Did he ask for anything?"
"No," Orochimaru replied.
"He likely wants to maintain a good relationship with me."
Hayashi doubted that.
Danzo never invested without expecting returns.
Later in the original history, Danzo's right arm would be filled with Sharingan, and his body infused with Hashirama's cells—developments that could only have come from Orochimaru's research.
Danzo's influence had nudged Orochimaru further down the path of human experimentation.
This was clearly their first point of contact.
Danzo was laying groundwork—offering a gift of great value, creating a subtle bond, and planting early seeds of distrust between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage.
Hayashi exhaled quietly.
Orochimaru had been a good teacher—guiding him through ninjutsu, supporting him on missions, and even taking risks for him in battle.
Compared to Minato, who still waited for Jiraiya to return from his "research trips," Hayashi realized he had drawn the far better mentor.
He didn't want Orochimaru to fall into the same darkness.
But some parts of fate were difficult to shift.
And Danzo… Danzo was a walking disaster.
That old saying came to mind:
Some people are simply destined to cause trouble.
And Danzo was absolutely one of them.
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