That night.
Uchiha Kaien was, as usual, training in the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Even outside of combat, the Flying Thunder God was an incredibly convenient jutsu.
"Summoning Technique!"
Kaien raised a hand and summoned a small snake, intending to imprint it with the Flying Thunder God seal so it could slowly slither its way back to Konoha. But to his surprise, the snake that appeared this time was an unexpected color.
He'd expected the familiar black serpent he had personally nurtured—a snake he had hatched himself. In the half a year that had passed, the noodle-thin black snake had grown into a sleek, two-meter-long creature.
During that time, Kaien had occasionally summoned it to monitor its growth, nourishing it with his chakra.
He'd even made space to prioritize summoning it more easily, so it was unexpected that a small white snake, barely a meter long, had answered the call instead.
But the white snake was unmistakable—it was the kind of functional summon commonly seen near Orochimaru.
Which meant... that beloved Orochimaru-sensei of his was nearby?
Had he come looking for him?
The white snake flicked its crimson tongue, radiating a sense of familiarity and intimacy toward Kaien.
"So Orochimaru-sensei really is close by."
A faint smile tugged at Kaien's lips. Clearly, Orochimaru had sensed someone summoning one of his snakes and had deliberately allowed this one to respond.
Which also meant—Orochimaru had found Kaien's location.
"In that case, you go on back to Orochimaru-sensei. I'll teleport over in the next second."
It was easier to inscribe the Flying Thunder God seal on the white snake anyway. As soon as Kaien released the summoning, the white snake would return to Orochimaru's side, and he could instantly follow using the technique.
At the same time, Kaien released his Phantom Beast, ordering it to disguise itself as him and remain in Kumogakure a little longer. After all, both A and Killer B were still valuable "resources."
Even shadow clones could act independently. Once given orders, [Summoning: Phantom Beast] functioned just like the real thing—down to the faint scent produced by [Affection].
Kaien had tested it personally.
He didn't have to wait long. The moment he ended the summoning, he sensed the white snake's new location—just a few kilometers away.
Ever since mastering the Flying Thunder God, Kaien's sensory range had expanded significantly. After all, if you couldn't pinpoint your markers precisely, spatial teleportation would be impossible.
Sensing was actually a required component of the technique, and with his natural talent in that area, Kaien's range now exceeded ten kilometers with ease.
Of course, the clearest signals came from near his seals. Anything beyond that range was faint and indistinct.
"A few kilometers out… Orochimaru-sensei's not here to rescue me, is he?"
Well, no point wondering.
Time to ask him directly.
Kaien activated the Flying Thunder God and teleported over—intending to give his sensei a little surprise.
...
A few minutes earlier.
Orochimaru had already infiltrated Kumogakure and assassinated a random, unfortunate shinobi, claiming his room as a temporary hideout.
The room was somewhat old, with worn furnishings—but the training equipment was spotless and practically new.
Clearly, the former occupant had been a frugal taijutsu enthusiast.
Unfortunately, not a very strong one. Orochimaru had easily dispatched him with a venomous serpent.
"Oh? Someone's summoning you? And nearby?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow as he felt the signal from the white snake coiled around his shoulder.
Of those contracted with Ryuchi Cave, as far as he knew, there were only two: himself and Kaien.
"So… Kaien's using the Summoning Technique?"
A faint smile curled Orochimaru's lips. It seemed Kaien hadn't been imprisoned in Kumogakure. If he could use chakra, either he'd found a way to do it secretly, or he'd earned some level of trust.
Either way, Orochimaru instructed the white snake to respond.
Moments later, the little serpent slithered back onto his shoulder.
"So fast… does that mean Kaien's in trouble?"
Orochimaru frowned, thoughts spinning rapidly. If his student was being mistreated, Kumogakure was going to pay dearly.
"My situation's just fine, Orochimaru-sensei."
The sudden, cheerful voice instantly put Orochimaru on guard. He flipped the kunai in his hand, ready to strike or defend.
But when he turned around, all tension vanished.
Standing before him was none other than Uchiha Kaien. Although half a year had passed and the boy had grown taller, his features remained refined and elegant, and his unique aura was unmistakable. Chakra signatures didn't lie.
It was definitely him.
But… that wasn't a Reverse Summoning Technique. The white snake didn't know that kind of jutsu.
Then how—
"It was the Flying Thunder God Technique, Orochimaru-sensei. I'm not very good at it yet, but I managed to learn it."
Kaien seemed to read the question in Orochimaru's eyes and explained with a slight smile.
"I picked it up when Minato and I went to exchange jutsu with the Hokage. I figured I'd give it a try, and somehow… I actually learned it."
...
"I just learned it today, actually. I wanted to summon the black snake to sneak out of Kumogakure, but I accidentally summoned your white snake instead."
He scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Minato probably mastered it long ago. He always learns faster than I do..."
"…"
Orochimaru found himself at a rare loss for words.
Picked it up on a whim—and actually mastered it? In just six months?
Six months to learn an S-rank jutsu… not just that, but this jutsu? A feat beyond mere genius.
Orochimaru had studied the Flying Thunder God as well. He had everything it required—except a natural talent for space-time jutsu. That one flaw had made him give it up.
But all that was secondary now.
Right now, his student took priority.
"You were going to send the snake out first, then teleport after it?"
Orochimaru quickly grasped the key detail. If Kaien had time to study jutsu, that meant he hadn't been suffering in Kumogakure.
Sarutobi-sensei had once told him that Kumogakure might use soft power, considering Kaien's bloodline. Judging by the situation now, that had likely come true.
Which explained how Orochimaru had been able to hold himself back for six months—sharpening his strength until he reached his current peak, and then heading straight for Kumogakure.
He still hadn't found Uchiha Kagami, which was odd, but that could wait.
Kaien's clothes were new and clean, his complexion bright and healthy. He clearly wasn't lacking nutrition or care.
After observing Kaien for a moment, Orochimaru finally relaxed his hostility toward Kumogakure.
"I've already gathered some valuable intel, Orochimaru-sensei. Are we heading back to Konoha now? Maybe the Hokage will promote me to jonin!"
Kaien was clearly excited.
"What kind of intel?" Orochimaru asked, voice gentle.
It was Kaien's first undercover mission, and he'd already brought back classified information? Orochimaru was ready to heap praise on him regardless of what it was.
"The identity of the current Eight-Tails jinchuriki—and the next potential host."
"...?!"
Kaien grinned like a kid expecting to be praised, while Orochimaru was shaken to his core.
Both the current and future jinchuriki?
Intel on jinchuriki was top-secret across all the villages. Just knowing who the current host was would be noteworthy enough—but to know the next candidate?
That kind of intel was unheard of.
Even Orochimaru, with all his composure, was momentarily rattled. If Konoha had advance intel on a future jinchuriki, they could prepare accordingly. Even if they weren't actively seeking war, they'd never turn down strategic leverage.
Especially when it targeted a vital enemy asset.
He made a snap decision—Kaien had to be extracted immediately.
Still, he asked one more question just to confirm: "How did you get this intel, Kaien?"
"Because I've been living in the same house as the jinchuriki candidate."
"..."
Orochimaru fell silent again.
Well, that certainly made it easier to believe. Living under the same roof would give anyone a chance to uncover key information.
It was clear now: Kumogakure had placed considerable trust in Kaien.
As he pondered this, Orochimaru didn't waste time. He erased all traces of the previous resident, then began preparing their escape route.
They hadn't drawn any attention yet—perfect timing to slip away.
And with the Flying Thunder God in hand, escape had never been easier.
Orochimaru quickly reviewed the many functions of the technique in his mind before glancing at Kaien and asking gently,
"Can you teleport others with you yet, Kaien?"
"Of course I can, Orochimaru-sensei. But... I still need a second to charge it up."
Kaien looked a little sheepish. "Sorry, Sensei… I'm not good enough to do it instantly yet."
Orochimaru saw the guilty expression on his student's face and felt a wave of emotion rise in his chest.
Kaien still blamed himself when he couldn't be perfect.
At least Kumogakure hadn't corrupted him.
He didn't quite know how to express himself. He'd been focused on teaching Kaien jutsu and might've overlooked the boy's emotional development. In the end, all he could do was offer encouragement:
"You've done more than enough, Kaien. Don't get discouraged. You're Konoha's greatest genius. As far as I know, even Minato hasn't mastered this jutsu yet."
He hasn't?
Kaien's eyes lit up. No wonder Minato wasn't the one sent to the Land of Lightning—Orochimaru-sensei had come instead.
When he got back, he was definitely going to gloat.
After a brief discussion with Orochimaru, the two decided to return to Konoha from the Land of Hot Water, bringing Uchiha Kaien along.
Since there was still no clear word from Uchiha Kagami, Orochimaru also planned to take a detour to investigate his whereabouts.
Uchiha Kagami had originally set out to retrieve Kaien. The moment he received word about him, Kagami had rushed out via the quickest route—crossing the Land of Hot Water and the Land of the Moon to enter the Land of Lightning directly.
Unfortunately, something in the Land of Hot Water had caught his attention. Yugakure had long been known as "the village that forgot war." After traveling nonstop, Kagami needed a break, and that was when he arrived in the village—and immediately noticed something was off.
Despite its pitifully small shinobi force, the village hadn't been invaded. On the surface, its people seemed happy and at peace.
And that was exactly what Kagami found suspicious.
The Second Great Ninja War was still raging. How could a shinobi village not be building up its military strength? Even just for self-defense, they should be developing more ninja, right?
But Yugakure seemed completely indifferent—almost like they were pretending the war didn't exist.
As Kagami dug deeper, he uncovered something even stranger: a religious organization operating within the village. Many of the villagers were followers.
A religious cult in a shinobi village? That alone was baffling.
Kagami's confusion only deepened, and his investigation became more intense—until he was ambushed.
Late one night, a group of black-robed attackers struck. Although Kagami didn't find their combat strength particularly impressive, they were undeniably bizarre. Normal ninjutsu couldn't kill them. Every one of them was like that.
After surviving the attack, Kagami returned to Konoha once to report. When he confirmed that Kaien's undercover mission posed no immediate danger, he chose to stay focused on the mystery in the Land of Hot Water.
Clearing things up there would make extraction much easier after Kaien was retrieved. Plus, since the Land of Hot Water bordered the Land of Fire, eliminating potential threats here also served Konoha's interests.
With that in mind, Kagami submitted a request for an extended mission to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And just like that, half a year passed.
To this day, Uchiha Kagami remains deep in that mission, still investigating.
That was the full extent of the intel Orochimaru had.
...
"So… are we going to find Kagami-san first, Orochimaru-sensei?" Kaien asked, thoughtful.
The Land of Hot Water… that's where Hidan was from, right? The cult of Jashin?
"Correct," Orochimaru replied. "Kagami's investigation methods tend to be pretty straightforward. He'll need our support. And since you've mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, this time—we should be able to put an end to that mission."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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