The Land of Frost, a small nation located at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fields.
Calling it a "small country" was somewhat misleading—its territory was actually more than twice the size of the Land of Fields, and even larger than the combined lands of the Grass and Rivers.
At the edge of the Land of Frost, before a recently established fortress—
"Safe arrival."
Two figures emerged from underground, letting out a sigh of relief as they looked toward the heavily guarded stronghold. Dusting themselves off and straightening their appearance, they prepared to enter.
But they hadn't gotten more than a hundred meters past the perimeter before several masked shinobi appeared before them.
"Hold it right there."
The leader stepped forward, signaling them to wait, then began using a sensory technique to confirm their identities.
"Did you 'invite' the person the Lord asked you to?" he asked after verifying them.
"Of course." Mahiru gestured to the Ōtsutsuki puppet carrying a large sack on its back.
At this, the masked shinobi nodded. "Good. Go on inside. The lords have been waiting quite some time."
This was only the first checkpoint. Inside the fortress were nine more such layers of inspection.
After passing through each with painstakingly strict procedures, the two finally arrived at a particular chamber.
From the outside, the room didn't seem large. But once inside, it was vast—easily the size of a football stadium. The walls were covered in intricate sealing tags, all of them designed for anti-surveillance.
Elite armored samurai stood guard around the perimeter, each with blades at their waists, while in the four corners of the room stood shinobi with chakra signatures at least at the elite jōnin level.
And at the very center stood a peculiar temple-like structure.
Its surroundings were wrapped in barrier upon barrier, layered endlessly like nesting dolls. At the very core lay a thick Four Violet Flames Formation—without the permission of those inside, breaking in was virtually impossible.
"Asuma, Mahiru—congratulations on completing your S-rank mission: extending an invitation to Orochimaru."
The moment the two stepped into the temple, the lights flared bright, and a row of seats rose up before them. Each figure seated there radiated an intimidating pressure of chakra. From among them came an old, yet powerful voice.
The shinobi who had been traveling alongside Bun'ya and hiding in the shadows finally revealed himself under the light.
It was none other than Sarutobi Asuma—the son of the Third Hokage.
During the Konoha Crush, Asuma had been drawn away while pursuing Sound ninja, putting him outside the blast zone of the "Wind Release: Vengeful Ultimate Magic Flash Death Destruction Cannon Zero Style." By this stroke of fate, he survived when the rest of Konoha was obliterated.
Why a "former" Leaf shinobi? Because after the fall of Konoha, upon learning of his clan's annihilation and Danzo's rise as the Fifth Hokage, he immediately defected. He was now branded by "Danzo" himself as an S-class missing-nin.
"Now then, won't you invite Orochimaru-sama out to meet us properly?" the aged voice spoke again. "Be sure not to slight our honored guest."
It was laughable—these same people had plotted to poison him, yet now spoke of respect and courtesy.
Mahiru, though inwardly sneering, dared not show it. He nodded and had the Ōtsutsuki puppet undo the sack.
But when the sack was opened, everyone froze in shock.
There was no Orochimaru inside—only a lump of formless sludge in the vague shape of his body.
When did this happen?!
Mahiru and Asuma both had the same thought.
"This… is the guest you brought us?"
A commanding middle-aged man's voice boomed from the front. Though the light obscured his face, his furious tone was unmistakable:
"So this is the ability of Iwagakure's so-called 'elite'? Of the famed Guardian Twelve? You can't even manage such a simple task. A bunch of hollow names and useless fools."
"This mission should have been left to my men from the beginning."
Mahiru and Asuma's faces twitched with barely restrained anger, but they kept their heads bowed. They could not afford to offend this man.
For this was the Great General of the Land of Lightning—the true power behind Kumogakure.
"Pfft… hahaha. Did you fools really think it would be so easy to capture Orochimaru? With just the two of you jōnin? Pathetic."
A mocking voice came from a corner of the chamber.
"Even with that puppet at your command, it was impossible."
"The puppet is indeed powerful, but its handler is trash."
"Orochimaru is a master of Yin–Yang Release. Do you really think some crude poison mixed with Yin–Yang chakra could ever affect him? From the start, you were already dancing in the palm of his hand."
The speaker clearly knew Orochimaru intimately, speaking of his research with a mix of familiarity and reverence.
Asuma and Mahiru stood there, their faces burning red with humiliation.
"Enough. Even if you represent that certain figure from the Shipping Company, this scolding has gone far enough."
Another figure spoke from across the chamber, cutting him off.
Then, turning his gaze toward an empty spot of ground, he added:
"There's no point hiding any longer, Orochimaru."
"I've already sensed your chakra."
"Your skill with Earth Release may be impressive, but the true master of Earth Release… is me."
"Ku ku ku ku…"
That chilling laugh echoed through the chamber. Slowly, a pale figure emerged from the ground.
It was Orochimaru himself.
"As expected of the Tsuchikage. To see through my Earth Release so easily."
The speaker—revealing himself now—was none other than the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes. "I don't know whether to call you bold or a fool. Knowing we were hunting you, and still daring to follow us here alone."
But Orochimaru ignored him. His serpentine eyes swept across the chamber.
"Iwagakure. Kirigakure. Kumogakure. Sunagakure. Even former Leaf shinobi… all gathered here."
"Heh heh… Don't tell me you're trying to form a Shinobi Alliance?"
"Let me guess… The only one missing is Konoha itself. Which means… your target is Konoha, isn't it?"
"Konoha?"
A one-eyed middle-aged man seated to the far left sneered, his tone dripping with disdain.
"That rotten village under Danzo's rule isn't worth such trouble."
Orochimaru's lips curled faintly. "Is that so? Funny… I heard Kirigakure was thoroughly humiliated by just three Leaf shinobi during the last Five Kage Summit."
Konoha is mine to criticize. For others to mock it? How dare they?
"So, you are the one they call Orochimaru?"
At last, the man seated at the center spoke. His expression was gentle, but the commanding aura in his eyes—the absolute will to stand above all others—was impossible to conceal.
The moment his voice fell, silence spread throughout the chamber. Even the Great General of Lightning and Ōnoki of the Stone quieted before him.
"What an excellent young man you are," the youth said, smiling faintly.
It was strange—though he looked younger than Orochimaru, he had just called him "young man."
"Since you're here, there's no harm in telling you…"
"Somewhere out there, isn't there one who dares, with a mere mortal's body, to proclaim himself a god?"
"He's too much of an eyesore."
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