With his soul forcibly torn away, even someone as formidable as Orochimaru could not escape his fate.
No matter how extraordinary his techniques were, without his soul, everything became meaningless.
His body swayed for a moment—then collapsed backward.
His expression froze in disbelief and despair.
Thus—
One of Konoha's legendary Sannin, a man who had shaken the ninja world for decades…
Was dead.
Completely and utterly.
At this stage, Orochimaru had not yet perfected his resurrection techniques, nor had he fully developed the power of the Cursed Seal. There was no backup, no contingency, no second chance.
Death, for him, was final.
With Orochimaru's demise, the giant snakes he had summoned lost their purpose.
One after another, they dissolved into smoke, returning to Ryūchi Cave.
Without a contractor—
There was no reason for them to remain.
Qing Shui paid them little attention.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the Ultimate Summoning Beast.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'm quite satisfied…"
The creature had demonstrated remarkable combat ability.
Although it lacked the mystical, almost divine powers of the creatures from the Three Great Sage Regions, it possessed something equally valuable—
Versatility.
It could adapt to nearly any situation.
It could fight.
It could defend.
It could even fly.
A perfect balance of abilities.
A truly well-rounded summon.
Without wasting time, Qing Shui lifted Orochimaru's corpse.
With a single motion, he mounted the Ultimate Summoning Beast and took off toward a nearby hidden base.
Now was the time to act.
Strike while the iron was hot.
As he traveled through the night sky, his thoughts turned inward.
From Orochimaru's memories, he had already uncovered the truth.
Danzo.
The source of everything.
"So that's how it is…"
Qing Shui narrowed his eyes.
The reason Orochimaru had targeted him was due to a deal with Danzo—the so-called "Darkness of the Ninja World."
And more importantly—
It was connected to the Zero-Tails Technique.
"Unfortunately…"
"It's still incomplete."
The version Shennong had obtained was nothing more than a draft.
Not even an incomplete version.
For the past two years, Qing Shui had been refining it through Pain Hiruko.
But progress was slow.
There were too many variables.
Too many unknowns.
And Qing Shui wasn't satisfied with simply completing it—
He wanted to perfect it.
The Zero-Tails from the original storyline was far from the level of power he desired.
And improving it…
Took time.
"…Then Orochimaru will be useful."
A cold glint appeared in his eyes.
"Pain Orochimaru…"
"If I use him for research…"
"Progress should accelerate."
And once the Zero-Tails Technique was complete—
Danzo's fate would be sealed.
Night – Hōzuki Castle
After completing his work at the hidden base and successfully creating Pain Orochimaru, Qing Shui returned to Hōzuki Castle.
Thanks to the shadow clone he had left behind, no one noticed his absence.
Everything appeared normal.
Now—
He needed rest.
And a bath.
Unlike his home, Hōzuki Castle did not offer private bathing facilities.
Instead, there were large public bathhouses.
However, due to the damage caused during the earlier battle, the men's bathhouse was temporarily unusable.
Which left him with only one option—
The women's bathhouse.
"At least no one should be there at this hour…"
Steam rose gently in the quiet bathhouse.
The air was warm.
Still.
Peaceful.
But—
That peace didn't last long.
"What bad luck…"
A soft voice echoed.
Nonou had arrived.
Earlier, she had already bathed and gone to rest.
But hunger had woken her.
After heading to the dining hall and trying a local dish—
She ended up covered in sauce.
Uncomfortable and irritated—
She had no choice but to bathe again.
"Huh?"
She paused.
"It's this late… and someone's still here?"
Curiosity guided her steps.
She followed the sound of water.
And then—
She saw him.
Qing Shui.
His figure stood beneath the rising steam, strong and composed.
Water flowed across his shoulders.
His presence alone seemed to dominate the space.
"Qing… Brother Qing Shui…"
Nonou's voice softened.
Her face flushed instantly.
Even as she tried to cover her eyes—
Her fingers betrayed her.
"…Nonou?"
Qing Shui turned.
Surprised—but not embarrassed.
Instead, he looked at her with a mix of amusement and mild helplessness.
"You're not covering anything at all," he said lightly.
That only made things worse.
Nonou's face turned even redder.
Even her ears burned.
She instinctively tried to turn and flee—
But Qing Shui reached out.
"Why run?"
His voice was calm.
"Do you think I'd do something to you?"
His words slowed her.
And before she could respond—
He gently pulled her closer.
The atmosphere shifted.
There was hesitation.
Shyness.
But also something deeper.
Something that had been building for a long time.
Nonou didn't resist.
Not really.
Moments passed.
Quiet ones.
Close ones.
Their distance disappeared.
What followed was not sudden—
But inevitable.
Nonou's earlier embarrassment gradually softened into trust.
Her tension melted away.
And Qing Shui, sensing this, no longer held back.
The bathhouse remained filled with steam.
But now—
It also held something warmer.
More personal.
Time passed quietly.
Eventually—
The water stilled again.
Later
Qing Shui carried Nonou back to her room.
She leaned against him, her strength spent, her expression soft.
Placing her gently on the bed, he lay down beside her.
Almost immediately—
She curled into him.
Like a kitten seeking warmth.
Her arms wrapped around him instinctively.
As if afraid he might disappear.
Qing Shui smiled faintly.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Then wrapped an arm around her waist.
And soon—
They both fell asleep.
Morning
When Qing Shui woke up—
He noticed something.
Nonou was pretending to sleep.
A mischievous grin appeared on his face.
Within moments—
Her act collapsed.
"Morning is the best time to train," Qing Shui said casually.
"We shouldn't waste it."
What followed—
Was far from ordinary training.
Ninjas possessed extraordinary physical endurance.
And their "training" reflected that.
Two Days Later
A visitor arrived at Hōzuki Castle.
The leader of Kusagakure.
"Lord Qing Shui…"
He bowed deeply.
"This incident was entirely our fault."
"Those responsible—including Kusano-no-Mikoto—have all been dealt with."
Qing Shui said nothing at first.
He simply observed.
The man quickly presented compensation.
Clearly prepared.
Clearly desperate.
After a moment—
Qing Shui spoke.
"Once is acceptable."
"Twice is not."
His tone was calm.
But firm.
"Control your subordinates."
"Next time…"
"I won't be so forgiving."
The Kusagakure leader nodded repeatedly.
Relief washed over his face.
The matter—
Was settled.
Qing Shui turned.
"It's time."
The mission was complete.
All injured and poisoned individuals within Hōzuki Castle had been healed.
An S-rank mission—
Successfully accomplished.
"It's time to return to Konoha."
And with that—
They departed.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)
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