A New Snake In The Shinobi World

A small-scale skirmish had just taken place along the border of the Land of Sound.

This battle was caused by tensions with its neighboring country, the Land of Forests.

The friction between the two countries had been brewing for quite some time. The specific cause of their conflict remained unclear, but Yahiko had previously tried to mediate the situation and negotiate with the Land of Forests' leadership.

However, the results were far from ideal. The other side had refused to even entertain a discussion, ignoring every attempt at diplomacy.

Now, Yahiko had little patience left for the disputes between the two nations.

As the ninja from the Land of Forests retreated, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan didn't bother to pursue them. Instead, following Yahiko's signal, the trio shifted their focus to the mysterious group of ninja nearby, the clones.

Draped in cloaks and masks, the clones moved with mechanical precision. Without a word, they began to dispose of their fallen companions, tossing the bodies into a pit created by an Earth Release technique. They quickly piled dry wood on top of the corpses and set it ablaze with Fire Release ninjutsu.

The act of burning the bodies wasn't the most striking thing, it was the complete lack of emotion on their part.

When their comrades fell, there were no tears, no regrets, not even a murmur of acknowledgment.

"How is this even possible?" Yahiko thought to himself, frowning deeply.

Of course, they had no idea that these "ninja" were clones—products of Orochimaru's secret experiments.

Although rumors about Orochimaru's cloning technology existed, it was a secret known only to a select few. Not even the common residents of the Sound Ninja Village fully understood it.

Naturally, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were in the dark. They didn't even know where these mysterious ninja had come from.

When they had once asked Chana about the group, she had been cryptic in her response.

"All I can tell you is this: don't investigate further."

Respecting the village's rules and understanding this was a sensitive matter, they had chosen not to press the issue.

Now, as they watched the clones carry out their unsettling work, the three were left feeling only mild curiosity, not daring to probe further.

---

While tensions simmered between the Land of Sound and the Land of Forests, a peculiar incident unfolded in the Land of Rivers, located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

This small, neutral country was often caught in the crossfire of larger nations, particularly Konoha and Suna, whose conflicts frequently spilled into its borders.

Without a ninja village of its own, the Land of Rivers was often vulnerable to destruction.

"Quick! The daimyo has fainted!"

"Protect the daimyo!"

The shouts of alarm echoed through the Daimyo's mansion as armored samurai hurriedly gathered, swords drawn.

In this world, samurai came in two forms: those who could use chakra and those who could not.

The samurai of the Land of Rivers had only a passing familiarity with chakra, which made them stronger than ordinary warriors, but not by much. Their primary responsibility was protecting the daimyo.

As a large group of warriors stormed the upper floors of the mansion, they were met with a troubling sight, the guards stationed outside the daimyo's chambers were lying unconscious on the ground.

For a moment, the samurai froze in shock.

Though the Land of Rivers was small, its leadership played a crucial role in maintaining stability. If anything were to happen to the daimyo, the entire country would plunge into chaos.

Civil strife between politicians could be far more devastating than an invasion by foreign enemies.

When the samurai finally forced open the door, they found the daimyo unconscious on the floor.

But aside from a minor injury and his fainted state, there seemed to be nothing else wrong.

"What happened here?" one of the samurai murmured, his expression grim.

When the daimyo eventually regained consciousness, he was just as confused as the rest.

All he could recall was a black shadow flashing before his eyes, and then… nothing.

Why hadn't the intruder killed him? What was their goal?

Despite their attempts to piece the situation together, no answers emerged. With no apparent losses or further incidents, the matter was eventually dropped.

---

Meanwhile, deep in the jungle of the Land of Rivers, a cloaked figure walked leisurely along a forest path.

Holding a map in his hand, Orochimaru studied it intently.

"Hanzo still controls Amegakure, so I'll leave that for now. The next closest small nation should be… the Land of Birds," he murmured thoughtfully.

With his destination set, Orochimaru adjusted his course and began heading toward the Land of Birds.

There was no question that the intruder who had infiltrated the daimyo's mansion was none other than Orochimaru himself.

After meeting with Tsunade at Konoha's camp, he had continued his journey, moving from one small country to the next.

With his current strength, as long as the daimyo's guards weren't elite jōnin or higher, Orochimaru could easily bypass them, deal with the daimyo, and vanish without a trace.

For smaller nations, the entire process wouldn't take him more than ten days.

His scout flies allowed him to gather intelligence, while the Flying Thunder God Technique ensured quick and seamless movements.

But why was Orochimaru targeting the leaders of these small nations?

The answer was simple: control.

Orochimaru aimed to bring these countries under his rule.

With his abilities, conquering a small country wouldn't even require an army.

Yet ruling wasn't as straightforward as killing a daimyo.

Killing a leader would only throw the country into chaos, leading to civil strife and instability, hardly an ideal outcome for someone looking to wield true control.

The best method wasn't assassination, but manipulation.

It was a strategy similar to what Uchiha Obito had done with the Fourth Mizukage, using genjutsu to control him and, by extension, the entire Kirigakure Village.

However, illusions had limitations.

Even the Sharingan's genjutsu, unless it was something on the level of Kotoamatsukami or Infinite Tsukuyomi, couldn't maintain control over long distances. The further the target was from the caster, the more likely the genjutsu would break.

Additionally, skilled observers could easily detect the signs of genjutsu.

While it might be feasible to control one or two countries using illusions, doing so on a larger scale was impractical.

Thus, Orochimaru relied on his own unique methods to achieve his goals.

As the war between the great nations raged on, Orochimaru roamed through smaller countries: the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, the Land of Frost, the Land of Tea, the Land of Hot Water…

By the start of Konoha's 46th year, Orochimaru had traveled a full circuit of the contested regions, finally arriving in the Land of Waterfall, west of the Land of Sound.

The Land of Waterfall had a history of dealings with Orochimaru, so he was familiar with the area.

After acquiring cells from the daimyo of the Land of Waterfall, Orochimaru was struck by a sudden thought.

Instead of leaving immediately, he turned his attention toward Takigakure Village.

Takigakure was a minor village with an aging leader, its only claim to fame being the rogue ninja Kakuzu.

But Orochimaru remembered something else: Takigakure had a tailed beast.

At night, Orochimaru infiltrated the village chief's residence, a faint smile on his lips.

"Mr. Village Chief, tell me—where is the Seven-Tails?"

The elderly man froze in terror, his eyes wide as he stared at the intruder.

Before he could respond, countless snakes slithered out, wrapping around him tightly.

Orochimaru's hand closed around the man's throat, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes glowing with an eerie red hue.

Without another word, Orochimaru's immense spiritual pressure invaded the man's mind, breaking his will almost instantly.

Moments later, the chief of Takigakure had become nothing more than a puppet under Orochimaru's control.

***

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