A New Snake In The Shinobi World

The reason Obito investigated the source of Orochimaru's forces in the Sound Ninja Village was quite simple.

These ninjas not only had mysterious origins but also interfered significantly with his plans. To eliminate the problem at its root, Obito and Zetsu began investigating directly.

With their abilities—perception, surveillance, and controlling ordinary villagers to gather intelligence, it wasn't hard to locate the Sound Ninja Village. Once they had the location, finding the lab wasn't particularly difficult.

Both the original Orochimaru and the current Orochimaru were notoriously cautious. Even with advanced reconnaissance abilities, it was incredibly challenging to locate his secret labs.

But now, Orochimaru seemed unconcerned about the Sound Ninja Village laboratory.

The lab's output was minimal, and his forces had already grown so much that even if the lab were destroyed, it wouldn't faze him.

More importantly, Orochimaru had anticipated this exposure from the moment he brought Nagato to the village more than a decade ago.

Was he worried?

Not in the slightest.

---

A few miles away from the lab, both Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were stunned after hearing Obito's report.

"Orochimaru is building private soldiers? And in mass production?"

"Stronger than you?"

"What is he doing?"

"It's unbelievable…" White Zetsu muttered after recovering from his shock. "Orochimaru's abilities are even more extraordinary than we imagined."

"It's true," Obito replied calmly. "I didn't expect that the power he displayed in Konoha was only the tip of the iceberg."

"Do you know where Orochimaru is now?"

"My clone is following him," White Zetsu said carefully. "But Orochimaru's abilities are a bit strange. I don't dare get too close, I can only determine his approximate location."

"That's enough," Obito said. "Let's go meet this so-called 'legendary Sannin.'"

"Understood."

Zetsu slowly sank into the ground, while Obito activated Kamui, a vortex of energy swirling in the eye behind his mask.

The two figures vanished.

---

Early morning sunlight gently filtered through the faint mist, casting a soft glow on everything.

In the Land of Rivers, in a jungle less than ten kilometers from the Daimyo's mansion, three figures stood facing each other.

Orochimaru, dressed casually, appeared calm, while the two women standing opposite him kept their heads lowered.

Especially the red-haired woman, who seemed to be trying to bury her face even lower.

"Tsunade sent you here?" Orochimaru asked, his voice steady as he glanced at the well-dressed black-haired woman in front of him.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Uchiha Mikoto replied without hesitation.

Hearing this, Orochimaru's lips curved into a slight smile. "According to common sense, she shouldn't have known I was here."@@novelbin@@

He turned his gaze toward the red-haired woman. "Don't you agree, Kushina?"

"I… I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru," Kushina stammered, her voice tinged with panic. "I… it's just because…"

"Why are you apologizing?" Orochimaru asked playfully as he extended a hand, gently touching Kushina's face and lifting her chin. "If there's something in the future, just tell me directly. Why go through so much trouble?" ṚаΝŏΒĚş

"Ah… ah?" Kushina froze, her mind unable to process Orochimaru's words.

He… wasn't blaming her for informing Tsunade?

Seeing her confused expression, Orochimaru lowered his hand and waved dismissively. "Forget it. I won't hold you accountable. Just be upfront next time, is it that hard for you to tell me directly?"

"Honestly, you're so shy even when applauding me."

Orochimaru's teasing made Kushina blush furiously.

Having spent so much time with him, she understood exactly what he meant by "applause."

Her embarrassment was inevitable.

But standing nearby, Mikoto couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

Though she had suspected their relationship the moment she saw them together, witnessing it firsthand left her slightly bitter.

Still, there wasn't time to dwell on such feelings.

"Alright, Lord Orochimaru, I'll get straight to the point," Mikoto said firmly.

She relayed Tsunade's message word for word.

After hearing everything, Orochimaru's expression remained playful.

"So, Tsunade sent you to stop my actions because they go against your ideals? You don't want me to become someone who would do anything to gain power?"

"Do anything to gain power?"

Orochimaru chuckled, his golden eyes glinting with amusement as he looked between the two women.

"Let's set aside the true purpose behind my actions for a moment. But if your goal is to stop me, how exactly do you plan to do it?"

Mikoto froze.

This was the question she had been dreading.

She had considered this before setting out but hadn't come up with a suitable answer.

"Would you use your body?"

Orochimaru suddenly appeared behind Mikoto, his voice low and teasing as he whispered in her ear.

Mikoto stiffened, her face turning crimson.

"If… if that's what you need, Lord Orochimaru, I… I can…"

"Alright, Mikoto," Orochimaru interrupted with a faint smile. "I was just joking."

"But since this issue concerns you both, let me explain."

With that, Orochimaru walked to a large stone by the roadside and sat down.

The two women followed closely behind, sitting beside him as he began to speak.

"First of all, my goal isn't power—it's to end war."

"To end war?" Mikoto echoed in surprise.

"Yes." Orochimaru nodded and began explaining his plans.

The essence of his strategy was simple: by replacing the daimyos of smaller countries with people loyal to him, he could reduce the conflicts between nations.

Over time, as his influence expanded and more countries fell under his control, he could merge them into a unified system, effectively eliminating war.

With no borders to fight over, there would be no friction. Instead of armies, law enforcement agencies could maintain order.

This vision of unification was something Orochimaru had been planning for years.

To dismantle an enemy from within not only allowed for control but also ensured that the process was bloodless.

While this method wasn't effective against larger nations, it worked perfectly on small countries with no ninja villages or weak forces.

"But… what about the daimyos of those small countries?" Mikoto asked hesitantly.

"That's a necessary sacrifice," Orochimaru replied without hesitation. "Exchanging the life of one daimyo for the peace of an entire nation is a very worthwhile trade."

"Sorry to interrupt your discussion," a low voice suddenly interjected.

The space in front of them rippled, and a figure wearing a spiraling mask emerged from the distortion.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the masked man said calmly. "My name is Uchiha Madara ."

***

Just completed one of the ffs I'm working on, and I want to pick another one.

Is there a fic you saw on MTL that was good but so horrible that you can't read it? Or maybe one you enjoyed reading that was dropped? Comment them (with the raw title or link); I'll check them out.

Please don't recommend brain rot, I'm already suffering enough with some of the fics I'm working on xD.