Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning lies a small, lesser-known nation called the Land of Rice Fields.
Sandwiched between two great nations, the Land of Rice Fields faced significant challenges, much like the Land of Rain. During the various Ninja World Wars, it had often served as a battleground between Konoha and Kumogakure.
The wars had left many innocent civilians as victims, with villages destroyed, farmland abandoned, and people displaced.
This was precisely why Orochimaru had chosen to establish his Ninja Village here. In such a harsh environment, no one would pay attention to his experiments, and there would be an ample supply of test subjects.
Deep beneath a certain area of the Land of Rice Fields lay a relatively rudimentary underground base.
Inside the base, Orochimaru walked out from a laboratory with a pleased expression. His mood was exceptionally good. Since defecting from Konoha and joining the Akatsuki, he had rarely come across something as intriguing as this.
Recently, Kimimaro had brought him a young man named Jugo, who had proven to be a delightful surprise. He's a walking treasure trove that had yielded significant results.
Orochimaru had long been interested in Natural Energy, particularly Sage Mode, which allowed the user to harness the power of Natural Energy. He had seen Jiraiya use it before, and the boost in power and the unique effects it provided were remarkable. However, he had yet to locate Ryuchi Cave, preventing him from conducting his own research.
But Jūgo, with his innate ability to absorb Natural Energy, had provided Orochimaru with the perfect research subject. His recent studies on Natural Energy had already made considerable progress.
However, with the Akatsuki's scheduled meeting approaching, Orochimaru had to leave his laboratory.
This also made him consider leaving the Akatsuki altogether.
He had initially joined the organization out of curiosity about Pain's Rinnegan, but now, it seemed the Akatsuki had become an obstacle to his research.
"Orochimaru-sama."
A silver-haired man with round, black-framed glasses approached Orochimaru, his demeanor respectful.
"Hehe, do you have some important information for me, Kabuto."
Although Orochimaru's face was smiling, half of it was shrouded in shadow, giving him an air of sinister intent.
Kabuto pulled out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Orochimaru.
"This is the intelligence from Konoha."
Orochimaru skimmed through the scroll, his expression shifting to one of surprise.
"Hehe, hehe, it seems something big has happened. Another formidable figure has emerged in the Ninja World."
Orochimaru let out a chilling laugh, though his eyes betrayed a hint of wariness.
As one of Hiruzen's most favored students, he was well aware of the old man's strength. Despite his age, Hiruzen wasn't an easy opponent to defeat. Yet, someone had not only defeated him but also destroyed half of Konoha. The only person Orochimaru had ever felt such power from was Pain, the self-proclaimed god with the Rinnegan.
"Is my old teacher still alive?"
"According to the intelligence, he is, but he hasn't left the intensive care unit, so we can't confirm the details."
"I see. I had hoped he would die with some dignity."
Orochimaru handed the scroll back to Kabuto and turned toward the rest area.
"Don't worry about it. Go feed the test subjects."
But just as Orochimaru was about to leave, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression turning serious as he looked up at the ceiling of the underground base.
"Orochimaru-sama, what's..."
Boom!
Before Kabuto could finish his question, a deafening sound, like a mountain collapsing, echoed through the base, causing his face to pale.
"What's going on? Could it be that Konoha has already fought with Kumogakure?"
"No, this is directed at us."
Orochimaru's guard was up. As the ceiling above them shook violently, he sensed something approaching.
Crash!
Orochimaru's expression changed dramatically, and his slender snake pupils also trembled violently.
The ceiling was slowly disappearing, and blinding sunlight poured into the dark underground base.
Once the ceiling was completely gone, Orochimaru squinted against the light and saw a figure standing in the sky.
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Three young, strong voices rang out as three figures suddenly appeared in front of Orochimaru, shielding him. They were Jugo, Kimimaro, and Guren.
All five of them stared intently at the figure in the sky.
Naruto had originally come to the Land of Rice Fields on a whim, hoping to get lucky. Although the timeline of the Uchiha Massacre in Konoha had shifted slightly due to his interference, he felt the overall sequence of events hadn't changed much, so Orochimaru should still have been a member of the Akatsuki at this point.
But to his surprise, he had actually stumbled upon Orochimaru here, saving him a lot of trouble.
"Who the hell are you?"
Guren, who is still just a teenage girl, shouted at the figure in the sky, 'This guy had dared to destroy Orochimaru-sama's base. I wouldn't let him get away with it.'
A kunai made of crystal appeared in her hand.
"What a lively gathering, Orochimaru. With so many talented individuals, you've saved me a lot of effort."
Naruto's figure slowly descended, looking at the group with satisfaction.
"You bastard!" Guren was furious. After all, Naruto's attitude made it seem like they were all his possessions.
But just as Guren was about to charge forward, Orochimaru placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto."
Orochimaru's gaze was deep and calculating as he stared at Naruto's still-youthful face.
Naruto hadn't worn a mask when he arrived, nor did he feel the need to. As a result, Orochimaru recognized him immediately.
"Did you have something to do with what happened in Konoha?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips. Despite his calm demeanor, the wariness in his eyes deepened. The power Naruto had just displayed was astonishing, as nearly ten meters of ground had simply vanished.
He really wanted to flee at this moment.
"Orochimaru, as much as I'd like to convince you with words..."
Hiss~
Hiss~
Two massive black serpents suddenly appeared behind Naruto, their gaping maws poised to strike.
But before they could reach him, two equally massive iron swords materialized out of thin air and slammed down, pinning the serpents' heads to the ground.
Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly, and he forced a smile as he said, "Perhaps we can sit down and have a proper discussion."
"But your power is too dangerous!"
Naruto's eyes widened suddenly, and a surge of immense Ocular Power flooded into Orochimaru's mind, rewriting something fundamental.
Orochimaru's eyes also widened, his pupils contracting violently. His instincts as a powerful Ninja screamed that something had changed, but he couldn't pinpoint what.
'What... just happened?'
Orochimaru fell into a daze.
"Orochimaru-sama?"
Now, it wasn't just Guren who was worried. Even the usually composed Kimimaro and Jugo felt a wave of panic.
'Had Orochimaru-sama been defeated... with just a glance?'
"What did you do to Orochimaru-sama?"
Guren glared at Naruto, gripping her crystal kunai as she charged forward.
But her neck was suddenly seized by a large hand.
"Orochimaru-sama!?"
Guren, with her face red and struggling to breathe, turned her head with difficulty.
What she saw was Orochimaru's eyes, which are now full of killing intent.
"What do you think you're doing to our master?"