The existence of chakra is like a Damocles' sword hanging over the ninja world.
By the time of the Boruto era, chakra couldn't even cause the slightest harm to outsiders. Trying to harm the Ōtsutsuki clan with chakra was as futile as trying to drown a fish in water.
Whether it's to fight the Ōtsutsuki or to deal with the Sage of Six Paths himself, suppressing the spread of chakra has become a necessity.
And if one wishes to eliminate something completely, the best method... is to replace it with something else!
...
"What should I do..."
Ringo Ameyuri sat listlessly on a bench along the misty streets of Kirigakure, blankly watching the foot traffic around her. In her hand, a pair of bamboo chopsticks aimlessly poked at a bowl of deep-fried food, mashing the contents into an unrecognizable mess.
Out of the former four captains of ANBU First Squad, she was the only one left—and this was what she'd become.
To be fair, it had only been three or four years since the Third Great Ninja War. In that short time, Ameyuri had gone from a squad captain to a division captain in the ANBU, essentially taking over Yoru's former position. For most people, this would be considered a major promotion.
But when compared to Hōzuki Mangetsu, Fuyuna Yukiko, and Uzumaki Hiromi… she fell far behind.
Ameyuri had never paid much attention to these comparisons before. But after what Yoru said a few days ago, she couldn't sit still anymore.
She could ignore her title. She could ignore the chaotic affairs of the Ringo clan. But she couldn't ignore how Yoru saw her—how he judged her.
And right now, she had disappointed him.
"I can't go on like this. I have to grow stronger—I must become stronger!"
"I want to earn Lord Yoru's approval! I want to catch up to Mangetsu, Yukiko, and the others!"
"But... how exactly am I supposed to do that?!"
To gain power in a short period of time wasn't something one could achieve by just training hard. With her natural talent, even if she spent all day training in Kirigakure's Duel Tower, the most she could hope to reach was the level of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
That simply wasn't enough. And it would take too long.
She needed... something special.
As the saying goes: "The poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology." And Ameyuri—
"Ameyuri-neesan?"
The surprised voice snapped her out of her daze. She looked up to see a small girl who barely reached her chest and forced a faint smile.
"Anko… Your performance during that bandit-suppression mission the other day was impressive."
"Hehe, it was just a little B-rank mission. Honestly, I think Kisame-sensei should let us take on A-rank missions already!"
Anko grinned as she plopped down in the seat across from Ameyuri, then waved to the shop owner: "Two bowls of red bean soup, four orders of fried dumplings, and uh… a tempura set meal!"
The steady stream of food drew stares from several other customers, but neither the shopkeeper nor Ameyuri looked surprised. Clearly, this wasn't anything new.
"Your appetite's as big as ever."
Ameyuri looked on a bit enviously. "If only I could eat like that and not gain weight. To indulge in food without ever worrying about your figure—it's truly enviable, Anko."
"Hehe, I can't help it! I get super cranky if I skip even one meal!"
As Anko scratched her head sheepishly, the movement caused Ameyuri to notice something—a dark, tomoe-shaped mark just below her neck.
A Curse Mark.
Ameyuri's brow arched slightly. She wasn't surprised.
She knew Anko's situation well—Orochimaru's personal disciple. Originally, she was sent to Kirigakure as a probe for Orochimaru. Yet, unexpectedly, the student came and the teacher never showed up.
At first, Anko had been terrified and wary, but over time, she adapted remarkably well—integrating seamlessly into Kirigakure.
Wait!
The Curse Mark.
Something clicked in Ameyuri's mind. Her eyes lit up.
As the former ANBU First Squad Captain, she had, of course, studied information on Curse Marks.
Curse Marks worked by sealing natural energy into a person's body, allowing them to access it and enter a pseudo-Sage Mode to drastically increase combat ability.
Anko's value in Yoru's eyes—and her assignment under Kisame alongside Zabuza and Utakata—wasn't just because she was Orochimaru's disciple. The main reason was that she had already begun adapting to the power of the Curse Mark during her time in Kirigakure.
"If I could get that power too..."
A gleam flashed in Ameyuri's eyes.
Of course, she had no intention of going to Orochimaru and asking for a bite from that snake. Her interest lay in the natural energy within the Curse Mark.
With Yoru forbidding anyone from joining the Soul Society or becoming a Shinigami, natural energy remained the only viable way to gain significant power quickly.
If she could obtain and master that energy, her strength would grow exponentially.
Even Lord Yoru would have to acknowledge her!
"Anko."
Ameyuri suddenly spoke. Anko, who was busy devouring her dumplings and red bean soup, paused mid-bite, then quickly finished the bowl and wiped her mouth.
"What's up, Ameyuri-neesan?"
"This might be a bit presumptuous… but may I take a look at your Curse Mark?"
Kirigakure had no known method to train in natural energy yet. The best way to access it was to find one of the legendary Three Great Sage Lands.
But those places were all mysterious and hidden. No one knew their exact locations.
However, Anko's Curse Mark contained a rich reserve of natural energy—some of it even infused with chakra from Ryūchi Cave.
If Ameyuri could sense it or, better yet, use reverse summoning through it, she might just get there.
Hearing the word "Curse Mark," Anko tensed slightly. Then, after a beat, she casually tilted her head, exposing her pale neck. Three black tomoe formed a triangular pattern, reminiscent of the Sharingan's three tomoe.
"Here you go."
"Thanks, Anko."
Ameyuri took a deep breath and placed her hand on the Curse Mark.
Chakra flowed as she carefully examined the energy within.
Cold. Twisted. Heavy...
In an instant, Ameyuri could feel how unique this chakra was. It felt like entering a damp, dark cave filled with venomous snakes—every single one watching her.
She resisted the discomfort. As disturbing as it felt, the power of this Curse Mark was undeniable. And its nature aligned perfectly with natural energy.
"Next, I just need to guide this energy… and then perform a reverse summoning—"
Buzz!
Before Ameyuri could act, the Curse Mark suddenly flared red.
Anko flinched, quickly pulling away from Ameyuri's touch and clutching her neck in pain.
Ameyuri looked startled. She hadn't even done anything yet—at least, not enough to provoke such a reaction from the Curse Mark!
"Anko! Are you okay? What's—"
Anko's brows furrowed. Her young face turned pale from the pain.
But she didn't care about the physical discomfort. Instead, she abruptly stood and turned toward the street, scanning it desperately.
But no matter how hard she looked… that familiar figure—the one she longed for—never appeared.
At the same time, the pain in the Curse Mark began to fade.
"No doubt about it… This feeling…Lord Orochimaru, you haven't forgotten about me after all..."
"But… if you're in Kirigakure now..."
"Anko, you—"
"It's not your fault, Ameyuri-neesan."
Anko shook her head, then added seriously, "You should already know that this Curse Mark was placed on me by my teacher—Lord Orochimaru. It doesn't just contain natural energy… it also has a portion of his chakra."
"Because of that, I can sense his presence to some extent. So..."
"You mean… Orochimaru is in Kirigakure?!"
Ameyuri's expression turned grave.
"I understand. You go rest. I'll report this to the Mizukage immediately!"
"Mm!"
Ameyuri vanished in a flicker. Anko lightly touched the mark on her neck and bit her lip.
Though Lord Orochimaru meant a lot to her… her time in Kirigakure had truly been happy.
So... I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru.
...
"Truly astonishing research progress… It's only been a year or two since we last met. And yet, your advancements in both kekkei genkai and soul modification... You've already reached such a level?"
"It's just normal scientific accumulation, reaching a breakthrough after a critical mass. Nothing particularly grand."
In the Kekkei Genkai Laboratory, Yoru casually set down a flask and looked with interest at the man before him—dressed in the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds, brought in by Tsunade herself: Orochimaru.
"Not long ago, I fought the Akatsuki leader myself. Right now, it's not just Kirigakure—Konoha and Sunagakure are also hunting Akatsuki members."
"And here you are, strolling boldly into my office. Aren't you afraid I'll just capture you and hand you over to Konoha?"
"Someone like you, Lord Yoru, who has already set your sights beyond the trivialities of ninja villages—to the entire world, humanity itself, to chakra and souls—you wouldn't stoop to such petty games."
Orochimaru's tongue slithered out, licking the corner of his lips. "Besides, we had an agreement once, didn't we? Fourth Mizukage."
"True, I did send you an invitation. And you disappeared the next day."
"You founded your own village here, joined Akatsuki over there—completely ignoring Kirigakure in the process."
"…Admittedly, in hindsight, I should have come here directly after leaving Konoha."
Orochimaru shook his head slightly, as if lamenting everything that had happened since.
"But I don't really regret it. Creating a village, joining Akatsuki—it all gave me unique experiences and insight."
"Then why come here now?"
Yoru leaned back in the Mizukage's chair and stared at him.
"You use Edo Tensei to leverage Tsunade's weakness and force a meeting with me. Then, you bring up your past 'regrets' about not joining Kirigakure. Do you think I'll just give you another chance?"
"As long as the price is right, anything can be negotiated, no?"
"Interesting." Yoru raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you have to offer?"
"Information on Akatsuki."
Orochimaru paused, knowing full well this wouldn't impress Yoru.
After all, even Akatsuki's leader, Nagato, had suffered a crushing defeat at Yoru's hands. What value would their intel hold?
"I assume the reason you invited me in the first place, Lord Mizukage, was because of me—my talents."
"So surely... that value still exists today?"
Yoru said nothing, tapping the desk in thought.
Even with top researchers like Yukiko and Hiromi under him, he had always admired Orochimaru's scientific brilliance—his research methodology and relentless thirst for knowledge.
Kirigakure's current research breakthroughs were built upon vast resources Yoru had poured into them.
Back when he inherited Danzo's and Orochimaru's research, he spared no expense in funding it.
Now, they even had a discarded Ōtsutsuki corpse to study.
With that kind of support, even a pig could learn to fly.
"One of the Legendary Sannin offering himself up like this… it is tempting."
Yoru casually tossed an experiment file over.
"Since you want to join, let's start by seeing what you can do."
"...This is…"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes as he opened the file.
And the moment he glanced at it, the most calculating and composed of the Three Legendary Sannin couldn't help but widen his eyes in awe, his expression blazing with excitement.
"The merging of Kaguya and Hyūga bloodlines—can really produce this level of power?!"
"Why so shocked?" Yoru said coolly. "You know full well that overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan leads to blindness. But when Senju and Uchiha bloodlines are combined, the cost of using it drops significantly."
"It's because both clans descend from the Sage of Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. Their union leads to a kind of atavistic phenomenon."
"Same goes for the Kaguya and Hyūga."
"Kaguya and Hyūga… also descendants of the Sage?" Orochimaru frowned.
"Back in the Warring States period, the Kaguya clan was a Fire Country shinobi clan—until the other clans drove them into the sea."
"As for their ancestor… no, it wasn't Hagoromo."
"It was his younger brother."
"Ōtsutsuki Hamura."