"So, what exactly does this little thing do?"
The shop's manager, a seasoned craftsman who specialized in ninja tools, stared at the diagram Orochimaru had presented. His eyes shifted to Orochimaru's face as if trying to decide whether the request was a joke. Yet when he saw Orochimaru's deadly serious expression, the manager's eyebrows slowly furrowed in realization. This was no joke. Orochimaru wanted something unique — something that wasn't just another tool but a specialized weapon tailored entirely to him.
"Ninjas always have strange ideas," the manager muttered under his breath, half to himself.
With deliberate calmness, Orochimaru smiled slightly. "What materials do you need?"
"For the Chakra blade components, all parts must be fully compatible with my chakra. I hope you understand that this is to create a unique tool," he said with a subtle grin.
After experimenting with various materials to perfect the chakra blades, Orochimaru finally found one that harmonized with his chakra flow. It wasn't easy, but once achieved, it was ideal. The manager, impressed but cautious, set a one-week delivery deadline. Orochimaru placed a deposit without hesitation and left the shop.
The special parts he ordered were for a miniature pistol, one unlike anything else on the market. As for the bullets, only Orochimaru could produce them himself.
The pistol, in its initial design, wasn't meant for open warfare. Its purpose was strategic: surprise an enemy with a sudden lethal strike when they least expected it. The weapon, crafted from materials compatible with chakra, would fire projectiles that moved ten times faster than conventional kunai or shuriken. Even a seasoned Kage-ranked ninja could be incapacitated—or worse—if caught off guard.
Of course, this deadly substance would be most effective only on first use. It was a last-resort weapon, carefully calculated for desperate circumstances.
More powerful firearms would require extensive research, and though Orochimaru lacked the blueprints for such weapons, creating them wouldn't be impossible. He would just need time.
Orochimaru was fully aware of the nature of his relationship with Danzo Shimura. Their partnership was one of convenience and exploitation. Should conflict arise, Orochimaru would not hesitate to eliminate Danzo, dispatching him to meet the First and Second Hokage before making his escape.
If Orochimaru killed Vice Hokage Danzo Shimura, remaining in Konoha would be suicide.
Though he received funding from the so-called "great fool"—or perhaps "angel investor"—Danzo, Orochimaru had made provisions for the worst. He prepared for betrayal, for ruin, for escape.
Meanwhile, in an underground base, Danzo suddenly felt a chilling pressure in his head, as if his brain might explode at any second.
"What's happening? Is it the Sharingan causing trouble?"
Danzo reached for the bandages wrapped around his right eye and summoned a medical ninja from Koku to examine it. The ninja confirmed that his eye was perfectly fine. Relieved, Danzo exhaled deeply.
In the entire ninja world, no one but himself had transplanted an Uchiha's Sharingan into his body. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Lord Danzo," the medical ninja said, kneeling with respect, "this is Orochimaru's latest experimental product. Its side effects have been reduced to one-third of a normal soldier pill. He also asked me to tell you…"
The ninja carefully presented a bag filled with soldier pills. The guard standing next to Danzo took the bag respectfully.
"I understand. Send another two million ryo. Also, find out how much it cost to make these soldier pills and how much more expensive they are compared to ordinary ones."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
---
Chapter 28 – The Planet's Self-Evolution
Pat, pat, pat—!
"Orochimaru! Open the door! How long have you been holed up inside? You even sent a Shadow Clone to accompany me on this mission—this is going too far! Open the door at once!"
Tsunade's anger erupted as she pounded on the door with pink fists, having abandoned the gentler approach of pressing the doorbell. Each punch vibrated the doorframe, causing dust to fall like tears from cracks. The warped door fought back, creaking in protest with its last shred of stubbornness.
Had Orochimaru not dragged her to the casino and lost all his money, she would never have known that the companion who accompanied her was merely a Shadow Clone!
Pat!
A muffled explosion rang from inside the house. Tsunade froze, her fists paused mid-air.
"Cough... cough... cough..."
From inside the house came the sound of coughing.
Crack!
With one swift motion, Tsunade plunged her hands into the warped frame, tore the door from its hinges, and flung it aside. Passersby on the street stared in shock before quickly averting their eyes and hurrying along.
"Orochimaru! Orochimaru, are you alright?"
"I'm fine…"
Orochimaru sat on the floor amid the debris. His clothes were tattered and smeared with dirt, and his face was grimy. His typically straight black hair was now slightly curled and wild. Seeing Tsunade rush in, he waved casually and flashed his sharp white teeth in a cat-like grin.
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
Upon seeing Orochimaru in such a state, Tsunade burst into laughter—a rare sight, as she usually maintained a distant, composed demeanor. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she chuckled uncontrollably. She walked over to him, surveying the mess in the house, checking for injuries.
"What on earth are you doing?! You put yourself in such a mess and even sent a Shadow Clone with me on the mission!" she scolded between bouts of laughter.
"Should I tell you I developed smokeless gunpowder?" Orochimaru snapped, annoyed that Tsunade found amusement in his predicament.
Ninja world's sulfuric acid, stored in ordinary pill containers, could be easily obtained, and the process was common knowledge.
Nitric acid could also be distilled from dry saltpeter, though it posed some challenges in making smokeless powder.
"Tsunade, you know I've been improving the soldier pill formula."
"Wait… developing the soldier pill formula causes explosions?!"
Tsunade, shocked, furrowed her brow. Skilled in medical ninjutsu and deeply knowledgeable about medicine, she knew Orochimaru couldn't fool her.
"Cough, cough…"
Orochimaru sighed, realizing deception was impossible. "While improving the soldier pill formula, I was also experimenting with other things… and accidentally triggered a small mishap."
"You need to be far more careful about your own safety!" Tsunade scolded after confirming he wasn't seriously injured, patting his shoulder.
"I know," he muttered.
He stood up and walked toward the bathroom.
"By the way, how far along are you with improving the soldier pill formula?"
"Quite well," Orochimaru replied with confidence.
"Konoha's soldier pills are sold by the Akimichi Clan. If you manage to improve the formula… won't the Akimichi's version be obsolete?"
Tsunade, sensing his confidence, worried but also believed in his capabilities. However, she recognized a looming obstacle: the Akimichi Clan.
"Don't worry. Someone will help me solve that problem," he assured her.
Orochimaru washed his face, emerging from the bathroom with a clean, small face and water droplets glistening on his hair.
"What's this?" Tsunade asked, spotting a delicate, small black object on the floor resembling a handle and trigger mechanism.
She picked it up.
"Like this?" she asked.
She pulled the trigger, and the miniature pistol emitted a soft "Biu."
Compared to the clashing sound of kunai, it was barely audible.
Tsunade stared blankly at the tiny device before looking at Orochimaru in disbelief.
"This is your secret weapon? It's unnecessary unless absolutely essential?" she asked incredulously.
Orochimaru walked over, took the miniature pistol from her hand, infused it with chakra, and pulled the trigger without loading any bullets. A chakra-infused round shot out, leaving a faint mark on the wall.
The pistol, powered by chakra, needed no cumbersome setup.
"The power of your secret weapon… not very impressive," Tsunade commented as she examined the mark on the wall. It seemed even less effective than a kunai.
"A fool who doesn't appreciate technology's greatness!" Orochimaru grumbled, unwilling to argue further.
"I'm going to bathe. Tsunade, you're responsible for fixing my door," he said without looking back.
"Uh…" Tsunade stared at the bent door, struggling awkwardly. "Can I find someone to repair this?"
"Do as you wish."
Orochimaru paused at the door, glared at Tsunade once, and then stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Ahhh… Orochimaru is furious!
Since meeting him, Tsunade had never seen him so angry. Flustered, she hurried to fix the door but soon ran into police officers called by bystanders. Had the Uchiha Clan members in the police department not recognized her, she might have been arrested as a thief.
---
Reflections in the Bathroom
Even failure had its rewards. Soon, Orochimaru could mass-produce bullets.
But it was the sensation a moment ago—the warm water on his skin—that haunted him. He recalled what had happened in his failure: while reacting awkwardly to Tsunade's blows, he accidentally infused lightning chakra into the mix.
Could it be…?
Splash!
Water splashed against the surface.
Orochimaru held his pose, maintaining an extended arm stance. A matte, reflection-free black miniature pistol sat firmly in his hand.
Without chakra enhancement, the pistol's power was limited. It wouldn't even drop a hair from Raikage's head. However, infused with chakra, the pistol's firepower could be increased. Wind Release chakra, for example, could speed up bullet discharge.
The materials in this world bore uncanny similarity to those of another world. Perhaps at some point, they had undergone a transformation that allowed them to adapt to a specific form of energy—chakra.
Orochimaru suspected that these transformations were connected to the appearance of the God Tree. Its emergence might have altered the planet, mutating everything on it. He had discovered this while experimenting with smokeless powder.
When chakra was injected into smokeless powder without any elemental transformation, the two combined. Upon firing, the chakra underwent a transformation, enchanting the bullet.
The time it took for the bullet to travel a certain distance was enough for the chakra's transformation to complete. This meant that after firing, whether or not the bullet hit its target, it would explode shortly after due to the chakra's transformation.
And this time window was incredibly short—so brief it seemed instantaneous.
The form of the explosion could also vary depending on the chakra's transformation.
If the chakra transformation hadn't occurred, the chakra merely enhanced the powder, increasing range, trajectory accuracy, and firing precision.
But in terms of destructive power—forget it. Unless the bullet hit a vital point, dozens of bullets wouldn't kill someone. Given the superhuman physiques of people in this world, dozens of bullets wouldn't even incapacitate them.
The fact that chakra could be integrated into smokeless powder fascinated and perplexed Orochimaru.
He theorized that ever since the God Tree's arrival, this planet had begun adapting to its changes, even using it to evolve. The way medicine could restore chakra hinted at this process.
Note: restoring chakra didn't mean purifying it inside the body.
"You're stealing my natural energy, and I'm using it to evolve myself… fine… it's not a problem!"
If his hypothesis was correct, the emergence of sages capable of absorbing and using natural energy could be the planet's way of self-preservation.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan, which drained natural energy and fed on fruits born of it, could rightly be called cosmic parasites or the cancer of the universe.
Thus, the planet's self-evolution…
Orochimaru scribbled furiously in his notebook as his thoughts flowed like a dragon or serpent. Perhaps one day in the future, reading this notebook would offer new perspectives and ideas.
---
Encounter with Hyuga Mio
"Mio, how did you know I was here?"
Closing his notebook, Orochimaru turned to Hyuga Mio, his companion on a past mission.
"Thank you for the soldier pills you gave me before. Did you make them specifically for me?" he asked.
Hyuga Mio's eyes gleamed with curiosity. The effect and taste of the pills were unlike any others she had tried, with side effects significantly reduced.
"They were just experimental products. I told you when I gave them to you that you could take them if you wanted or discard them if you didn't," Orochimaru replied, waving his hand indifferently. The pills he gave her were defective leftovers—a type of wasteful discard. If he could gain her goodwill and access the Caged Bird Curse Mark, so much the better. Otherwise, it was of no consequence.
Hyuga Mio glanced at the notebook in his hand, her face conflicted and hesitant. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, "Orochimaru, the Caged Bird Curse Mark of the Hyuga Clan…"
Hey! I'm not forcing you to tell me about the Caged Bird Curse Mark!
You're saying it voluntarily!
Orochimaru's focus sharpened, capturing every word Mio spoke without missing a syllable.