At last, they had left the hellish Valley of Hell behind and settled in the Land of Waves.
None of them wanted any further association with those three traitors.
If one were to ask who, in the Land of Waves, most desperately wished for the deaths of those three men, the answer would be obvious—the Chinoike Clan.
The Company Headquarters
"Mr. Aokawa… have they confessed yet?"
Bafu, the patriarch of the Chinoike Clan, stood inside the company's presidential office, staring intently at the man before him.
Aokawa's expression was grim. No matter how hard he tried, he could not conceal the weight pressing on his heart.
"Patriarch Bafu," Aokawa said slowly, forcing himself to maintain a respectful tone, "regarding the emergence of traitors within the Chinoike Clan… I understand that this does not represent the entire clan. I never intended to imply otherwise. Please forgive my discourtesy."
Even offering Bafu a polite smile felt unbearably difficult.
Such an incident occurring under his management meant he had failed in his duties. Worse still—how was he supposed to explain this to Lord Orochimaru?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that he was unworthy of Lord Orochimaru's trust.
"They've already confessed."
The office door swung open as Kakuzu entered, holding a blood-stained sheet of paper in his hand.
"They contacted a merchant from the Land of Water," Kakuzu continued calmly. "At his urging, they attempted to steal the company's formula—the Healing Pill."
He placed the paper on the desk. As he did so, he casually wiped the blood from his fingers with a handkerchief. The blood clearly belonged to the three Chinoike Clan members.
Aokawa stared at the stains, his voice stiff.
"What happened to them?"
"I didn't kill them," Kakuzu replied indifferently. "Their deaths would cause unnecessary trouble. I've already sent men to capture the merchant from the Land of Water."
Before Kakuzu could continue, smoke suddenly gathered in the room, condensing into two kneeling figures.
"Mr. Kakuzu," one of them reported, "the merchant from the Land of Water was already dead when we arrived. He was found in his hotel room—killed using the Silent Killing Technique of the Hidden Mist."
Kakuzu frowned slightly.
"As expected," he muttered. "The Hidden Mist never leaves loose ends. Anyone involved in intelligence leaks is silenced immediately."
The merchant's death did not surprise him. What annoyed him was the lost opportunity to catch the Hidden Mist Village red-handed.
Turning his gaze toward Bafu, Kakuzu asked, "Patriarch Bafu, those three are no longer useful. How do you wish to deal with them?"
"They are no longer members of the Chinoike Clan," Bafu said coldly. "How the company handles them is none of my concern."
Whether they were executed or used as experimental subjects—Bafu did not care.
The Laboratory
When Orochimaru arrived at the laboratory, Imu was already waiting for him, her expression solemn.
"Is there a problem?" Orochimaru asked.
"Lord Orochimaru," Imu replied, handing him a scroll, "company intelligence confirms that traitors have appeared within the Chinoike Clan."
Orochimaru opened the scroll and skimmed its contents, his expression unchanged.
"Traitors, hm…"
Chigusa's insistence on monitoring the Chinoike Clan had been wise after all. Like the Uchiha, they were prone to producing troublesome individuals.
The company had treated them generously—yet they dared to steal the Healing Pill formula, as though the company owed them something.
What surprised Orochimaru most was one thing.
Why hadn't Kakuzu killed them?
Given Kakuzu's temperament, those three should have died countless times already.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
With a burst of smoke, several shadow clones appeared beside him—each responsible for a different research project.
"I'll be leaving for the Land of Waves," Orochimaru said. "Handle the research."
"Leave it to us."
"Don't waste time."
"Don't you need to hurry to the Land of Waves? Go already!"
The shadow clones were practically urging him out the door. His presence only slowed their work.
"…Am I really that unpleasant?" Orochimaru muttered, staring at them in disbelief.
Shaking his head, he turned and walked toward Hyuga Mio.
"Mio, let's go. We're heading to the Land of Waves."
As his hand reached toward her shoulder, Mio suddenly raised her own hand and grabbed his wrist.
"Hm?"
Orochimaru was momentarily startled. The next instant, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished.
Back Home
"Orochimaru, Mio-neechan—weren't you heading to the lab?"
Uchiha Hikari sat on the couch, a scroll in hand, staring in shock as Orochimaru and Hyuga Mio appeared in the living room.
"Hikari," Orochimaru said, "we need to go to the Land of Waves."
"The Land of Waves…?" Hikari's eyes lit up. "Can I come too?"
She didn't even know where the Land of Waves was—but she wanted to see it, especially if Orochimaru was going.
"Alright," Orochimaru replied without hesitation.
"Then I'll go get ready!"
Hikari dashed into her room, quickly changing into white shorts and a loose yellow fisherman-style top. She slipped on her black ninja shoes, grabbed her fluffy snake-shaped wallet, and tucked it under her arm.
That should be enough!
Standing before the mirror, she tried to smooth down her hair—but no matter how many times she adjusted it, the strands stubbornly sprang back up.
"Eh? Why won't it stay down?"
She tried again, then sighed in dissatisfaction.
Knock, knock.
"Hikari, are you ready?" Orochimaru's voice came from outside.
She opened the door, pulled him inside, and pointed gloomily at her unruly hair.
"I can't get it to stay down…"
"Well…" Orochimaru studied her hair. "I think it's part of your charm."
He'd tried before—no matter how carefully he combed her long black hair, it always fluffed back up.
"This might look better."
Taking a red hair tie, he gathered her hair into a single ponytail.
"How about this?"
He pushed her toward the mirror.
Her hair was neatly tied back, with loose strands on either side resembling drooping cat ears. It looked unexpectedly cute.
"Orochimaru really knows everything!" Hikari exclaimed happily.
Orochimaru smiled.
"I'm not that amazing. There's a lot I don't know. No one in this world is perfect—everyone has flaws and strengths."
Hikari followed him out of the room, curiosity brimming in her eyes.
"Orochimaru… where is the Land of Waves?"
"It's an island nation south of the Land of Fire," he explained. "That's also where the White Snake Pharmaceutical Company is located. The skincare products you use all come from there."
"Oh! Then how are we going? By boat?"
Hikari had spent most of her life on land. The thought of seeing the sea filled her with excitement.
"Next time, I'll take you by boat," Orochimaru said gently. "This time, I'm afraid we need to get there quickly."
"That's okay. Next time, then!"
The Land of Waves – White Snake Pharmaceutical Company
Inside the presidential office, Uchiha Hikari sat stiffly on the couch, feeling dizzy.
Who could have imagined that the White Snake Pharmaceutical Company—the one she always saw on television—belonged to Orochimaru?
The company president was Orochimaru's subordinate. When he met her, he was so nervous he nearly considered committing seppuku on the spot.
Hikari even wondered whether she was trapped in a genjutsu. To deceive her Sharingan, the caster would need eyes far stronger than her own.
"Aokawa, stop looking like the world is ending," Orochimaru said impatiently. "So what if the Water Country merchant is dead? Do we lose leverage?"
"I— I'm terribly sorry, Lord Orochimaru…"
Aokawa had lost count of how many times he'd apologized.
"Enough! Keep this up and get out of my sight!"
"Yes! Lord Orochimaru!"
Aokawa swallowed the apology at the tip of his tongue and retreated.
Kakuzu glanced at him with hidden satisfaction, then turned his gaze toward Hikari.
An Uchiha child…?
Why was she with Orochimaru?
Had Orochimaru kidnapped her?
Kakuzu's suspicion deepened.
If Orochimaru had known what Kakuzu was thinking, he would have dragged him straight into the sea and beaten him senseless. Killing Kakuzu was difficult—but tearing him apart was still an option.
"Given the situation," Orochimaru said calmly, "it's obvious the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist are interested in our formulas."
"In fact," Kakuzu added, "Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure would all covet the Healing Pill. In wartime, it's a strategic resource capable of drastically reducing casualties."
Orochimaru was unsurprised. The Four Great Nations had long coveted the Healing Pill formula.
As for the Land of Fire, their interest lay elsewhere—the Rebirth Pill. The daimyo himself had once demanded its formula, only to be firmly rejected by Konoha's leadership.
"Even if they steal the formula, it's useless," Orochimaru said lightly. "They can't obtain the most important ingredient."
The healing fluid of the Chimera Beetle—found only in the Mangrove Forest and the Aburame Clan's territory.
Kakuzu nodded. Those creatures were no ordinary insects. Capturing them alive required at least a full jonin team—and even then, success was uncertain.
"Lord Orochimaru," Aokawa asked cautiously, "how should we deal with those three Chinoike traitors?"
"You're the company president," Orochimaru replied coldly. "Decide for yourself. Kill them or fire them—it makes no difference."
Those three were already useless. Their Ketsuryugan had been sealed by the Eye-Sealing Curse Mark.
They were no longer worth his attention.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)