She was not even aware of how deeply she was loved by those around her.
She was good at understanding others, sensitive to subtle emotions—but there was one thing she had never realized.
"What are they talking about…?"
Uchiha Hikari puffed her cheeks slightly. She noticed that Orochimaru and the elderly woman named Uzumaki Chigusa kept glancing in her direction. A moment earlier, the old woman had even kissed Orochimaru on the forehead.
If Hikari's ocular power had not been sealed by the Eye-Sealing Curse Mark, the eyes beneath her lashes would not have been the Three-Tomoe Sharingan—but the Mangekyō Sharingan itself.
"Hikari, they seem to be talking about you."
Hyuga Mio glanced at Hikari's sulky expression. The number of rivals was greater than she had expected—and what shocked her even more was that Hikari herself had become one.
Orochimaru, you truly are a sinner.
"Hapshuu!"
Orochimaru suddenly sneezed.
His constitution made him resistant to most poisons and diseases. Catching a common cold was practically impossible.
"Chigusa," Orochimaru said calmly, "Hikari isn't dangerous. The dangerous ones are those who want to use her. She's a good girl from the Uchiha clan of the Warring States era. There was a misunderstanding at first, but it was resolved quickly."
He did not mention that the resolution had been… somewhat violent.
"That child has suffered greatly," Uzumaki Chigusa said softly. "I can feel the chaotic chakra inside her body…"
Such chakra instability clearly meant that the Uchiha of that era had done something irreversible to her.
"I can heal her," Orochimaru replied confidently. "Chigusa, you don't need to worry. If I can't heal Uchiha Hikari in this ninja world, then no one can."
"I believe you," Chigusa said gently. "If even you can't save someone, then that person truly has no hope."
She trusted Orochimaru deeply.
If one day Orochimaru claimed he could resurrect the dead, Chigusa would believe him first—and only later question the method.
"Chigusa, I'll be leaving soon," Orochimaru said. "If anything happens, contact me using the method I taught you."
"If you're going to the battlefield," Chigusa reminded him softly, "you must protect yourself."
Even though only Kage-level opponents could threaten Orochimaru, battlefields were unpredictable.
The First Shinobi World War had ended not long ago.
Another war was already approaching.
"Don't worry," Orochimaru replied. "If war breaks out, the Four Great Shinobi Villages will move first."
He had foreseen it.
Konoha might remain neutral at first, but once the situation became clear, it would inevitably be dragged in.
The reason was simple.
No one would allow Konoha to preserve its strength while others suffered heavy losses.
If Konoha waited too long, it would become everyone's target.
Sometimes, doing nothing was itself a crime.
Of course, Konoha's leadership was not foolish. Rather than being passively dragged into war, it would be better to seize the initiative.
As for how—that was not Orochimaru's concern.
After all, he was merely a jōnin.
What could he do?
War Ignites — Jiraiya's Journey
Jiraiya traveled across the land, witnessing firsthand the arrival of a chaotic era.
Conflicts between nations intensified. Invasions and civil wars erupted endlessly.
War was no longer limited to ninjas—it engulfed civilians as well.
Victory between ninja villages meant victory for entire nations.
The Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning struck first.
Led by the Third Raikage A, Kumogakure's forces landed silently by sea in the Land of Wind, launching a surprise attack on Sunagakure.
A's goal was simple.
Sunagakure once harbored ambitions toward the One-Tail Jinchūriki.
This time, he came to take it.
The operation was also revenge—for Cloud ninjas killed in the Land of Whirlpools.
Old grudges and new ones converged.
Thus, the Ninja World War officially began.
Sunagakure responded immediately. The Third Kazekage confronted Raikage A personally.
"Third Raikage—what is the meaning of this?!" the Kazekage demanded, black Iron Sand swirling around him.
"Isn't it obvious?" A replied coldly. "I'm here for your One-Tail Jinchūriki."
Lightning chakra armor crackled around A's body. Even his strongest Hellstab—One-Finger Spear—failed to break through the Iron Sand.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
Blue lightning and black sand clashed violently across the desert.
At the same time, Kirigakure dispatched forces toward Iwagakure.
The deaths of the Second Mizukage Hōzuki Gengetsu and the Second Tsuchikage Mu during the First Shinobi World War remained an unhealed wound.
Both villages sought revenge.
Their forces collided in the Land of Hot Water, turning it into another battlefield.
Smaller nations suffered the most.
With great powers focused on war, they were left defenseless.
Rain extinguished flames.
Jiraiya walked through a country that had just endured civil war.
Burned buildings. Unburied corpses. Broken swords.
Rain fell harder.
He took shelter in a ruined temple, where he encountered a man holding a baby.
"Young man," the stranger asked, "why do you travel?"
"To search for my destiny," Jiraiya replied quietly.
The baby suddenly leapt forward, biting the milk candy in Jiraiya's hand before falling to the ground.
It was a puppet.
"A puppet…?"
"So you're a ninja too," the man said calmly. "Destiny doesn't need searching. War has already arrived."
He left.
Jiraiya continued his journey.
He saw villages destroyed, civilians slaughtered, and children left orphaned.
Eventually, he intervened when a civilian village was attacked by Fūma Clan ninjas.
"Stop right there!" Jiraiya roared.
Kunai and shuriken answered him.
After driving them back, Jiraiya demanded, "Why attack civilians?"
"If we don't destroy others, we'll be destroyed ourselves," the Fūma ninja replied bitterly.
Jiraiya did not pursue them.
Their words haunted him.
As war intensified, Jiraiya rescued countless war orphans—but his power alone was insufficient.
Then he thought of the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company.
Swallowing his pride, he asked for help.
The response was immediate.
Within a week, rescue teams arrived.
Jiraiya realized then—
Orochimaru's influence ran deeper than he had imagined.
The White Serpent that would bring change to the ninja world…
Perhaps it wasn't a man.
Perhaps it was an organization.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)