Shortly after Saiki's silhouette vanished past the gates of Konoha, an inconspicuous grey snake slithered through the undergrowth, disappearing into the dense canopy of a nearby tree.
It was just a snake; Saiki, whose attention was still focused on Tsunade, hadn't paid it any mind. But in the Hidden Leaf, a snake was the most dangerous signal of all.
The creature's eyes flickered with an unnatural violet glow. A microscopic seal had been implanted in its body to transmit high-priority intelligence.
Everything that had happened in Konoha—the purge of the elders, Tsunade's impending ascension, and the news of Saiki's departure—had been under constant surveillance. This information had already bypassed Saiki and reached the Konoha front-line camp on the border of the Land of Grass through hidden channels.
...
Deep within the front-line camp, inside a dimly lit tent.
The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs and the unsettling, damp chill of a reptile's den.
Orochimaru was busy recording data from a row of test subjects suspended in glowing green fluid. The flickering lamplight reflected off his pale skin and his iconic golden slit-pupils, which burned with a cold, obsessive light.
A snake slithered through a gap in the tent flap and coiled itself onto his desk.
Orochimaru didn't turn around immediately. He finished recording the final data point with his long, slender fingers before looking down.
He reached out, his fingertip touching the snake's forehead. A faint ripple of chakra was transmitted into his mind, dumping the intel directly into his brain.
After a moment of silence, a sinister, bone-chilling smirk curled the corners of Orochimaru's mouth.
"Heh... hehehe..." A low, raspy chuckle echoed in the tent, filled with genuine amusement and the thrill of a predator finding new prey.
"...How unexpected. I didn't think Tsunade would actually send him."
He paced to the center of the tent, his golden eyes glowing in the gloom like a venomous serpent.
"Danzo is dead. Lord Hiruzen... is also dead. Even Koharu and Homura. In a single night, the Hokage and the entire Council were uprooted. How remarkably clean." His tone carried unreserved admiration, as if he were critiquing a perfect work of art. "That brat, Saiki Shiroya... I knew he wasn't ordinary. So, you noticed it too, didn't you, Tsunade?"
Orochimaru fell into a pensive silence.
While the tradition of master and student killing each other was a staple of the Shinobi world, Orochimaru—despite his cold, poisonous exterior—harbored deep feelings for Hiruzen Sarutobi, even if he viewed the old man as a rotting relic.
In the original timeline's Konoha Crush, Orochimaru's goal seemed to be destruction, but in reality, he wanted to give his mentor a dignified warrior's death. He had even wept for him.
He stayed silent for a while. Who knew what was swirling in those freezing eyes?
Perhaps he was thinking of avenging Hiruzen, or perhaps he was plotting how to claim Saiki for himself. His voice soon turned manic as he resumed his monologue.
"The battle sites were pulverized. The Root base was leveled. Lord Hiruzen... likely attempted the Reaper Death Seal and failed. Saiki Shiroya, how did you do it? That isn't the power of a child. According to the fragments of memory from the survivors, you entered a... 'White Chakra Mode' never before seen in history."
At the mention of the White Chakra Mode, Orochimaru's excitement spiked. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips. "It carries the signature of Sage Chakra, yet it is fundamentally different. It isn't a Tailed Beast cloak either... Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating! Saiki Shiroya, just how many secrets are you hiding inside that body?"
Fortunately, Saiki wasn't there to see the "affection" in Orochimaru's eyes. He would have vomited.
Having a man—especially a world-class freak like this—interested in him was the ultimate nightmare.
Orochimaru suppressed his hunger and walked to the edge of the tent, pulling back a flap to look at the oppressive, overcast sky.
"So, she's to be the Fourth Hokage... Hmph. You certainly stepped into an easy inheritance, Tsunade." Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of jealousy and resentment.
The Hokage seat had once been his ultimate goal, yet he had been passed over.
Now, with the power vacuum in Konoha, Tsunade was rising on the strength of her Senju blood and her current prestige. Meanwhile, he was stuck on the front lines, playing a deadly game of chess with the Tsuchikage and Hanzo.
Ambition, like a dark vine in the night, began to grow frantically in his heart.
"Konoha needs a stronger leader. A Kage capable of leading it to a new era..." Orochimaru whispered to himself, as if justifying a future betrayal. "Tsunade... you are too emotional. You cling too tightly to the glories of the past. This era needs a power that breaks all conventions... otherwise, the Leaf will simply continue to rot!"
His gaze turned sharp and greedy once more.
Saiki's appearance, his logic-defying power, and the death of Hiruzen were the keys that had unlocked the long-dormant door of his desire.
He didn't just want the Hokage seat; he wanted to unpick the secret of Saiki's strength and claim that power as his own.
After a moment of thought, Orochimaru summoned a trusted subordinate. His voice regained its usual clinical, eerie calm. "What are the new movements from the Stone and Rain camps?"
"Onoki and Hanzo appear to be reshuffling their forces. They likely caught wind of the internal instability in Konoha. Their scouting activity has increased significantly; they're looking for a gap to launch a final offensive."
"Excellent..." A calculating glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. "Leaked the information quietly. Let them know that Konoha has sent an extremely dangerous reinforcement—a youth who likely carries a secret 'special weapon'."
The subordinate looked at Orochimaru in confusion, but seeing those freezing golden eyes, he bowed his head low.
"Understood."
Orochimaru let out a cold, sibilant laugh. He was borrowing a knife to kill a man—letting the Stone and Rain test the boy's limits for him.
If he can't survive this hurdle, he isn't worth my focus.
But if he breaks through... His pupils shimmered with a fanatical light. Then I will personally go to 'welcome' Saiki-kun and 'study' the source of his intoxicating power.
He could already see Saiki's body—so full of mysteries—lying on his operating table as the perfect specimen.
Immortality, power, the Hokage's hat... everything seemed within reach because of this boy.
"Furthermore," Orochimaru added, "prepare our observers. The moment a brat named Saiki enters the combat zone, monitor his every movement. I want to know every combat detail, every jutsu he uses, every shift in his chakra... I want everything!"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Though the man didn't understand the obsession, he owed Orochimaru his life. He bowed and melted back into the shadows.
Silence returned to the tent, broken only by the faint, rhythmic sound of Orochimaru's laughter.
He looked toward the direction of Konoha, his gaze seemingly piercing the mountains to see the boy racing toward him.
"Come then, Saiki-kun... let me see how many surprises you bring. This game of Konoha's is becoming very interesting indeed..."
A hundred miles away, Saiki was blurring through the forest at incredible speeds. Suddenly, he felt a faint, inexplicable chill—as if something cold and slimy had brushed against his spine.
He frowned, expanding his senses to check his surroundings, but found nothing.
"Imagination?" he muttered, shaking his head. He pushed the discomfort aside and accelerated, turning into a blinding streak of lightning as he raced toward the heart of the storm.
He had no idea that a web of ambition and greed was already being woven in front of him, waiting for his arrival.
And at the center of that web sat one of the Sannin—the Great Snake, Orochimaru.