The Land of Waves—a small island situated in the eastern waters of the Land of Fire. Shrouded year-round in a heavy, damp sea mist, it sits as a neighbor to the Land of Fire and a link to the Land of Sea.
During the Third Great Ninja War, this island served as one of the many battlegrounds between Konoha and Kirigakure. Although the war had long since ended, the scars left by the smoke and mirrors of conflict remained unhealed. Peace and stability had not yet returned to this fractured nation. Instead, the vacuum of power had invited chaos, drawing in pirates, bandits, wandering samurai, and rogue ninjas.
It was this very instability that would soon allow the Gato Corporation to seize a monopoly over the country's trade in the coming years.
On the coastline of the Land of Waves, a black robe billowed violently against the sea breeze.
Menma, hidden behind his white three-eyed fox mask, walked along the shore. A small city loomed ahead, but he did not enter. Instead, he stopped at the water's edge, gazing across the channel. Through the thick fog, one could just barely make out the faint silhouette of the mainland.
In eight years, Team 7 would arrive here to face Zabuza and Haku in a desperate struggle. It would be the site where a great bridge—the Great Naruto Bridge—would be built.
"The tech tree in this world is truly bizarre," Menma muttered to himself. "This country is stuck in a feudal era, yet they can construct a bridge spanning over ten kilometers."
Suddenly, through his Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of the Kagura), he sensed a familiar chakra signature approaching. The rhythmic clack of wooden geta sandals treading on sand echoed through the mist.
Menma tilted his masked head slightly as a figure emerged from the gray veil.
"Keeping you waiting?"
Orochimaru approached with slow, deliberate steps. Currently disguised as a noblewoman, his golden slit pupils shimmered from behind strands of loose, dark hair.
The journey to Kirigakure was fraught with peril, so he had brought no subordinates. Fewer people meant a lower risk of exposure—and an easier path to escape.
"That ship is bound for the Land of Water," Menma said, gesturing toward a sea vessel docked at the nearby port.
Orochimaru followed his gaze. The flag of the Gato Corporation fluttered intermittently through the fog.
The two made their move. Orochimaru used genjutsu to ensnare the crew, securing passage under a noble's identity and even obtaining a lavish private cabin. Menma simply leaped onto the deck to rendezvous with him.
After two days of travel, the ship neared the coast of the Land of Water.
The sudden roar of ninjutsu clashing in the mist drew the passengers to the railings. They peered into the haze, whispering anxiously as silhouettes battled atop the distant waves.
As Menma and Orochimaru stepped out of the cabin, the voices of the commoners reached their ears.
"Are those ninjas?"
"How many times has this happened this month?"
"I've made this trip five times, and I've seen this three times already."
"Tsk. As long as they don't drag us ordinary folk into it..."
Orochimaru stared at the figures fighting in the distance, his golden eyes glowing faintly.
"It seems the situation in Kirigakure is worse than we imagined," he hissed softly. "Defections are occurring one after another."
He glanced at the silent "Shura" beside him, but the fox mask only reflected the dull, gray light of the sky. Finding no reaction, Orochimaru's interest waned.
Once the ship docked, the two vanished into the noisy crowd.
"Since the last war, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have never been fully replaced. I've heard rumors of members fleeing with their blades," Orochimaru explained as they headed toward the village. "The only ones we truly need to watch out for are the Bloodline Limit clans and the Mizukage's ANBU."
He brushed back his long hair, focusing his golden gaze on Menma.
"So, shall we move together, or split up?"
At that moment, Menma was using his Kagura Shingan to sweep the surrounding hundred kilometers.
He vaguely recalled that Haku was not originally from Kirigakure, but from a small, snowy village. Born to a mother of the Yuki Clan, he had awakened the Ice Release—a gift that his father and the villagers deemed a curse.
His father had led a mob to kill Haku's mother and intended to strike down the boy as well, but in his terror, Haku's Ice Release had manifested, killing everyone. Since then, the boy had been a stray, wandering the streets of the Land of Water.
Menma surmised that Haku would be in the southwestern region. Zabuza, after his failed coup and subsequent desertion, wouldn't stay long in the heart of the country. To evade the relentless ANBU, he would have to head for the coast to flee. It was likely he would encounter Haku on his way out.
As his mental radar swept the area, Menma finally caught it: a faint, shivering chakra signature carrying a profound chill, located in a nearby city.
"I've found something good," Menma said, leaping onto a tree branch. "Interested in taking a look?"
Without waiting for an answer, he accelerated, disappearing into the forest.
"Something interesting?" Orochimaru's curiosity piqued, and he followed close behind.
In a certain city within the Land of Water, the snow fell in heavy silence.
A small, filthy boy was scavenging through a trash heap for food. His thin clothes and bare feet were a stark, painful contrast to the freezing weather.
Three wild dogs appeared, snarling and barking to claim the territory as their own.
The boy's expression remained vacant. He raised his right hand, and an icicle condensed in his palm. He flicked his wrist.
Thwack!
The lead dog's head was pierced through. Blood and brain matter stained the white snow. The other two dogs whimpered, tucking their tails and fleeing in terror.
The boy picked up a piece of hardened bread and began to chew.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the snow in front of him. He looked up to see a mysterious figure in a fox mask reaching out a hand.
The boy stood up, staring blankly. For some reason, he felt a pull—a sense of belonging—and he slowly walked toward the stranger.
"What is your name?" the voice behind the mask asked.
"Haku," the boy replied, his gaze dazed.
Menma reached out and patted the boy's dirty, matted hair.
"From now on, you're with me."
Menma took Haku's hand and led him toward an inn.
Orochimaru landed by the trash heap a moment later. He looked at the dead dog and the un-melted icicle lodged in its skull. His snake-like pupils narrowed with envy.
"You found an Ice Release child the moment we arrived?" Orochimaru watched the retreating figures of the man and the boy.
It seemed bringing Shura to the Land of Water was the right choice. With the "future intelligence" the man possessed, he clearly knew exactly which Bloodline Limits were ripe for the taking and where the young geniuses were hidden.
However, Orochimaru thought, if he has already laid claim to this one, I won't be able to take him. I'll have to find my own way to secure other children with unique powers.