But soon, Konan raised another concern.
"If Danzō dies in Amegakure, won't that sour relations between Konoha and Amegakure?"
"After all, he's practically a Konoha elder. Wouldn't openly killing him be inappropriate?"
Her concern was perfectly reasonable. Eliminating a veteran who had served three generations of Hokage wasn't exactly a small matter.
But if the target was Danzō, Kazuyama Gekkō didn't care. He had to die—no question about it.
"Alright, I understand. I'll be ready."
"Yes. You just need to stabilize things here in Amegakure. It's only one village. The beginning is tough, but once you get past that, it'll be easier."
Kazuyama knew reorganizing a village wasn't easy, which was why he chose to stay in the shadows, letting others deal with the mess.
At that moment, he suddenly thought of the two talents he had snatched from Kumogakure.
Both were natural administrators. One of them was even destined to be the future secretary of the Fourth Raikage, overseeing countless affairs for the village.
"As for people to help you, I do have two candidates. But they're still in their probationary period."
"I'll push them a little. If they pass, I'll send them here to help you manage Amegakure."
At the mention of reinforcements, Konan's eyes lit up.
Right now, the only one she had was Terumi, but Terumi also had to oversee the intelligence network in the Land of Hot Water. The girl's exhaustion was written all over her face these past few days.
"Then hurry! I'm about to drop dead from work!"
Hearing her complaint, Kazuyama burst out laughing before vanishing into his own laughter.
...
Land of Waterfalls, Orochimaru's laboratory.
"So, Sensei, I asked you to brainwash them, and you just slapped a cursed seal on them???"
"What kind of move is that???"
Kazuyama glared at Samui and Mabui, who were flushed with anger as they carried out scattered tasks, while Orochimaru continued his research undisturbed.
Hearing his disciple's exasperated voice, Orochimaru finally set down his instruments. A faint smile touched his lips as he looked at Samui and Mabui as if they were rare treasures.
"Hehehe, the two you brought me are excellent specimens."
"I implanted them with a cursed seal I developed recently."
Yes, the cursed seal—the same one he would one day use on Kaguya's bone freak and on Sasuke.
But so soon?
Wait... did that mean Jūgo had already been found?
"That's not the important part. Within that cursed seal, I sensed a kind of energy... something akin to Senjutsu."
"Sensei... you did it?"
Orochimaru's smile widened, the very image of a mad scientist—though, truthfully, that was exactly what he was.
That grin only confirmed Kazuyama's suspicion. Orochimaru must have discovered Jūgo and studied his body.
Otherwise, recreating the cursed seal would've been impossible.
"Yes! Come. Since you're here, a trip to Turtle Island will explain everything."
"Turtle Island?"
"Mm."
Without hesitation, Kazuyama grabbed Orochimaru, and in the next instant, Flying Thunder God whisked them both to Turtle Island.
The moment he stepped onto the island, Kazuyama's serpentine senses picked up a dense, abnormal surge of Senjutsu energy.
Following Orochimaru, they moved toward the island's center.
Kazuyama, who hadn't visited in ages, was stunned at what he saw. Was this really Turtle Island???
High-tech equipment everywhere. For power generation? Just look at the massive armadillo rolling nonstop nearby to keep the machinery running...
And the other massive animals had jobs too. Gorillas hauling cargo, for example.
"This... what is this, a high-tech zoo now?"
"Only you, Sensei. Even the animals don't escape your experiments. Tsk tsk."
Orochimaru didn't see a problem. If they were going to be kept, they might as well work.
Soon they arrived at the center.
A lake spread out before them, with the Falls of Truth at its heart—the waterfall that reflected the darkness within.
"That waterfall is fascinating. Behind it lies a sealed chamber."
"And it can project a person's dark side? The loss of this island must be making Kumogakure ache."
"If I'm right, this waterfall and the main hall were designed as training grounds for Jinchūriki. After all, who else would need to face their inner darkness so directly?"
Kazuyama nodded in agreement.
He had always known Orochimaru's research was unparalleled, but seeing it firsthand still left him awestruck.
This was a terrifying kind of genius. With nothing but his brain, Orochimaru had already pushed the scientific ceiling of the entire shinobi world higher.
"Hehehe. But the world is vast, and there are always surprises. Like now."
"Someone has managed to use this waterfall to cleanse themselves."
"Come. The child is inside."
Kazuyama already knew who it was.
The Sage-born child with split personalities—Jūgo.
When they stepped through the waterfall, a simple tent came into view.
Outside it sat a small boy with bright orange hair, no older than four or five.
"Jūgo, long time no see."
"Hmm? Lord Orochimaru, you've come."
Orochimaru approached and patted the boy's head, while Kazuyama looked on, bewildered.
Wasn't Jūgo supposed to have a violent split personality? Why did this feel so... normal?
After greeting Orochimaru, Jūgo turned to Kazuyama. A faint red gleam flickered in his eyes as he murmured:
"Who are you? You carry strong natural energy... and a cold aura..."
"Like a snake... It makes me very uncomfortable..."
Kazuyama: ...I'm like a snake??? Then what about the guy standing right next to you???
Orochimaru: Hehehehe, I'm the parent here. You can't compare.
"Oh? You can sense the natural energy within me?"
"Well... not exactly see. I can feel it. That chilling energy... If I were my old self, I would've gone berserk and killed you by now..."
Yep, still the same Jūgo—always on the verge of losing control.
But why wasn't he rampaging now?
"Hehehe. I came across Jūgo by chance. He was born with a Sage body, able to perceive natural energy."
"But when the surrounding natural energy becomes too dense, he loses control and goes berserk."
"This only changed after he came here and underwent the waterfall's cleansing."
The Falls of Truth...