The Sound Village was located within the Land of Rice Fields, bordered by the sea to the north and the world's most powerful nation, the Land of Fire, to the south.
Orochimaru had established a ninja village right at Konoha's doorstep, and even formed an alliance with them afterward. Yet no one noticed anything amiss—proof that the Yamanaka Clan, under Danzo's orders, had successfully suppressed all related information.
Judging by its name alone, the Land of Rice Fields was a nation focused on agriculture. Its terrain wasn't entirely flat, but it certainly wasn't riddled with ravines either.
News of Orochimaru's death in battle and Danzo leading an elite force to crush the Sound Village spread rapidly, with rumors flying everywhere.
Kidomaru and Tayuya might have seemed formidable, but in reality, they were only fourteen years old. While they excelled at reckless violence, they were utterly incapable of maintaining morale.
The two already had conflicts between them. When the Sound Four were still intact, they could keep each other in check. But now, with only two left, neither was willing to submit to the other.
By the time Kabuto managed to break through Konoha's blockade and return to the Sound Village, chaos had already erupted.
A ninja named Gen'yūmaru stepped forward to take control of the village. Backed by his numerous clansmen, his forceful personality, and some degree of competence, he quickly rallied enough supporters. Had Kabuto not arrived in time, the newly empowered Gen'yūmaru might have even used Orochimaru's corpse as a lantern.
Of the original Sound Four, only Kidomaru and Tayuya remained. Adding the critically ill Kimimaro and his close friend Jugo, they barely made up four people.
Gen'yūmaru, relying on his clan as a core force, seized control of the Sound Village and prepared to challenge Danzo.
Kabuto sneaked into the village, retrieved Orochimaru's body, and unwilling to wait for death, immediately fled with the others. As the eldest, he became the de facto leader. Kidomaru and Tayuya continued their roles as enforcers, while Jugo carried the gravely ill Kimimaro and Orochimaru's corpse. The five of them quietly slipped away from the Sound Village.
With too few hands and a hasty departure, they left behind many crucial research materials and test subjects. Everyone, including Kabuto, seemed disoriented—Orochimaru's death had hit them too hard.
There was no time to dwell on it now. They had to run first!
Like stray dogs, the five of them fled to Orochimaru's southern hideout to regroup.
Throughout their journey, they clung to a faint hope.
Jugo had no strong attachment to Orochimaru—he had only allowed his body to be studied at Kimimaro's urging. He had already decided that once Kimimaro passed, he would head to Orochimaru's northern prison, lock himself in the deepest cell, and end his miserable life there.
Orochimaru's fate meant little to him.
The other four, however, believed Orochimaru wasn't truly dead. They half-expected his corpse to suddenly split open, revealing a reborn Orochimaru shedding his old skin like a snake.
But hope often fails to manifest. After over ten days of anxious waiting, Orochimaru's body began to rot, with no signs of revival.
Kabuto exhausted every method he knew, yet he couldn't figure out how to revive Orochimaru. He had been too far from the battlefield, and the Reaper Death Seal had been completed too swiftly—he didn't even know what had truly happened to Orochimaru.
"Wake up Lord Orochimaru, or I'll kill you!" Kimimaro, disregarding his own severe illness, extended a bone spike from his wrist and pressed it against Yakushi Kabuto's throat. If the other dared to say no, he would undoubtedly thrust it through.
Kabuto was five or six years older than him, but Kimimaro showed no fear toward this somewhat gloomy doctor. Within ten steps, no one could stop him—at least, that's what he believed.
Kabuto calmly pushed aside the bone spike with two fingers.
In truth, he was deeply lost himself. He had finally found his purpose in life through Orochimaru, and now his spiritual mentor was gone just like that. What was he supposed to do? What meaning did his existence hold now?
The only reason Kabuto hadn't lost his mind was that Kimimaro was even more unhinged than him. Often, Kabuto took some twisted comfort in thinking, "I may be miserable, but this guy's even worse off."
Yet, staring at Orochimaru's lifeless body, he was barely holding it together, forcing himself to think.
The Reaper Death Seal was a top-secret Ninja Technique in the Hidden Leaf Village. The Shinigami came and went without a trace, and Kabuto had no knowledge of the twists and turns involved. No matter how high his intellect, he couldn't fathom the reasons behind it.
He motioned for Kimimaro to turn slightly. "Let me check your Cursed Seal of Earth. Activate the Curse Mark Second State."
Kimimaro, already on the brink of death and tormented by his Kekkei Genkai illness, didn't hesitate. He channeled his Chakra and entered the Curse Mark Second State.
Ten minutes later, Kabuto shook his head. Both the Cursed Seal of Heaven and the Cursed Seal of Earth contained Orochimaru's Chakra—or rather, his will. This was a major reason why Kimimaro often claimed, "Lord Orochimaru and I are one."
The foundation of the Cursed Seals was undoubtedly Sage Arts, but the technique Orochimaru used to imprint his personal mark on them was a high-level Clone Technique.
The Shadow Clone Technique could replicate one's consciousness—the clones could think and make judgments based on the original's circumstances. Orochimaru had taken this path even further, delving into something far more bizarre.
In theory, with enough life energy, the consciousness within the Cursed Seal's clone could be drawn out, allowing Orochimaru to be reborn in a replicated form.
But how? For now, Kabuto had no leads.
"Maybe we could try Lord Orochimaru's Edo Tensei?" whispered Tayuya, the Kunoichi skilled in Genjutsu.
Before she could finish, Kimimaro lunged like a madman, his bone blade thrusting straight at her. "Lord Orochimaru isn't dead!"
Seeing his murderous intent, Jugo intervened, punching the bone blade off course.
"Calm down!" Jugo grabbed him, speaking in a low voice.
Kabuto paid no attention to their scuffle, lost in thought. Without a word, he sat motionless, pondering all night.
He considered that Edo Tensei might be a solution, but he didn't know how to perform it. Orochimaru was already dead—he couldn't exactly pop up to teach him.
Even if they managed to resurrect Orochimaru through Edo Tensei, what then? Use the Rinnegan to revive him? Or some other Forbidden Technique?
Kabuto couldn't help but think of his "Vice President," feeling a flicker of relief. At least that connection wasn't severed yet. He could still go back and bluff his way through—preferably to obtain the scroll for learning Edo Tensei.
When the time comes, Orochimaru will be revived, and then my foster mother as well. Not yet the Snake Kabuto, he wasn't as insane as in the future, still thinking more like a spy most of the time.
Yakushi Kabuto's conviction suddenly solidified. The worst was having no direction—with a general goal in mind, things became manageable.
He turned to Kimimaro: "Whether you admit it or not, Lord Orochimaru is truly dead. I'm returning to the Hidden Leaf Village to search for Edo Tensei materials, and incidentally check on that bearer of the Cursed Seal of Heaven. You all should lay low here for now."