Nara Matsuka unfolded a wide scroll across the wooden counter. It was a detailed map of the lands surrounding Konoha, every forest, river, and trail carefully marked. She tapped her slender finger on a section near the edge of the map, her expression thoughtful.
"There are herbs you'll need in this forest," she explained, her tone calm yet precise. "It's close enough that you can gather them without leaving the safety of the village boundaries. However—" Her finger slid across the parchment to another darker section, where the lines of trees were drawn densely. "—if you're looking for rarer ingredients, you can also try the Forest of Death. It's far more dangerous. The creatures that live there aren't ordinary beasts; they're enormous and vicious."
Orochimaru's golden eyes followed Matsuka's finger, narrowing slightly as she studied the marked forest. It was indeed very close to Konoha, so close that a single loud scream might draw the attention of a passing patrol. That made it both accessible and relatively safe, though she knew danger was never far away in this world.
"Thank you, Matsuka-nee," Orochimaru said softly, her voice carrying a hint of genuine gratitude.
Matsuka smiled faintly, crossing her arms. "If you manage to research something valuable out of what you collect, you'd better tell me. I want to know the results of your strange experiments."
Having already seen Orochimaru's talent with her own eyes, Nara Matsuka couldn't help but feel curious. The girl was young, still with the air of a student, yet her methods and knowledge went far beyond her peers.
"I'll consider it." Orochimaru's lips curled into the faintest smile before she turned away.
She left Nara Pharmacy with a brisk step, her thoughts already racing ahead. At home, she packed quickly—scrolls, tools, jars, and a small basket for gathering plants. She didn't leave her research unattended, though. With quick, practiced hand seals, she created two Shadow Clones. One sat at the desk, pen scratching across paper, continuing her notes. The other busied itself with her experiment on Yang Release chakra transformation.
The real Orochimaru adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, stepped outside, and sprang lightly to the rooftops. Her figure blurred from one building to the next until she landed near the Konoha gate.
"Stop there, please. Everyone must register before leaving the village."
The two guards on duty stepped forward, their expressions polite but firm.
"Of course," Orochimaru replied, her voice calm. She took the pen, leaned over the thick ledger, and wrote her name in neat characters: Orochimaru.
The guard who received the entry blinked, his brows rising. "Orochimaru… You're not that Orochimaru, are you?" His hand instinctively brushed against his ninja pouch, where several newly purchased soldier pills from the Akimichi clan rested.
His mind flashed to the old soldier pills—bitter, unreliable things that no one used anymore. Now, with the improved formula available at a price even low-ranking genin could afford, every ninja carried them. The one responsible for that breakthrough… was the girl standing in front of him.
"I think there's only one Orochimaru in Konoha," she said evenly, setting down the pen. Without waiting for a reply, she walked toward the gate.
The guards exchanged surprised glances.
"She's the one who redesigned the soldier pill formula," whispered one.
"She looks so young… like she hasn't even graduated from the Academy yet," said the other.
"Do you think she'll participate in the Chunin Exams?"
"Probably. After all, she's the Hokage's personal disciple."
The murmurs faded behind her as Orochimaru disappeared down the road, her figure swallowed by the morning light.
---
Chapter 41: Cloud Ninja
The forest was quiet in the early morning, bathed in silver mist. Droplets clung to leaves and blades of grass, catching the sunlight as it filtered through the canopy. Each drop refracted the rays into tiny crystals of color, sparkling like a sea of jewels.
Orochimaru stopped in her tracks, staring.
Water… refraction… Is this similar to total internal reflection?
The thought sparked instantly. She pulled out her notebook and jotted it down, her pen scratching quickly.
Water refracts light. If it can refract firelight, could it also refract lightning? Wouldn't that lead to a new form of nature transformation—something like Storm Release?
Her eyes narrowed as she remembered the dark-skinned shinobi from Kumogakure. His Storm Release wasn't light refraction but rather the manipulation of lightning through water, channeling the volatile energy into precise attacks.
No… That's different. Still, it's worth experimenting with later.
Closing her notebook, she tucked it away and continued through the dense undergrowth, eyes sharp for the medicinal herbs she had come to collect.
Soon, she spotted one—an unassuming plant hidden among weeds. She crouched, placed her hand against the soil, and with a subtle surge of chakra, the earth shifted. The plant rose intact from the ground, not a single root damaged.
Earth Release at a fundamental level could accomplish simple tasks like this with ease. It was cleaner and faster than using crude tools.
She placed the herb in her basket and quickly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Three duplicates appeared around her.
"I'll entrust my safety to you," she said.
The clones nodded in unison. "Leave it to us."
They scattered to hidden vantage points, forming the Barrier: Heaven Sense Formation. Linked together, the three barriers expanded into a Grand Formation, allowing Orochimaru to sense movement within a radius of nearly one and a half kilometers.
Now I can focus on my work without distraction.
Orochimaru began gathering steadily, filling her basket with herbs both common and rare. The forest was alive with sound—chirping insects, rustling branches, the distant cry of birds. Yet her senses, heightened by her clones' vigilance, never relaxed. She knew that beyond the village walls, eyes might still be watching.
By noon, her basket was nearly full. Just as she bent down to pluck another plant, one of her clones snapped its eyes open.
A cloaked figure was moving along the edge of the barrier—carrying an unconscious boy on his shoulder.
Abduction? Toward the Land of Rice Fields… or the Land of Iron?
Without hesitation, Orochimaru's clone dissolved the formation and darted after the figure.
The other two clones and the original instantly noticed the disruption.
What is it doing? Orochimaru thought, puzzled. Then she saw. A group of desperate-looking people were chasing the cloaked man. When the wind blew past one of them, his body wavered, dissolving into smoke that threatened to scatter with the breeze.
Smoke Transformation… The Iburi Clan?
Her suspicions sharpened. Kumogakure had long been rumored to abduct bloodline-limit users. If that cloaked figure was a Cloud Ninja, the child must be the latest victim.
One of the Iburi screamed, his body dissolving uncontrollably into smoke. His comrades cried out, helpless to stop his slow death.
So their transformation is unstable… No wonder it's feared.
Orochimaru formed a seal, her eyes narrowing.
"Wind Release: Night Wind."
A miniature cyclone roared to life, pulling the scattered smoke into its center. Slowly, the man's human form returned, coughing, alive.
The Iburi stared in shock, eyes wide. None of them had ever seen such a jutsu.
"No time for talk," Orochimaru said briskly. "Find somewhere safe. I'll rescue the child."
Before they could reply, she blurred and vanished, racing after the abductor.
The cloaked figure finally stopped, muttering, "Strange… they gave up chasing? This mission turned out easier than I thought."
Before he could laugh further, a shadow charged at him, lightning flickering faintly along its outline.
"Bang!"
The man staggered back as Orochimaru's punch met his block. Pain shot through his arm, forcing him to drop his hood. A Kumogakure forehead protector gleamed in the light, his brown skin glistening with sweat.
His eyes widened in disbelief. A child? With this kind of power?
Orochimaru's gaze was cold. Just as I thought. A Cloud Ninja.
"You're a Konoha brat, aren't you?" he sneered. "Has Konoha fallen so low that they send little girls to fight?"
She leapt back, weaving hand seals. Lightning burst from her palms, snapping through the trees. The Cloud Ninja dodged, his chakra blade flashing as he set the boy on a branch and lunged.
My chakra is nearly gone… I must finish this quickly.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!"
Small fireballs rained down. The ninja sliced through them, his blade coated with lightning. Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke—the substitution log splitting under the blade.
"Where—?!"
An illusory clone flickered, vanishing just as his strike landed. He spun, too late. Orochimaru surged forward, her arm swollen with Yang Release, her speed sharpened with Lightning Release.
The punch landed square in his abdomen. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body was hurled into the ground, forming a crater.
Breathing heavily, Orochimaru held her arm, the pain of forced cell expansion gnawing at her. "Tsk… chakra's gone." The clone dissolved into smoke, the victory secured.
---
Chapter 42: Iburi Clan
The cave was damp, dark, and reeking of mold. Orochimaru wrinkled her nose as she stepped inside. People actually live like this?
"Yusuke!"
A mother rushed forward, clutching the rescued boy in trembling arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the child sobbed, clinging tightly.
The rest of the clan gathered, their faces pale in the dim light. Most were shockingly young—the oldest barely out of his teens. Their lives were already marked by fear and tragedy.
The clan leader stepped forward, bowing deeply. His eyes fell on the unconscious Cloud Ninja Orochimaru dragged behind her. Battered and bruised, he was still alive only thanks to the superhuman resilience of shinobi.
"Thank you," the leader said earnestly. "May I ask your name?"
"Orochimaru," she replied simply. "Don't worry about this one. A Shadow Clone will deliver him to the Konoha patrols. What happens to him afterward is no concern of mine."
The leader exhaled in relief. "That eases my heart. We settled near Konoha partly for safety, partly with the hope that one day we might join the village. But even the great Tobirama himself couldn't solve our curse."
"Thank you for saving Yusuke!"
"Thank you, big sister!"
The mother and child bowed deeply, their voices trembling with sincerity.
"It was nothing," Orochimaru said with a faint smile. Her eyes swept over the gathered clan members. "I've read about the Iburi in old records. To see you in person…"
Her words trailed off, but in her heart, new ideas and possibilities were already taking root.
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