"It's Orochimaru-sama!"
"Great! Orochimaru-sama has finally returned to the village!"
"That bastard Danzo! He actually framed Orochimaru-sama. Fortunately, the Fifth Hokage saw through everything!"
As Orochimaru walked through the bustling streets of Konoha, his pale golden eyes swept across the crowds. He could hear the villagers' passionate voices, see their excited and worshipful expressions. Cheers erupted in every direction like waves on the ocean. Children pointed excitedly at him, merchants bowed respectfully, and even elderly villagers looked on with admiration.
For the first time in his life, Orochimaru truly felt the terrifying power of public opinion.
Once reviled as a traitor, an S-rank missing-nin hunted across the nations, he had now been reshaped into a tragic hero—betrayed by the sinister Danzo, misunderstood by the world, and now finally vindicated by the wisdom and justice of the Fifth Hokage.
And Danzo... had been conveniently dead.
Everything, every whisper of this story, had been skillfully arranged by Namikaze Mirai.
'A terrifying man indeed… Namikaze Mirai.' Orochimaru thought, the corner of his lip curling into a strangely gentle smile. Though his smile lacked natural warmth, it nonetheless carried an air of sincerity that disarmed those around him.
He nodded politely to a group of bowing villagers, the coldness in his demeanor replaced with carefully measured warmth. It was one of Mirai's specific instructions—"Smile more. The people will accept you faster."
At the edge of an alley nearby, a tall woman leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Long blonde hair flowed behind her, and a blue rhombus-shaped seal glowed faintly on her forehead.
Tsunade watched the scene before her with an unreadable expression. "That bastard Orochimaru… stealing the spotlight again the moment he sets foot in the village."
Though her words seemed laced with irritation, there was no real anger in her voice—only nostalgia and a hint of reluctant amusement. It had been many years since the three of them had stood together in Konoha.
Orochimaru's gaze shifted. In the middle of a cheering crowd, his snake-like eyes found hers across the distance. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, silence passed between them—an unspoken recognition, a wry and speechless smile.
…
Konoha Izakaya.
The low wooden table between them was littered with half-finished dishes, spilled sauce, and two towering sake jars. Tsunade, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, grabbed one of the jars with a white-knuckled grip and tipped it back. The glug-glug-glug of liquid echoed through the room as she chugged without restraint.
"Even if you wanted to welcome me back to Konoha." Orochimaru remarked with a dry chuckle, "You didn't need to go this far."
*Boom!*
The jar hit the table with a thud, sloshing remnants of sake onto the dishes.
"You! Why the hell did you run off without a word back then? Where the hell were you all these years, huh?"
Tsunade's voice cracked slightly—not with anger, but with emotion. Orochimaru's slitted pupils stared at her quietly, the corners of his lips twitching.
"Why I left…" he murmured, "was likely the same reason you did."
Her retort stalled in her throat. The anger that had been simmering just beneath the surface dissipated like steam from a kettle. The wind knocked out of her, she leaned back and let out a long, weary sigh.
Yes… the smell of rot, the decay within the village, had been too much. Ever since her grandfather's death, Konoha had begun changing. The bright Will of Fire had been replaced with something darker. She couldn't bear to see it, and so she left.
It hadn't been about gambling or running away. Not truly.
Orochimaru raised his small ceramic cup, smiling faintly. "In the end, we both couldn't escape. And it took Mirai-kun to bring us back."
Tsunade snorted. "That bastard Hokage really has a way of meddling, doesn't he?"
She lifted the jar again and drank deep. Sake streamed from the corners of her mouth, soaking into her blouse, but she didn't care.
"It would've been perfect if Jiraiya were here…" she mumbled, her voice trailing off.
Orochimaru's eyes softened. That name—it brought up a torrent of memories.
Jiraiya, the idiot.
The fool who believed in peace. The fool who searched for the "Child of Prophecy."
Was he still wandering the world, chasing phantoms?
Neither Orochimaru nor Tsunade spoke for a while. They just drank in silence, lost in the memories of their youth.
…
Hokage Office.
Namikaze Mirai stood at the tall glass window, his blue eyes half-lidded as he listened to his Anbu's report.
"Orochimaru-sama seems to be integrating well." the shinobi said.
"Good." Mirai replied softly, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Orochimaru had agreed to take over the Umbrella Scientific Research Center. With full control and funding beyond anything he'd ever dreamed of, Orochimaru's genius would now serve Konoha.
And money?
Mirai scoffed inwardly.
The Daimyō's financial budget had not only been restored—it had tripled. Now that the Daimyō was under his control, there were no restrictions. If it weren't for the political optics, he could have increased it tenfold.
Killer Bee's "sale" to Kumogakure had earned a fortune as well.
And with Umbrella's medical breakthroughs, Konoha would soon dominate the pharmaceutical industry across the Five Nations.
But even all of this was just the beginning.
Mirai's eyes gleamed coldly.
Pain. The Rinnegan. The cycle of life and death.
That was his real target.
He would gouge out those eyes—and use them to bring Minato and Kushina back.
…
Somewhere in a dark cave…
*Drip. Drip. Drip.*
Moisture from stalactites echoed through the cave as the monstrous Heretic Statue loomed in the center. On each of its outstretched fingers, a projection of a red-clouded Akatsuki cloak shimmered in the gloom.
"Leader, why was this meeting called early?" asked White Zetsu in his usual nasally tone.
Above the statue, Tendo Pain's Rinnegan eyes glowed with chilling authority. "I have received word," he said, "that Orochimaru has defected."
A silence fell over the room.
"…Defected?" Sasori of the Red Sand asked, stunned. "But he only just joined. Where could he possibly run to?"
Pain's expression did not change. "He fled back to Konoha."
"…Eh?"
Even for Akatsuki members accustomed to the bizarre, this was unprecedented.
"Why would Konoha accept him back?" Sasori asked, visibly agitated. "He was an S-rank missing-nin!"
"Konoha's new Hokage—Namikaze Mirai—has rescinded Orochimaru's status as a traitor. Shimura Danzo has been blamed for all of Orochimaru's crimes."
"...They can do that?" Kisame muttered in disbelief. "Is there a 'cancel' button for being a missing-nin now?"
"This is absurd." muttered Kakuzu. "The bounty books didn't mention anything about that."
"No matter." Pain said coldly. "Orochimaru is now a traitor to Akatsuki. If you encounter him—kill on sight."
A chorus of dark affirmations followed.
But even as he gave the order, Pain's eyes narrowed.
This Namikaze Mirai… he was more dangerous than expected.
Konoha had always been the seed of conflict. If this Hokage was allowed to continue unchecked, the balance of the shinobi world would crumble.
But what he didn't know… was that Mirai was thinking the exact same thing.
And he was coming for his eyes.
*****
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