In the northwestern region of the Hidden Leaf Village, near the border of the Land of Fire
A series of thunderous explosions echoed through the mountains, accompanied by two furious voices shouting at each other.
"Madara! Are you going to talk or not? No? Then eat this, my fist is as big as a sandbag!"
"You bastard!"
…
Elsewhere, Hashirama and Tobirama were listening to Hiruzen's account of Konoha's recent events.
"Foolish!" Tobirama barked, his brow furrowing tightly.
Hashirama sighed, "Monkey, after this, you'd better give our second grandfather a proper explanation. The alliance between Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools must not be broken over this!"
Hiruzen could only give a weary nod.
Jiraiya was getting impatient. The conversation had gone on forever, and no one had mentioned taking Orochimaru back yet, despite the fact that the man was still nearby.
"Jiraiya, calm down," Sakumo said, trying to ease him. "With Elder Akio here, there's nothing to worry about for now."
Tobirama overheard and frowned, turning toward Orochimaru. "Where did you learn the Impure World Reincarnation, and why did you defect?"
During Tobirama's lifetime, Orochimaru had been known as Konoha's prodigy, becoming a jōnin at fifteen, without ever showing a hint of rebellion.
Orochimaru gave no answer. His gaze swept over the Konoha shinobi, pausing briefly on Jiraiya before his body crumbled into soil and dissolved into the ground.
"A mud clone?! When did he?!"
Hashirama quickly explained, "When Second Grandfather threw his first punch, Orochimaru had already switched himself with a clone. Akio must've noticed it too."
At that moment, Akio, who had just pummeled Madara into another crater suddenly appeared beside them. "Orochimaru's clone just dispelled, which means his real body has nearly escaped to wherever he thinks he's hiding. The Edo Tensei bindings on you will soon fade too. Any last words?"
As he spoke, a faint white glow began to spread across Hashirama and Tobirama's bodies.
"Second Grandfather," Hashirama said softly, "Hiruzen told me what's been happening. I hope"
Akio sighed, cutting him off. "No need to say more. I'll judge the situation myself. What's done is done."
Hashirama wanted to reply, but Tobirama interrupted him instead. "Second Grandfather, we'll leave things to your judgment. Just… please, spare Danzō this time. He only ever acted for Konoha's sake, though his methods were misguided."
The two brothers slowly faded away.
Akio blinked. "So it was Danzō's doing after all?"
He turned toward Hiruzen, who still looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Alright," Akio said flatly. "I'll give you one day. Organize your thoughts, and by tomorrow, I expect to hear everything, start to finish."
Then he turned to Jiraiya. "And you, stop looking like you just lost your soulmate. I'm going after Orochimaru now."
"You old bastard! You think you can just leave after that?" Madara's roar came from behind. "You punch me, and then you run? Not a chance!"
Akio froze, Orochimaru hadn't released Madara's reincarnation.
"Stalling for time, huh?" Akio muttered, glancing at the charging Madara. "But no matter how long I question him, he'll never spill anything about Akatsuki…"
After a brief pause, Akio's right hand extended, a bone spike emerging from his palm. "Shikotsumyaku, All-Killing Ash Bones!"
…
Meanwhile, back in Konoha at Tenten's house
A certain fat cat Akio had completely forgotten about was expressionlessly chewing on the fish Tenten kept feeding it.
One fish after another, until the latest one, a good foot long was reduced to a clean white skeleton.
"Wow, Fat Kitty, you sure can eat! No wonder your owner abandoned you," Tenten sighed.
The cat didn't even bother responding, just kept chewing and swallowing.
Until it opened its mouth again only to find no fish waiting.
"Fat Kitty, that's enough for now, right? You've had a whole fish already."
The cat stared at the fish bone in her hand, opened its mouth impossibly wide, and
"Awoo!"
Tenten froze as the fishbone vanished from her hand.
"Eh?!"
…
Back at the borde
Akio watched Madara's form crumble completely this time, without regenerating. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Don't know if we'll ever meet again. With less than half your power, you're no fun to fight. If there's a next time, I hope you're stronger."
"Damn you, old man," Madara's fading voice snarled. "Wait until I'm revived for real…"
Akio turned in the direction of Hiruzen and the others. "Alright then, now I'm really going after Orochimaru."
With that, he vanished.
Akio's confidence came from preparation, when he'd first appeared earlier, he'd not only snatched Orochimaru's kunai but also placed a sensory seal on his hand.
Originally, he planned to follow Orochimaru to locate Akatsuki. But since Orochimaru's defection wasn't because of them, the seal still served its purpose.
After a few flickers, Akio appeared in the heart of the Land of Rice Fields.
The small country was much like the old Land of Whirlpools, just a few tens of thousands of people, and not much land.
Night had fallen; the streets were quiet, almost empty. Akio's sudden appearance went unnoticed.
After a moment of focused sensing, he sank into the earth and tunneled forward for about a hundred meters, until he reached a familiar-looking gate.
"Another lab made from chakra-shielding material," he sighed. "Good thing my seals can't be blocked that easily."
He pushed the door open. "As I thought, Orochimaru's lab."
"Welcome, sensei," Orochimaru greeted him from the doorway, as if expecting him.
Akio frowned. "Where did you get Madara's cells?"
"You've already guessed, haven't you?"
Akio exhaled. "So it was from my battle with him. Then you must have gotten some of my blood too."
Orochimaru nodded. "Indeed."
"Return it to me," Akio said calmly. "Do that, and I'll ignore your defection."
"I'm afraid I can't, sensei," Orochimaru said with a slight smile. "Your blood is already used up."
Akio's mouth twitched. "You didn't do anything weird with it, did you?"
"How could I? Your blood is… exceptionally precious."
Akio frowned in confusion. Back then, his body hadn't even reached Sage-level vitality, his blood should've been far inferior to Hashirama's or Madara's.
"What's so special about my blood?"
Orochimaru's lips curved into a mysterious grin. "It contains the power of fate."
"Fate?" Akio blinked. "What's this, some kind of mysticism now?"
By the time he refocused, Orochimaru had already vanished, leaving behind only a discarded snakeskin, with Akio's sensory seal clinging to it.
"Learned molting from Ryūchi Cave's White Snake Sage, huh? You're becoming more and more like a serpent," Akio murmured. "So that's all you wanted to tell me… leaving your lab behind too?"
Before him, glowing words appeared:
'You have witnessed and drastically altered the Naruto world's sub-plot: Orochimaru's Defection.'
Reward: 10 × 8 Witness Points.
"'Power of fate,' huh…" Akio muttered, eyes narrowing.
---
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
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