The octopus-like leg slammed to the ground with a thunderous crash, vibrations rippling across the battlefield. Smoke and dust swirled as panicked civilians and Cloud ninja scattered like headless flies, their shouts mixing terror and adrenaline.
"Don't just stand there!" Raikage Ai barked, her voice cracking like a lightning strike. "Evacuate the crowd and find the Amber Purifying Bottle—now!"
"Yes, Raikage-sama!" the shinobi answered in unison, springing into action to shepherd villagers away from the raging Eight-Tails.
The massive beast raised its head, eyes glowing with feral fury. Within its gaping maw, red and blue chakra coalesced into a dense, purple-black sphere—the dreaded Tailed Beast Ball.
Ai's pupils tightened to pinpoints. Every hair on her body stood on end. No hesitation. She launched forward, fully activating her Lightning Release Chakra Mode. A streak of blue light cut across the chaos. In a heartbeat, her arm drove upward, ramming the Eight-Tails' jaw and forcing the unstable sphere back down its throat.
A muffled boom thundered through the monster's belly. The Tailed Beast Ball detonated internally, ballooning the creature's torso grotesquely before a geyser of smoke burst from its mouth. The Eight-Tails staggered and collapsed, shaking the earth in a cloud of dust.
Is it over? Ai narrowed her eyes at the massive shadow lying in the haze. No—movement!
The beast erupted from the dust, one colossal fist swinging. Ai crossed her arms just in time to block, yet the blow still hurled her through the air. She crashed through a half-collapsed building, rubble raining around her.
Before the Eight-Tails could revel in its counterattack, a flash of blue lightning burst from the ruins. Ai emerged unharmed, her body's resilience nothing short of legendary.
Gathering an intense charge of Lightning Release chakra into her index finger, she lunged.
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Spear!"
This was her signature technique—the move that had once sent the infamous Gold and Silver Brothers to their graves. Her body blurred like a living thunderbolt, slicing through the beast's remaining tentacles one after another while she dodged its furious swipes.
The Eight-Tails roared, enraged, and swung again, only for Ai to vault onto its arm, sprint along the limb, and leap high. Her glowing finger speared into its chest, another devastating strike.
The monster reeled, howling its fury. Chakra churned once more in its throat, this time a molten gold sphere flickering with black undertones.
"Not a chance!" Ai shouted. She rocketed forward, slamming her shoulder into the beast's jaw to break its aim and save the village from annihilation.
The duel raged on, a tempest of muscle, chakra, and raw will. Only when the search team finally unearthed the Amber Purifying Bottle from the rubble were they able to seal the Eight-Tails once again, ending the battle.
---
High above on a lonely mountain peak, a dark, amorphous silhouette watched with quiet amusement. Black Zetsu melted into the stone, his sinister chuckle lost to the wind. The Cloud shinobi, still reeling from their near-disaster, never sensed the ancient observer.
Hidden Cloud's experiment to forge a stable Jinchūriki had failed yet again. Elsewhere, Iwagakure and the Hidden Mist pursued similar ambitions. Their covert assassinations had already claimed many lives—including Orochimaru's own agents.
Are they afraid? Black Zetsu mused. Afraid Konoha will grow beyond their control? That fear drives them to chase the Tailed Beasts. And the Uzumaki clan… yes, the Uzumaki will complicate my next move. Konoha guards its secrets well; even now, almost no one knows that the Nine-Tails resides within Uzumaki Mito.
The Uzumaki are born Jinchūriki—blessed with extraordinary vitality and unrivaled sealing techniques. Perfect vessels. What will the great villages do to the Whirlpool Hidden Village once they discover that truth?
A low, malignant laugh echoed as Black Zetsu's form merged with the rocks, vanishing.
---
The Eight-Tails' rampage left heavy casualties despite the distribution of Healing Pills, which prevented an even greater death toll.
Far away, in the Land of Waves, White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company thrived. Inside its sleek headquarters, Orochimaru lounged on a sofa, scanning fresh intelligence reports. The chaos in Hidden Cloud was impossible to conceal.
"Orochimaru-sama," reported Setsuryu, excitement flickering in his eyes, "Iwagakure is also attempting to seal Tailed Beasts into Jinchūriki, but they lack proper sealing techniques. Their efforts repeatedly fail."
"Sealing techniques…" Orochimaru murmured, lowering the scroll. As expected. The great nations had attacked the Uzumaki precisely for those techniques.
What puzzled him was Konoha's ironclad secrecy. The fact that Grandma Mito was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki remained hidden even after all these years. Only Konoha's highest council knew—and they would never speak.
Black Zetsu, he thought darkly. Only that ancient shadow could slip past every barrier to learn the truth and whisper it into the world's ear. Perhaps it was Zetsu who spread the rumor that doomed the Whirlpool Village.
He brooded a long while before pulling a sealed envelope from his desk and placing it on the low table. "Qing He, this letter is from Chiriu, written before traveling to the Land of Waves. See it delivered."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Qing He replied, accepting it with a respectful bow.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure entered then—Kakuzu, clad in a sharp suit and polished leather shoes. He laid a compiled financial report on the table. "Given the recent actions of the great villages, I believe another Shinobi World War may break out soon. Hidden Cloud, Hidden Mist, and Iwagakure are all accelerating Jinchūriki research."
"Indeed," Orochimaru said, eyes narrowing. "Their zeal borders on obsession."
He considered whether his own research results might have spurred their aggression against the Whirlpool Country. Were they scrambling to match Konoha's power?
Kakuzu's tone shifted, uncharacteristically cautious. "Conflict is rarely good for business. Our Healing Pills sell well, but the key ingredient—the Chimera Bugs' medicinal secretion—is finite. Overharvesting could destroy our golden goose."
Orochimaru offered a thin smile. "War isn't ours to halt. All we can do is remain neutral and ensure their battles do not hinder us."
He unrolled a new scroll, a daring plan taking shape. Ever since acquiring the Transformation Formula, a modern idea had been brewing—one this world had yet to realize.
Automobiles.
With carefully crafted parts and a chakra-powered motor, he envisioned small cargo trucks capable of carrying heavy loads across treacherous terrain. Chakra batteries, a happy by-product of his explosive experiments, could store the energy needed for long hauls.
"These will revolutionize transport," he declared. "Safer convoys, faster trade."
"Kamyon… trucks," Qing He echoed, eyes bright as he studied the schematics. Setsuryu and even the money-minded Kakuzu leaned closer, intrigued.
Kakuzu, ever practical, raised a brow. "But the Land of Waves can only be reached by sea. How will trucks help?"
"Ships will still carry goods to neighboring nations," Orochimaru explained. "From there, trucks will distribute supplies inland. Each country will house new transport hubs to increase efficiency and protect our people."
He outlined defenses as well: exploding-tag traps against ambushes, puncture-proof tires inspired by the chakra-repelling properties of Chimera Bug resin, even prototypes that could glide across water by channeling chakra through specially treated rubber.
The possibilities ignited the room.
---
Meanwhile, at a bustling port in the Land of Waves, merchant ships bobbed against freshly built docks. A tall young man disembarked from one vessel, his face hidden behind a mask that vented his breath in steady streams. Sunlight glinted on his long blond hair as he surveyed the thriving facilities. This was not the poverty-stricken country he remembered.
White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology had transformed it.
This was Hanzō of the Salamander, future leader of the Land of Rain. The toxic gland of a black salamander nested in his body, releasing faint poison with every exhale—hence the ever-present mask.
As he walked, he asked passersby for directions to the company's headquarters. The island nation's newfound prosperity was plain in the confident strides and easy smiles of its people. If only such a company had taken root in the Land of Rain, he thought.
Hemmed in by the great nations of Fire, Wind, and Earth, and drenched in ceaseless storms, his homeland suffered endless skirmishes. As its de facto ruler after the Daimyō's disappearance, Hanzō felt the tension mounting. To survive, the Rain would need transformation. That quest had brought him here.
Inside White Snake Pharmaceutical's gleaming lobby, a poised receptionist greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome. How may I assist you?"
"I am Hanzō of the Land of Rain," he said, stepping forward and lifting his mask just enough to reveal his identity. "I seek an audience with your president."
Murmurs swept through the hall. The name alone carried weight. The Salamander of the Rain—here?
The receptionist's eyes widened before she swiftly contacted the executive office. "President Orochimaru, the leader of the Land of Rain has arrived."
"Hanzō?" Orochimaru echoed when informed, genuinely intrigued. At this age the legendary figure was still a young man.
"Shall we receive him?" Qing He asked quietly.
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Yes. Let's see what the Salamander seeks."
---
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