"Orochimaru, where are you going?"
One of the ANBU ninja assigned to the Konoha delegation called out as he spotted the pale-skinned young man slipping away from their designated quarters in the early morning light.
"I saw something interesting yesterday," Orochimaru replied without breaking stride, his voice carrying that characteristic mix of curiosity and detachment. "I want to take a closer look. For research purposes."
Without offering further explanation, he simply left, his footsteps silent on the stone pathway.
"Arrogant bastard," the ANBU muttered under his breath, though there was more resignation than real anger in his tone. Everyone on the team had learned by now that trying to control Orochimaru was an exercise in futility. The young genius did what he wanted, when he wanted, and somehow always managed to justify it as mission-critical intelligence gathering.
Orochimaru's stated reason was both true and false, in that peculiar way he'd mastered—never quite lying, but never quite telling the full truth either.
He was definitely interested in examining some of the strange mechanical devices he'd spotted in various shops during yesterday's preliminary reconnaissance. The technology was fascinating, completely unlike anything he'd encountered before, and his analytical mind itched to understand how it worked.
But as he walked through Uzushiogakure's increasingly busy morning streets, his eyes naturally kept drifting toward the massive tower under construction near the village center. The structure was only half-finished, but already it dominated the skyline—a testament to ambition and resources that shouldn't exist in a clan-based settlement.
What are they building? he wondered, not for the first time.
The Konoha delegation's main official mission was straightforward: negotiate for Uzumaki clan members to serve as the Nine-Tails' next jinchūriki, using whatever combination of money, techniques, and political favors necessary to secure cooperation.
But both he and Tsunade had also received additional, classified assignments that could only be accomplished by them specifically due to their unique positions and abilities.
Tsunade's secondary mission was to assess Elric's personality directly—to spend time with him, observe his behavior patterns, determine his motivations and potential vulnerabilities. As family through the Uzumaki-Senju connection, she had access others didn't.
Orochimaru's assignment was broader and potentially more important: judge the current state of the Uzumaki Clan as a whole. Evaluate their military strength, yes, but more importantly, assess their economic capabilities, their technological development, their long-term strategic positioning.
What he'd discovered so far was... concerning. In a fascinating way.
Not long ago—perhaps just a few years—the Uzumaki Clan's main function had been serving as the ruling family for this island, and more precisely, as its protectors against external threats. Most of the island's population had consisted of civilians engaged in farming, fishing, and other basic subsistence activities.
The Uzumaki had been powerful, certainly, respected for their sealing techniques and legendary vitality. But economically? They'd been relatively self-contained, producing little for export beyond their fuinjutsu services.
But something had changed dramatically.
They'd apparently signed a free trade agreement with multiple surrounding nations, opening their markets to foreign goods. Which made no economic sense whatsoever if you thought about it logically.
They can't possibly compete in traditional goods, Orochimaru reasoned as he walked. Their agricultural output is too small-scale. Their fishing industry, while adequate for local needs, can't match coastal villages with entire fleets. Their handicrafts, however skilled, lack the volume production of larger settlements.
Standard economics suggested they should import everything and export only their unique specialty: fuinjutsu expertise.
But that clearly wasn't what was happening.
"So it's most likely some kind of new products using seals as their foundation," Orochimaru murmured to himself. "Seal-based technology that can be mass-produced and sold."
It had just been their speculation before arriving, a hypothesis based on limited intelligence reports. But now, walking through streets lined with shops selling devices that glowed with chakra-powered light, that produced moving images, that somehow captured reality itself...
There was no doubt about it anymore.
The Uzumaki weren't just adapting to the modern economy. They were preparing to revolutionize it.
Lost in these thoughts, Orochimaru suddenly noticed something that made him pause mid-step.
A new store had opened on this street—the building was clearly fresh, the paint still gleaming, the sign freshly carved. And despite the early morning hour, a somewhat long line had already formed outside, stretching down the block.
Civilians, mostly, but he spotted a few shinobi mixed in as well, all waiting patiently for the shop to open.
Orochimaru's curiosity was immediately piqued. What could possibly draw this kind of crowd?
Making a split-second decision, he joined the end of the line. Standing in queues wasn't typically his style, but intelligence gathering sometimes required patience.
After almost an hour of waiting—an hour he spent carefully observing the excited conversations around him, noting the anticipation in people's voices—he finally entered the store.
The interior was modest in size, nothing particularly impressive about the layout or decoration. But what caught his attention immediately was the glowing screens mounted on the walls all around the space, each one displaying moving images with sound.
And the skin of everyone inside seemed to glow slightly in the reflected light, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere.
Loud sounds emanated from the screens—voices, music, effects that seemed impossibly clear and realistic. People were gathered in small groups, pointing at the displays and discussing what they were seeing with enthusiasm.
"What is this?" Orochimaru asked a clerk standing nearby, a young woman with red Uzumaki hair who looked slightly overwhelmed by the crowd.
Looking at his foreign attire and obviously non-Uzumaki black hair, the clerk hesitated for just a moment before apparently deciding that being helpful to potential customers was more important than being suspicious of strangers.
She smiled with professional patience and began to explain. "It's called a TV—short for 'television.' It allows you to watch movies in your own home."
"Movies?" Orochimaru's head tilted slightly. "What are movies?"
"Moving pictures that tell stories," the clerk explained, gesturing to one of the screens. "Like theater performances, but captured and preserved so they can be watched repeatedly."
"So it's all drawn pictures?" Orochimaru asked, his analytical mind trying to categorize this new information.
"No, not drawn," the clerk corrected. "These are recordings of real people performing real actions. The camera captures reality and—"
"Camera?" Orochimaru interrupted, latching onto the unfamiliar term.
The clerk's patience was beginning to wear thin—she had many customers to attend to, and this strange man kept asking question after question like a curious child.
"Here," she said, reaching under the counter and pulling out a small device. "This is a camera. You point it at something, press this button, and it creates a perfect image in minutes. One-to-one reproduction of reality, no drawing required."
She thrust the camera into his hands with perhaps more force than strictly necessary. "Now please, I have other customers waiting. If you want to purchase anything, the price list is on the wall."
Orochimaru stood there holding the camera, examining it from all angles with fascination. It was surprisingly light, constructed from materials he didn't recognize, with what appeared to be a glass lens on one end and various mysterious components inside.
"Truly fascinating," he murmured, his golden eyes gleaming with scientific interest.
Elric, he thought. It seems you're an even more interesting person than I initially assessed.
His mind was already racing ahead, calculating implications and consequences with the cold precision that made him such an effective intelligence gatherer.
He could already predict exactly what would happen when this type of equipment was sold to the outside world. The economic impact would be staggering.
If other countries couldn't reproduce these devices in time—and given the apparent complexity and the integration of sealing techniques, reproduction would be extremely difficult—or even if they could reproduce them but the copies weren't as good as the Uzumaki originals...
The Uzumaki Village's products would completely swallow the market.
And according to the price list on the wall, this camera device cost only 50,000 ryō. That was expensive for a civilian, certainly, but for any established merchant or minor noble? That was the payment for a single B-rank mission. Affordable. Accessible.
"It will be civilized robbery," Orochimaru said aloud, the phrase forming in his mind with dark amusement. A new term for a new economic reality.
Within a few years, possibly months, Uzushiogakure would control a massive influx of wealth from across the continent. Money flowing in from every nation, every village, every merchant who wanted to stay competitive.
He would report this to Sarutobi-sensei, of course. That was his duty as a Konoha shinobi.
But he already knew the result with 100% certainty: his teacher wouldn't care about the economic implications. Hiruzen had only assigned him this investigation because he thought the Uzumaki might be developing some kind of military weapon, something that could threaten Konoha's security.
Commercial products? Entertainment devices? Those weren't threats in the Hokage's worldview.
Short-sighted, Orochimaru thought, though without particular malice. Military power isn't the only form of control.
Even without a formal trade agreement, these products would simply swallow the Fire Country's money before the leadership even realized what was happening. Wealth would flow out of Konoha's sphere of influence and into Uzushiogakure's coffers, and by the time anyone noticed, it would be too late to stop without appearing hostile or foolish.
But that wasn't his problem. He'd already fulfilled his duty by gathering the intelligence.
I just want to enjoy some wonderful technology during the free time I have here, Orochimaru thought with a small smile, pocketing the camera after leaving payment on the counter.
Research could wait. Discovery was too enjoyable to rush.
That Night - Konoha Delegation Quarters
All the Konoha delegation members gathered around a circular table in their secured meeting room. Silencing seals had been activated around the perimeter, ensuring their conversation couldn't be overheard by Uzumaki sensors.
The delegation leader, a grizzled jōnin with decades of diplomatic experience, spread an official scroll on the table with deliberate ceremony.
"We've received Hokage-sama's response to our initial report," he announced, his tone formal and serious. "What are your opinions on his proposed negotiation parameters?"
Orochimaru leaned forward to read the scroll's content, his eyes scanning quickly over the carefully written terms.
Negotiation budget: up to 100 million ryō. Additional offer: up to three S-rank ninjutsu can be negotiated for transfer. Political considerations...
He didn't finish reading before interrupting. "I don't think this will work."
The leader's voice took on a note of annoyance, his professional composure cracking slightly. "What do you mean, Orochimaru? Do you think we need to offer more? This is already an enormous package—more than we've ever offered to any other clan or village for similar requests."
"No, you misunderstand," Orochimaru said, his tone clinically detached. "I'm not saying the offer isn't generous enough. I'm questioning whether the offer is being directed at the right target."
He looked directly at the leader. "What exactly did you report to Sarutobi-sensei about the Clan Head's response?"
The leader looked confused now, his irritation fading into uncertainty. "I conveyed the message exactly as the Uzumaki Clan Head stated it. Word for word. What's the issue?"
Orochimaru's lips curved slightly—not quite a smile, but close. "I think Sarutobi-sensei has fundamentally misunderstood the situation. The Clan Head's words likely contained no hidden diplomatic meaning, no subtle negotiating position."
He tapped the scroll. "When he said the Uzumaki would be willing to provide a candidate for jinchūriki 'only if someone voluntarily agreed to go,' I believe that was meant literally. Not as an opening negotiating position, but as a simple statement of their actual condition."
Orochimaru leaned back, steepling his fingers. "Therefore, this entire offer—the money, the techniques, the political concessions—should be aimed at the future candidate who would become the jinchūriki, not at the Uzumaki Clan as compensation for providing them."
The room fell silent as everyone processed this interpretation.
Tsunade, who had been listening quietly from her corner, suddenly spoke up. "Orochimaru is right." Her voice carried absolute certainty. "I've spent time with Elric over the past few days. His personality is... direct. Blunt, even. If he wanted something from Konoha, he would just tell us exactly what he wanted. No games, no subtle negotiation tactics."
She crossed her arms. "This condition—that someone must volunteer willingly—that's not a bargaining position. That's a genuine ethical requirement. The Uzumaki won't force anyone to become a jinchūriki against their will."
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