That night, the Konoha group stayed in a village under Akatsuki's control.
Kiyohara sat cross-legged in the room he'd been assigned, sorting through the day's haul.
There wasn't much cash on the Rain shinobi, but several encrypted intel scrolls had already been handed to Orochimaru.
The ninja tools he'd collected were decent—enough to replenish what he'd used up.
More importantly, he'd grown more accustomed to the "White Snake Power" in actual combat.
It doesn't feel as exaggerated as it looked in canon… Is it because Orochimaru's still in the refinement stage? Kiyohara thought, rubbing his chin.
Orochimaru's chakra reserves were around a "7" in terms of raw stamina—high, but not top-tier.
What made him look like he had endless chakra was his efficiency: he lowered costs through mastery, and recovered chakra unusually fast.
And Orochimaru's biggest strength was simple—he wouldn't die.
With outrageous healing, skin-shedding recovery, and even the ability to resurrect remotely through seals placed long ago, his immortality was practically maxed out.
Kiyohara suspected that aside from Orochimaru himself, no one truly knew how many backup revival "failsafes" he'd planted.
Every time people thought they'd killed him, he hadn't actually died.
To earn the Sannin name, each of them needed a "signature."
Kiyohara mulled it over: White Snake Power excelled at regeneration and chakra recovery—a passive effect.
If he got ambushed before he could activate Steel Release, it could prevent an instant wipeout.
And it indirectly boosted Steel Release's uptime as well.
While he was thinking, footsteps approached outside, followed by a knock.
"Kiyohara-kun. It's me."
Orochimaru's voice.
Kiyohara got up and opened the door. Orochimaru stood alone in the dim hallway, his golden slit pupils faintly gleaming.
"Orochimaru-sama."
"Come for a walk. There are a few things I want to ask you."
They wandered the village at random. People along the road stared at Orochimaru and Kiyohara with obvious fear.
"Do you know why I offered to help Akatsuki today?" Orochimaru asked abruptly.
Kiyohara thought for a moment, then answered.
"Rain is currently ruled by Hanzō the Salamander. He suppresses all dissent internally, and remains isolated externally. If Akatsuki can establish itself in the Land of Rain, it will inevitably draw public attention away and force Hanzō to spend resources dealing with internal friction."
He continued.
"And the Land of Rain sits at the junction of Earth, Fire, and Wind Countries—strategically critical. A Rain Village burdened with internal problems benefits Konoha."
Kiyohara added his conclusion.
"Helping Akatsuki is like planting a nail in the Land of Rain. No matter how the future shifts, that nail may eventually become useful."
Orochimaru laughed softly, the sound echoing between stone walls.
"Sharp. Very sharp. Kiyohara-kun—not only is your ninjutsu talent exceptional, your grasp of the political board is far beyond your peers."
He stopped and turned to face Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara-kun… your obsession with kekkei genkai—are you truly only doing it to become stronger?"
It was a dangerous question.
Kiyohara fell silent for a beat, then chose a safe answer.
"Kekkei genkai are a shortcut. For the same effect, they often cost less chakra and hit harder. In this era, power is survival."
"And…"
He added carefully.
"Exploring the mysteries of kekkei genkai is inherently fascinating. Chakra nature fusion, the body's adaptation to that fusion, expression of hereditary factors… These are puzzles that still aren't fully solved."
Orochimaru's smile turned more genuine.
He'd gotten the confirmation he wanted, again.
"Good. Then over the next few days, you may run into even more interesting things. Rest for now. Tomorrow, Minato will take Kakashi and Rin ahead for another assignment. Our squad will remain until the supplies are fully distributed."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
He knew quite a bit about kekkei genkai holders.
He'd rarely had the hands free to dig deeply into them before—but now, perhaps it was time to make room.
The Kaguya-clan bone fragments and cellular residue Kiyohara had previously turned in had already yielded him some results.
"Yes."
Kiyohara returned to his room, but didn't sleep immediately.
He sat cross-legged and checked his condition.
White Snake Power was steadily—slowly, persistently—restoring chakra, and subtly remodeling his body as it did so.
He could feel his chakra control growing finer.
Outside, the rain started again.
…
At the same time, in a hidden base somewhere in the Land of Rain—
A man in a brown hood, pale-gray hair visible beneath it, a pale-gray beard, and a light yellow coat looked like a barefoot doctor at first glance.
He read an intelligence report his subordinates had gathered from surveillance points.
"Konoha shinobi entering the Land of Rain… Orochimaru leading."
Shinnō muttered, tapping a finger lightly on the desk.
"The objective is escorting a merchant's supplies in?"
He set the scroll down and walked toward the far side of his laboratory.
There, all kinds of human specimens and experimental apparatuses were arranged.
"Orochimaru… heh."
Shinnō sneered.
After his homeland, the Land of Sky, was destroyed by Konoha during the Second Shinobi War, it had gone underground.
Orochimaru had played no small role in that war as well.
As one of the surviving remnants and leaders of Sky, Shinnō had spent years plotting to revive his country—and stockpiling power for revenge.
"Magnet Release kekkei genkai… Kiyohara."
Shinnō picked up another report, this one from the Land of Fire.
"Besides the missing Third Kazekage, the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, and Kumogakure's Toroi, Magnet Release is something only a tiny handful can wield. And this Konoha chūnin can use it? Interesting."
His original plan had been to track an Iwagakure Steel Release user—someone who'd killed several Sky researchers and stolen crucial data.
Shinnō needed to retrieve that data and secure the Steel Release user's body for study.
But now, he had a second target.
"Orochimaru's student, with Magnet Release… If I can acquire both kekkei genkai, uncover the secret of kekkei genkai, and combine that with my 'Body Activation Technique' and the Eight Gates, plus the Zero-Tails' dark chakra…"
Feverish zeal flared in his eyes.
"Maybe I can create the true ultimate body."
He opened a sealed metal case in the corner of the lab.
Inside were twelve syringes filled with dark green liquid.
"Product of the forbidden medical technique 'Body Activation,' seventh improved iteration."
He lifted one syringe and held it to the light.
"Short-term, it can push physical ability to the absolute limit. If paired with keeping the Eight Gates open indefinitely… even Orochimaru could be fought."
He put the syringe away carefully and began preparing equipment.
Custom chakra-metal gauntlets. A gear pouch filled with various drugs.
Finally, he clipped a palm-sized device to his waist—Sky Country tech capable of disrupting chakra detection in a limited radius.
"Move out," Shinnō told his subordinates.
He still had some of his old personnel—Sky-nin.
And beyond that, he was continuing to study remnants of Sky's old technology.
But what he focused on most now was the Zero-Tails—because its chakra could also power the "Ancor Vantian."
Its destructive output rivaled a Tailed Beast Bomb.
…
The next morning, Minato left early with Kakashi and Rin.
Their job had only been to escort the caravan to the Rain border; the remaining handoff would be handled by Orochimaru's squad.
"Orochimaru-senpai, Kiyohara, Kurenai, Genma—leave the rest to you."
Minato smiled.
"Be careful out there."
"We will," Kiyohara replied.
Kakashi's gaze lingered on Kiyohara for a moment, as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he only nodded.
"You too, Kiyohara-kun," Rin said with a smile.
Kiyohara looked at Rin, silently calculating how long it might be until she was targeted and taken.
After seeing Minato's team off, Orochimaru led Kiyohara and the other two back into the village, where Akatsuki's three leaders arrived.
Today, not only Yahiko and Konan—Nagato was there too.
Nagato kept his face hidden behind red hair, concealing the Rinnegan, and stood behind Yahiko like a quiet attendant.
"The distribution will take two more days," Yahiko said.
"Our people are spreading the supplies to hidden medical points. Also… regarding the Steel Release user you asked about—we received some information."
Interest flickered in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Oh?"
Before resting last night, Orochimaru had asked Akatsuki to gather intelligence. He hadn't expected them to be this capable.
Konan laid a map on the stone table and pointed to a region in Rain's northeast.
"Three days ago, a caravan was attacked here. The attacker's ability was unusual—he turned his skin metallic and tore open the wagon's iron plating with his bare hands."
"Description?" Kiyohara asked.
"Male. Around thirty. Scar on the right side of his face," Konan replied.
"He called himself 'Karōrō.' He didn't take money—he took several rare metal ores being transported."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"Rare metals… Perhaps Steel Release becomes stronger when supported with metal elements. Or perhaps he hasn't fully mastered the kekkei genkai yet and needs external metal to stabilize it."
Kiyohara studied the map. It was about a day away.
If they left now, they could reach the area before evening.
"Orochimaru-sama, should we—"
"Of course."
Orochimaru cut him off, his smile faintly feverish.
"Steel Release—hardening the body. I'm interested in its principles. And…"
He looked at Kiyohara.
"Didn't you say you wanted to see more kekkei genkai? This is a good opportunity."
Yahiko hesitated.
"That Karōrō is strong. He's attacked four caravans, and even Rain's pursuit squads haven't caught him. If you go… please be careful."
"Not a problem."
Orochimaru waved it off.
As they left the village, Kiyohara noticed Konan's gaze pause on him for a moment.
When he looked back, she was already turning away—only a blue silhouette left behind.
"Kiyohara, move."
Genma reminded him.
The four of them left the village and headed northeast, toward the area Akatsuki had marked.
~~~
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