Escaping the Hidden Cloud Village and returning to Konoha to live a normal life was the dream of the spy. Now, that dream was finally within reach.
But first, he had to survive long enough to leave the Hidden Cloud and return to the Leaf. And that could only happen after Orochimaru's mission was completed. If he left too soon, it would raise suspicion.
"Dismissed," Orochimaru said.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," the spy replied, retreating into the shadows.
Opening the intel scroll, Orochimaru began his preparations. He was about to give the Hidden Cloud a gift—though it was one they definitely wouldn't appreciate.
With the spy's help, Orochimaru had successfully infiltrated the village and was now laying low.
What he didn't realize was that a certain youth, disguised as a tourist, had already passed by his hideout with a knowing smile.
Takuya, disguised as a traveler, spent his time leisurely visiting the famous sights of the Hidden Cloud. He had to admit, in terms of scenic beauty, the Cloud Village outclassed Konoha. Its unique natural wonders attracted visitors from all over the world.
Blending in with the crowds, Takuya played the role of a wide-eyed tourist, mesmerized by the stunning views.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, who had switched disguises multiple times, had no idea that Takuya had already found him. Not only that, but Takuya knew exactly what Orochimaru was planning.
Orochimaru's scheme was simple: make the owner of a small, out-of-the-way restaurant disappear, take his place, and then target the Eight-Tails jinchūriki. According to the intel from the spy, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki often dined at this little restaurant, which was located in a secluded part of the village where not many people ventured.
This jinchūriki wasn't as popular as Killer B would one day become. In fact, his life in the Hidden Cloud was rather harsh, as many villagers treated him like a monster.
That's often the curse of being a jinchūriki—until you gain the acceptance of most of your village, you're seen as nothing more than a dangerous creature.
This alienation gave Orochimaru the perfect opportunity to strike.
Takuya, however, had his sights set on the Two-Tails. Unfortunately, after several days of searching, he couldn't detect any trace of the Two-Tails' chakra anywhere in the village.
His guess? The Two-Tails jinchūriki had been hidden away, possibly on Turtle Island.
Given the timeline, the current Two-Tails jinchūriki couldn't be Yugito Nii yet—Yugito was from Kakashi's generation.
"So, there's still another issue with the Two-Tails' jinchūriki?" Takuya mused. Compared to Konoha, other villages certainly had a rougher time managing their jinchūriki. No wonder they'd been so eager to target the Uzumaki Clan—they'd clearly been spooked by the trouble caused by the tailed beasts.
Five days quickly passed.
During that time, Takuya made no effort to contact Orochimaru, even though he knew where Orochimaru was hiding and what disguise he had taken on. Similarly, Orochimaru made no move to seek out Takuya, confident that the younger shinobi had successfully infiltrated the village and was keeping a low profile.
"Almost time," Orochimaru muttered, gazing at the last remaining drops of his concoction with a cold grin.
No one in the Hidden Cloud Village could have expected that their plan to abduct the Nine-Tails jinchūriki would backfire and lead to retaliation from Konoha.
From the Cloud's perspective, Konoha was far too busy fighting the Sand Village to even notice their schemes. Even if they did manage to kidnap Kushina, the Cloud believed that Konoha wouldn't be able to retaliate. The Leaf, weakened and war-torn, would have no choice but to negotiate and trade for the Nine-Tails and Kushina's return.
That's why the Hidden Cloud had dared to hatch such a plan in the first place.
What they didn't know was that their plot had been discovered before it even began—and thanks to Danzo's interference, a counterattack was already in motion.
Orochimaru wasn't stupid enough to try controlling a jinchūriki directly.
The Eight-Tails jinchūriki, though not a perfect host, was still strong. If he tapped into the Eight-Tails' chakra, combined with his own abilities, even Orochimaru would have trouble.
That's why Orochimaru had a different plan: drugs.
A special concoction designed to agitate a tailed beast, pushing it into a berserk rage and causing it to break through its seal.
Of course, this only worked on jinchūriki whose seals were unstable. If you tried this on someone like Kushina, she could probably drink the stuff like water and feel no effects. The Adamantine Sealing Chains would keep the Nine-Tails on a tight leash, completely under control.
The only way to weaken Kushina's control would be to severely exhaust her and have outside help to force the Nine-Tails to break free.
The Eight-Tails jinchūriki, though, was far from being a perfect host. Unpopular among the villagers and constantly mistreated, the jinchūriki had plenty of psychological stress—exactly the kind of instability Orochimaru needed to make his plan work.
"Master, I'm sensing an unstable tailed beast chakra," Snowy's voice rang in Takuya's mind.
"So Orochimaru has already succeeded?" Takuya mused. It had only been a few days, and yet Orochimaru had managed to pull off his plan so quickly.
Of all the tailed beasts, the Eight-Tails was second only to the Nine-Tails in strength. With the jinchūriki lacking the Eight-Tails' full cooperation, and the seal weakened by the drug, there was no telling what kind of destruction was about to unfold.
"Aaahhhh!"
A sharp scream echoed from a remote part of the village, followed by a surge of crimson chakra. The Eight-Tails' chakra shot into the sky, wrapping around the jinchūriki's body like a cloak.
Covered in the Eight-Tails' malevolent chakra, the jinchūriki's mind was rapidly slipping away, bit by bit.
"What the hell is going on?!"
The Hidden Cloud ANBU who had been tasked with watching the jinchūriki were shocked. Staring at the figure now cloaked in the tailed beast's energy, eyes glowing red and full of madness, they immediately realized they had a serious problem on their hands.
"Morina, calm down! Don't let the tailed beast take over!" one of the ANBU shouted, while the other sent an emergency flare into the sky.
The flare exploded high above the Hidden Cloud Village, drawing the attention of many.
With the Eight-Tails' chakra spreading like wildfire, the village's strongest shinobi began converging on the scene.
"It seems your plan worked out quite well," a voice remarked behind Orochimaru.
In the dimly lit restaurant, Orochimaru's body stiffened. Every hair on his body stood on end as the voice spoke, sending a chill down his spine. His pupils narrowed into slits.
When he finally turned and saw that it was only Takuya, Orochimaru's tense posture relaxed.
"Did I scare you?" Takuya asked, raising an eyebrow.
Seeing Orochimaru's snake-like eyes widen in fear was not something Takuya had expected.
His ability to hide himself had clearly improved. With Snowy concealing his chakra, sneaking up on someone as skilled as Orochimaru had been no problem at all.
"I didn't expect to see your eyes go full snake mode," Takuya teased.
Orochimaru's gaze narrowed as he studied Takuya. How had the young shinobi managed to find him and sneak in without being detected?
After a moment of thought, Orochimaru chuckled, a long tongue flicking out to lick his lips.
"It seems you've grown stronger, Takuya. Your ability to conceal your presence... I'm quite interested in that. Do you think you could teach it to me?"
"It's pretty simple," Takuya replied with a smirk, placing Snowy on his shoulder. "Just find yourself a summon like Snowy here and have it hide your chakra. It's foolproof."
Orochimaru's smile faltered, the corners of his lips twitching.
"..."
Suddenly, the ground shook, and the air vibrated as the Eight-Tails' chakra erupted further. The entire village trembled under the weight of the tailed beast's power.
Takuya glanced upward. "Looks like the Eight-Tails has broken free of its seal. Man, the Cloud Village really has some sloppy sealing techniques. So, what did you use to make it go berserk this quickly?"
Without saying a word, Orochimaru continued packing up his equipment. On the table, he left behind a small bottle with the last remnants of the purple liquid he'd used.
"This is a special serum, designed to push a tailed beast into a frenzy. It's a one-time-use solution, though. Now that I've done it, the other villages will surely develop countermeasures."
"Even once is impressive," Takuya said, picking up the bottle and giving it a curious sniff. It had no scent at all—just looked like purple water.*
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