Chapter 107: The Harbinger of Misfortune

“Other Uzumaki bloodlines in the ninja world?”

Hearing this from the Lamp God, Orochimaru’s interest was instantly piqued.

His previous bout of self-pity wasn’t entirely a ploy to coerce the Lamp God into helping him more.

He truly wished to complete the Sage transformation, to explore the path where physical strength nourishes the soul.

And for this, the Uzumaki clan’s bloodline was indispensable—the deeper its development, the better.

Yet, as early as the Second Great Ninja War, Uzushio Village was wiped out in a single battle.

The Uzumaki clan, a great ninja clan rivaling the Senju and Uchiha in strength, vanished from history much like the ninja clans of the Warring States era.

So swift was their extinction it was almost overnight; even Konoha barely had time to react. The culprits were merely a group of unknown ninjas.

At the time, many were stunned; smaller ninja villages were gripped by fear.

Conspiracy theories flared up across the ninja world. Some suspected that Konoha, wary of the Senju’s distant relatives, had feigned aid while secretly facilitating the annihilation of Uzushio Village.

The greatest mastermind behind the scenes—the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—seemed terrifyingly capable.

But to Orochimaru, these were baseless rumors.

It must be remembered that when the Uzumaki clan was destroyed, the fearsome woman Uzumaki Mito was still alive.

As the ‘Ninja God’, she was not only beautiful but possessed immense power and mastery of sealing techniques.

Moreover, she was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails at the time; no one in the village dared touch the Uzumaki clan, openly or covertly.

As for who actually struck the fatal blow, Orochimaru himself couldn’t say.

He only knew that after the clan’s destruction, villages like Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure… even small ones like Takigakure, developed sealing jutsu capable of controlling tailed beasts and successively produced their own Jinchuriki.

Before this, only Konoha and the tradition-bearing Sunagakure had such techniques; tailed beasts were just massive suicide bombs.

The Uzumaki clan’s annihilation was a case of ‘an innocent man punished for possessing treasure.’

Afterward, accusations against Konoha grew louder. Few surviving Uzumaki accepted Konoha’s protection, scattering into exile across foreign lands.

As for whether some villages sabotaged the situation and manipulated public opinion—Orochimaru found that hard to disbelieve.

But regardless, losing their population base meant the clan’s strong warriors lost their breeding ground.

Yet, according to the Lamp God, there were still powerful Uzumaki in the ninja world who could be of use to him.

“Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan—I recall mentioning him before,” the Lamp God smiled, “but you’re no match for him yet. Others…”

“Old Shibi of Iwagakure, a redhead, also a Jinchuriki, suspected to have Uzumaki blood.”

“The wife of the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure also bore the Uzumaki bloodline. Though deceased, she seems to have a younger brother.”

“In the Land of Grass, there’s a mother and daughter pair, suspected of activating Sage Mode. Their vitality is tremendous, with extraordinary healing abilities.”

“…”

“In short, there are many; feel free to experiment.”

The Lamp God rattled off a long list, his eyes gleaming with clear amusement.

Orochimaru paid no heed to the teasing, for these leads were truly valuable.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to focus on Old Shibi of Iwagakure and the mother-daughter duo from the Land of Grass.

The former was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki—powerful, while the latter was the easier target.

A mere Grass ninja village was beneath his concern, and a direct assault might not even be necessary.

Having made up his mind, Orochimaru resumed his experiments, this time replacing the First Hokage’s cells with those of Yamato.

The result was disappointing. The cells neither corroded each other nor fused chakra, but grew side by side like normal cells before triggering rejection.

Bang!

Suddenly, a puff of white smoke rose in the corner of the lab, and soon a gray-backed viper slithered before Orochimaru, respectfully spitting out a letter.

Orochimaru opened it. It contained only a brief line. He glanced at it and smiled.

“Swift arrival? Jiraiya moves quickly.”

…

Inside the Hokage’s office, the atmosphere was slightly tense.

When Orochimaru stepped in, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, silently puffed his pipe, while Jiraiya paced anxiously.

Something felt amiss—their reactions seemed overly intense.

Orochimaru frowned but did not pause, walking straight to the Hokage’s desk.

Seeing him enter, Jiraiya’s expression relaxed slightly, while Hiruzen set his pipe down and spoke directly.

“Tsunade is currently in the Land of Iron. You must hurry to assist her—speed is crucial. Two Anbu squads are already stationed in front of the building…”

“Wait!” Orochimaru interrupted, frowning. “The Land of Iron? Two Anbu squads? I have no intention of bringing dead weight. I can handle finding Tsunade alone.”

“Orochimaru, things are no longer as you think,” Jiraiya cut in anxiously. “Iwagakure and Kumogakure—they truly have their sights set on Tsunade.”

Orochimaru’s eyes flicked from Jiraiya to Hiruzen in surprise.

“Old man, is what Jiraiya says true?”

“Indeed,” Hiruzen said gravely. “The village has been monitoring Tsunade’s movements. Yesterday, news came that after a fierce battle with unknown ninjas in Otogakure, she vanished.”

“Only today was her location confirmed. I was about to dispatch Anbu squads for support, but since you want to take the mission, it’s safest to entrust it to you.”

Hearing this, Orochimaru frowned deeply.

Tsunade had braved countless wars and hardships—she wasn’t so easily killed. He wasn’t worried about her safety per se.

But taking those two Anbu squads along would complicate his plans. Returning to the village would leave him no chance at all.

He intended to seize this chance to strike at Old Shibi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, or bring back the mother-daughter pair from the Land of Grass.

After pondering, Orochimaru asked, “Who struck Iwagakure and Kumogakure? Shouldn’t they have been confronting each other?”

“The one from Kumogakure you might recognize—Yagura’s Jinchuriki, Killer Bee,” Hiruzen said with a frown.

“But the assailant from Iwagakure was not their own ninja this time, but a bounty hunter hired from the black market, with no less strength.”

“Not Old Shibi of Iwagakure,” Orochimaru said with slight disappointment. “Very well, then I’ll make the trip myself.”

With that, Orochimaru turned and left the Hokage’s office.

Outside the Hokage’s building, two Anbu squads had been waiting for some time, with many familiar faces.

Orochimaru’s gaze swept over Kakashi, Yamato, and Hizashi Hyuga.

“Let’s move out.”

“Yes, sir!”