Chapter Six: Hinata's Opportunity

…
“War…”
Orochimaru’s voice brimmed with emotion. War always meant death. In the world he envisioned, there would be no more wars.
To achieve this, he would not hesitate to ignite countless more.
All for the sake of the future.

Hinata whimpered softly, tears streaming down her face. She was only twelve—a mere girl.
Yet this little girl had already experienced battle, the destruction of her village, and the capture of her clan.
It was all too cruel.
Now, forced to stand before the very enemy who orchestrated it all, she trembled in terror, her heart beating so wildly it felt as if it would burst from her chest.

Orochimaru gazed at the frail Hinata, his lips curling into a slow, sinister smile.
“Don’t be afraid. Let’s do something… interesting.”
His pale golden, slit-pupiled eyes glimmered with manic excitement, and his tongue darted out, licking his lips.

…
The entire convoy of Konoha prisoners was on the move, with only Orochimaru and Hinata remaining behind.
She stood before him, helpless, powerless to resist.
“Trembling, are you? I’d better knock you out.”
Orochimaru, seeing her shudder, struck her with a hand chop, rendering her unconscious. Then he took out a scroll and retrieved a microscope.
These experimental instruments were his treasures—he brought along everything he could carry, save the truly cumbersome.
Adjusting the lens, he brought it to Hinata’s eyes, his excitement palpable as he pressed close to observe.
“Still so beautiful…”
Orochimaru was both moved and exhilarated, a thrill more intense than any physical pleasure.
The Byakugan—years ago, before he defected from the Leaf, he had suborned a member of the Hyuga clan to study this very power, so he was intimately familiar with its structure.
But that person had been from the branch family, limited by the family’s seal, and ultimately perished during Orochimaru’s rebellion, curtailing further research.
Now, there were no such limitations.
He twisted the microscope to its highest magnification, clearly observing the blood flow within the Byakugan.
“Truly beautiful…”
Orochimaru’s neck suddenly extended, coiling around Hinata’s own. He sank his teeth into her, inscribing a curse mark.
It was neither the supreme Heaven’s Curse Seal nor the powerful Earth’s Curse Seal, but a weaker, cat-like variant.
Whether Heaven, Earth, or another, all curse marks risked the death of the subject—
Only the ordinary marks did not, causing at most pain.
He had once placed an ordinary curse mark on Mizuki of the Leaf; the one now for Hinata was even weaker.

Perhaps, when Hinata transformed under its influence, she would sprout only cat ears and a tail, perhaps become more delicate, but nothing more.
In truth, it was a curse mark of little worth.
“Each curse mark splits a fragment of my spirit. A person’s spirit is finite; this is why I cannot resist the Uchiha clan’s illusions.”
Orochimaru, knowing both past and future, had ceased using this jutsu recklessly, ensuring only a select few bore his mark.
Its greatest value now was ensuring his own immortality.
But now, it had another purpose.
Anyone branded with the curse mark could serve as a host for Orochimaru’s parasitic soul. He was prepared to end his own life, then possess Hinata’s body.
Through her eyes, he would observe the world—
The world of the Byakugan.
Stowing the microscope, Orochimaru cheerfully tore out his own heart and collapsed beside Hinata.

…
The ninja of Sunagakure returned home as victors and participants in the “Destruction of Konoha” operation.
They ought to have been jubilant—and indeed, they were. The destruction of the Leaf had yielded much: wealth, jutsu, and even the prospect of carving up the Land of Fire.
A triumphant return!
Yet… where was their Kazekage? Where had he gone?
The Sand ninja searched everywhere, baffled to find their leader missing.

“Do you think something’s happened to our Kazekage?”
“Hush! Do you have a death wish, saying that out loud?”
“But…”
“Silence!”
…
In the Sand’s ranks, Gaara walked at the front, with Temari and Kankuro following close behind.
Temari wore a worried expression, whispering, “What do you think Father is up to?”
Throughout the entire “Destruction of Konoha” operation, aside from initially ordering them to cooperate with Orochimaru, the Kazekage had vanished.
He still hadn’t appeared—how suspicious.
“I don’t know,” Kankuro replied, shaking his head.
The two exchanged a glance, then looked toward the gourd-carrying figure ahead, wondering if their younger brother knew anything.
Gaara sensed their furtive glances but remained unmoved.

His thoughts lingered on the words of a bespectacled young man:
“Do you want to kill more powerful foes? Crave greater thrills? Come to the Sound Village. All it takes is letting us study the thing inside you for a while, and you can have all the fun you want. Oh, and bring your village’s Lady Chiyo, too.”

Gaara’s response at the time had been to try to kill the young man.
Unfortunately, the bespectacled man was far too strong; Gaara did not succeed.
“To the Sound Village, then?”
Gaara was savage, but not a fool. The destruction of Konoha had forced Orochimaru into the open, and he would surely bear the full brunt of the shinobi world’s wrath.
Sunagakure was prepared for this.
Gaara’s gaze was deep and thoughtful. Without the foundation of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it would be hard to survive the coming storm.
Did the Sound Village possess that kind of strength?
He was unsure.
Just then, a shuriken flew towards him. Gaara caught it barehanded; attached was a slip of white paper.
He unfolded it and read:
“This time, our Sound Village has attracted four formidable opponents—two S-rank rogue ninja, Uchiha Itachi and Kisame, and two Leaf legends, the Sannin Jiraiya and Tsunade.
You delight in killing the strong—what do you make of these four? If you’re too slow, we’ll deal with them ourselves.”
Gaara used his sand to crush the shuriken and the note.
The message was not truly inviting him to target those four, but rather informing him that the Sound Village had the means to provoke and handle such powerful enemies.
If he joined them, he would have ample opportunity to kill the strong and amuse himself, without worrying about the consequences.
Gaara’s expression remained impassive; no one could guess his thoughts.
Temari and Kankuro were startled—a shuriken message? What was that about?
As they puzzled over it, more news arrived:
Uchiha Itachi, Kisame, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were traveling together, investigating the whereabouts of Orochimaru’s convoy of captives.
It seemed they were in pursuit of Orochimaru!
But for what purpose?

…
Several days passed.
Itachi, Kisame, Jiraiya, and Tsunade finally caught up with the convoy.
Gazing at the prisoners, three of them—save for Kisame, who only curled his lip—were gripped by a deep sorrow.
Yet soon, that grief gave way to resolve and determination.
Itachi looked at the others. “The plan begins. Jiraiya and I will find Orochimaru; you two rescue the prisoners from the shadows.”
To confront Orochimaru, Itachi and Jiraiya were the best suited—both knew him well and were powerful enough to face him without fear.
Kisame would not fight to the death, and Tsunade lacked the strength—thus, rescue suited them best.
“Understood!”
The four vanished in a flash. The mission to kill Orochimaru and rescue the captives had begun.