Orochimaru had never cared much for the musclebound brutes of Kumogakure. Something about them just rubbed him the wrong way. More than anything, he felt that Kaien's style simply didn't match the atmosphere of that place.
He decided that once he had the time, he'd bring Uchiha Kaien back to the village himself.
But first, he needed to rest up and improve his strength. After that, it would be time to set his sights on Kumogakure.
"It's not particularly dangerous," Hiruzen said slowly. "The intel division has already analyzed Kumogakure's intentions. It seems they're interested in the Uchiha bloodline—hence why they made a move on Konoha to snatch someone."
"Kushina was abducted during the same incident, but little Minato managed to rescue her."
"Minato didn't save Kaien?" Orochimaru's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Heh... the boy let himself get caught," Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "If Minato had jumped in recklessly, he probably would've ended up in the hospital for a couple of days."
"Kids like to play sometimes. As long as it's safe, letting them explore the world a little isn't such a bad thing."
Whether Kaien brought back any intel from his undercover stint in Kumogakure didn't really matter. If Konoha had to rely on a child to deliver top-secret intelligence, the intel division might as well shut down.
"I see…"
Orochimaru recalled Kaien's monstrous strength—reminiscent of Tsunade—and the time Jiraiya had a few ribs broken by her punches. He suddenly understood why Minato might have hesitated.
If he remembered correctly, Minato had ended up in the hospital for something similar not too long ago, hadn't he?
Like master, like student... even the way they got hospitalized was the same.
"Besides, Kagami's already on his way to the Land of Lightning. With any luck, he'll bring Kaien back in a few days."
At this, Hiruzen's tone shifted slightly, his expression softening with the mention of an old comrade.
"If Kagami-senpai's handling it, then it shouldn't be a problem," Orochimaru said confidently.
He was well aware of Uchiha Kagami's strength. The man was firmly at Kage-level, and there were few in the ninja world capable of taking him down. If it was just a matter of sneaking into Kumogakure to retrieve someone, there shouldn't be any complications.
Hiruzen, on the other hand, looked slightly concerned.
Hopefully, nothing goes wrong this time. For some reason, every time Kagami goes on a mission, something always happens. When did he become such a magnet for trouble?
Hiruzen absentmindedly stroked his beard and fell into thought.
...
After leaving the Hokage's office, Tsunade and Orochimaru parted ways.
Tsunade rushed back to the Senju compound to visit her family. Orochimaru, meanwhile, followed a familiar chakra trail to Minato's location.
By a quiet riverside, a boy and a girl sat studying a ninjutsu scroll intently.
The contrast between the red and yellow of their hair immediately reminded Orochimaru of tomato and scrambled eggs.
He couldn't help it—that dish often showed up on Kaien's dinner table. Whenever Orochimaru lost track of time while researching and missed a meal, Kaien would bring him something to eat. More often than not, it was that dish.
He didn't know why the two kids suddenly seemed closer than before, but it didn't concern him. His task from Jiraiya came first.
Orochimaru made no effort to conceal his presence. The soft rustling of leaves underfoot immediately caught Minato's attention.
With his exceptional sensory talent, Minato activated a detection jutsu in a split second and picked up a familiar chakra signature.
"Orochimaru-senpai!"
Minato was surprised to see him, then quickly confirmed it really was Orochimaru standing before them.
If Orochimaru had returned to Konoha, did that mean Jiraiya-sensei was back too?
Excitement lit up his face. Finally, he'd have a teacher again. Trying to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique on his own had been difficult—it could've taken him months. But with Jiraiya's help, that timeline might shorten considerably.
"This is from Jiraiya," Orochimaru said, his smooth voice cutting through the air as he handed over a scroll adorned with a toad emblem.
"He'll be staying in the Land of Rain for a while. Inside is a letter and a few jutsu—consider it his way of making it up to you."
"Of course, if you'd rather ask me for guidance, I don't mind."
For Kaien's and Jiraiya's sake, Orochimaru was willing to lend a hand.
"Thank you so much, Orochimaru-senpai!"
Minato took the scroll, sensing Jiraiya's familiar chakra signature within. It was definitely his teacher's handiwork.
Although he was a little disappointed that Jiraiya wasn't returning, the fact that he'd gone out of his way to send this meant he hadn't forgotten him.
Minato was touched—and genuinely grateful.
"No need," Orochimaru replied.
Having completed his task, he turned to leave, heading back home to focus on his own training. If Uchiha Kagami didn't bring Kaien back soon, he was fully prepared to go to Kumogakure himself.
After all, no matter how mischievous a child might be, they still had to come home eventually.
With some free time on his hands, Orochimaru decided it was time to start shaping Kaien's character.
That boy's innocent curiosity was a double-edged sword. Without the strength to protect himself, he might one day suffer a loss far greater than anyone could imagine.
Still, when Orochimaru recalled how Kaien had manhandled Manda of all creatures, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Kaien was different from most kids. He was an Uchiha—and with that came the clan's infamous pride, something that could easily steer even a kind child toward darkness.
...
Orochimaru unrolled the scroll in his hand and sat down to study its contents.
It was a collection of old research notes—documents originally penned by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. He had specifically asked Tsunade to help him find them.
The title alone confirmed he was on the right track:
"An Analytical Study on the Sharingan"
Only Tsunade or the Hokage would have access to such confidential documents, but Orochimaru had his ways. He always managed to get his hands on what he needed.
As the Senju clan had long stood in opposition to the Uchiha, it was only natural their research into the Sharingan went deeper than most. And Tobirama, being a scientist himself, had left behind plenty of data that would be useful.
The notes made it clear: the Uchiha's Sharingan can awaken when they experience intense negative emotions, triggering the release of a unique chakra.
And those emotions? They stemmed from love—and the pain of losing it.
The Uchiha were a clan of love. Once they formed a bond, they cherished it with everything they had. But when they lost that bond... they changed.
That pain could push their Sharingan to evolve.
And the more their eyes evolved, the more unstable they became.
Orochimaru's thoughts drifted to Kaien.
From single tomoe to the Mangekyō Sharingan—it had taken Kaien only five years.
That kind of progress worried him deeply.
If Kaien wasn't properly guided, he was a ticking time bomb.
Thankfully, he hadn't suffered any more major losses since the age of five.
Still, it hadn't escaped Orochimaru's notice that many of Kaien's eye evolutions revolved around Namikaze Minato...
Especially the last one—he had awakened the Mangekyō in order to save Minato.
He hadn't lost that bond... but something had changed.
Minato had become his emotional anchor.
No one knew what the upper limits of the Mangekyō Sharingan were. Every person was different. But Orochimaru believed Kaien's potential far exceeded the norm.
And that was exactly why he couldn't bear to imagine what Kaien would do—what he would become—if Minato ever died.
Or worse... if Kaien became consumed by the power of his own eyes.
"This is starting to get... complicated," Orochimaru muttered.
But complicated also meant interesting.
He let out a low chuckle. Raising a child... really wasn't going to be easy.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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