The ancestor of chakra, Otsutsuki Kaguya, created a manifestation of her will known as Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu manipulated Uchiha Madara into resurrecting Kaguya. Before that, Madara had manipulated Obito, who in turn tricked Nagato into pursuing the Eye of the Moon Plan.
The entire history of the ninja world was steeped in one conspiracy after another, an endless web of manipulation.
But Orochimaru, knowing the truth behind it all, remained indifferent.
He believed in one principle: in the face of overwhelming power, conspiracies and schemes were meaningless.
Stopping Madara's resurrection would have been easy for someone like Orochimaru. All it would take was digging out the Rinnegan, sealing it in a potion bottle, and storing it in his system vault. No further precautions would be needed.
Yet, Orochimaru had no desire to take that path.
The resurrection of Madara wasn't something he considered a priority. For someone like Orochimaru, who already understood the timeline of future events, whether Madara returned or not was entirely dependent on his mood. There was no reason to go out of his way to prevent it.
Slowly emerging from the ground, Orochimaru adjusted his vision to the dim light and sighed, his tone carrying a hint of exasperation.
"If I had a choice, I'd rather not be digging up graves all day."
The Edo Tensei, or Reanimation Jutsu, required the genetic material of powerful individuals. Tomb-robbing was a necessity. With his mastery of Earth Release, no one could carry out this task faster or more efficiently than Orochimaru.
He could fly, teleport using the Flying Thunder God Technique, and his proficiency in infiltration was unparalleled.
Though his Earth Release techniques weren't quite as advanced as White Zetsu's, they were more than sufficient for the job. At most, Orochimaru only needed a single night to raid the cemetery of an entire ninja village.
---
"Hey, you there! What are you doing here so early in the morning?"
A sudden shout interrupted Orochimaru's thoughts.
The sound of footsteps followed as three Iwa ninjas approached.
Orochimaru, still dressed in the uniform of Iwa Ninja Village, had his back turned to them, so they hadn't yet identified him as an intruder.
Hearing the shout, Orochimaru's expression turned slightly amused.
"Have the patrols let their guard down now that the war is over?" he murmured to himself. Then, with a smirk, he added, "Oh well, goodbye."
Whoosh!
Orochimaru vanished instantly, leaving the three Iwa ninjas staring at empty air in bewilderment.
"D-did he just disappear?" one of the ninjas stammered, rubbing his eyes. He tried to convince himself it was just his imagination, but the memory was too vivid to ignore.
"You saw it too, right?" another asked nervously. "I thought I was seeing things."
"No way! How could someone just vanish into thin air? It… it couldn't have been a ghost, could it?"
"Don't even joke about that!" the third ninja snapped, his voice shaking. "This needs to be reported to Lord Tsuchikage immediately!"
The three agreed and hurried off to report the incident.
---
By the time the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, received the news, it had taken on an almost supernatural tone.
According to the report, a strange Iwa ninja had been spotted near the cemetery in the early morning hours. All three patrol guards had seen him, but the figure had vanished into thin air.
Ōnoki, skeptical yet cautious, ordered an immediate investigation.
The Boundary Department found no signs of infiltration. The guards at the village gates had noticed nothing unusual. Even after mobilizing the entire village to comb the area, they found no trace of an intruder.
Confusion spread among the Iwa ninja.
Had all three guards been seeing things? Or was there really a ghost?
The possibility sent shivers down their spines.
Of course, the three patrol guards were the most terrified of all. They couldn't shake the feeling that the figure they had seen bore a striking resemblance to a deceased ninja…
---
Unaware of the chaos he had caused in Iwa, Orochimaru had already moved on to Sunagakure.
Just as before, he placed a Flying Thunder God kunai outside the village, infiltrated from above, and used the teleportation technique to bypass the barriers undetected.
With the coordinates provided by Nono, his work was seamless. This time, no one even noticed his presence.
Speaking of the Flying Thunder God Kunai, Orochimaru had made some customizations.
The design of the mark on the kunai could be altered based on personal preference. For example, the Second Hokage had a unique design for his mark, while Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Kunai had a distinct trident shape.
Orochimaru, true to his nature, had chosen a coiled snake design for his mark.
Unlike Minato, Orochimaru didn't rely on the Flying Thunder God Jutsu as a primary combat technique. As a result, he hadn't invested in creating specialized kunai. Instead, he used ordinary kunai, attaching his custom mark to their handles.
---
The days of tomb-robbing were monotonous, and several more passed in a blur.
---
A few days later, at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, Orochimaru stood at the foot of a remote mountain.
Squatting down, he placed his hands together in a series of seals.
"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation!"
With a rumbling noise, two upright coffins burst out of the ground.
The first coffin's door bore black characters on a blue background, marked with the number "Three."
The second coffin's door bore black characters on a yellow background, marked with the number "Two."
Squeak… bang!
Both coffin doors fell to the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
From within, two figures emerged, stepping forward with stiff movements.
The first was a man with striking dark blue hair, yellow eyes, and a blue Kazekage robe. His features resembled those of the Uchiha, though his aura was distinctly different.
The second figure was entirely wrapped in bandages, with only a single eye visible. He wore a black ribbon as a forehead protector and simple black pants.
Standing before Orochimaru were the Third Kazekage and the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.
"What is… going on here?" Mu asked, staring at his hands in disbelief. His movements were sluggish, but he retained a semblance of consciousness.
The Third Kazekage's sharp eyes immediately focused on Orochimaru. "You… Orochimaru?!"
"Welcome back to the world of the living," Orochimaru said, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk. "Lord Kazekage, it's been a while."
"What… what is this?" the Third Kazekage demanded. "I didn't give you my body, so how—?"
"There's no time to explain," Orochimaru interrupted smoothly. "From now on, you're both my tools."
"Tools?" The Third Kazekage's tone turned icy. "I am Kazekage. Do you truly think you can reduce me to something as insignificant as a tool?"
"Kazekage?" Orochimaru chuckled. "You were Kazekage. But that's no longer the case."
"What did you say?!"
"Why don't you try moving your body and see for yourself?" Orochimaru suggested, his voice calm but laced with an unsettling confidence.
The Third Kazekage's expression twisted. "Orochimaru, what have you done to me?!"