Orochimaru’s Magic Lamp

The detonating tags scattered to the ground, some already sparking with fire.

In a flash, Kabuto clapped his hands together and shouted,

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

A powerful column of water surged upward, forming a cylindrical barrier that swallowed the explosion. The soaked tags fizzled harmlessly, their paper too wet to chain together for a larger blast.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed coldly in the direction the black mist of insects had retreated. But after a moment, he turned away and quickly checked on Orochimaru.

Through the glass of the nutrient tank, Orochimaru's half-lidded eyes met Kabuto's gaze briefly… before slowly closing again.

But the truth was: Orochimaru had never woken up.

He was still deep in slumber, recovering from a severe soul injury. No minor intrusion could stir him—not even one from a Root operative.

The one who had opened his eyes just now… was the lamp spirit—a genie-like entity—temporarily animating Orochimaru's body to scare the intruder away.

If the Root agent had chosen to fight instead of flee, the genie would've had no choice but to demonstrate firsthand what it meant to say:

"I love killing people in my dreams."

But that would've caused far too much noise. Unless absolutely necessary, the genie would never interrupt Orochimaru's healing.

Kabuto exhaled softly.

"Looks like this isn't over yet."

He hurried into the dark recesses of the lab, activated defensive barriers, and called back the snakes he'd temporarily released. They slithered into position, sealing the lab like a fortress once more.

The genie, observing Kabuto's diligence, nodded in satisfaction.

True, the lab's defenses couldn't hold off a determined Root infiltration forever. But the intruder had already gotten what he came for. With no reason to return, the chances of further sabotage had decreased dramatically.

If things held together just a little longer, Orochimaru might awaken in time.

Unlike Gai, Kabuto was a man who used his head.

---

Meanwhile…

In a forest near the border of the Land of Fire, two Konoha squads had surrounded a caravan of about twenty people. A tense standoff was underway.

Might Guy—recently labeled 'brainless' by the genie—was now faced with a situation that actually required him to think.

He stared at an old man with white hair, a long beard, and kind eyes. His thick eyebrows furrowed as he asked in confusion,

"You know me? I don't know you. Shinnō…? Never heard that name before."

The old man coughed a few times and smiled gently.

"You were still very young then. I treated your father, Might Duy, when he was injured. He was practicing the Eight Inner Gates at the time. I remember it clearly."

In the shinobi world, children often enter battlefields at six or seven. So while Guy didn't remember, it wasn't impossible. Still, Shinnō found his forgetfulness a little troublesome.

Then again, that same simplicity was what had helped him obtain the secret of the Eight Gates technique back then.

Shinnō squinted kindly and added,

"I truly am just a wandering doctor. These people aren't bounty hunters—they're simply my escorts and patients."

Guy scratched his head, looking uncertain.

How does he know about the Eight Gates?

He was suspicious, but he also knew thinking wasn't his strong suit—so he glanced over at Kakashi, silently passing the decision to him.

Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly as he scanned the caravan.

There was a faint scent of blood clinging to them. Given the chaos in the Land of Fire, being attacked by rogue ninjas wasn't unusual.

But something still felt off—especially about Shinnō. For a doctor, he gave off an unsettling presence.

After a pause, Kakashi made up his mind. He gave a brief signal to the squads.

"We're pulling back."

As the Konoha ninja disappeared into the jungle, Shinnō's narrowed eyes snapped open, a deep hatred gleaming within them.

The pain of losing his village would never fade. One day, Konoha would suffer the same fate as the Sky Village.

He scanned the caravan and barked a low order, "Pick up the pace. We need to get out of the Land of Fire—fast. What I said earlier won't fool them for long."

If it weren't for the materials necessary to repair the airborne fortress Ankerbandian, Shinnō would've avoided Konoha's crackdown on the black market entirely. More than anyone, he knew the danger that village posed.

---

Elsewhere, not far away, Kakashi landed atop a tree and came to a halt. He raised a hand and summoned eight ninja hounds, sending them out to regroup the scattered Konoha squads.

Seeing this, Guy blinked in realization. "Kakashi… something wrong with that group back there?"

Kakashi nodded. "Their leader, Shinnō, gives me a very bad feeling. He's dangerous."

He had a gut feeling they'd stumbled upon a much bigger threat than expected. But precisely because of that, they couldn't afford to act recklessly.

The enemy's numbers were considerable, and though he and Guy were powerful, the other accompanying ninjas could suffer heavy losses if things went south.

Before long, the scattered squads returned, led by the summoned hounds. Kakashi gave them a concise overview of what had happened and shared his suspicions.

The group trusted Kakashi's instincts and immediately followed his lead toward Shinnō.

Guided by the ninja hounds, they arrived at a high mountain trail.

Kakashi's suspicion only deepened. Why would a suspicious caravan flee toward a mountain?

Was this a trap?

Cautiously, the group moved forward—until they reached a cliff. No ambush, no signs of an enemy.

The squad captains turned to Kakashi, who looked to Pakkun, the lead ninja hound.

Pakkun raised a paw. "Kakashi, I didn't take the wrong route. Their scent is still fresh."

He pointed down the cliff. "From what I can tell, they went over the edge. The only explanation… is that they flew."

Kakashi's eyes darkened.

Over twenty people, and they all had flight capabilities?

He didn't doubt Pakkun's tracking. But now he understood just how formidable this enemy was.

The trail went cold as the enemy escaped the Land of Fire. The pursuit ended for now—but the name Shinnō was etched into Kakashi's mind.

Guy, on the other hand, was just disappointed at having wasted time—and forgot about it not long after.

---

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, Kumogakure sent another peace delegation to Konoha. But this time, they were ambushed before even leaving the Land of Lightning—attacked by bounty hunters.

Kakuzu, Sasori of the Red Sand, and a few other rogue shinobi clashed with Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki. Though the rebels suffered heavy casualties, they still succeeded in killing the head of the peace negotiation team.

The attack ignited the fury of Kumogakure.

Like Konoha, they began purging black market operations within their borders. Meanwhile, both villages—Konoha and Kumogakure—joined forces to pressure Sunagakure and Iwagakure into assisting with the suppression of these rebel elements.

After several fierce battles, both Kakuzu and Sasori were gravely wounded and forced into hiding. For the time being, they vanished, and the chaos in the ninja world subsided.

Peace talks between Konoha and Kumogakure resumed. Now on their third attempt, both sides treated the negotiations with utmost seriousness.

Three chances. No more mistakes.

This time, the safety of the delegation would be ensured at all costs.

____________________

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