Suigetsu's intuition was correct.
About two hundred meters below the island, a strange figure floated in the dark water. Its skin was covered with bluish-gray scales, its fingers were webbed, and Six Paths gill lines split on either side of its neck, opening and closing with its breath.
The most horrifying thing was its face—a distorted human face with bulging eyes and pupils as murky and lifeless as a fish's, yet flashing with a deep-seated hatred.
It's called a "War Weapon," and it's the product of Orochimaru's secret experiments.
--A forgotten failure.
Many years ago, when the Third Shinobi World War broke out, Konoha was attacked from all sides. The Four Great Shinobi Villages of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure all declared war on the Land of Fire, and the battle was extremely fierce.
Shimura Danzō, the then leader of Root, believed that it was better to take the initiative than to defend.
"Instead of passively taking hits, we should first crush the weakest Kirigakure!" Danzo said coldly in Orochimaru's laboratory. "But Kirigakure Ninjas excel at naval warfare; we need troops capable of fighting at sea."
Orochimaru's golden snake eyes flashed with interest. "Interesting... You mean, creating a ninja army that can breathe and fight underwater?"
"Exactly," Danzo tapped his cane. "If we succeed, we can launch a Kirigakure from the sea, catching them completely off guard!"
With Danzo's full support, Orochimaru Danzo established an island laboratory. Their goal was to develop an amphibious ninja that could breathe and move freely in water, specifically to counter the Kirigakure's Water Release forces.
Initially, the experiment progressed smoothly. Orochimaru successfully cultivated experimental subjects that could move freely in water by combining fish genes with ninjas, but their strength was weak and they needed time to grow.
However, the changing tide of war rendered this plan utterly meaningless.
First, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Kirigakure encountered Might Duy's "Eight Gates" and were almost completely wiped out; Shisui Uchiha brightly on the battlefield, and his Body Flicker Technique struck fear into the hearts of the Kirigakure Ninja; coupled with the strong counterattack of other Konoha forces, the Kirigakure's invasion plan completely failed.
Therefore, Danzo quickly withdrew his funding, and Orochimaru also lost interest in this experiment, which had lost its strategic value, and turned to researching more powerful forbidden techniques.
The laboratory was abandoned, leaving only his deputy, Dr. Nagashima, who stubbornly persisted.
Dr. Nagashima is a fanatical genius who believes that this research still has value and may even surpass Orochimaru's achievements.
"This is my life's work..." he often murmured to himself, staring at the empty incubation chamber. "If I succeed, I can surpass Lord Orochimaru..."
After countless failed attempts at genetic tuning, he finally achieved his "result" on a rainy night.
It was a deformed monster.
With a human face, fish body, and webbed hands and feet, it can breathe freely underwater and even release a small amount of Water Release Chakra. After a period of growth, its strength is roughly equivalent to that of Special Jōnin, but in the sea, even elite Jonin may not be its match.
Long Island was overjoyed, believing he had finally touched the threshold of "genius".
However, harsh reality soon shattered his illusions.
He was unable to replicate a second test subject.
Because in the only successful case, the core gene sequence was personally modified by Orochimaru, who couldn't understand the underlying principles. Every subsequent attempt only produced a pile of rotting flesh.
Long Island is gradually going mad.
Day after day, he roared and begged at the incubation chamber, even resorting to self-harm to force himself to "break through the bottleneck." Meanwhile, the "experimental subject" was locked in a specially made cage, silently watching this madman.
Until one night, Long Island, drunk, stumbled open the cage, wanting to "re-examine the experimental subject"—
It killed him.
Its sharp, webbed claws ripped open Long Island's throat, staining the entire laboratory red with blood. It escaped, diving into the deep sea, where it wandered like a ghost for years.
Until recently, it sensed a familiar Chakra—
Orochimaru's aura.
It grinned, revealing a mouthful of fine, sharp teeth, its murky eyes fixed intently on the direction of the island.
(Found you...)
Its gills trembled violently, emitting a high-frequency sound wave inaudible to humans. Moments later, dozens of sharks, attracted by the sound wave, slowly emerged from the shadows on the distant seabed.
It reached out and stroked the shark's dorsal fin, its eyes gleaming with a mad light.
(The time for revenge has come...)
The waves surged silently, and its silhouette gradually disappeared into the dark depths.
On the beach, Suigetsu suddenly shivered.
"Strange... why does the seawater suddenly feel cold?"
He scratched his head, completely unaware that a hunter from the deep sea had already set its sights on the island.
In the dark depths of the sea, Fish-Man manipulates a swarm of sharks, slowly approaching the island. Unbeknownst to him, his every move has been observed by sea serpents lurking in the shadows.
--These sea snakes were summoned by Orochimaru the moment he landed on the island as his "eyes and ears."
Cunning as a snake, cautious as a shadow.
Orochimaru knew better than anyone that the most deadly crisis in the future shown on the Heavenly Screen was the Impure World Reincarnation technique. And right now, the only ones in the entire Shinobi World who could use this forbidden technique were him and Kabuto Yakushi, who was currently learning it.
(The Five Great Shinobi Villages... will never let me go.)
Therefore, even after escaping to the sea, he did not let his guard down.
In the bedroom, Orochimaru suddenly opened his eyes, his golden snake pupils gleaming coldly in the darkness.
(Something is approaching...)
He slowly sat up, his pale fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the bed, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Dou," he whispered.
Almost the instant the voice fell, Kabuto Yakushi appeared silently in the doorway, his glasses reflecting a faint light.
"Lord Orochimaru, you're awake?"
"A guest has arrived." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and dangerous. "Go tell Sasuke... to prepare to welcome the guest."
Dou adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly, "Should I start packing up the experimental data now?"
"Not yet." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, "It's not certain yet if they're pursuers from the village."
He stood up, walked to the window, gazed at the dark sea, and added in a low voice:
"Perfect timing... Sasuke's been lacking sparring partners lately."
Dou nodded clearly. "Understood, I'll arrange it right away."
In the dimly lit corridor, Sasuke's footsteps echoed on the stone walls. He was on his way to find Orochimaru when he ran into Kabuto Yakushi at the corner.
"Perfect timing, Sasuke-kun."
Dou pushed up his reflective glasses, a cold glint flashing across the lenses. The lab notebook he held still smelled faintly of formaldehyde, and there were a few suspicious dark red stains on the cuffs of his white lab coat.
Sasuke stopped, his dark pupils slightly contracting. "What is it?"
His voice was like ice, but Kabuto was already used to this indifference. The medical-nin smiled and turned to the side, letting the light from the corridor lamp illuminate his face. "Some uninvited guests have approached from the seabed. Lord Orochimaru wants you to... greet them."
Kabuto's tone remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "They might be pursuers from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, or perhaps... something else."
A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Sasuke's eyes.
(Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived.)
He turned and walked towards the shore.
Dou watched his retreating figure and smiled slightly.