The Daimyo's Heir

"Have you heard? The Daimyo's long-lost son has finally been found!"

Every street and alley in the Land of Sound was abuzz with the news.

In teahouses, merchants gathered around tables, sipping tea and whispering among themselves. The owner of a general store stood in the doorway, murmuring with the woman who sold cloth next door. Even the soldiers on guard at the city gates took the chance to quietly discuss it when no one was around.

"He's not a grandson, he's a son." An old man with graying hair set down his teacup and corrected them. "The Daimyo had a child when he was young. The child disappeared during a rebellion when he was one year old. They searched for decades, and finally found him."

"Really? They found him after all these decades?"

"Why not? The Daimyo never gave up. Think about it: his eldest son is already in his thirties, and he has several grandchildren, but he's never been willing to name an heir. Outsiders say he's too attached to power, but that's not the case. He's been waiting for that child to come home."

"Who is the child?"

The old man glanced around and lowered his voice. "I heard... it's Orochimaru, once one of the Konoha Sannin."

"Orochimaru?!" Several people sucked in a sharp breath at once. "That Orochimaru, the Konoha missing-nin?"

"Shh—keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear you." The old man glared at them, afraid their careless talk might get him into trouble. "He's not a missing-nin anymore. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has already declared Konoha's wanted order void. Orochimaru now belongs to the Land of Sound. He's the Daimyo's son."

The group exchanged glances, unsure what to say.

In a corner of the teahouse, a person in a gray cloak quietly finished their tea, set down a few copper coins, and stood to leave.

The news spread quickly.

In less than a day, the whole Ninja World knew: Orochimaru, once one of the Konoha Sannin, was actually the long-lost son of the Daimyo of the Land of Sound. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had also revoked his status as a missing-nin, and he was now considered a citizen of the Land of Sound.

What's more, Orochimaru himself announced—publicly—that from that day onward, he would no longer be a ninja.

And he did something no ninja could ever imagine doing: he revealed intelligence about his missions in Konoha during peacetime!

Orochimaru proved to the Ninja World that he was determined to leave behind his identity as a ninja. But he also proved something else: most of the evidence that had once been used to brand him a Konoha missing-nin had actually been fabricated to frame him!

The mission records Orochimaru released clearly showed that the inhumane experiments he had conducted in Konoha had all been ordered by Konoha's upper ranks. Every mission record bore either Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's signature or Hokage Assistant Shimura Danzō's.

Some people did suspect that Orochimaru had forged the records. But the mission records he released clearly listed all the support Konoha had provided for his experiments.

Without approval from the higher-ups, how could he have received equipment worth two or three hundred million ryō? How could he have been given access to knowledge of Konoha's forbidden jutsu? How could he have received the bodies of Konoha's death-row inmates? How could he have...

One measure of support after another made it difficult for anyone to come up with excuses for Konoha's upper ranks.

At last, Orochimaru was completely cleared of blame. He was merely a victim forced to take the fall for the higher-ups of Konohagakure, a man who had endured humiliation and sacrificed himself.

If his father hadn't found him, giving him the familial affection he had long been without and restoring his lost reputation, he would never have revealed all this just to keep his father from being forced to bear the blame as well.

Everyone understood and supported Orochimaru, especially the four great shinobi villages other than Konoha.

The Land of Sound. Orochimaru's base.

No, it was no longer called a base. At the Daimyo's insistence, the underground hideout had been converted into a research institute of the Land of Sound, lent to Orochimaru for his use.

The walls had been painted white, the floors covered with wood, and the research assistants came and went. Even the workbenches had been replaced with new ones. The only things left unchanged were the densely packed scrolls and cultivation tanks on the shelves.

Orochimaru stood by the window, gazing out at the fields. He had been standing there for a long time.

This was the first time he had put the knowledge passed down to him by Uchiha Naro to practical use. As expected, an individual's power could never compare to the power of a nation.

No matter how powerful a ninja he had been before, once Sarutobi Hiruzen gave the order, everyone listened to him and treated Orochimaru as a missing-nin.

Now, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had simply shared a meal with the Daimyo of the Land of Sound. Then, with a single order, Orochimaru had gone from being a missing-nin to belonging to the Land of Sound. Even the experiments he had once needed to keep hidden were now being conducted openly in a research institute, thanks to an order from the Daimyo of the Land of Sound...

A few days earlier, after making a deal with the White Snake Sage, he had come to the Land of Sound to wait.

The day after he left Ryūchi Cave, the Daimyo of the Land of Sound had come to find him in person.

The old man stood before him, his hair white, his face creased like a dried-up riverbed. His eyes were red, and his lips trembled.

"You're my child," the old man said firmly. "The birthmark on your shoulder is exactly like your mother's. I couldn't possibly mistake you for someone else."

Orochimaru said nothing.

Although he and the White Snake Sage had planned this together, the moment it actually happened still left him feeling a little dazed.

He had almost forgotten his parents. When people asked about them back in Konoha, he would say they were dead. He hadn't made it up; it was true. By the time he could remember anything, his parents were already gone, leaving him nothing but a run-down house and a yellowed photograph.

He didn't recognize the woman in the photograph held by Fujiwara No, the Daimyo of the Land of Sound.

But he knew now that she would be his mother in name: the Daimyo of the Land of Sound's first wife. She had died of illness not long after Orochimaru was born, entrusting her child to her husband before she passed away.

Later, a rebellion broke out in the Land of Sound, and Fujiwara No had his guards flee with the baby.

The guard died. The child disappeared. Fujiwara No searched for decades and never stopped looking.

It wasn't a moving story. War, rebellion, families torn apart—stories like that happened every day in the Ninja World. His was nothing special. And when the old man stood before him and said in a trembling voice, "You're my child," Orochimaru realized he didn't resent him.

That was already a remarkable thing for him.

The day after they met, the old man, already in his late sixties or seventies, made the arduous journey to the Land of Fire in person, bringing five whole wagons of lavish gifts: gold, silk, rare treasures, medicinal herbs, and several fine horses.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire sat in his study, looking at the Daimyo of the Land of Sound, who was about his own age but had arrived after a long, dusty journey.

"Please, sit." The Daimyo of the Land of Fire pointed to the chair across from him.

Fujiwara No, the Daimyo of the Land of Sound, sat down. His back was a little hunched, but he sat upright. He clearly cared about proper etiquette.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire picked up the gift list, looked it over, and set it aside.

"Do you know what Orochimaru has done?"

"I do." Fujiwara No didn't evade the question. "Human experiments, deserting his village... He's done many wrong things. But he's my son, a son I've been indebted to for decades. As his father, I didn't take good care of him or raise him properly all these years. Now that I have the chance, I ought to do something for him."

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire fell silent for a moment.

"I'll revoke the wanted order, and I'll make sure Konoha is properly informed. But he can't do anything against the Land of Fire under the identity of a Konoha ninja again."

"He promised me he wouldn't be a ninja anymore." There was a hint of happiness in Fujiwara No's voice. "He wants to live a quiet life and fulfill his duties as a son by my side."

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire nodded, picked up his pen, wrote a few lines on the official document, and stamped it with his seal.

"Take it."

Fujiwara No took the document in both hands, trembling slightly, and bowed deeply to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. "Thank you for your generosity."

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire waved him off, indicating that he could leave.

The Daimyo of the Land of Sound reached the door, stopped, turned around, and bowed once more before leaving.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire sat in his study, gazing out the window. In the courtyard, several of his grandsons were chasing one another, their laughter ringing like little bells.

He picked up the gift list, read it again, and set it down.

"People grow softhearted with age," he murmured to himself.

Orochimaru returned to the capital of the Land of Sound with Fujiwara No. At Orochimaru's request, there was no ceremony. The carriage entered the capital quietly, passing through the crowd without stopping.

The Daimyo's Mansion stood in the north of the city and occupied a vast area. Its walls weren't as tall as those of the Sarutobi Clan in Konoha. Several soldiers stood at the entrance, backs straight and eyes forward.

The carriage stopped in front of the gate. The Fujiwara family and the ministers of the Land of Sound, who had been waiting outside the Daimyo's Mansion, came out to welcome the Daimyo, Fujiwara No, and also the legendary eldest son.

Orochimaru got out of the carriage and followed Fujiwara No into the residence. They passed through several gates and walked down a long corridor before reaching the main hall.

Fujiwara No wore a dark formal robe, his hair neatly combed. He kept an arm around Orochimaru, leading him to the foremost seat on the left side of the hall. Then he took his own seat in the middle, the Daimyo's seat.

The rest of the Fujiwara family took their usual places according to age. From their practiced movements, it was clear that Orochimaru's seat had always been left empty. Otherwise, someone would have been awkwardly looking for a place to sit.

"Today, besides the usual matters of state, I have something else to announce." Fujiwara No's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall heard him clearly.

Every gaze turned toward him.

"Orochimaru is the eldest son I've searched for over the years. You should all have heard the news by now. He's suffered greatly out in the world, and I, as his father, owe him too much. So I want to make it up to him."

Fujiwara No paused and glanced at the expressions of those seated below him before continuing. "From today onward, Fujiwara Orochimaru will be my heir. For the rest of this year, I'll teach him how to handle state affairs and govern the country. On the first day of the new year, he will officially succeed me as Daimyo of the Land of Sound. I ask you all to support him."

The hall erupted in an uproar. They had thought the Daimyo was simply taking back a child, and they had been glad to have a powerful person join the Land of Sound. They hadn't expected him to become the Daimyo's heir outright!

A minister stood up, his face flushed red. "My lord Daimyo, this is inappropriate! Orochimaru was once a Konoha ninja, and a Konoha missing-nin at that. He's still—"

"He's not a missing-nin anymore." Fujiwara No cut the minister off coldly. "The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has revoked his wanted order. He's just an ordinary man now. He's my son."

"But he did those things before..."

"Who didn't make mistakes when they were young?" Fujiwara No's tone turned even colder. He glared at the minister. "Do you want to dig up the past? Shall we settle the matter of you embezzling military funds as well?"

The minister's face turned pale. He opened his mouth, but said nothing more, and sat back down.

Others wanted to speak as well, but when they saw Fujiwara No's dark expression, they wisely kept quiet.

Fujiwara No looked around. Seeing that no one else objected, he nodded and made the final decision. "Then it's settled. I'm tired. That's all."

Seeing that Fujiwara No was determined to have his way, the ministers reluctantly rose and filed out. The Daimyo's other children looked at their father, then at Orochimaru, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end. In the end, they also said nothing and left the hall one after another.

"You trust us this much?" Orochimaru asked Fujiwara No, who had received the White Snake Sage's promise.

"Yes." Fujiwara No nodded. "A new war is about to break out in the Ninja World. No matter what I choose, the worst that can happen is that we continue as we are now, remaining vassals of the Land of Fire..."

He stood and walked over to Orochimaru, bending down to look at him.

"I know many nobles look down on you ninjas and think you're nothing but tools in their hands. But I see opportunity in you. No matter how far you go, your name will always be Fujiwara."

Orochimaru looked up at Fujiwara No, admiration showing in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

A moment later, the two of them smiled.

"Father, aren't you afraid I'll turn the Land of Sound into a second Konoha?"

Fujiwara No smiled. "You won't. Konoha can no longer satisfy you."

"Oh? Did the White Snake tell you that?"

"I saw it in your eyes." Fujiwara No shook his head. "The White Snake Sage has existed for a thousand years. She has many who are more powerful than the Fujiwara family at her disposal. But since you chose this place, then I suppose what you intend to do..."

Orochimaru fell silent. He hadn't expected this old man, so attached to power that he had refused to step down, to be so perceptive at times. "And you still dare hand the Land of Sound over to us?"

Hearing Orochimaru's question, Fujiwara No stopped probing. He straightened up and slowly headed toward the back hall. "The older you get, the closer you come to death—and the more afraid of dying you become. I'm leaving the Land of Sound in your hands now. Don't forget what you promised me."

Orochimaru's recollection lingered on Fujiwara No's departing figure. Without Uchiha Naro's Method of National Fortune, he probably would have made the same decision in his old age, all for the sake of that goal.

"Lord Orochimaru, our men reported that unidentified ninjas have been spotted in the capital." Footsteps approached from behind as a guard of the Land of Sound dutifully reported what had been found.

Orochimaru turned around, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. The tea was fragrant, made from leaves native to the Land of Sound. Only a little was produced each year, reserved exclusively for the Daimyo's Mansion. He had never cared for such things before, but now he was the Daimyo's son, and they simply appeared before him.

Not because he wanted them, but because of who he was.

This was power. This was status. This was fortune.

"Just keep an eye on them. Don't let them disturb the merchants who have come to trade in our country."

"Understood." The guard bowed and withdrew.

"Also, keep sending people to contact merchants from the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Iron. Tell them the Land of Sound will collect a third less in taxes. Do your best to persuade them to come develop their businesses here..."