I Come From the Mountains

Before the words had even faded.

Lin Zi's body completely disintegrated, transforming into a sky full of emerald light motes that drifted toward the forest outside Konoha like a reverse meteor shower.

They drifted past the crumbling walls under reconstruction and past the four faces stained with blood and dust, trailing faint sparks in the night air.

The final few motes of light paused in the air for a fleeting moment, as if the faint, habitual smile of that person still lingered, before they dissolved entirely into the night breeze.

On the ruins, only the four ninjas remained, surrounded by a scene of utter devastation.

The night wind carried the stench of blood and the smell of charred earth across the land plowed by Yamata no Orochi; in the distance, the lights of Konoha flickered, yet it was as if nothing had happened at all.

"Good grief..."

Jiraiya was the first to break the deathly silence.

He patted the dust off his backside and scratched his unruly white hair, his voice still thick with a nasal tone he hadn't quite wiped away.

"That Orochimaru... if he's healing, he should just heal. Why did he have to make it look like a final farewell..."

Then, he walked over to Tsunade, bent down with a cheeky grin, and extended a hand.

"Yo, Tsunade, does the Great Sage need to carry you back?"

"Not necessary."

Tsunade turned her face away as if sulking, the night barely hiding the reluctance in the eyes of this usually imposing kunoichi.

"...I can walk myself."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood where he was, slowly retracting his Adamantine Staff. He looked down at the pile of snake corpses still smoking from the Immortal Lightning and suddenly sighed, pulling out his usual pipe.

"This child..." He took a puff, the embers glowing and fading, his voice so low it sounded like he was talking to himself, "He was a good child."

He gazed in the direction where the light motes had vanished, remaining silent for a long time. The hem of his combat uniform fluttered in the wind; his back was hunched, yet he seemed to have finally found some relief.

Minato Namikaze, however, was stunned.

He stood behind the three of them, still clutching the blood-stained Flying Thunder God kunai. The words Lin Zi had spoken before leaving were like a seed, taking root and sprouting wildly in his mind.

Minato remembered the night of the Nine-Tails, the blond youth who had emerged from the rift in the forest; he remembered the red eyeshadow of his Sage Mode, and he remembered his lazy, indifferent attitude.

"Naruto..."

Minato murmured, then suddenly snapped back to reality. He clenched his fists urgently, wishing he could use the Flying Thunder God to fly home right now and tell Kushina everything.

"But this Orochimaru."

Jiraiya suddenly jumped onto a relatively intact rock, hands on his hips, chin in his hand, and began to mimic Lin Zi's mannerisms with a profound expression.

"He really seems to enjoy playing with people."

He deliberately hunched his shoulders high and thrust his neck forward, imitating Lin Zi's tone.

"You don't know, but the first time he met me, he even told me to confess my crimes and return to Konoha with him! And just now, he even played dead... he scared the Great Sage so much that my tears were shed for nothing!"

"Hahahaha!"

Tsunade, who had been keeping a straight face, couldn't help but burst into laughter at his ridiculous display. She walked over and punched Jiraiya on the back, the force neither too light nor too heavy.

"Jiraiya, I didn't know you had such artistic talent? You mimicked him quite well!"

"Of course!"

Jiraiya held his nose high in triumph, arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't you know who the Great Sage is! Anyway, at least tonight ended in Grand Perfection."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was finally pulled from his deep contemplation.

He turned to look at these two clowns, his mouth twitching. He wanted to put on a stern face and lecture them, but in the end, he just shook his head helplessly and tucked his pipe into his waistband.

"Jiraiya... you really are something."

"Old man, stop staring!"

Jiraiya jumped down from the rock, threw an arm around Hiruzen's shoulder, and dragged him forward, grinning.

"Let's head back! If you keep staring over there—well, he can't come back for now anyway. Next time, we might as well just let him into the village directly."

"Exactly."

Tsunade followed, and although her steps were still a bit unsteady, her back was straight.

"But, the next time we meet, I'm definitely going to punch that guy once. It's a promise."

Minato walked at the back, glancing one last time at the empty ruins. The night wind swept a withered leaf past his feet, carrying it toward the distance.

He let out a soft breath, the hem of his Hokage Cloak fluttering in the wind, and turned to follow the other three.

The backs of the four figures gradually disappeared at the end of the streets under reconstruction, stretched and then shortened by the lights of Konoha, finally melting into the gentle night.

"Phew... that was close."

Lin Zi, who had just turned into motes of light, appeared out of thin air in the deep mountains. His legs gave out, and he slumped onto a broken log.

He clutched his chest, his heart still pounding like a drum, as if it were about to leap right out of his throat.

"Good thing I'm quick-witted, I came up with a move to slip away..."

He leaned his head back against the tree trunk, a bitter chuckle rolling out of his throat.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid I really would've had to play Orochimaru for the rest of my life..."

[Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuations from world core supporting characters: Orochimaru (original world), Kushina Uzumaki, and Shizune.]

[Roleplay progress for Orochimaru (Spirit Snake Sage) increased by 20%. Current compatibility: 70%.]

[Role card selection unlocked! Host may now choose to roleplay as characters from specific world lines.]

Lin Zi froze for a moment, then grinned.

"Good news, at least I don't have to risk pulling a card this time."

He exited the roleplay mode.

His pale skin faded, his golden slit pupils retracted into normal dark brown, and his black ponytail receded like a tide, returning to his original short hair.

Yet, the ninjutsu gifts from Orochimaru were etched into his very bones; he could feel his joints becoming unprecedentedly supple, his skeleton capable of twisting like rubber, and even his fingertips retained a faint perception of natural energy from the Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu.

"Time to get familiar with it..."

He flexed his wrists, his bones emitting a subtle clicking sound.

"Hmm, the ninjutsu and such are all still there, just a bit weaker."

Then, as if he had thought of a brilliant idea, the corners of his mouth slowly curled into an extremely malicious arc.

"I want to tease that kid Kakashi..."

He reached out and tapped lightly in the void, as if he had already locked onto a certain name.

"I suppose I can only turn into that person."

He didn't say the name aloud, merely leaning against the tree trunk and letting out a silent, eerie cackle in the darkness.

"Though, why is it this familiar night again..."

Lin Zi looked up at the pitch-black canopy and sighed.

"Last time I dealt with the Nine-Tails incident, I ended up finding a rock to use as a bed in the middle of the night. This time, after dealing with Orochimaru, I'm finding a rock to use as a bed again... Good heavens, would it kill you to give me an inn to stay in?"

He grumbled and cursed, but his body was honest enough to tip over to the side, lying directly onto a moss-covered boulder.

"Whatever... I'll just make do."

No sooner had the words left his lips than his breathing deepened.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in the northwest of Konoha.

In the Land of Earth, at Iwagakure, it was the dead of night.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was sitting in his office.

He hovered in mid-air with his arms crossed, his face, wrinkled like a walnut, pulled tight as he stared at the letter on his desk sealed with hot wax.