I Came from the Mountains

Before the words had even faded.

Lin Zi's body completely disintegrated, turning into countless emerald-green specks of light that drifted through the air like a meteor shower in reverse, toward the forest beyond Konoha.

They floated past the crumbling walls and rubble being rebuilt, past the blood- and dust-smeared faces of the four, trailing tiny streaks of light through the night.

At last, a few specks of light paused in midair for a moment, as if the faint smile that usually lingered at the corner of his mouth still remained. Then they vanished completely into the night wind.

On the ruins, only four shinobi and the wreckage remained.

The night wind carried the stench of blood and the smell of burning across the land that Yamata no Orochi had ravaged. In the distance, Konoha's lights flickered, yet it was as if nothing had happened.

"Honestly..."

Jiraiya was the first to break the silence.

He brushed the dust off his rear, then scratched at his unruly white hair. His voice still had a slightly stuffy, nasal quality.

"Orochimaru, that guy... If he needed to recover, fine, but he had to make it all seem like some tragic farewell..."

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

"Hey, Tsunade, want this sage to carry you back?"

"No need."

Tsunade turned her face away in a sulk. The darkness of night barely concealed the reluctance in the eyes of the usually imposing kunoichi.

"...I can walk on my own."

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

"That boy..." He took a puff. The ember flickered as he spoke in a voice so low it was almost to himself. "He was a good kid."

He gazed toward where the specks of light had vanished and said nothing for a long time. The hem of his battle uniform fluttered gently in the breeze. His back was hunched, but he seemed at last to feel relieved.

Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, was stunned.

He stood behind the other three, still clutching the bloodstained Flying Thunder God Kunai. Lin Zi's final words had taken root in his mind, sprouting wildly.

Minato thought of the Night of the Nine-Tails, of the blond boy who had emerged from a fissure in the forest. He remembered the red markings around his eyes in Sage Mode, and his lazy attitude.

"Naruto..."

Minato murmured, then suddenly snapped back to his senses and clenched his fist. He wanted nothing more than to use the Flying Thunder God to return home right away and tell Kushina.

"But that Orochimaru..."

Jiraiya suddenly hopped onto a mostly intact boulder, planted his hands on his hips, stroked his chin, and put on a solemn expression as he imitated Lin Zi.

"He seems to really enjoy messing with people."

He deliberately hunched his shoulders, stuck his neck out, and mimicked Lin Zi's tone.

"You guys don't know this, but the first time he met me, he told me to confess my crimes and come back to Konoha with him! And just now, he pretended to be dead... He scared this sage into shedding tears for nothing!"

"Hahahaha!"

Tsunade had been holding a stern expression, but his ridiculous act finally got the better of her, and she burst out laughing. She walked over and punched Jiraiya in the back—not too hard, not too soft.

"Jiraiya, I didn't know you had such a talent for acting! You've got his mannerisms down pretty well!"

"Of course!"

Jiraiya raised his chin proudly and folded his arms across his chest.

"Do you even know who this sage is? All right, at least tonight had a perfectly happy ending."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was finally drawn out of his thoughts.

He turned to look at the two troublemakers. His mouth twitched as if he wanted to scold them, but in the end, he only shook his head helplessly and tucked his pipe into his sash.

"Jiraiya... honestly."

"Old man, you can stop staring, too!"

Jiraiya jumped down from the boulder, slung an arm around Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulders, and half-dragged him along with a cheeky grin.

"Let's head back first! If you keep staring over there, it won't make him come back any sooner. Next time, why not just let him into the village?"

"Exactly."

Tsunade followed, her steps still a little unsteady, but her back ramrod straight.

"But next time we meet, I'm punching that guy first. We had a deal."

Minato walked at the rear and glanced back once more at the empty ruins. The night wind lifted a dead leaf and sent it skimming past his feet, off into the distance.

He let out a soft breath. The hem of his Hokage Cloak billowed in the wind as he turned and caught up with the others.

The four figures gradually disappeared at the end of the street under reconstruction. Konoha's lights stretched their shadows out, then shortened them, until they finally melted into the gentle night.

"Whew... that was close."

Lin Zi, who had just turned into specks of light, suddenly appeared in the depths of the mountains. His legs gave way, and he slumped down onto a fallen tree.

He clutched his chest. His heart was still pounding as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

"Good thing I was clever enough to come up with a way to escape..."

He leaned his head against the tree trunk, and a bitter laugh slipped from his throat.

"Otherwise, I might've had to play Orochimaru for the rest of my life..."

[ Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuations in the world's core supporting character Orochimaru (original world), supporting character Kushina Uzumaki, and supporting character Shizune. ]

[ Progress in playing Orochimaru (Spirit Snake Sage) has increased by 20%. Current compatibility: 70%. ]

[ Character Card unlocked: Selected Roleplay! The host can choose a character from a specified worldline to play. ]

Lin Zi paused, then grinned.

"That's good news. At least this time I don't have to risk drawing a character card."

He exited roleplay mode.

His pale skin returned to normal, his golden slit pupils shrank back to their usual dark brown, and his black ponytail receded like the tide, turning back into his original short hair.

But Orochimaru's ninjutsu gifts had already been etched into his bones. He could feel that his joints were more flexible than ever, his bones able to twist at will like rubber. Even his fingertips retained a faint sensitivity to Natural Energy from Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu.

"Let's get used to this..."

He rolled his wrist, and his bones gave a faint series of clicks.

"Yeah, I can still use all the ninjutsu and everything. I'm just a little weaker."

Then, as if he had thought of a brilliant idea, the corner of his mouth slowly curled into an exceptionally mischievous grin.

"I want to mess with that kid Kakashi..."

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

"I'll have to turn into that person."

He didn't say the name aloud. He only leaned against the tree and let out a silent, cackling laugh in the darkness.

"But why is it another familiar night..."

Lin Zi looked up at the black canopy of trees and sighed.

"Last time, after dealing with the Nine-Tails' rampage, I spent the middle of the night using a rock for a bed. This time, after dealing with Orochimaru, I'm using a rock for a bed again... Heaven, would it kill you to let me stay at an inn?"

He grumbled and cursed, but his body was already tipping over to the side. He lay down on a moss-covered boulder.

"Forget it... I'll make do."

As soon as he finished speaking, his breathing slowed.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, to the northwest of Konoha.

The Land of Earth, Iwagakure. Late at night.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, sat in his office.

He hovered in midair with his arms crossed. His wrinkled old face, like a walnut, was drawn tight as he stared at the letter on his desk, sealed with a blob of wax.