Orochimaru: You two, ever heard of the Will of Fire?

Kyoto, the Land of Water.

At the site of the previous battle, a snake emerged, opened its mouth wide, and spat out a person.

Orochimaru emerged from the snake's mouth.

He looked around, his gaze sharpening slightly before settling on a patch of damaged woods ahead.

Tailed Beast Bomb.

This is the first time a ninja village has used a tailed beast jinchūriki to fight against another ninja clan of its own, and that clan is a renowned bloodline limit clan in the ninja world.

Before them lay a massive ravine, carved out by a highly concentrated Tailed Beast Bomb, a desolate wasteland where no weeds had grown to this day.

As he walked along it, the scene from that moment seemed to replay in his mind.

A group of people were facing the ninjas of Kirigakure and were determined to fight back when two Tailed Beast Bomb suddenly appeared from among them.

Scheme?

No need. With the Kaguya Clan, the Yuki Clan, and the Kaguya Clan all around, they will definitely come to attack.

Karatachi Yagura.

"How ruthless!"

Orochimaru lowered his head and then looked into the distance.

They could ruthlessly wield their swords against former comrades and partners, directly using the tailed beast jinchūriki to severely injure the Kaguya and Yuki clans, and then simply reap the rewards.

but.

"This is also the best option."

Orochimaru marveled at the opponent's ruthlessness, but he also had to admire Karatachi Yagura's rationality.

When they strike, it's swift and decisive, eliminating the enemy completely and preventing the battle from escalating further—the best outcome for the entire village.

Just like Kyohiko.

Once I make my move, I will definitely kill Danzo and leave him no chance to escape.

This is also one of the reasons why Orochimaru admires Kyohiko.

In this respect, Kyohiko is very different from his Teacher and his adopted sister, and is indeed more like Senju Tobirama back then.

Orochimaru bit his finger, then Hand Seals.

In an instant, a large number of snakes were summoned and crawled in all directions. They would become Orochimaru's eyes, helping him to see the surrounding situation.

He then examined the traces there further.

Such a dense Tailed Beast Chakra wouldn't dissipate quickly; he could still faintly detect some lingering traces of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

"If neither of the two families has left any inheritance, then we'll have to go and check their ancestral lands..."

Orochimaru pondered deeply.

Just then, snakes suddenly crawled back from one direction.

"You found a lead so quickly?"

He was somewhat surprised, and then walked in that direction.

In a remote mountain village, a man wipes away his sweat and unloads the firewood he has painstakingly carried back.

All around him, pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Everyone, are you still short of someone? Didn't we already...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the owners of those pairs of eyes rushed over and took some of the firewood. A few said thank you, but most of them were self-righteous.

The man was dumbfounded.

He looked around, unsure what to say for a moment, when just then, an old woman walked over.

She walked slowly.

"I'll just take a small bundle! Just a small bundle!"

"Okay, I'll give you the smaller one..."

"I want a big one, because a big one burns longer!"

As she spoke, she began to select firewood, choosing a few larger pieces from the few remaining ones before slowly walking away, satisfied.

The man swallowed hard, but silently continued cleaning up the mess.

This isn't the first time this has happened.

He didn't expect...

A moment of kindness yields this kind of reward.

"Xinxian, what happened?"

"Shino, it's nothing. It's just that everyone took some firewood. I'll go and collect some more another day."

Xinxian replied, and as he spoke, he tidied up the remaining items and went inside.

The woman sighed, "Although we're not afraid, if this happens too often, they'll realize we're not ordinary people, and who knows..."

In the Land of Water, the long-standing wars and chaos between the island nations have led to extreme hostility towards Kekkei Genkai. If the villagers were to find out...

"Then let's find another place to stay."

Xinxian said with a smile.

The woman paused for a moment, then nodded gently. "Okay, whatever you say."

She smiled and said, "Doing more good deeds might just make your future child a kind and blessed person."

The man was about to speak.

A hoarse voice came from outside.

"As a ninja, why don't you defend what's yours?"

"Who?"

An ice sword instantly appeared in Xinxian's hand.

The next instant, a snake opened its mouth wide in front of them. The woman gasped in fright, her face turning deathly pale, and ice spikes appeared around her.

The two of them were survivors of the Yuki Clan!

Not long after, a person climbed out of it.

Their breaths froze for a moment.

this...

Although they had never met, they had all heard of each other's names and characteristics.

Sannin, one of the Orochimaru!

For them, this was a name that existed only in stories and intelligence; they never imagined that one day they would actually see it with their own eyes, and right in their own home, at such a special time.

Xinxian gritted his teeth. "Orochimaru! Come at me if you dare!"

"Hehehe, if it were the old me, you should have fought me to the death, but now... I have no ill intentions towards you."

Orochimaru licked his lips.

If it were the old him, this family would only have two values in his eyes—

Those with ability become subordinates.

Those without superpowers used to become his achievements or experimental subjects, but now he has promised Tsunade and Kyohiko that he will no longer use people as experimental subjects.

so.

The two are safe!

Orochimaru chuckled, "You must be members of the Yuki Clan, yet you survived!"

"What... what is your purpose?!"

Xinxian gripped the knife made of ice, but his palms were covered in cold sweat.

As a former ninja and a member of the Yuki Clan, he knew very well what kind of strength Orochimaru possessed, and even if he tried his best to stop him, he might not be able to save his wife.

"First, answer my question. As a ninja and a user of Kekkei Genkai, you had plenty of opportunities to kill them and defend your property. Why did you let them loot?"

Orochimaru asked with great interest.

"Because I am a ninja, and the original meaning of a ninja is to protect the weak and defend the country, not to slaughter civilians and fight for power. The Kirigakure has gone astray."

Xinxian said firmly.

Orochimaru was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Xinxian swallowed hard, his voice filled with fear yet brimming with courage. "What are you laughing at?"

"Kindness can sometimes become a weapon used by others to harm you, and it can also become an accomplice in the death of your loved ones."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile. "Besides, you're kind and compassionate towards outsiders, yet you didn't die in the war to save your clan. Isn't that a contradiction?"

"I... because that's why I married my wife and had children, I..."

Xinxian remained silent for a moment, then finally said in a low voice, "I am a deserter, but I only wanted to protect my family. No clan can stand against the Five Great Shinobi Villages!"

"But--"

Orochimaru looked at the man's wife and laughed, "Your wife must have gotten pregnant in the last three months, around the time your war began."

"Huh? But..."

The man looked at his wife.

"As you said, there's no way we can survive by fighting against the village alongside our family..."

His wife looked away, avoiding his gaze.

Xinxian understood.

To get him to leave with her, his wife pretended to be pregnant, deceiving him into going with her.

He was silent for a moment. "What exactly are you trying to say after all this?"

Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile, "Have you ever heard of the Will of Fire?"

"The Will of Fire?"

Xinxian was clearly unaware of this, and he remained vigilant.

Orochimaru sat down casually, appearing quite approachable, but the hissing snakes around them told the two that if they wanted to escape, the situation might not be so peaceful.

"The Will of Fire was conceived by the First Hokage, and through the summarization and refinement of generations, its core is what you said: the meaning of a ninja is to protect the village and its people, not to bully, kill, or wage war."

Orochimaru said calmly.

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju a name that resonates throughout the Shinobi World, and his story is known to every ninja to some extent.

If that person wants to start a war...

The Shinobi World today might not even be in the same state it is now.

so.

Orochimaru's explanation is quite convincing.

but.

What was the point of the other party saying this?

They looked at each other, puzzled.

Orochimaru continued his eloquent speech.

Some say that a person's birth determines which country they live in, but what determines a person's belonging as an adult should be their thoughts, will, and ideals. You share more like-minded goals and ideas with us, so why be bound by nationality?

Thought, will, and ambition—these are the true weapons for unifying human cognition!

He completely agreed with Kyohiko on this point!

For the two of them--

For Xinxian in particular, Orochimaru's words were undoubtedly very shocking.

What determines a person's belonging should be their thoughts, will, and ideals...

He felt a strong sense of identification.

Because the brutal and bloodthirsty Kirigakure was not worthy of their loyalty, otherwise he would not have left with his clan without any attachment to Kirigakure.

If Konoha is truly like this...

A thought crossed his mind.

Orochimaru chuckled, "By the way, the note we left behind earlier belonged to the person who said those words. You should have heard of him: Kyohiko Yoshimine."

"Kyohiko Yoshimine, Ryomine... God Child?"

The two blurted it out.

Orochimaru paused for a few seconds, then said, "God Child? What does that mean?"

"Well..."

The couple looked at each other.

Then, Xinxian mustered his courage and said, "Back then, Hashirama Senju was the god of the Shinobi World. We believed that Kyohiko Yoshimine might be the reincarnation of Hashirama Senju's power, so we secretly called him the God Child."

"Hmph, hahaha!"

Orochimaru finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He could already picture the black lines on Tsunade and Kyohiko's faces when they heard that title...

It's sure to be amazing!

"Alright, that's right, it's him. The writing is on a piece of tree bark, warning you that Kirigakure is about to take action against you. Am I right?"

Yes, yes, yes!

Xinxian nodded repeatedly.

In fact, when Orochimaru mentioned Kyohiko Yoshimine, he had no more doubts.

because...

He heard that the ninjas of Konoha had taken away a group of the Kaguya Clan members!

It was just a rumor before, and it was never confirmed.

But now...

Combining Orochimaru's words, everything makes sense.

The Konoha God Child arrived here, took away the Kaguya Clan members, and left behind warnings, which led to their clan traveling north to Kyoto together with the Kaguya Clan.

Unfortunately, the brutality of Kirigakure far exceeded their expectations.

After hearing this, he became even more convinced.

Konoha, the Will of Fire!

What a peaceful village this must be!

Isn't this precisely the goal I've been pursuing my whole life?

Xue Xinxian stood up and said, "Lord Orochimaru, how can we join Konoha? Can people like us...?"

Orochimaru sighed.

"Of course, actually, the reason I came here this time is because Kyohiko is worried about you, feeling that he didn't do enough or change the fate of your Yuki Clan."

"How could that be! Lord Kyohiko, if it weren't for him, our Yuki Clan would have perished in the Kirigakure attack long ago, and as for me... although I'm ashamed to have deserted, I also owe a debt to Lord Kyohiko, otherwise I would surely have died in the war..."

Xinxian lowered his head.

Orochimaru sighed softly, "It's not your fault. One person's strength is insignificant in the face of a ninja village and its Ninja Beast. Even in Konoha, there aren't many who can subdue the Tailed Beast."

not much...

But there definitely are.

Not to mention Kyohiko, who possesses Wood Release and Senjutsu and has talents similar to Hashirama Senju, the two members of the Uzumaki Clan can restrain the Tailed Beast.

This is also the root cause of the annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan.

The other person burst into tears.

Clearly, the escape and the extermination of his clan were indelible pains in his heart. If it weren't for his wife and children, he would have definitely sought revenge against Kirigakure.

Orochimaru spoke gently, offering repeated reassurances.

The two no longer doubted Orochimaru; instead, they longed for a peaceful land where the Will of Fire resided.

Konoha!

at last.

"So, you're the only ones left in the Yuki Clan?"

"Yes, everyone else, everyone..."

Xinxian couldn't help but shed tears.

Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then asked, "What about the Kaguya Clan?"

"I heard that those in the Land of Water are all gone too."

Xinxian clenched his fist. "The brutal and bloody rule of Kirigakure will not last much longer!"

"Yes, their rule... won't last much longer!"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Today, I will take you back to Konoha. You should pack your things."

"Really?"

"Um."

The two were filled with trepidation and hesitated for a long time before the woman said, "Why don't you give them this firewood again?"

"Alright then..."

Xinxian got up, intending to go and see him off.

Orochimaru sighed softly.

These two are so kind they're almost naive.

He quickly stopped him.

"No need. If they don't show up for a long time after you leave, they will naturally enter your house and take what they need. This is a normal occurrence."

"Well... okay."

The two exchanged a glance, understanding that what the other said was true, and their hearts were saddened by the ugly reality.

In the middle of the night, on the ship returning home, Orochimaru smiled and asked, "Have you thought about what to name the child?"

"White!"

Shino smiled brightly, looking at her husband, "I hope he can be as pure and flawless as snow!"