Accidental Discovery

Land of Grass

In a basement, Orochimaru frowned as he surveyed his surroundings.

The basement was dark, with several small holes in the ceiling for ventilation and to let in sunlight. In the dim light, one could see some iron weapons placed inside. The most eye-catching thing was a strange stone chair in the center of the room, and the coffin in front of the chair.

This dark and secluded basement, containing a coffin filled with corpses, would be terrifying for an ordinary person. But for Orochimaru, it was child's play; Orochimaru felt no discomfort whatsoever.

"What a strange feeling. That little guy escaped here and disappeared. Did he deliberately lure me here?"

Orochimaru walked to the stone seat, looked the wooden coffin up and down, and pondered in his eyes.

After Orochimaru was rescued by the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Nara, the two parted ways in the Land of Land of Grass. The Fourth Hokage returned to Konoha, while Orochimaru lingered in the Land of Grass, hoping to find and cultivate some promising talents.

On his very first day in the Land of Grass, Orochimaru found someone who really interested him: a little guy who could use Wood Release Ninjutsu.

This young genin from Kusagakure, who could use Wood Release Ninjutsu, Genin very alert. He seemed to know that someone was following him and had escaped to this hidden hideout.

All of this seemed highly suspicious to Orochimaru, as if it had led him here.

After pondering for a long time, Orochimaru decided to open the coffin and take a look. As a master of the Impure World Reincarnation Ninjutsu, he had an unparalleled interest in grave robbing and opening coffins.

Orochimaru did as he pleased, placing both hands on one side of the coffin and easily opening it with a slight effort.

Inside the coffin lay a mummified corpse, dressed in a simple robe. Based on Orochimaru's experience, he could determine that the corpse had died at an age of seventy or eighty.

The mummified corpse emitted a strange fragrance, which was from substances added to the coffin by those who arranged his funeral to preserve the body from decay.

Orochimaru stared at the mummified corpse, and as if by professional habit, reached out and touched the corpse's cheek, prying open its eyelids.

"This is!? The Sharingan!?"

Orochimaru was astonished to see the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan the mummified corpse. His expression gradually became serious as he stripped off the mummified corpse's hemp clothing and began to examine its body.

"He looked to be around eighty years old, had Sharingan, and was a member of the Uchiha Clan."

Konoha has only been established for sixty-one years, and this person was born before Konoha was founded.

Logically speaking, after the Uchiha and Senju founded Konoha, all their members joined the Konoha.

There shouldn't be an old man like that out there...

Orochimaru stared at the mummified corpse in thought. After a moment of deduction, his pupils widened slightly as he realized something.

"Could it be that person!?"

Orochimaru, with his quick thinking, soon deduced the identity of the old man with the Sharingan.

Among the Uchiha outside of Konoha, only one person seems to fit the description of dying at that age.

"Uchiha... Madara!?"

Orochimaru's eyes lit up with excitement as he deduced that Uchiha Madara was a contemporary of the First Hokage, and that Konoha was founded jointly by Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara.

Orochimaru had already witnessed the formidable fighting prowess of Hashirama Senju, or rather, the Senju Brothers, during the Hidden Stone Collapse Operation.

"Pain sealed away the Kage I painstakingly summoned, and now I've found Uchiha Madara. Hehehehe, truly, there's always a way out."

The more Orochimaru reasoned, the more correct he believed his judgment was. The two Tsuchikage, two Hokage, and two Kazekage he had previously Impure World Reincarnation were all trapped in Pain's Ninjutsu, Chibaku Tensei.

Orochimaru alone managed to escape through the gap created by the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Nara, using the Eight Branches Technique. Now, without the Impure World Reincarnation army, Orochimaru is at his most vulnerable and isolated.

"Heh heh, the reasoning may align with the truth, but further verification is needed to determine the outcome."

Orochimaru took out Kunai, scraped off a bit of flesh tissue from the dried corpse's body, placed the flesh tissue on Storage Scroll, and sealed it inside.

"Let's try using the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and we'll see the truth..."

In the dark underground environment, Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

In an inconspicuous corner of the basement, a face, half black and half white, floats eerily, silently watching Orochimaru.

"Black Zetsu, Madara's resurrection—does this mean a second alternative plan has been opened up?"

"No, Nagato wouldn't willingly revive Madara. In a sense, Madara's revival can only rely on Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation."

"But if one is Impure World Reincarnation technique, wouldn't one be subject to the control of Orochimaru?"

"The Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu isn't without flaws; controlling Madara won't be so easy. Alright, don't get distracted, stick close to Orochimaru."

The creature, with its face and body half white and half black, seemed to possess two consciousnesses, communicating and chatting with each other.

"Clear."

White Zetsu replied to Black Zetsu with a somewhat flippant tone, his distinctly black and white face blending into the wall.

On the ground

Unaware that he was being followed, Orochimaru was walking along a dirt path when he ran into a tall, Kusagakure from Kusagakure.

"Hey, stranger, got any money? Can you lend me some?"

Just as Orochimaru and the Kusagakure were about to pass each other, the tall Kusagakure reached out and stopped Orochimaru, and what he said surprised Orochimaru even more.

"Heh heh, the Kusagakure ninja are indeed opportunistic towards both sides of the great powers, causing trouble for the common people."

Orochimaru saw that this ninja was tall, Chakra, and seemed quite skilled. Orochimaru only wanted to capture a genin or something similar to use as a sacrifice for the Genin Impure World Reincarnation, and didn't want to waste his energy on such a tall, adult ninja.

However, the powerful words of this Kusagakure Orochimaru, who had previously ignored him, to take him seriously.

"Boy, you dare insult Kusagakure! If you can't pay a fine of one million taels, you're dead today, hehehe..."

The Kusagakure was tall and burly, with a face full of fat and a ferocious smile. At this moment, he seemed to have a customer. He rubbed his hands together and then grabbed Orochimaru's neck with his large hand.

"Huh!? You're a ninja!?"

The Kusagakure's hand was inches away from Orochimaru's neck, but at that moment, it was like an insurmountable chasm. His body was bound and immobilized by a python that had somehow crawled onto him, making it impossible for him to move an inch.

The Kusagakure ninja then realized that the young man in front of him seemed to be a ninja, and a ninja with considerable Ninjutsu skills at that, and a look of panic appeared on his face.

"Heh heh, yes, my name Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils widened slightly, and a Genjutsu to amplify the fear in people's hearts was instantly cast.

"No, please spare my life..."

The Kusagakure, who were initially panicked, turned to fear upon seeing Orochimaru's vertical pupils.