Kindred Spirits, or a Fat Sheep?

Haku's face changed, and he was clearly a little saddened, but he still nodded.

"Let's go! The people we're up against this time shouldn't be strong, right?"

Zabuza thought it over as he walked.

"They shouldn't be. After all, that guy disguised himself as a bridge builder. Escorting an ordinary person is one of the lowest-ranked missions, even in Konoha."

"Based on experience, the ones who take a mission like that are usually students from the village, probably a graduating class, with one teacher leading them at most."

"But... a mere teacher is nothing to worry about. As long as it isn't one of the famous ones, the rest are easy enough to handle."

Haku nodded, but still looked worried.

"Didn't we hear recently about someone called Uchiha Sora?"

"They say he's very strong. What if it's him?"

Zabuza scoffed.

"You're overthinking it. Even Konoha would protect a talent like that. There's no way we'd run into him, and even if we did..."

He trailed off and tapped the great sword in his hand.

"Then I'd like to know whether he can use that ability faster than my sword can strike!"

Haku nodded. That made sense. Zabuza was strong; he ranked among the best in the entire Ninja World.

He could handle more than just a student. Even a famous teacher like Kakashi was no match for him.

The two hurried onward, their voices soon swallowed by the desolate mountain forest.

In a remote part of the Naruto World.

Orochimaru looked anxious. Three corpses lay before him.

"Damn it! What the hell was that weapon of Uchiha Sora's? Why does it feel like my body could fall apart at any moment?"

Orochimaru was furious.

The last time he invaded Konoha, he clearly hadn't sustained any serious injuries.

And Konoha's Hokage was fine too. In theory, it had just been a confrontation between the two sides.

Neither had suffered any real losses.

But Orochimaru had discovered that ever since his close-range encounter with Uchiha Sora...

His body had started acting up after Sora appeared.

Sometimes, while he was simply walking, an arm would fall off. Other times, some part of his body would suddenly hurt.

In short, Orochimaru hadn't fought for days, and had already used the Snake Clone Technique to create several new bodies.

But for some reason, it didn't seem to help. That force was still there.

Orochimaru had no choice but to consider changing bodies.

He hadn't found a suitable vessel before, so he'd hesitated.

The three men before him were strong shinobi he'd selected from various shinobi villages.

They weren't famous, but they were the best vessels he could find for now.

"Damn it... That weapon must have some kind of side effect. It can actually infect me!"

"Next time, I'll use a Uchiha body as my vessel!"

Orochimaru was unwilling, but he began the body-transfer process all the same.

Soon, his body was transferred into the new vessel.

When he awoke, he found that moving still felt awkward.

The pain was gone, but he still seemed to be injured.

"Looks like I should find a medical ninja to treat me. But a famous medical ninja... Tsunade!"

Orochimaru's eyes flickered as he suddenly spoke.

"Kabuto, come here for a moment. Help me find out if there's a fat sheep at any casinos lately."

Kabuto stepped forward, looking completely baffled.

"My lord, why are you investigating that?"

He was confused. Orochimaru had never had that kind of hobby.

Why did he suddenly want to gamble?

Orochimaru snapped irritably.

"Just do as I say. Why are you asking so many questions?"

If he hadn't just finished something important, and if there weren't other things to take care of, he would've slapped him already.

Kabuto seemed to sense the danger and couldn't help shrinking his neck.

"Of course! I'll look into it right away!"

With that, he hurriedly took his leave.

A moment later, Orochimaru took a deep breath.

"Sora... What exactly is this guy? Could he really be the reincarnation of Madara Uchiha, as the rumors say?"

Orochimaru had studied a lot of science, including reincarnation.

There was a theory that when certain shinobi reached a certain level of power, they would be reincarnated after death.

It didn't mean much, since they lost their memories and emotions.

They became new people.

But they inherited their combat ability, including their talent.

Now that a little kid like Sora had left Orochimaru in this state, he had reason to wonder about the boy's origins.

"But something doesn't add up! If this guy really were Madara Uchiha, his power should show in actual combat, not in these underhanded tricks."

"And is this really an ability of his eyes? Or is he researching science, like me...?"

Orochimaru suddenly hesitated.

He began to think that perhaps Uchiha Sora was someone who shared his ideals.

There was no need to make him an enemy and take over his body.

If the boy was also interested in research, wouldn't the two of them be able to create a legend of scientific achievement together?

At the thought, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

"I'll see next time we meet. If this guy also believes in science, then we're kindred spirits."

In a city somewhere in the Naruto World, the streets were bright with lights and bustling with life.

It was one of the few places in the entire Naruto World dedicated to pleasure and entertainment.

There were all sorts of amusements here, but gambling was the most famous.

There were countless tales of people becoming rich overnight.

But there were just as many unlucky fools who'd lost everything in a single night.

Now, a group of people sat around playing cards, anticipation written on their faces.

"You're saying the fat sheep's coming soon? The legendary fat sheep?"

A burly man's eyes gleamed.

"Of course! I heard that woman who loses every time she gambles is coming here. And whenever she visits a new place, she's loaded with money!"

"If we win against her, the rest of our lives will be set!"

The group grew excited.

As they waited, footsteps sounded outside. Everyone quickly turned to look.

Soon, they saw a woman wearing a green robe with a large character for "gamble" printed on it.

She had beautiful blond hair and a curvaceous figure. It was Tsunade.

Beside her, Shizune held a little pig in her arms and looked thoroughly reluctant.

"Lady Tsunade! We should really leave. We worked so hard to earn all this money. Are you going to lose it all?"

Tsunade glared at her.

"Why are you being so pessimistic? We haven't even started gambling. How do you know I'll lose?"

Shizune was helpless. Isn't that obvious?

Tsunade had lost every single time she'd gambled. Whenever she visited somewhere new, people even called out that the fat sheep had arrived.

Sometimes, people would set up gambling tables specifically to lure Tsunade in.

They were obviously after her money!

But Tsunade couldn't care less. She immediately walked into the room.

When she saw the cards in front of her, her eyes lit up.

"Everyone! How about we play for high stakes?"

The crowd grew excited.

Only Shizune looked helpless. Suddenly, Shizune turned her head toward the window.

"Is someone spying on me?"