Morning mist hung like gauze over the winding mountain path to River Temple.
Uchiha Shinichi climbed the stone steps at an unhurried pace, the hem of his black robe patterned with red clouds brushing over the moss-speckled stairs with a faint rustle.
He idly toyed with the ring engraved with the character for "East," its metal gleaming coldly in the morning light.
"Orochimaru..."
A playful curve touched his lips.
Of course, he knew this "senior's" background—one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru the Cold Lord, a legendary figure among rogue ninja.
Shinichi's Byakugan pierced through the mist, taking in the layout of the entire mountain temple.
Yet his thoughts drifted to all the rumors surrounding Orochimaru: a genius who had lost both parents in childhood, the Third Hokage's prized disciple, one of the "Sannin" alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade... followed by human experimentation, defection from Konoha, and the founding of Otogakure.
Every part of that history was shocking enough to shake the world.
"Snake Uncle, pursuing immortality... what a pity..."
Shinichi sighed softly.
In pursuit of immortality, Orochimaru had developed the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, constantly replacing his body with younger ones.
To Shinichi, such behavior was both laughable and pitiable—why would a true powerhouse need to rely on another person's shell?
The mountain wind gradually picked up, dispersing some of the mist.
Shinichi stopped at a platform and gazed into the distance.
From here, he could overlook the entire Land of Rivers, its rivers winding through the mountains like silver ribbons.
He considered Pain's reasons for pairing him with Orochimaru.
"Perfect..."
Shinichi narrowed his eyes, and the Magatama patterns in his Sharingan spun rapidly.
He planned to imitate what Itachi Uchiha had done in the original story: use genjutsu to intimidate Orochimaru and force him to leave the Akatsuki of his