In the scorching desert, low hills and dunes rose and fell, unremarkable among the countless others in the Land of Wind.
One of those hills had been hollowed out long ago. Inside lay countless Puppet parts and all manner of mechanisms and Concealed Weapons.
A figure worked at an Experimental Table. It was Chiyo's grandson, Scorpion.
"Only eternal life is art."
That was Scorpion's creed. Obsessed with puppets since childhood, he had invented many over the years, unlike anything Sunagakure had seen before.
But as his Puppet Technique improved, he grew less and less satisfied. Puppets were nothing but wooden dolls. That was how he saw them now.
Only Puppets made from real living beings could be called art.
"Heh. I hope the Third Kazekage's resistance to poison can withstand my New-Type Poison."
Scorpion walked out of the Cave. The sun blazed overhead, and the desert stretched as far as the eye could see.
He held a Sealed Bottle containing the New-Type Poison he had developed. Raising it toward the sun, he studied the mesmerizing colors within, and a strange smile touched his face.
"What intoxicating colors. Just like my art."
Scorpion's figure gradually vanished into the desert as yellow sand swirled on the wind.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. The day Orochimaru would become the Fourth Hokage drew ever closer.
In the Hokage's Office, Orochimaru, the Third Hokage, and Homura were talking.
"Orochimaru, Konoha will be in your hands from now on. Homura and I will retire completely. Unless something major happens, we won't involve ourselves in village affairs," the Third Hokage said.
Orochimaru nodded. "Rest assured, Sensei. After I take office, I'd like to appoint Fugaku Uchiha as an Advisor to Konoha, with the authority to help me handle village affairs."
The Third Hokage