Within the deepest reaches of the Hidden Waterfall Village, behind the Great Falls, stood an ancient Sacred Tree.
Once every hundred years, it produced the Hero's Water, a miraculous substance capable of boosting a human's chakra tenfold.
Today, it welcomed a special guest. As Uchiha Kaede's figure descended toward the falls, the Sacred Tree seemed to sense his presence; an aura of agitation rippled through its branches.
The tree's unease caused the serene, luminous scenery to shift. The sky bled into a chaotic crimson, and a chilling, oppressive atmosphere settled over the glade.
"As I thought... a demonic tree."
This was a miniature Gedo Mazo (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path). Though Kaede didn't know how it had become separated from the main body on the moon, he could feel the vast, pulsing energy within this smaller vessel.
Sensing the threat, the miniature statue lashed out. It condensed its chakra into a massive dragon that lunged at Kaede.
Kaede countered, breathing out a Fire Dragon, but to his surprise, his flames were instantly swallowed by the chakra dragon, becoming fuel for the statue.
What a bizarre ability...
The dragon bore down on him. Kaede condensed his flames into a single point and detonated them in mid-air. The shockwave sent the surrounding air into a violent swirl.
He then unleashed Blue Flames (Azure Fire), which burned with such intensity that they finally began to consume the chakra dragon.
The demonic tree launched a second assault, thrusting countless chains from the earth.
These chains were imbued with a powerful sealing property; the moment the blue flames touched them, they were snuffed out as if by a Fire Sealing Method.
Realizing standard methods were futile, Kaede activated his Mangekyo. Combining Final Destination and Turbo Flame, he condensed a silver-white fireball in his palms—the essence of Grand Sunny Day. He flickered above the tree and slammed the orb down.
The tree let out a series of wailing shrieks as its trunk began to wither under the absolute heat.
"Now!"
Kaede produced a sealing scroll. As he wove the signs, "fairy chains" erupted, binding the statue and forcibly dragging it into the scroll.
This statue shared the same origin as the main Gedo Mazo, but having spent eons in the Waterfall, it had developed its own consciousness and refused to merge with the original. It was, effectively, a Second Demonic Statue.
The Aftermath
The incident in the Hidden Waterfall concluded with Suien successfully taking over as leader and becoming the new Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
Both the Leaf and the Cloud were forced to swallow the bitter pill of failure and recognize the new regime.
In the post-mission analysis, the mysterious powerhouse who had suppressed both Bee and Chomei was identified by the major villages as likely being the Kazekage himself, acting covertly.
Even though the man wore Akatsuki robes, the villages found it hard to believe a mere mercenary group possessed such a monster.
Since the Kazekage had personally moved into the northern continent, the failure of the respective teams was deemed "reasonable." The only remaining headache for the Leaf was the "Lop Nur Problem."
The Kazekage's office had sent a scathing formal protest, questioning the Leaf's competence and accusing them of "discriminatory negligence" toward Sand merchants.
To settle the matter, the Hokage's office reached a settlement after several rounds of tense negotiations.
Lop Nur didn't lose out. He squeezed significant concessions from the Leaf. While the Leaf didn't pay a single cent in cash, they were forced to transfer ownership of several village industries and properties to the Roran Chamber of Commerce.
Mission accomplished, the "bandaged" Lop Nur began his journey back to the Sand. The Land of Frost affairs were handed over to other Chamber representatives, still under Leaf escort.
The Predator's Return
"To personally infiltrate the Land of Fire just for the Hidden Waterfall... your courage is truly admirable."
Inside the returning carriage, Orochimaru, dressed in white, appeared before Lop Nur. He flicked his tongue, his presence exuding an eerie, predatory pressure.
Having absorbed the essence of the White Snake Sage, Orochimaru's power had skyrocketed, especially now that he had mastered Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode.
Yet, the stronger Orochimaru became, the more he realized Shiraishi was unfathomable. In his "Lop Nur" state, Shiraishi showed zero chakra fluctuations; he was indistinguishable from a commoner.
"The application of Inorganic Reincarnation (Muki Tensei) is unique," Shiraishi explained. "It allows for natural facial restructuring and can even shift my chakra into other organs to be sealed away."
"I visited Ryuchi Cave recently," Orochimaru noted.
"Did the White Snake Princess try to kill you?"
"Hehe, we didn't have any... conflicts."
Orochimaru had missed his chance to consume the Princess, and she had since utilized the cave's environment to restore her strength. Realizing they were still mutually dependent, they had sat down to discuss continued cooperation.
Shiraishi removed his bandages. Under the flow of Inorganic Reincarnation fluids, his "charred" skin smoothed over, reverting to his true appearance.
"By the way," Orochimaru added with a suggestive smirk that made Shiraishi's skin crawl, "the White Snake Princess has returned to your White Snake Residence in the Sand. She said she's waiting for you."
These guys are born villains, Shiraishi thought. They plot against each other, almost die, and then go right back to collaborating like nothing happened. Incredible.
Meanwhile, back at the Sand Village, the White Snake Princess was dressed more opulently than ever. She looked like a ripe, dangerous fruit as she stared longingly at Pakura.
"I knew you would forgive our past 'misunderstandings,'" the Princess purred.
Pakura took a step back. "I am only here on the Kazekage's orders to oversee the residence. I didn't come here specifically to see you, 'Sister.'"
Knowing the Princess had returned, Shiraishi had assigned Pakura the task of "monitoring" her under the guise of an escort.
"It's fine. We have plenty of time to catch up..."
Just as the Princess stepped closer, Maki entered the room carrying a food container. She wore a gentle, polite smile. "It seems the White Snake Lady has fully recovered. Congratulations."
"What are you doing here?" the Princess asked, annoyed by Maki's scent.
Maki remained smiling at Pakura. "I heard Teacher Pakura was on duty here, so I prepared some... specialty dishes for her."
Dishes?
As Maki opened the container, the White Snake Princess's expression became... complicated.
If Shiraishi had been there, he would have sighed. His "wife" was becoming more and more belly-black (wickedly manipulative) by the day.
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