"Other Uzumaki bloodlines still exist in the ninja world?"
Orochimaru's interest was instantly piqued by what Djinn said.
The self-deprecating act earlier hadn't been entirely fake—it had been a ploy to get Djinn to offer more help, yes, but Orochimaru was also genuinely committed to completing the immortal body. He wanted to explore the theory that a powerful body could feed back into and strengthen the soul itself.
And to do that, the Uzumaki bloodline was key. The deeper its potential, the more valuable it became.
But the problem was... Uzushio Village, the home of the Uzumaki Clan, had been annihilated during the Second Great Ninja War.
Despite being one of the great ninja clans—on par with the Senju and Uchiha—they vanished almost overnight. Their sudden destruction mirrored the fate of many Warring States-era clans, lost to history in the blink of an eye.
The speed of their fall was shocking. Konoha barely had time to respond. The attackers? A scattered alliance of 'unknown' shinobi forces. No one took credit, and no clear enemy emerged.
The event left many stunned. Panic spread across the smaller villages, and conspiracy theories bloomed in the shadows. Some even whispered that Konoha—the Uzumaki's supposed ally and kin through the Senju—had turned a blind eye to their calls for aid. Or worse, had a hand in orchestrating their genocide.
At the center of this suspicion stood one name: Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. A man feared as the silent mastermind of the shinobi world.
But to Orochimaru, such theories were absurd.
When the Uzumaki were wiped out, Uzumaki Mito—the First Hokage's wife—was still alive.
Mito wasn't just a beautiful and powerful woman. She was a master of sealing arts and, more importantly, the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails at the time. With her presence alone, no one in Konoha would've dared touch the Uzumaki Clan—either in public or in secret.
So who was responsible? Orochimaru couldn't say for sure.
But after the clan's fall, things became clear: Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure… even smaller villages like Takigakure suddenly gained advanced sealing techniques and began creating their own Jinchūriki.
Before that, only Konoha and Sunagakure had the knowledge to control Tailed Beasts. For the rest, the beasts were nothing but suicide bombs.
The fall of the Uzumaki wasn't about war. It was about power. They were simply too valuable. It was a case of "guilt by possession"—they had something too dangerous to be allowed.
And after that, the world turned on Konoha too. Rumors spread, trust eroded. The remaining Uzumaki survivors refused Konoha's protection and instead scattered across foreign lands.
Was that natural? Orochimaru didn't think so. He was sure the other villages had a hand in shaping that narrative.
Still, with their numbers dwindling, the clan's strength had withered. But now—if Djinn was telling the truth—some of that lost power might still exist?
"Like Nagato—the one with the Rinnegan," Djinn said. "I've mentioned him to you before."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
Djinn continued, tone light but mocking. "Of course, you're nowhere near strong enough to deal with him yet. But there are others…"
"Roshi of Iwagakure—he's a Jinchūriki too, and he's got red hair. Likely some Uzumaki ancestry."
"The wife of the Fourth Kazekage from Sunagakure was also Uzumaki. She's dead now, but she had a younger brother still alive."
"In the Land of Grass, there's a mother and daughter with incredibly strong healing abilities. Might've awakened the immortal body already."
"…And the list goes on."
Djinn smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Plenty of options. Try them out. Have fun."
Orochimaru ignored the genie's mocking tone—because what it said was genuinely useful.
After a moment of thought, he decided to target two options: Roshi of Iwagakure and the mother and daughter from the Land of Grass.
The former, being the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, would be the strongest target. The latter, however, would be the easiest to capture. He didn't place much importance on the Grass Ninja Village, and such a task wouldn't require a full-scale assault.
With his plan forming, Orochimaru returned to his experiment. This time, he replaced the First Hokage's cells with those taken from Yamato.
The results were disappointing. The cells neither enhanced nor devoured each other. Instead, they grew side by side like ordinary tissue—until a rejection reaction suddenly occurred.
Boom!
A puff of white smoke burst from a corner of the lab. A gray-backed viper slithered over to Orochimaru, respectfully flicking its tongue. It carried a letter.
Orochimaru took it and opened it with a smile. Just one sentence:
"He's coming quickly? Jiraiya... you're quite efficient."
---
In the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was tense.
When Orochimaru entered, the Third Hokage was silently puffing on his pipe. Jiraiya paced back and forth, visibly restless.
Strange. Their reactions didn't seem too extreme, but something clearly wasn't right.
Without hesitation, Orochimaru walked straight to the Hokage's desk.
Jiraiya visibly relaxed when he saw him, while Hiruzen put down his pipe and said directly, "Tsunade is currently in the Land of Iron. You're to head there immediately. Two Anbu squads are already—"
"Wait," Orochimaru interrupted, frowning. "The Land of Iron? Two Anbu teams? I don't need a babysitting crew to find Tsunade. I can handle it alone."
"Orochimaru, this isn't what you think," Jiraiya cut in urgently. "Iwagakure and Kumogakure… they're both after Tsunade."
Orochimaru's expression shifted in surprise. He turned from Jiraiya to Hiruzen.
"Is that true, old man?"
"It is," the Third Hokage said grimly, setting his pipe aside. "We've been tracking Tsunade's movements. Yesterday, she vanished after a battle with an unknown ninja in the Land of Sound. We only confirmed her location today. We were preparing to send an Anbu team to retrieve her, but since you're willing, it's best that you go."
Orochimaru frowned deeply.
He wasn't worried for Tsunade's safety—she'd survived too many wars to fall easily—but bringing along two Anbu squads would complicate his private plans. If he returned to the village too soon, he'd miss his chance entirely.
He still wanted to use this mission as cover to target Roshi or retrieve the Grass Country mother and daughter.
After a short pause, Orochimaru asked, "Who made the move in Iwagakure and Kumogakure? Are the villages confronting each other directly?"
"You may remember the one from Kumogakure," Hiruzen said. "It was Killer B—Riki, as you once met. As for Iwagakure, the attackers weren't from the village itself. They were black market bounty hunters—strong ones."
Not Roshi, then. Orochimaru felt slightly disappointed.
"Forget it. I'll go."
He turned and left the Hokage's office.
---
Outside the Hokage Building, the two Anbu teams were already assembled—filled with familiar faces.
Orochimaru glanced at them: Kakashi, Shisui, Hyūga Hizashi…
"Let's go."
"Yes, sir!"