A New Snake In The Shinobi World

Who has the strongest ability to gather intelligence in the entire ninja world? Orochimaru would undoubtedly say it's White Zetsu.

The vast number of White Zetsu clones and their innate ability to merge seamlessly with nature are far beyond Orochimaru's current capabilities.

However, being a reincarnator, Orochimaru possesses a unique advantage, he already knows the general whereabouts of the nine tailed beasts. This gives him an edge over the original Akatsuki organization when it comes to capturing them.

Originally, his plan was to first take control of small countries before dealing with the tailed beasts.

After all, eight of the nine tailed beasts reside within the Five Great Nations, and those nations are far too powerful for Orochimaru to confront openly right now. If he acted rashly, it would only alert them to his presence.

But when it came to Takigakure, the situation left him no choice but to act.

Small villages like Takigakure were often at the mercy of larger nations, routinely oppressed and exploited.

Although Orochimaru knew the general locations of the tailed beasts, his information lacked specifics. Beyond Konoha's Nine-Tails and Kumo's Eight-Tails, he wasn't certain whether the other tailed beasts currently had Jinchūriki or where exactly those Jinchūriki might be.

Without access to the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques to read memories, Orochimaru resorted to using the overwhelming power of his Mangekyō Sharingan to dominate and control Takigakure's village chief.

As for how Orochimaru infiltrated Takigakure?

There was no mystery there.

If he could infiltrate the heavily guarded Iwa Ninja Village without detection, a small village like Takigakure was hardly a challenge.

A hidden village behind a waterfall? Orochimaru could come and go as he pleased.

In Orochimaru's recollection, the Seven-Tails—Chōmei—would eventually be sealed within a Jinchūriki named Fū.

But at this point in time, the Seven-Tails had no Jinchūriki. Instead, it was confined within a sealing artifact.

The artifact resembled a vase, but it wasn't made of ceramic. Its material was an unknown substance, and the mouth of the vessel was sealed with a rune-covered stopper.

"Is this… the Seven-Tails?"

The next morning, Orochimaru sat in the Takigakure village chief's bedroom, raising an eyebrow as the chief presented the sealed container.

This was Orochimaru's first time seeing a tailed beast confined within an object. It reminded him vaguely of Gaara's sand gourd.

"Yes, my lord," the village chief responded respectfully, his mind completely dominated by Orochimaru's Sharingan.

Under Orochimaru's control, the chief appeared to function normally but subconsciously obeyed every command from his "Lord."

This was the unique power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, an advanced control technique far beyond the reach of an ordinary Sharingan user.

It was the same ability Uchiha Itachi once used to control a woman to distract Jiraiya during the attempt to capture Naruto.

It was also similar to how Uchiha Obito had manipulated the Fourth Mizukage.

Orochimaru examined the sealing artifact carefully, feeling the strength of its barrier and the texture of its material. A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"You've done well. Now, go about your business," he instructed.

"Yes, my lord," the village chief replied with a bow before turning to leave.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, Orochimaru's figure disappeared from the room.

---

Controlling the leader of a ninja village, even a small one like Takigakure, was no easy feat.

Despite being a minor village, Takigakure's leader had to be strong enough to maintain its autonomy. If he were too weak, the village would have been annexed by larger nations long ago.

The optimal method of control would have been to lure the village chief out, eliminate all his guards, incapacitate him, and then use a genjutsu to dominate his mind, just as Obito had done with the Fourth Mizukage.

But Orochimaru had additional tools at his disposal.

With his ability to fly, his detection flies for scouting, and the spatial manipulation of the Flying Thunder God Technique, infiltrating and controlling the Takigakure leader was a straightforward task.

First, the flies located the target. Then, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Orochimaru closed the distance instantly, subdued his target with spatial confinement, and overpowered the man's mind using the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Against a village chief with no real information network and a combat level only slightly below the average Kage, resistance was futile.

---

An hour after Orochimaru departed, the village chief finally regained his senses. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What… What did I just…? What happened? Damn it… What a bastard…"

His angry shouts reverberated throughout the village, triggering an immediate state of alert in Takigakure.

The higher-ups in the village were thrown into a state of panic.

Someone had managed to infiltrate Takigakure undetected, overpower the village chief, and leave without a trace. Even the guards stationed outside the chief's chambers hadn't noticed anything unusual.

It sounded like nonsense.

But the disappearance of the Seven-Tails was undeniable.

With their greatest weapon gone, Takigakure had lost its most important bargaining chip.

---

Meanwhile, in a secluded canyon within the Land of Taki, Orochimaru stood examining the sealing artifact in front of him.

"Is this seal from the Uzumaki clan?" he muttered to himself.

Having studied sealing techniques extensively with Kushina, Orochimaru was intimately familiar with the Uzumaki clan's methods. The runes on the artifact bore a striking resemblance to their style.

"Interesting…" he murmured.

But the origins of the seal were of little concern to him now.

Closing his eyes, Orochimaru pressed his fingers against the ground. A faint green eye shadow appeared at the corners of his eyes as he activated Sage Mode.

*Buzz!*

Invisible energy spread rapidly from his fingers, coursing through the earth in all directions.

Orochimaru's Sage Mode, derived from the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, allowed him to perceive the surrounding area with unparalleled clarity. It was as though he were a living heat detector, every blade of grass and tree within a ten-kilometer radius falling within his perception.

Why was his Sage Mode so fast to activate?

The answer lay in his Sage body.

Orochimaru's body could absorb and store natural energy in advance, without any of the drawbacks normal users would experience. When needed, he could mix it into his chakra instantly, bypassing the lengthy absorption process.

This advantage made Sage Mode effortless for him to maintain.

With a ten-kilometer radius of perception, Orochimaru could now move freely without needing clones or flies to monitor his surroundings.

"There's only one individual three kilometers away… No chakra. Just an ordinary person. Perfect."

Orochimaru withdrew his fingers, the green markings around his eyes fading.

He placed his hand on the sealing artifact.

Black runes surged toward his palm, flowing like liquid as he disrupted the intricate seal.

*Pop!*

The stopper came loose with a faint sound.

*Boom!*

An overwhelming burst of chakra erupted from the mouth of the artifact, wild and unrestrained.

The sheer force of the chakra sent powerful gusts rippling outward, making Orochimaru's long hair and cloak billow wildly.

"So this is a tailed beast's power… This is the first time I've seen one in its true form," he murmured, his golden eyes glinting with intrigue.

The violent chakra condensed rapidly, forming the shape of a massive, winged beetle.

The Seven-Tails, Chōmei, hovered before him, its voice reverberating with rage.

"Damn ninja… I'll kill you!"