Terumi i, known in the future as the Fifth Mizukage, was rembered as a fiery and mature woman who could fly into a rage at the ntion of marriage.
But now, Terumi i was only eighteen years old, a young woman in her pri.
Naturally, she didn't yet possess the allure of her older, mature self nor the obsession with marriage that ca with her later years.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, i looked at her unconscious teammates, her silver teeth gritting tightly.
There was no doubt Orochimaru's threat had worked.
Unlike the hardened, ruthless ninjas of Kirigakure, she valued her teammates and didn't want to see them die here.
With her chakra sealed, what choice did she have but to reluctantly comply?
"It seems you've co to a decision?"
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smirk as he observed the conflicted emotions playing across the face of the blue-eyed girl before him.
"Let's go then, Kabuto. Keep an eye on her."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto nodded dutifully.
With that, Orochimaru turned and began walking in the direction of the Land of Water, ignoring his two reluctant companions. Behind him followed Kabuto and the unwilling i.
---
The Land of Water was an isolated nation surrounded by a vast expanse of ocean.
While Orochimaru had visited many countries, the Land of Water was too remote, requiring travel by sea. As such, this would be his first ti entering it.
Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water lay the small Bear Country, and as the trio passed through it, they ca upon a peculiar location.
It was the entrance to a canyon within the Land of Bears, a place Orochimaru had never visited before, despite having once been to the daimyo's mansion in this land.
"This mist..."
As Orochimaru gazed at the green haze before him, sothing seed to spark in his mory. Without hesitation, he began walking toward the canyon's entrance.
Seeing him move toward the mist without any sign of caution, i said nothing, silently hoping for the worst.
She prayed that the toxic-looking fog would be the end of Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama, be careful! That mist is poisonous!" Kabuto warned, stepping in front of Orochimaru to stop him.
The canyon ahead was vast, its mouth wide and nearly impassable for ninjas without the ability to fly. Perhaps the use of the Eight Gates or other advanced techniques could allow soone to jump across.
But the mist within the canyon was a faint green color, and the ground below was littered with bones, animal and human alike.
It was undoubtedly toxic, a natural barrier of sorts.
After Kabuto's warning, Orochimaru glanced casually at the bottom of the canyon, noting the remains scattered throughout.
"It is indeed poisonous," he remarked with a slight smile. "But that doesn't matter. Let's go—together."
"Y-Yes..." Kabuto replied hesitantly, though his face betrayed his reluctance.
"No way. If you want to die, do it alone, don't drag into this!" i protested sharply. The canyon was far too dangerous.
"Do you have a choice?" Orochimaru asked, clearly uninterested in her complaints.
Before anyone could respond, there was a ripple in the air. Orochimaru pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and hurled it toward a large tree on the other side of the canyon.
Without another word, he grabbed Kabuto and i, activating the technique to teleport them across the gorge in an instant.
i barely had ti to process what had happened before she realized they had already crossed to the other side of the canyon, bypassing the poisonous mist entirely.
"Stop right there! Who are you?"
A sudden shout caught their attention.
A man wearing a gas mask and holding a crossbow appeared before them, blocking their path.
i didn't even consider asking the man for help. She had given up hope of being rescued long ago.
anwhile, Orochimaru regarded the figure with curiosity, his hoarse voice cutting through the tension.
"You must be a star ninja, correct? Go ahead, show your ninjutsu."
The man stiffened, his grip on the crossbow tightening as fear flickered in his eyes.
"You... are you here to steal the secrets of our village's ninjutsu?"
"Stealing ninjutsu? That's such an unpleasant way to put it..." Orochimaru raised his hand.
Suddenly, countless shards of black iron sand materialized from a dinsional space, hovering ominously in the air.
Seeing this, the star ninja's nerves snapped. With a sharp twang, the arrow from his crossbow shot straight toward Orochimaru's face.
Clang!
The black iron sand ford a barrier, stopping the arrow in its tracks. The projectile embedded itself into the sand but went no further.
"Damn it..." the man muttered under his breath. Realizing his crossbow was ineffective, he ford a hand seal, and his chakra transford into shimring wings that sprouted from his back.
"The Mysterious Peacock thod, huh?" Orochimaru said with interest. "Chakra manipulation... and four pairs of wings. Is this the ninjutsu you've cultivated using the star?"
The Mysterious Peacock thod, unique to the Star Village, allowed chakra to take on physical form.
It was versatile, capable of:
1. Materializing chakra to transform into beasts for attacks.
2. Absorbing the opponent's chakra.
3. Converting chakra into wings for flight.
While the technique intrigued Orochimaru, he dismissed its combat potential. Its attacks were weak, and its chakra absorption would be nearly useless in high-level battles.
What Orochimaru wanted was its flight ability. His current thod of flying through magnetic release consud too much chakra and lacked both speed and altitude.
This chance encounter was an opportunity to claim what he needed.
"Stop talking and take this!" the man shouted.
"Peacock thod: Bear Demon!"
The chakra wings transford into the shape of a massive bear, surging toward Orochimaru.
But before it could reach him, the materialized chakra abruptly dissipated.
Looking closer, several vines had sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the man, binding his arms and legs.
"What... what kind of jutsu is this? Who are you? And what do you want from our Star Village?"
The man struggled against the vines, his voice trembling with fear as he glared at Orochimaru.
Ignoring the barrage of questions, Orochimaru dismissed the iron sand and walked up to the restrained man.
"Take to your village chief," he said calmly. "Don't try anything foolish. The consequences would be... unpleasant."
The vines loosened slightly, allowing the man to remove his gas mask. His wary face, frad by the star-shaped forehead protector of the Star Ninja Village, was tense with suspicion.
"You... you want to et our Hoshikage?"
"Hoshikage?" Orochimaru repeated, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Kage, huh? Interesting. Lead the way."
***
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