He has even mastered Haki, and you say this is Naruto?

He was someone special. The Kimimaro of the past had been Orochimaru's most trusted tool. His body, without a doubt, was the most suitable vessel for Orochimaru.

And Kimimaro himself had always believed that—that his sole purpose for existing was for Orochimaru.

But today, he realized he might have been wrong. Orochimaru-sama didn't seem to care that much about his body anymore. Instead, he appeared to value Kimimaro's life more.

Kimimaro felt conflicted—perhaps even lost.

"Maybe, more than a tool, what Orochimaru-sama really needs… is a companion."

Kimimaro didn't know why he said that. Even he couldn't explain it himself.

But when he thought of Orochimaru's attitude toward the Sound Four, and how Orochimaru had been persistently searching for Amado recently…

Kimimaro suddenly felt that Orochimaru-sama didn't need tools. What he needed… were comrades.

But were they really worthy of being Orochimaru-sama's comrades? Kimimaro felt confused.

Even Orochimaru might not have realized this yet.

When facing the torrent of a new era, even someone like Orochimaru couldn't help but begin to search for true companions.

It was instinct—an instinct forged through two great ninja wars. And the vision Orochimaru saw of the new era triggered that instinct once more.

Under the tide of the times, even someone like him had to find trustworthy allies to survive.

In this era, there was only one Shanks.

Shanks could blaze a trail on his own, and once that trail was open, countless others would follow it.

In the rush of a new age, more heroes would rise to ride the waves. And if you didn't want to be swept away, you had only one option—cooperation, standing alongside your comrades. The more people you had, the safer you'd be.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru received new intel—this time from Kusagakure.

Say what you will about Kusagakure, but as a ninja village skilled in political maneuvering, they had a knack for obtaining first-hand intelligence from all five great ninja villages.

"Coup in Kirigakure. Jonin Terumi Mei led the uprising. The Fourth Mizukage and the Three-Tails were both killed during the coup.

Terumi Mei has officially succeeded as the Fifth Mizukage.The tribute silver from the Land of Water was stolen by rogue ninja of Kirigakure, led by Zabuza Momochi.

Zabuza, formerly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, has founded the 'Bladeless Pirates', now going by the name Zan.

Kirigakure has issued a bounty on Captain Zan of the Bladeless Pirates: 350 million.Vice-captain: 50 million bounty.

Kirigakure has also placed a bounty on Red-Haired Shanks of the Four Emperors: 500 million."

At that moment, Orochimaru froze.

Damn it—someone jumped the gun.

It was all that damn old crone's fault. If only she'd shared all the intel earlier, he would've already started producing Devil Fruits.

But now, judging by the looks of things, Shanks had already made his move. The upheaval of the ninja world was about to begin.

"Damn that old snake from Ryūchidō…"

Orochimaru could only curse the White Snake Sage. If it weren't for that old thing's terrible attitude, would they have wasted so much time?

Now someone had beaten them to the punch.

And judging from the intel, Kirigakure had probably been in contact with the Bladeless Pirates for a while and already knew about Shanks.

But there was still more to the Kusagakure intel. Orochimaru hadn't finished reading it.

There were two sheets in total. He turned to the second.

It was a bounty poster:

"New World Emperor of the Sea – The Strongest Pirate – Red-Haired Shanks!

Bounty: 500 million.

Strength: Unknown. Stronger than elite jonin. At least five elite jonin required to engage.

Other info: Member of the Uzumaki clan, massive chakra reserves, skilled in sealing techniques and sensory ninjutsu… Highly likely to possess powerful swordsmanship."

That was all the bounty listed. There wasn't even a picture or a drawing. The intel was sparse.

Orochimaru took one glance and knew—it was all incorrect. Clearly, Kirigakure had made assumptions based on limited information.

The real intel was handwritten at the bottom of the bounty sheet. Orochimaru instantly recognized the handwriting—Kakuzu's.

Kakuzu's note was short:

"Strength: A man even Itachi can't face. Taijutsu vastly exceeds Kisame's. Overall strength—stronger than me."

That was it. Kakuzu ended it with a big X across the sheet. If someone wanted to take this bounty, let them go ahead.

Five hundred million? Fifty billion and he still wouldn't touch it.

Even five lives wouldn't be enough for that guy.

Orochimaru instantly understood.

"So the Akatsuki have already come into contact with Shanks…"

He realized he wasn't just one step behind—he was far too late.

As for the bounty? Orochimaru could only laugh.

That guy Kakuzu had once said of the First Hokage: "Stronger than me."

And now he was saying the same about Shanks.

Orochimaru knew what that meant. If this info came from Kakuzu, it had to be real.

"I can only turn to the Poneglyphs now…"

The Chūnin Exams in Konoha should be starting soon, and Kirigakure was currently preoccupied. He only needed to leak some intel to stall the other villages.

"It's time to execute the Konoha Crush Plan."

Orochimaru couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"There should be a Poneglyph hidden among the Uchiha. Those useless idiots, Sabei and Kotarō, still haven't reported back.

I'll have Kabuto take care of it during the attack."

"As for the First and Second Hokage…"

Orochimaru thought for a long time. But then he remembered Kakuzu's words—"stronger than me"—and made his decision.

Fully unseal them? Impossible. Kakuzu had five lives. Orochimaru only had two. Even if he wanted the truth, now was not the time.

What if they killed him the moment he lifted the seal?

"So troublesome. If only those two were here…"

Orochimaru lit the intelligence reports in his hand. The ashes drifted to the ground.

The wind around his feet grew stronger. The swirling ashes turned into flying sand. A trail of footprints stretched across the dunes.

Orochimaru stood at the front, staring into the distance. His venomous eyes beneath the cloak were unusually calm.

The wind howled, making everyone's cloaks flap violently. Sand whipped across Orochimaru's face.

"The wind is strong today."

A ninja behind him spoke up.

"The Bladeless Pirates and Akatsuki have already set sail. If we want to catch up, we must ride the storm—to shatter the crashing waves of the old era."

In that moment, Orochimaru's gaze was sharper than ever. He knew the plan was risky—but it was worth the gamble.

"The wind of the Land of Wind—the stronger, the better."

"It's time for us to raise our sails too."