Naruto: Saving the Uchiha

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"Uchiha Madara, the one who attacked Konoha and caused the disaster of the Nine-Tails Night."

Orochimaru didn't need Obito to give him explicit instructions; his instincts betrayed him, revealing Obito's identity.

Orochimaru knew very well about the misunderstandings between the village and the Uchiha clan. He also understood that as an Uchiha, Kazuki would be particularly interested in this kind of information.

"..."

It was coming. Still, Kazuki decided to make the necessary preparations — at least to put on a good act.

"Heh heh heh…"

Seeing the shocked expression on Kazuki's face and noting that he wasn't continuing to crush his spirit, Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle.

"Kazuki-kun, I can give you all this information, as long as—"

"You can save it for Tsunade."

Having achieved his goal, Kazuki had no interest in tormenting Orochimaru further. Orochimaru wasn't like Danzo; there was no fun in torturing him.

Kazuki's reason for toying with Orochimaru, aside from extracting information, was to test the powers of his ocular genjutsu.

Now that the objective was met, there was no need for idle chatter.

Releasing the genjutsu, Orochimaru collapsed to the ground, his body drenched in sweat. Gasping for air, he felt as if his brain was about to explode, as if something had stirred and scrambled his mind into tofu.

Grabbing Orochimaru by the neck with one hand, Kazuki began heading toward the Hokage's office.

The headache-inducing problem resolved, Tsunade's mood improved considerably.

"Crack!"

Hearing the sound of a window opening, Tsunade furrowed her brow, ready to yell, only to realize it was Kazuki climbing in and not Jiraiya.

"What's with you imitating Jiraiya? Is climbing through windows that amusing?"

"…"

Perched on the windowsill, Kazuki was baffled. 

Wasn't I just following your and Jiraiya's lead? How do you manage to exclude yourself and blame Jiraiya for everything?

"I brought you a gift."

Raising his hand, Kazuki finally drew Tsunade's attention to the figure he was holding — long-haired, face obscured, identity unclear.

"Is he unconscious?"

Kazuki shook the person, confirming that Orochimaru had passed out. 

It seemed the damage caused by his "Judgment of Will" ocular technique was more severe than anticipated. Kazuki realized he'd underestimated the genjutsu's intensity.

Having tested it on Orochimaru, Kazuki now had a solid grasp of his ocular abilities. Next time, he could control the power better, ensuring he didn't accidentally kill Danzo while "entertaining" him.

"Are you kidding me?"

Tsunade stood with a frown, her irritation evident.

"Take a closer look at who this is."

Kazuki casually tossed Orochimaru into the Hokage's office and jumped inside through the window, grinning at Tsunade.

"Isn't this great? The village and clan's misunderstanding can finally be resolved. Don't tell me this guy is the mysterious masked man behind the Nine-Tails Night."

Looking at the figure sprawled face-first on the floor, Tsunade thought Kazuki was deliberately teasing her. 

Perhaps this person had committed a crime and happened to run into Kazuki, who took him down on a whim.

"You don't recognize him?"

Now it was Kazuki's turn to be surprised. Tsunade hadn't recognized Orochimaru.

Even if she couldn't see his face, had she forgotten Orochimaru's chakra signature?

What have you been through all these years, Tsunade?!

"Why would I recognize some long-haired, sweaty mess like this…?"

Crossing her arms, Tsunade pursed her lips in disdain, clearly unhappy with Kazuki for dumping someone in her office.

However, as she concentrated on the chakra signature, her words got stuck in her throat. 

This feels familiar… The figure seems familiar… The hair is definitely familiar…

Wait!!!

"O-Orochimaru?!"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she gawked at the man on the ground. She looked at Kazuki, then back at Orochimaru, her composure faltering.

"Stop flailing. It's Orochimaru," Kazuki sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

Seeing Tsunade flustered like this was a rare sight indeed.

"Damn it!!!"

At that moment, Tsunade felt a herd of beasts stampeding through her mind. Without thinking, she uttered one of the crude phrases she'd picked up from Kazuki.

Taking two steps forward, she grabbed Orochimaru's clothes and carefully examined him. After confirming his identity, she exclaimed.

"How did you catch him?!"

Spreading his hands helplessly, Kazuki replied.

"He came to me. I'd just finished eating barbecue and was planning to soak in a hot spring before heading back to the prison. On the way, I ran into him — his outfit was odd, and I didn't expect it to be the village's rogue ninja, Orochimaru.

"This guy immediately attacked me, trying to gouge out my eyes. I had no choice but to subdue him with genjutsu and extract some intel in the process."

"Then he passed out."

"…"

What the hell?!

Tsunade felt her mind breaking. This is Orochimaru? 

A man who had once been her formidable teammate had been taken down by a single genjutsu and had even spilled critical information? 

Was this still the Orochimaru she remembered? 

If it weren't for the person in front of her, Tsunade would've thought Kazuki was playing a joke on her.

"Shizune!!!" 

"Yes?!" 

Shizune, busy organizing documents and scrolls next door, hurriedly ran over. 

Opening the door, she found Tsunade looking serious, holding an unidentifiable person, while Kazuki leaned casually against the wall, enjoying the spectacle.

"Send someone to summon the old man and the two elder advisors immediately."

"Wait, also call Jiraiya. If he doesn't come, just break his legs!!!" 

"Yes, ma'am!!!" 

Influenced by Tsunade's intensity, Shizune quickly closed the door and left to make the arrangements.

Casually tossing Orochimaru to the side, not caring if the impact hurt him, Tsunade turned to Kazuki.

"What intel did you extract?"

Resting his chin on his hand, Kazuki organized his thoughts before answering.

"Quite a bit. This guy joined an organization called the Akatsuki. He came to the village for their mission — to find someone leaking information and recruit them into Akatsuki.

"Oh, and the mysterious masked man who orchestrated the Nine-Tails Night? He's one of their members."

"I didn't get to ask much more before rushing here, but this guy's willpower is surprisingly weak. He passed out."

"…"

Tsunade felt like she'd just heard a bad joke. 

Orochimaru's willpower is weak?

Right. Super weak.

Then what about her own willpower?! 

"What did you do to him? Was it really just genjutsu?"

"Yes, it was just genjutsu," Kazuki replied honestly, nodding. 

"Just a few layers of genjutsu, that's all."

"Don't say anything else. I need a moment."

Tsunade felt a strange ache in her chest. 

Looking at Orochimaru with a complicated expression, she couldn't reconcile how one of the legendary Sannin had fallen so low, defeated by a young ninja in mere moments.

It took a while for Tsunade to calm her emotions and face the matter seriously.