NRaO Chapter 40 (Patreon)

Kumogakure was an awful place to live. I was spoiled by the Hidden Leaf Village. It was hard living with many of my meals being the same day after day. Their hard living made a hardy group of people though. Out of all the villages, they definitely posed the greatest threat to the Hidden Leaf. That’s why I planned to kill their Jinchuriki so they lose a huge force fighting it inside their village.

I was a fool looking down on their engineering corps but I had learned most of what they could teach. They had nothing of value to steal and the best way to sabotage them was by killing their kage or jinchuriki. Their kage was a brute of a man and even with a sneak attack, I doubt I would beat him. He was as cautious as he was strong, often going to sleep or to the bathroom with several guards still around him.

The jinchuriki was in the same situation but he slept, bathed, pissed, and shit without anyone else around. That was my chance. I had gained a high position in their engineering corps so when I made the suggestion to add running water to the baths and latrines I was given the go-ahead. They didn’t realize I was setting a trap I could blow at any moment.

Even as hard as it was to live the Hidden Cloud took care of their own. I could find some people who were willing to betray but they wouldn’t have special blood or techniques. I wasn’t looking for genin or even chunin unless they had special ninjutsu or a kekkei genkai. That meant I could solely focus on causing as much damage to the village before leaving.

Or that was the plan. I had originally thought of killing the jinchuriki and then blowing up other key areas but the moment the gigantic bull squid appeared I knew there was no chance of escaping. I happened to be in the direction he launched his first attack and it obliterated the two nearest mountains I was by. I had somehow survived the explosion but the falling rocks crushed my clone.

Weeks later we would get reports back from how badly the Hidden Cloud Village was hurt by the jinchuriki. I gulped as I heard they somehow sealed it into another person in their village. If someone wanted to be a martyr they could bring a jinchuriki into a village and then release it. The damage from one would be tremendous, over twenty percent of all the ninjas in the Hidden Cloud were killed in the attack… But how bad would it be if the jinchuriki also released the other jinchuriki that the village had?

How the fuck did Hashirama catch these things? They are walking calamities. I had an inflated sense of how strong I was compared to others but I had never expected to see a creature that could kill a thousand people in a single blow. Just resealing the jinchuriki had cost them five thousand ninjas and fifteen thousand civilians.

Thank god I left clues that I was actually a ninja from the Hidden Sand. Even further down the rabbit hole if they looked closer they’d think I was a ninja from the Hidden Mist. I licked my lips as my plans began to change… I needed a jinchuriki in my body. If I could gain even a portion of its power then it would be worth any evil I had to commit to gain one.

Hiruzen called me into his office a few days later. Without any preamble, he asked. “Were you the one who caused that tragedy in the Hidden Cloud?” I just answered him. “Yes.” He sat in silence for a few moments before asking. “Was it necessary?” I took a few moments before I answered. “...Can I speak candidly?” Another pause before he answered. “Speak.” I just looked at him with a cold stare. “Are you a moron or do you just not care if our ninjas and civilians are killed in mass?” He glared at me before I continued.

“Do you know which villages want to go to war with us? All of them. Do you know why we’re not at war with any of them? Because of me running counterintelligence and sabotaging their war efforts. War is going to happen, now I doubt the Cloud will take as big a part as before… You’re welcome for me saving so many Konoha ninjas. Hundreds if not thousands of Hidden Leaf ninjas will now live because we’re only fighting a war on three fronts. A war with drastically weakened enemies because of my sabotage.”

It was all true. We’d be at war already most likely against every single village because of greed. The Hidden Sand needed food but didn’t have the land. The Hidden Stone needed food because of their high population and lack of farms as well. The Hidden Mist wanted to create a stronger foothold on our continent as they had to import so many things they were losing the financial war.

Hiruzen worked his way through his feelings. He had scouting reports that said most were preparing for war but Hiruzen had no idea all the other nations were planning to fight the Hidden Leaf. They were prepared for one or two, maybe even three but if all four attacked they might lose. The Hidden Leaf got by with stronger ninjas but if they were just overwhelmed by numbers they would be wiped out.

If I needed to wipe out a village to save the lives of my village I would. I was more ruthless than Hiruzen, the lives I just took by killing the jinchuriki would weigh on him far longer than me. I would sleep like a baby as I butchered children if it meant mine would be safe. Monster, I was a monster, the monster that I needed to be. I would be the hidden dagger of Konoha.

Hiruzen only sighed as he spoke. “This is a warning Orochi. We must be better. If you do something that big again there will be consequences.” I immediately started to drone out his lecture. I knew he was far too soft to be a decent Hokage. Whatever he said he’d do I had no doubt he’d go back on. No spine, truly a coward afraid to do what needed to be done.

I made my way home and played with my children for the rest of the day. The notes I was getting from the clone that was still in Kirigakure let me know that war would soon come. The Daimyo of the Hidden Mist had died and the new one made many changes to his land. They had become far more brutal and bloodthirsty overnight. 

I should have been looking outward and higher up to stop us from fighting. The moment they attack the other villages will as well. I needed to make a big effort to hurt their war effort. I sighed as I knew I’d need my real body at the village to make the biggest difference. I needed to disappear tonight. Packing supplies I needed I decided to give my students a heads-up that they’d be taught by a clone for the next few days.

I could run 80 miles in an hour. It wouldn’t take more than a few hours to reach the shore and another few hours to charter and board a ship. I could sleep during that time and by the time I made it to the Hidden Mist Village, I’d be ready to do what must be done. I needed to hunt down the other seven swordsmen, kill them, and steal their ‘special’ swords.