The moment Naruto, Sasuke, and Orochimaru materialized on the farm's land via Flying Thunder God, Orochimaru's entire demeanor transformed.
Gone was the defeated, traumatized victim of cockroach torture. Gone was the pitiful figure curled into a protective ball, whimpering and shaking. Instead, excitement blazed in those golden snake eyes, replacing terror with barely contained glee.
I did it, Orochimaru thought, his mind racing with possibilities. I actually infiltrated Naruto's inner circle. Got myself positioned right beside him.
The strategic value was immense. A person standing at your side, trusted and accepted, could accomplish so much more than any enemy attacking from outside. Information flowed more freely. Defenses lowered. Secrets became accessible.
I can already feel success approaching, Orochimaru mused, his scientific mind cataloging opportunities. Naruto refuses to teach his training method directly? Fine. I'll study his physical body instead. Analyze his training routines. Observe his breakthrough processes. Extract the underlying principles through systematic observation.
I'm a doctor of biology. I have the expertise. I have the patience. I will decode his secrets.
The confidence wasn't baseless arrogance. Orochimaru had spent decades researching the human body, breaking down its mysteries into comprehensible components. He'd developed Living Corpse Reincarnation through careful analysis and experimentation. He'd created curse seals by studying Jugo's unique physiology. He'd mastered genetic manipulation techniques that let him grant kekkei genkai abilities to ordinary shinobi.
If anyone can reverse-engineer Naruto's method, it's me.
"Alright, Orochimaru-san," Naruto said, his voice cutting through the snake Sannin's internal celebration. "We're at the farm now. From this point forward, you're the biological consultant here."
Naruto gestured broadly at their surroundings—the fenced pastures, the scattered livestock, the wooden structures housing equipment and feed.
"Your job is to make this operation grow. Introduce rare species if you can acquire them. Diversify our breeding stock. Improve our yields and production efficiency." Naruto's tone was businesslike, laying out clear expectations. "As for where you'll live, Sasuke will handle the arrangements."
He turned to his best friend, expression shifting slightly.
"Sasuke, please get Orochimaru settled. Show him around, explain the farm operations, assign him a room." Naruto paused, and something heavier entered his voice. "I'm going to train now. I need to break through."
The words carried weight beyond their surface meaning.
"Also," Naruto continued, "this breakthrough might take a while. Don't wait for me at meals. Eat without me if I'm not back."
Sasuke's eyes met Naruto's, understanding passing between them wordlessly. The kind of communication that only years of deep friendship made possible.
"Don't worry, Naruto," Sasuke said firmly, his voice steady and reassuring. "I'll handle everything here. You focus on your training."
I know what you're feeling, Sasuke thought, studying his friend's carefully neutral expression. You just learned that your parents' remains might be desecrated, studied like laboratory specimens in Root's dungeons. That kind of information would destroy most people's composure.
Sasuke's own grief over Itachi remained fresh and raw—a wound that would take years to properly heal. But Naruto had been taking care of his emotional state constantly since Itachi's death. Supporting him, giving him space when needed, staying close when loneliness threatened to overwhelm.
Now it's my turn, Sasuke decided. My turn to handle things so Naruto can focus. Even if it's just managing farm operations and babysitting a traitorous snake. At least I can do this much.
At least Naruto can break through with peace of mind, knowing things are handled.
Hearing that Naruto was about to attempt a breakthrough, Orochimaru felt shock ripple through him like electricity.
He's breaking through? The implications were staggering. His current combat power already surpasses most jonin. He defeated me with casual ease. Obliterated two Hokage summons like they were nothing. And now he's about to become even stronger?
Orochimaru's imagination failed to construct an adequate picture. How powerful would Naruto become? What heights of strength existed beyond his current level?
I can't even conceive of it, Orochimaru admitted internally. The gap between us will only widen further.
But alongside the shock came renewed excitement. Because the more powerful Naruto's training method proved to be, the more valuable it became as a research subject. The greater the potential benefits if—when—Orochimaru successfully decoded its secrets.
Strong combat power AND immortality, Orochimaru thought, his scientific enthusiasm building. Physical perfection that transcends normal human limitations. This is simply perfect! The ultimate achievement!
When Sasuke nodded his acceptance of the responsibilities, Naruto also noticed Orochimaru's barely concealed excitement.
He looks just like Zabuza and Haku did when they first joined the farm, Naruto observed with mild amusement. That same wide-eyed enthusiasm. New employees always seem thrilled at first.
Give it a few weeks. The reality of farm work will temper that excitement considerably.
Leaving Orochimaru in Sasuke's capable hands, Naruto turned and began walking toward his usual training location—the waterfall in the back mountain's wilderness.
As he took that first step, pivoting away from the farm's central buildings, anyone watching could still see traces of anger in his expression. The fury over his parents' desecrated remains lingered like storm clouds, dark and threatening.
But with each subsequent step, something changed.
The anger didn't exactly disappear. Instead, it settled deeper, sinking beneath the surface like stones dropped into still water. His facial muscles relaxed incrementally. The tension in his jaw eased. His breathing slowed and deepened.
By the tenth step, Naruto's expression had achieved perfect calm.
By the twentieth, all visible distracting thoughts had been left behind.
His mind entered a state of profound clarity—not empty, but focused. Present. Aware of everything while attached to nothing.
"Naruto-kun," Orochimaru breathed, his voice hushed with something approaching reverence. "There's a wonderful change happening in your body. Something extraordinary."
He stared at Naruto's retreating back, scientific fascination overwhelming everything else. Because what he was witnessing defied normal explanation.
"It's as if... as if Naruto-kun belongs to this world completely," Orochimaru struggled to articulate the phenomenon. "Like he's harmonizing with everything around him. Every plant, every tree, every stone, every blade of grass. Even the insects in the air."
The integration was profound, seamless. Natural in a way that transcended normal human existence.
"And look—" Orochimaru pointed with a trembling hand, "—the air around him seems to be becoming unreal. Distorted. Like reality itself is bending to accommodate his presence."
Sasuke had noticed the same thing, though his interpretation differed from Orochimaru's scientific analysis.
Naruto's figure is blending into the surroundings, Sasuke observed, watching his best friend become less distinct despite remaining clearly visible. Like he's part of the landscape rather than separate from it.
He turned his head to look at Orochimaru beside him. The snake Sannin's face showed naked envy—desire so intense it bordered on obsession.
Understanding clicked into place in Sasuke's mind.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke said, his tone casual but his words pointed, "you seem extremely envious of Naruto's training method. You really want to obtain it, don't you?"
Sasuke recalled the intelligence he'd gathered. Orochimaru disguising himself as that woman, Tsukisha Hime. The hotel encounter, the attempted seduction. The elaborate schemes to get close to Naruto, to create debt or obligation.
And now this, Sasuke thought, pieces falling together. Reincarnating into a female body, infiltrating the farm, positioning himself as an employee. It's all for Naruto's training method.
The conclusion was obvious once you looked at the pattern.
Hearing Sasuke's soul-piercing question cut through his thoughts, Orochimaru panicked internally. His heartrate spiked, adrenaline flooding his system.
He knows, the realization came with cold certainty. Or at least suspects strongly enough to confront me directly.
But outwardly, Orochimaru's expression smoothed into calm neutrality almost instantly. Decades of deception and manipulation had taught him perfect emotional control when necessary.
"Sasuke-kun is joking, surely," Orochimaru said with a light laugh, deflecting casually. "There's nothing like that at all."
"Really?" Sasuke's stare was penetrating, searching for cracks in the façade.
"Really," Orochimaru replied without hesitation, his face showing no signs of dishonesty.
Then, with the practiced skill of a master manipulator, he subtly redirected the conversation.
"The relationship between Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun seems extraordinarily close," Orochimaru observed, injecting curiosity into his voice. "Best friends, practically brothers. Yet I notice Sasuke-kun hasn't practiced Naruto-kun's training method yourself."
He paused meaningfully.
"Could it be that Naruto-kun isn't willing to teach you? That even his closest friend is excluded from these secrets?"
"I don't need it," Sasuke replied flatly.
What's so great about practicing that anyway? Sasuke thought with internal distaste. Transforming into a ten-meter-tall giant? Looking like some kind of muscle-bound monster? No thank you.
Sasuke preferred speed, precision, elegance. His combat style relied on Flying Thunder God's instantaneous movement, Sharingan's predictive capabilities, and techniques like Rasengan that concentrated power into compact forms.
Naruto's path suits him. Mine suits me. That's all there is to it.
Orochimaru opened his mouth to press further, to probe for more information, but Sasuke cut him off with a gesture.
"Follow me," Sasuke said, turning and taking a decisive step toward the farm's residential area.
Orochimaru hesitated briefly, then hurried to catch up. Sasuke's voice drifted back from ahead, calm but carrying an edge.
"Orochimaru-san. Or should I say, Ms. Tsukisha Hime?"
The name hung in the air like a drawn blade.
"Now that you've come to work at this farm, I suggest you put away your scheming. All those clever little plots and manipulations." Sasuke's tone remained conversational, almost friendly. "Do you honestly think any conspiracy will be effective in the face of Naruto's overwhelming strength?"
Hearing Sasuke speak that name—Tsukisha Hime—so casually, Orochimaru stopped walking entirely.
His mind raced through calculations. Does he actually know? Or is he fishing, trying to provoke a reaction?
Should I eliminate him? Strike now before he can tell Naruto?
The thought flickered through Orochimaru's consciousness, tempting in its simplicity. One quick assassination, problem solved. Sasuke wasn't weak, but he was still just a twelve-year-old boy. Orochimaru had killed far more experienced shinobi with less warning.
But then reality intruded on the fantasy.
Naruto is less than a kilometer away, Orochimaru calculated grimly. At his speed, he could return here in seconds. And if he found me standing over Sasuke's corpse...
The mental image was vivid and terrifying.
More importantly, if I kill Sasuke, I lose everything. Access to the farm, proximity to Naruto, the chance to study his methods. All gone in exchange for eliminating one teenage witness.
The risk-reward ratio is catastrophically bad.
So instead of attacking, Orochimaru arranged his face into innocent confusion.
"What is Sasuke-kun talking about?" He laughed lightly, as if genuinely puzzled. "I don't understand what you mean at all."
Sasuke turned around, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning slowly in crimson eyes. The gaze was stern, uncompromising, radiating warning.
"I know exactly what you're thinking, Orochimaru," Sasuke said, his tone hardening. "But I strongly suggest you abandon those kinds of thoughts immediately."
He gestured back toward where Naruto had disappeared into the forest.
"As Naruto said earlier, you physically cannot practice his training method. The requirements make it impossible for you." Sasuke's stare intensified. "Do you think that because of my close relationship with Naruto, because we're best friends, that he wouldn't share training techniques with me if he could?"
The logic was clear and undeniable.
"So don't play stupid in front of me," Sasuke continued. "If I didn't know you were Tsukisha Hime, how would I have tracked you down? How would Naruto and I have known exactly where to find you?"
Orochimaru's mind worked furiously, trying to remember if he'd left traces, clues that could have led them to his laboratory.
The Flying Thunder God mark, he realized belatedly. Sasuke marked me during our fight in the Forest of Death. I'd forgotten it was still active. Stupid oversight.
"Listen carefully," Sasuke said, his voice dropping lower but gaining intensity. "Since you're here now, don't disappoint Naruto's trust in you. Don't betray the position he's given you."
Something raw entered Sasuke's expression—genuine emotion breaking through his usual stoic mask.
"Naruto has had an incredibly difficult life since childhood. Loneliness, hatred, rejection. Perhaps what he fears most in this world is betrayal by the people close to him. The people he's chosen to trust."
Sasuke's Sharingan blazed brighter.
"As Naruto's best friend, I will never allow that to happen. If you betray him, if you abuse his trust, I will kill you myself. Slowly. Painfully. And Naruto won't stop me."
The threat wasn't empty bravado. Sasuke meant every word with absolute sincerity.
Seeing Orochimaru standing frozen, processing the warning in silence, Sasuke's expression softened slightly.
"But don't worry too much," he added, tone becoming almost reassuring. "Only I know your identity as Tsukisha Hime. As long as you don't cause trouble, as long as you do your job properly, I won't reveal your disguise to Naruto."
This confused Orochimaru more than the threats had. His snake-like mind struggled to understand the logic.
"Sasuke-kun knows my identity," Orochimaru said slowly, adopting an expression of genuine bewilderment, "so why would you cover it up for me? Why not expose me immediately?"
Sasuke glanced at him, something like pity flickering across his features.
"Because honestly, whether you're Tsukisha Hime or Orochimaru doesn't matter much to me or Naruto. Maybe the only identity that actually matters is your current one—biological consultant for this farm."
He turned and continued walking.
"As long as you fulfill that role properly, the rest is irrelevant. Come on. I'll show you where you'll be living."
Orochimaru hesitated for several heartbeats, weighing options, calculating angles.
Then he followed Sasuke, falling into step behind the young Uchiha.
As long as Sasuke doesn't reveal my identity as Tsukisha Hime, Orochimaru thought, I can work with this arrangement. The situation remains salvageable.
Meanwhile, Naruto walked deeper into the back mountain wilderness, his consciousness achieving states of clarity that transcended normal awareness.
His heart was peaceful, utterly calm. Still water reflecting moonlight, undisturbed by wind or current.
He didn't even need to use his eyes to navigate. His feet found secure purchase automatically, never stumbling over roots or stones despite his unfocused gaze. Because everything around him existed within his perception now—not just the five senses, but something deeper.
Every inch of skin sensed the environment. Every pore read temperature gradients, air currents, ambient vibrations. His body had become an instrument of perfect environmental awareness.
He walked through a flock of sheep grazing on hillside grass. The animals bleated and scattered at his approach, instinctively recognizing something beyond normal human presence.
Naruto paid them no attention. His focus remained internal, directed toward the breakthrough he could feel approaching like distant thunder.
The path continued upward, following terrain his feet knew from thousands of previous training sessions. Through groves of bamboo, past rock formations worn smooth by centuries of weather, alongside streams that sang their eternal song.
Finally, he reached his destination.
The waterfall.
It cascaded down from the mountainside's rocky face, tons of water falling perhaps thirty meters before crashing into the pool below. The sound was tremendous—a roar that filled the air, that vibrated in bones and chest cavity, that drowned out all other noise.
Naruto stood at the pool's edge, watching the waterfall with eyes that saw without really seeing.
Movement within stillness. Constant change that somehow remained eternally the same. Water fell, crashed, flowed, returned to the atmosphere, condensed, fell again. The cycle continuing forever.
His heart became like still water, reflecting the scene without distortion.
Perfect, Naruto thought distantly. This is exactly where I need to be.
The breakthrough was close now. So close he could almost taste it.
Spirit, energy, and body—the three treasures of human existence—were nearly aligned. Nearly unified into something greater than their sum.