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Deep in the desert stood an unremarkable public restroom.
Manji walked up and quickly made a series of hand signs. A hidden door slid open, showing a staircase that led underground.
He went down into the headquarters of the Bounty Station.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were cleaning the tables and counters.
Kakuzu sat nearby with a calculator, going through the accounts one by one.
"Kakuzu, Kinkaku, Ginkaku. It's been a while," Manji greeted them with a smile, dressed in a standard Konoha uniform.
All three of them tensed up right away. Kakuzu's eyes went cold, and Kinkaku and Ginkaku grabbed the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths, ready to fight.
"Who the hell are you??" Kakuzu demanded.
He never thought a Konoha shinobi could get into the Bounty Station's most secret headquarters.
"Relax. It's me."
Manji let out a bit of his chakra. As soon as they sensed it, Kakuzu jumped up and bowed, and Kinkaku and Ginkaku quickly did the same.
"You don't have to do that. This is just one of my other identities—a young shinobi from Konoha. I was nearby and thought I'd check in on you."
Manji never planned to mistreat Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Everyone who worked for him got paid well, no matter if the mission was a success or not.
"You seem to be living comfortably."
"It's all thanks to you."
Kakuzu stepped up and poured him a cup of warm milk.
Manji took it and drank it all in one go.
"Do you have any instructions for us?" Kakuzu asked, lowering his head respectfully.
"Nothing right now. Stay here, rest, and make sure you stay safe. If anything happens to you, I'll take care of things after you're gone."
Kakuzu gave a genuine smile. He knew following Manji was the right decision. Even what happened after death was taken care of.
"There is one thing, Kakuzu. I want you to study this."
Manji gave him the Earth Grudge Fear technique. Since Kakuzu was from Takigakure, he recognized his village's forbidden jutsu right away.
"Remember, don't kill innocent people."
After giving that last warning, Manji vanished.
Kakuzu bowed to the place where he had stood.
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Seven years passed.
During those years, Manji and Sakumo Hatake became so feared on the Sunagakure front that fighting there almost stopped. But the battles in the Land of Rain and near Iwagakure stayed just as violent.
Back in Konoha, a new generation of young prodigies began to emerge, including Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze.
On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, a fine drizzle carried the smell of blood.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
Several black, venomous snakes shot out from Orochimaru's sleeve and killed the last enemy jōnin. He pulled his arm back, wiped a few drops of blood from his clothes, and looked at the boy behind him.
Nawaki held a kunai in both hands, barely able to hide how eager he was to fight.
"The main force is gone. You can take care of whoever's left," Orochimaru said, raising his hand. "Think of this as your chance to prove yourself, Nawaki."
A small smile appeared on his face, and he looked at Nawaki with a hint of hope.
Nawaki was his first student and someone he had seen grow up. The boy was reckless and impulsive, a lot like Jiraiya, but Orochimaru still wanted to give him a chance to stand out.
"Thank you, Sensei!" Nawaki's eyes lit up.
Before Orochimaru could say anything else, Nawaki ran into the rain with his kunai ready.
'Just wait, Big Brother Manji. Once I distinguish myself here, you'll finally stop treating me like a kid!'
Excitement made Nawaki move even faster. He was already thinking about showing Manji what he could do, so he didn't notice the ground under his feet.
"Nawaki has gotten a lot stronger." Orochimaru watched him leave, his smile growing wider.
He had barely finished speaking when an explosion tore through the battlefield.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
The blast threw dirt and broken stones through the rain as the sound of an explosive tag echoed across the ruins.
"What?!"
Orochimaru's smile disappeared. His eyes narrowed as he rushed forward with the Body Flicker Jutsu, leaving a trail of afterimages behind.
"NAWAKI! NAWAKI!"
For the first time, his voice carried a tremor he couldn't hide. His eyes raced over the center of the explosion, searching for the boy who had been standing there moments earlier.
There was no sign of him.
A surviving Konoha shinobi stood nearby, his face pale and lips trembling. Slowly, he lifted his hand and pointed at a mangled patch of flesh mixed with scraps of clothing and bits of metal.
"Captain Orochimaru… H-He's over there…"
Orochimaru looked where the man pointed. One look was enough to make him feel like the world was spinning.
He stumbled backward, his knees almost giving out as he nearly fell into the mud.
Nawaki was his first disciple, Tsunade's only brother, and the biological grandson of Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage.
A single explosive tag hidden under the rubble had killed him before he could say a word.
Rain streamed down Orochimaru's pale face, mixing with his tears before dripping into the mud.
How could he face Tsunade?
How could he live in peace?
He had been the one who gave that eager boy permission to charge ahead. He had sent Nawaki straight to his death.
At this point in his life, Orochimaru was much more compassionate than in the original story. Manji had raised him, and he knew how to guide his students well.
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Nawaki was dead. A single explosive tag of unknown origin had destroyed his body beyond recovery.
The fighting at the front stopped for a while. Manji went back to Konoha before the others, leaving Sakumo to hold their position.
"Goodnight, Nawaki," Manji murmured, leaning against the wall nearby. "So you still ended up leaving…"
He sighed and slowly shook his head. Manji wasn't heartbroken—he had seen death too many times for that—but he still felt a lingering regret about the boy's fate.
By now, Nawaki had probably already met his grandfather, Hashirama Senju, in the Pure Land.
Quick footsteps sounded before Tsunade stumbled into the room, her face pale.
"Nawaki! What happened to Nawaki?!"
Manji sighed again as the image of the boy's broken body flashed in his mind. He shook his head.
"Tsunade, don't look at him. You won't be able to bear what's left."
Tsunade froze.
All her strength seemed to leave her at once.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. It felt like a heavy weight pressed on her chest, and every breath hurt.
Her legs finally gave out, and she broke down sobbing.
Manji caught her before she fell, held her up, and gently patted her back as she cried.
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