I, The New Hokage of Konoha

Cold, damp, silent.

Just as the Ninjas World was boiling due to the Fourth Great War, within a secret underground base on the border of the Land of Swamps, heavy footsteps shattered the stillness of this place.

"Kimmimaro, the offering has been captured."

A slightly earnest male voice sounded as a tall boy named Jugo carried a person who had fallen unconscious on his shoulders, addressing the young man with white hair and two red dots on his forehead inside the base.

"Well done, Jugo!"

Glancing over the cursed seal on the neck of the unconscious person, the white-haired youth, Kimmimaro, nodded in satisfaction, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Now Lord Orochimaru can be revived."

Since Lord Orochimaru hadn't returned after visiting the Land of Fire some time ago, Kimmimaro, aware of the outcome of the former's contingency plan, began preparations for Lord Orochimaru's resurrection.

The preparation referred to the cursed seal.

As the master of the soul, each person marked with Orochimaru's cursed seal harbored his consciousness, acting as the key to his resurrection.

Kimmimaro also bore the cursed seal.

However, for the revival of Orochimaru-same this time, following the former's instructions, it was necessary to fully restore Lord Orochimaru's well-being through the combined effect of the cursed seal and the Living Corpse Reincarnation, rather than just awakening him from the seal, which would result in prolonged weakness.

Hence, due to Kimmimaro's underlying health issues that made him unfit for Living Corpse Reincarnation, he could only choose the highest quality among the many offerings prepared for the revival of Lord Orochimaru.

But an unexpected mishap occurred.

The chosen offering not only felt no honor but also dared to escape.

Kimmimaro, who had wasted some effort on this person, finally finished all the necessary preparations.

"Let's begin now." At this moment, the usually composed Kimmimaro, with a rare hint of excitement in his voice, urged.

"Alright." Comparatively more inclined to heed Kimmimaro's words than Orochimaru, Jugo promptly placed the offering on the operating table.

Simultaneously, Kimmimaro opened a secret box in the underground base, taking out a sealed scroll.

After unsealing it, he retrieved a piece of flesh sealed within a glass jar.

This was a part of Orochimaru's original flesh.

To awaken the other from the cursed seal, it was necessary to infuse the person's chakra into it.

Undoubtedly, Orochimaru's flesh containing his chakra was the best option.

Following this, Kimmimaro immediately placed Orochimaru's flesh on the cursed seal of the offering, swiftly performing the sealing technique taught by Orochimaru.

Within moments, as Kimmimaro completed the sealing, the three jade-like cursed seal marks on the offering's neck glowed intensely.

Under this radiance, Orochimaru's flesh belonging to the original body was rapidly absorbed by the cursed seal.

Eventually, the previously empty cursed seal suddenly stirred.

In an instant!

One after another, black jade-like marks spread from the cursed seal, covering the entire body of the offering.

In that momentary flash, Kimmimaro and Jugo, who were watching, seemed to hear a familiar hoarse voice.

"Living Corpse Reincarnation!"

Under the gaze of the two, a chakra unfamiliar to the offering surged rapidly into the person's body.

After completely occupying every cell like an intruder, a familiar aura, known to both, began to emerge.

Seeing this scene, Kimmimaro finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Beside him, seeing Kimmimaro relax, Jugo also eased up.

After a while.

When there was no movement on the operating table, Orochimaru's unique hoarse voice echoed the next moment:

"Kimmimaro, Jugo, well done."

As his words fell, the offering who had been unconscious just moments ago sat up, its cold, golden snake-like eyes glancing towards the two in front.

The soul of the original offering had been wiped away.

Now, it was the true Orochimaru.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Kimmimaro immediately half-knelt on the ground with fiery eyes.

Jugo followed suit.

"Rise." Orochimaru gestured for them to stand, leaving the operating table.

At the same time, with a swipe of his hand across his face, Orochimaru's original appearance swiftly covered the face of this body.

Then, with the effect of chakra within, the body crackled and creaked.

In an instant, the form that initially resembled the offering transformed into Orochimaru's true form.

"This body isn't bad." After experiencing the new body for a while, Orochimaru commented calmly, then furrowed his brow slightly, "It's just a pity that the previous one, which was even better, could have been used for a much longer time if it hadn't encountered that jinx."

Even at this moment, Orochimaru was displeased with the fact that his previous attempt to seize a better body had been foiled and eventually killed by Yamata.

However, his death wasn't a true death as he lived within each cursed seal.

He was well aware of everything that those marked with his seal had witnessed during this time.

"Apologies, Lord Orochimaru!" Feeling responsible for not satisfying Lord Orochimaru with the chosen offering, Kimmimaro handed over the clothes that had already been prepared, expressing his regret.

"No, Kimmimaro, you've done well." Orochimaru accepted the clothes.

Even with his usually critical eye, he was very satisfied with someone who had devoted themselves entirely to him and possessed such a powerful Kekkei Genkai as the Shikotsumyaku.

The only regret was the severe illness that even he couldn't cure in his subordinate.

Given the few years left in his life, he couldn't occupy this much-coveted body.

Soon, after completely dressing in the white kimono with a purple obi, fully restoring his former appearance, Orochimaru flashed a smile reminiscent of a snake, "During this time, the Ninjas World seems quite lively!"

Although physically killed, his consciousness persisted within each cursed seal.

Orochimaru was well aware of everything witnessed by those marked with his seal during this time.

"Lord Orochimaru, the Fourth Great Ninja War has broken out. Here's the information collected by me and your various subordinates during this period." Hearing this, Kimmimaro handed over a file of intelligence.

Orochimaru didn't refuse.

After all, what he had seen was only a fraction, and he needed more detailed information to understand the current situation.

After a few minutes, having reviewed the recent war situation, Orochimaru, who possessed war experience not inferior to Jiraiya and even excelled, chuckled, his golden-slitted eyes flashing repeatedly.

"Lord Orochimaru, what should we do next?" Curious, Kimmimaro inquired.

"Whether it's Konoha or the allied forces, they have no relevance to me. I have no interest in wars initiated by others. However..." Orochimaru initially appeared calm but then shifted his tone, "For my enemies who've killed me twice, I have a strong desire for revenge."

"Next, let me offer a grand gift to this enemy."

Ending with that, Orochimaru's golden-slitted eyes emanated a chilling killing intent.