Chapter 112: Destiny

Orochimaru was headed toward the Land of Rice Fields, and there was little need to explain why.

At the same time, as Orochimaru made his way toward the Land of Rice Fields, a couple also crossed the border into the same territory.

Both husband and wife were cloaked in black, stumbling along, looking thoroughly exhausted.

"H-Husband… can we rest for a moment? My stomach… it hurts."

The woman was panting heavily, her face pale with exhaustion.

If one looked closely, they'd notice she was heavily pregnant under that cloak, her belly round and ready for delivery.

"Hold on just a bit longer," the man replied, teeth gritted. "We're at the edge of the Land of Grass—it's not safe here. Let's get over this mountain first, then we can rest."

"But… it hurts so much," the woman pleaded, struggling to keep moving.

A heavily pregnant woman, running for her life for so long, it was a miracle she hadn't collapsed already.

Seeing her in such pain, the man hesitated, then cursed under his breath. "Alright, wait here for a second. I'll find us a safe spot."

The woman nodded weakly, resting against a large boulder.

The man quickly ran ahead, searching for shelter, and soon came back to help her sit down under the cover of the trees, hidden by a large rock.

"This spot should be safe enough for now. At least we won't be easily spotted by any passing ninjas," he said, guiding her down gently.

The woman, still in obvious discomfort, finally asked, "Husband… why didn't we just go to the Land of Fire? It's a lot closer than all this running."

There was confusion and frustration in her voice. After all, the Land of Fire was the most powerful nation in the ninja world. They had already crossed its border, why hadn't they sought refuge there?

Hearing this, the man's face twisted with anger. "The Land of Fire? Hah! If they weren't so incompetent, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!"

"Our village was destroyed… it's not entirely their fault!" the woman argued weakly.

"Maybe not completely their fault," the man replied, still bitter, "but look at the world now. The whole ninja world's on edge, and the Land of Fire can't even save itself. If we head there, we'll be dead before we know it."

"So if not the Land of Fire, where are we going?" she asked, still not fully understanding.

"We're heading to Amegakure!" the man said with determination.

"The Village Hidden in the Rain?"

"Yes! Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, is a legendary figure, a demigod in the ninja world. He's powerful enough to protect us."

"Alright, if you say so," the woman agreed, too tired to argue any further.

After resting briefly, the two set off again, unaware that a strange figure had been watching them from the shadows.

A small, white head popped up from the ground where they had just rested. "Fleeing from another country? That's strange enough… but the woman has an enormous amount of chakra, yet she's not a ninja?"

With a growing curiosity, the white figure slowly sank back into the ground, silently following the couple.

---

Half a day later, deep underground in a dark, cavernous space, there was almost no sign of life. The environment was bleak, and even underground creatures avoided this place. Yet, amidst the emptiness, there was a massive hollow chamber.

The chamber was vast, with a few flickering lights swaying in the gloom, indicating some kind of air circulation. Without airflow, the candles wouldn't be able to flicker.

Through the dim light, one could barely make out the form of a terrifying, colossal figure, its presence like that of an ancient giant from legend. But this wasn't some benevolent figure of myth, this giant radiated a menacing, almost demonic aura.

At the foot of this enormous figure sat an old man, his body frail and worn, connected to the giant by what looked like roots that fed into his back, sustaining his life.

Slowly, the old man lifted his head, revealing eyes filled with lavender ripples, the distinctive Rinnegan. His voice, weak and raspy, echoed in the chamber like the creak of old, wind-blown bellows.

"Zetsu… What is it?" Uchiha Madara asked.

From the ground, a white figure emerged, grinning as he spoke, "Heh, Madara. Guess what one of my clones just saw on the surface?"

Madara didn't bother to look up. "Stop playing games. What did you see?"

"There's a pregnant woman from the Uzumaki clan, and she looks ready to give birth!"

Madara's eyes gleamed with interest at the mention of the Uzumaki clan. "A pregnant Uzumaki woman? I hadn't expected them to come to me, but it seems fate has a way of working things out. Follow her."

"Don't worry, I've already got them in my sights," Zetsu said, his voice amused. "But wait, it seems they're in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The woman looks like she's about to give birth, and they've just run into some ninjas from the Land of Grass."

Madara chuckled softly. "Hmm, maybe my luck isn't so bad after all…"

Sometimes, fate truly does work in strange ways.

As a former friend of the First Hokage, Madara knew the power of the Uzumaki clan well. But with age weighing on him and time running out, he couldn't afford to take risks by openly seeking out the remaining members of their clan. That would risk drawing Konoha's attention. He had to bide his time and wait for the right opportunity.

And now, it seemed, the opportunity had come to him.

The Uzumaki clan had been annihilated, but a couple had survived, crossing the Land of Grass in hopes of finding refuge. And the woman was pregnant, a perfect vessel for his plans.

It was as if destiny had delivered them to his doorstep.

---

Meanwhile, Orochimaru had already anticipated that things like this might happen, but he didn't concern himself with it too much. The world was vast, and finding Nagato's parents on his own would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He simply didn't have the time or resources for that kind of pursuit.

For now, he had other matters to attend to, and so he found himself in the war-torn Land of Rice Fields once again.

Despite the tense relationships between the major nations, Konoha still hadn't declared war on the Land of Lightning. According to intelligence, the Land of Lightning had provided extensive evidence that they weren't involved in the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Additionally, the peace treaty they had signed after their previous conflict seemed to be holding for now.

Orochimaru scoffed at the idea.

He knew that Kumogakure had a habit of studying the secret techniques of other villages. If they weren't involved in the downfall of the Uzumaki clan, then no one was. Orochimaru could barely suppress his laughter at the thought.

Still, the fact that Konoha hadn't engaged in open conflict with Kumogakure meant that the Land of Rice Fields would remain relatively safe for now.

That was good news for him.

Reaching a mountainous area, Orochimaru surveyed the terrain. The place was surrounded by rivers and peaks, a scenic location that would make a fine vacation spot, under different circumstances. But leisure was far from Orochimaru's mind.

Suddenly, a figure dressed in black appeared out of nowhere, kneeling before him.

"Lord Orochimaru," the figure said, head bowed.

"Yoru, how's the lab?" Orochimaru asked.

"Everything is ready."

"Good. Take me inside," Orochimaru commanded.