In a dark underground laboratory, Orochimaru was reading a newspaper in his hand.

"Hehe..."

"The Elder Things."

On the newspaper, he saw a report about the discovery of an ancient civilization in the Land of Snow. His eyes gleamed as he scanned the article.

Finally, they reveal themselves to the world.

He was not unfamiliar with the Elder Things, as they were mentioned in the Necronomicon. The tome's weathered pages and cryptic text flashed through his mind as he recalled its contents.

They possessed intelligence on par with humans and once built highly advanced civilizations. However, their civilization had dwindled to the point where almost no traces of their existence could be found.

Unexpectedly, the last remnants were discovered in the remote northern country of the Land of Snow.

In the Necronomicon, Abdullah, had hand-drawn sketches of the Elder Things. Orochimaru vividly remembered that the sketches closely resembled the incomplete biological samples shown in the newspaper photo.

His drawings... They're unmistakable. This is no coincidence.

Such strange and eerie creatures could not be imagined unless one had seen them firsthand in the Necronomicon. This meant that the civilization discovered in the Land of Snow wasn't just coincidentally named after the Elder Things in the book; the ancient beings were real!

Their existence further confirmed the authenticity of the tome, leading Orochimaru to almost fully trust the book.

As long as he followed the path of the Silver Key and the Ultimate Gate, guided by the Necronomicon, he was sure he would eventually encounter that great being.

One of the avatars of Yog-Sothoth, the Ancient Immortal — 'Umr At-Tawil!

By unveiling the veil of light draped over 'Umr At-Tawil, he could obtain endless truths of the universe! According to the tome, all wisdom, knowledge, and truth in this world were created by Yog-Sothoth.

The source of all wisdom, all knowledge... It's within my grasp!

This pursuit was no longer about seeking truth but finding the source of all truth.

The source where all things converge was what he ultimately sought!

As for the Elder Things, Orochimaru viewed them much like Cthulhu — beings that were intriguing yet difficult to discard.

As a dedicated scientific researcher, Orochimaru was somewhat interested in the biological structure of these strange creatures.

The Necronomicon stated that the Elder Things were perfect beings, capable of adapting to any environment — land, sea, or sky could not limit them.

Ninjas with the adaptability of the Elder Things. Land, sea, sky - no environment would be beyond their reach, Orochimaru contemplated.

If he could study this structure and transplant it into ninjas, would he be able to create a powerful ninja army?

On his path to the Ultimate Gate, he didn't intend to walk alone. The idea of cultivating his own ninja force had not changed.

At the same time, he also had no plans to abandon his original research on forbidden techniques.

The journey to find the Ultimate Gate was destined to be long, and an ordinary human lifespan would be insufficient. Therefore, Orochimaru needed these forbidden techniques to extend his life and increase his strength.

However, his ultimate goal had shifted somewhat.

Immortality, jutsu mastery... Mere stepping stones on the path to ultimate truth, Orochimaru reflected, his ambitions evolving.

Originally, Orochimaru's purpose was simply to study immortality and learn all the ninjutsu in the world.

But now, the study of immortality was merely a means to an end, and learning other ninjutsu was also just a tool, not the final goal.

The ultimate objective was to find the Ultimate Gate and grasp all the truths of the universe!

Compared to the Elder Things, Orochimaru was more intrigued by the Shoggoth, a blasphemous creation mentioned alongside the Elder Things in the Necronomicon.

The Shoggoth was a wondrous creation made by the Elder Things, capable of altering its form and producing organs adapted to any environment, based on the Elder Things' needs.

The created surpassing the creator... How delightfully ironic.

In his eyes, this creature had surpassed its creators in terms of evolutionary potential.

While the Elder Things had a high starting point for their physical capabilities, they experienced degeneration. The Necronomicon mentioned that over the course of their evolution, the Elder Things had lost the ability to travel through space.

On the other hand, the Shoggoth, with its formless body, could continue evolving to unimaginable heights.

If he were to choose between the Elder Things and the Shoggoths to transplant their structures or abilities into ninjas, the Shoggoths would naturally be more compatible with the human body, and the resulting power would be far greater.

Moreover, Orochimaru was eager to witness what this wondrous creation truly looked like.

Abdullah described the Shoggoth as an amorphous, protoplasmic organism. Just the thought of such a creature existing in the world could instill fear in the heart.

As for this fear, Orochimaru was keen to taste it firsthand.

"I really want it," he murmured.

He licked his lips with his tongue, his snake-like eyes fixed on the photo of the Elder Things in the newspaper. But in his heart, he was thinking about how wonderful it would be if he could get his hands on both the Elder Things biological sample and the Shoggoth.

To hold such a thing in my hands...

Although the newspaper didn't mention the existence of the Shoggoth, the Land of Snow had sealed off the ancient city of the Elder Things. This indicated that there were still places worth exploring or risking, possibly even the forbidden Shoggoth.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru was currently short on manpower. After leaving Konoha and parting ways with Danzo, he faced difficulties in gathering intelligence and research materials.

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So close, yet so far. If only I had more pawns to move... Orochimaru's frustration bubbled beneath the surface.

For example, if he wanted to obtain the biological samples of the Elder Things or the possible Shoggoth, he would have to go there himself.

But the Land of Snow was remote, and it would take too long to return. Such a trip would waste time and attract too much attention from Konoha.

Additionally, the forbidden technique he was currently developing, the Living Corpse Reincarnation, also required a large amount of data and experimental materials to complete.

At present, Orochimaru had only two people he could rely on to carry out his tasks.

One was Guren, who was active in the southern Land of Water.

The other was a spy frequently traveling between the Five Great Nations, still working in his old role.

Click, click.

Ah, those footsteps. Right on time, as always, Orochimaru grinned.

A dark figure stepped into the bright light of the laboratory, lowering the hood from his head, revealing a young man with silver-gray hair and round glasses.

"Orochimaru-sama," the young man greeted.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru smiled. "I trust you bring interesting news?"

"Indeed, Orochimaru-sama. I have much to report," Kabuto responded, adjusting his glasses.

The young man before him was a talent Orochimaru had discovered years ago while working with Danzo in Konoha's Root division.

Kabuto had an extraordinary talent for medical ninjutsu and, with a bit of training, had become immensely helpful in Orochimaru's experiments. He also possessed a remarkable aptitude for espionage.

Kabuto... My greatest find from those Konoha days. How far we've come.

He was now one of Orochimaru's greatest assets.

Originally, Orochimaru had planned to wait a few more years, allowing Kabuto to mature further before recruiting him, someone he had long considered a talent worth cultivating. However, due to an urgent need for manpower, especially after the disbandment of Danzo's Root division, which left a significant gap in intelligence gathering, Orochimaru decided to bring Kabuto in ahead of schedule.

A gamble, bringing him in so soon. But necessity demands it. He recalled the day he approached Kabuto.

---

"Danzo has been playing you, Kabuto. I can offer you a way out," Orochimaru had said with a smile.

The reason he was able to convince Kabuto was simple: he revealed to Kabuto how Danzo had manipulated both him and Nonō through deceit, intending for the two to eventually kill each other.

However, at the time, Kabuto was only thirteen years old and, despite understanding Danzo's treachery, was powerless to resist. Failing to complete the missions as Danzo desired would mean certain death for both Kabuto and Nonō. Such was the ruthless nature of the Root.

There was even the possibility that Kabuto's fellow orphans would be caught in the crossfire. At that time, Orochimaru, already a rogue ninja having defected from Konoha, became Kabuto's only option. Naturally, Kabuto pledged his loyalty and became one of Orochimaru's subordinates.

At present, Kabuto was operating as a double agent, frequently traveling between the five great nations, conducting espionage, and feeding information back to Danzo's Root division. Orochimaru, however, did not instruct Kabuto to completely sever ties with Konoha.

Instead, he directed Kabuto to continue passing along intelligence while also supplying that same information to Orochimaru. This arrangement allowed him to offset the intelligence advantage Danzo once had.

---

Knowledge is power, and now, Danzo's knowledge is mine, he smiled.

As for why Orochimaru had stopped collaborating with Danzo after his defection from the village, it was because he felt that their partnership was no longer equal. If it was simply a matter of developing forbidden techniques, Orochimaru could share a small portion of his research results in exchange for faster progress on his end.

However, when it came to secrets like those found in the tome, Danzo had nothing of equivalent value to offer in return.

The Necronomicon... Its secrets far outweigh anything Danzo could offer, Orochimaru reflected.

Possessing the Necronomicon, Orochimaru believed he understood more about the ancient rulers and the truths lurking behind current events than anyone else in the world. In other words, Danzo's contributions paled in comparison to what Orochimaru now knew. Unless Danzo could offer something truly enticing, something aligned with Orochimaru's ultimate goals, he saw no reason to deal with him any further.

In his laboratory, Kabuto reported the intelligence he had gathered from the five great nations. Though only a few years had passed since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, the nations were already preparing in secret for the next one.

In Kumo, the strategic resource theft program had resumed. In simple terms, Kumo was once again stealing anything from other nations considered a strategic resource—be it Jinchuriki, powerful jutsu, or bloodline limits. This strategy had been implemented by the Third Raikage before the Third Great Ninja War, when he sent a team to kidnap Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but Minato had thwarted the plan. Now, the Third Raikage's son was carrying on the same schemes.

Hearing this, Orochimaru smirked and commented, "Like father, like son. They're both fond of underhanded tactics."

"Should we be concerned about their growing strength, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked, adjusting his glasses.

Orochimaru waved a dismissive hand. "Let them play their games. We have bigger fish to fry."

In Suna, a sweeping reform was underway under the leadership of the Fourth Kazekage, who seemed to be developing some kind of ultimate weapon. The exact nature of this weapon was still unknown.

As for Konoha, under Sarutobi's leadership, everything appeared calm, reflecting his cautious, veteran style of governance.

Oh, Sarutobi-sensei, still playing it safe. How dull.

Information from Kiri was scarce, as Kabuto found it difficult to penetrate the village. However, on Orochimaru's orders, Kabuto had recently made contact with Guren, who was still active in the Land of Water.

"Guren mentioned that the more remote areas of the Land of Water have begun to show a widespread devotion to a common faith, called the Dagon Cult," Kabuto reported.

"The leader of this cult is said to be someone named Dagon."

"While we don't have concrete information, it's very likely this Dagon is hiding somewhere in the Land of Waves near the Land of Water."

At the mention of Guren, his expression soured. For some reason, Guren had been hostile toward him during their meeting, as if he had taken something from her.

He hesitated, then added, "Guren seemed... unusually hostile, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with irritation. "Your petty rivalries don't concern me, Kabuto."

He was absorbed in the hidden information within Guren's report—details only he could fully understand. Dagon, as mentioned in the tome, was an elder of the Deep Ones, a race that worshipped Cthulhu. Dagon was one of Cthulhu's most faithful followers. This man, who called himself Dagon, clearly had knowledge of Cthulhu that rivaled Orochimaru's own.

Dagon... Could it be? Another who knows of Cthulhu?

He had learned about Cthulhu through the Necronomicon, but how had this man gained his knowledge? During his research on Motoki, Orochimaru discovered that those who had seen statues of Cthulhu not only went mad but also became devout followers, gaining insights into Cthulhu's mysteries.

"This Dagon... How did he come by such knowledge?" Orochimaru mused aloud.

Given how much this man knew about Cthulhu, there was no doubt he was the rogue ninja from Kiri who had spent the most time exposed to the Cthulhu statue.

This self-proclaimed Dagon had formed a civilian cult. What was he planning? Could it be that he intended to become a preacher?

"This is getting more interesting," he mused, licking his lips with a smile.

Seeing Orochimaru's grin, Kabuto nervously swallowed and continued, "There's one last piece of information, about Iwagakure."

"At present, Iwa rarely sends out its own ninja for missions. Instead, they rely on mercenaries, particularly a ninja mercenary group that has completed many difficult tasks on their behalf."

"This group is called... Akatsuki."

A group of powerful rogue ninja? Now this is interesting.

"The organization consists of many powerful rogue ninja from various villages. They have no political allegiance and work for anyone who can pay."

"Recently, the Third Tsuchikage attempted to recruit Akatsuki into his village, but the leader of the organization rejected the offer."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a sneer. "Rejected by mere mercenaries? How the mighty have fallen."

"However, this has not affected their working relationship. Iwa remains heavily dependent on the Akatsuki."

"The members of the group are easy to identify—they wear black cloaks embroidered with red clouds, and they usually work in pairs."

"And—"

Boom!

Before Kabuto could finish, a loud explosion interrupted him.

Orochimaru instantly stood up, alert. "You weren't followed, were you?"

Kabuto quickly shook his head. "Absolutely not! I'm always extremely cautious."

Orochimaru chose to trust Kabuto, knowing that he was Kabuto's only lifeline and that Kabuto had no reason to betray him. Moreover, Kabuto had years of experience as a spy. Though his combat abilities were average, his skills in evading detection were first-rate, making it nearly impossible for anyone to track him.

He wouldn't betray me. Orochimaru reassured himself.

If the explosion wasn't caused by someone following Kabuto, then it had to be someone targeting Orochimaru himself. After all, he had been in this laboratory for quite some time.

Pressing a hidden button next to his chair, he opened a secret door. "You leave through here. I'll deal with whoever is outside."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"

Kabuto darted into the secret passage, which quickly sealed behind him. Orochimaru chose to confront the situation head-on, exiting through the main entrance to see who had come for him.

Let's see my new test subjects.

Stepping out of his underground laboratory, he was met by the sight of two figures standing in the clearing, both dressed in black cloaks embroidered with red clouds.

Black cloaks with red clouds... So, Akatsuki have come to me, Orochimaru realized, his interest growing by the second.

"You are…?"