Gekko Chizan was walking on the road back to the village, his mind still mulling over the current situation.
The war was calming down — something he hadn't expected.
It felt like he hadn't even done much.
All he did was get rid of the One-Tail Shukaku, take out the Third Mizukage, and bankrupt the Fourth Raikage.
That was it, right?
So why was the war settling down now?
This was the Third Great Ninja War, after all.
"Chizan, what's wrong?"
"The war stopping isn't a good thing?"
Chōmei suddenly looked at Gekko Chizan with confusion. Hadn't he always hated war?
So why was he unhappy now that things were stabilizing?
"It's nothing. It just feels like things are spiraling beyond what I expected."
"This absurd feeling is making me really uncomfortable."
"Come on, Chōmei, let's hurry back to the village."
To quickly figure out the direction the war was heading, Gekko Chizan unfurled his wings and used Transparent Release, flying toward the Land of Fire.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha Village, inside a hidden facility
"Orochimaru-sama, I've already mastered the ninjutsu you taught me."
"Hmm..."
"Orochimaru-sama, if there's nothing else, I'll continue training then."
"Wait... is there any news about Chizan today?"
Silence followed. Orochimaru let out a faint sigh...
"Alright, I understand. Yamato, you can go."
Yamato's face fell. It had already been half a year since Gekko Chizan disappeared.
It wasn't just Orochimaru in a foul mood — Yamato was too.
After all, it was Gekko Chizan who gave him his name, one of the few people he knew well, one of the few who treated him kindly.
Now his whereabouts were unknown, something Yamato simply couldn't come to terms with.
Soon, Orochimaru put down the instruments in his hands and instructed:
"Yamato, I'm heading back for a bit. Take these few days to rest well, and try to master Wood Release as soon as possible..."
"Understood, Orochimaru-sama."
...
Not long after, in the Hokage Building of Konoha Village, a meeting was underway.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked grim as the meeting gathered all the clan heads and several Hokage advisors.
The topic of the meeting was this war.
"Hiruzen, Iwagakure has retreated. Why aren't we advancing further to crush them?"
"Sunagakure has already sent in peace documents. This is the time when we should—"
"Bang!"
Danzo's words were cut off as Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table hard.
A scowl crossed Hiruzen's face as he shot Danzo a sharp look, stopping him cold.
"Danzo, enough. Don't you understand why the war has ceased?"
"You know what kind of man Ōnoki is. I know him better than you do."
"Besides, we've been fighting on multiple fronts. This is no time to keep pushing the war."
But Danzo was unyielding, ignoring Hiruzen's anger completely.
"Hmph! Cowardice!"
"The Land of Earth is in chaos right now. This is the best chance we have!"
"Kumogakure is hiding, Sunagakure has been defeated, and Kirigakure retreated for who knows what reason."
"This is the perfect time to strike Iwagakure."
His words gained quite a bit of support — but another voice cut in.
It was Orochimaru, Danzo's own secret ally.
"I don't recommend continuing this war..."
"If this meeting is just about that, I'm leaving..."
"I have plenty of other things to do..."
Orochimaru's voice was icy, his mood clearly sinking even lower.
At his words, the clan heads — including the Uchiha — all turned to look at him. After all, Orochimaru was a rising star in the village, viewed by many as the next Hokage candidate.
Only a few people in the room understood what he was feeling: his teacher Sarutobi Hiruzen, his teammate Tsunade, and his ally Danzo.
"Hmph! Orochimaru, when did you become so soft?"
"Isn't it just because one Gekko Chizan died?"
"Hmph, he sacrificed himself for the village. The village will remember his deeds, but you can't let one person's death drag you down like this!"
Danzo turned his firepower straight at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes turned glacial, his voice as cold as an ice cave:
"Chizan-kun is only missing..."
"He isn't dead..."
"Watch your words, Danzo-sama..."
For the first time, Orochimaru pushed back at Danzo directly, leaving the latter fuming with rage.
"Hmph! Pathetic!"
"Hiruzen, this is the fine student you taught!"
"Giving up the perfect opportunity over one man — ask the others if they're willing to give it up!"
Danzo swept his gaze toward the others.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane didn't side with the Hokage this time — they supported Danzo.
"Hiruzen, Danzo's right. Iwagakure has attacked us repeatedly."
"Now we finally have the chance. We should strike back. We may follow the principle of not attacking first, but we can't keep letting others push us around."
With the two advisors on his side, Danzo stood even taller, as though everything was going exactly according to plan.
But then Orochimaru spoke again.
"If you want to fight, go on your own. No need for a vote here. I have things to do. I'm leaving."
Without waiting for a reply, Orochimaru pushed open the door and left, leaving the entire room stunned.
Tsunade was the second to rise.
"Well, I'm leaving too. Doesn't anyone realize how busy the hospital is?"
"Seriously, meeting after meeting for no reason. Orochimaru's right — if you want to fight, go to the front lines yourself. What's the point of sitting here?"
"I'm out."
As the Princess of Konoha, Tsunade didn't bother sparing anyone's feelings. She simply followed Orochimaru out the door.
The meeting room fell silent.
After a long while, Danzo's furious voice finally exploded again:
"Outrageous! Hiruzen, look at the fine students you've raised!"
"Hmph, I actually think Orochimaru and Tsunade are right. If you want to fight, then go."
Leaning back in his chair, Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, his voice cold.
The meeting continued, but with two people gone, it became far less pleasant.
Of course, Danzo was the only one truly displeased.
...
"Hey, Orochimaru, you really showed him, huh? Daring to call out Danzo like that — well done."
"Tsk tsk, but you really care about Chizan, don't you? I've heard you've been visiting his family a lot lately."
"Bringing his little brother plenty of gifts... People who know you understand you were his teacher. Those who don't might start to wonder, tsk tsk."
Tsunade caught up to Orochimaru with a teasing grin.
But his expression remained dark.