Kenji stepped forward and formed hand seals with both hands. Chakra flowed through the patterns as he activated a suppression seal, locking down Orochimaru's chakra network. The Sannin's body went limp.
"Summoning Technique!"
The Magnet Release puppet appeared beside him in a puff of smoke. Without needing verbal instruction, it bent down and hoisted Orochimaru's unconscious form over its shoulder, then started walking toward the exit.
Kenji's sensory abilities tracked the other chakra signatures still inside the base. Some of the experimenters who'd tried to flee had already been captured by the ANBU securing the perimeter. Others hadn't moved at all, most likely test subjects Orochimaru had imprisoned. Those people could wait for Minato to handle.
The puppet emerged from the underground facility into open air. Dawn was breaking, light filtering through the trees and turning the forest grey. ANBU operatives stood around the entrance.
"Have all the escapees been captured?" Kenji asked the ANBU captain as he followed his puppet out.
The captain turned and bowed slightly. "Reporting. All targets who attempted to flee have been apprehended and secured."
"Good work." Kenji nodded. "Send four people inside and bring everyone else out. There are imprisoned ninjas in there too, likely test subjects. Make sure to protect their safety during extraction."
"Yes!" Four ANBU acknowledged the order immediately and disappeared into the base entrance.
Kenji waited in place, his sensory technique spreading outward in a constant sweep of the surrounding area. That's when he felt numerous chakra signatures approaching rapidly from the direction of Konoha. And several of those signatures felt uncomfortably familiar.
"All units, defensive formation! Large group of ninjas approaching from the northwest!"
The ANBU reacted instantly. They shifted into a protective circle around the captured experimenters.
Once he confirmed the ANBU were prepared, Kenji had his puppet set Orochimaru down beside him. The Magnet Release puppet formed a single hand seal and vanished. He knew what was coming. This situation wasn't going to be simple. Minato needed to be here in person.
The puppet had barely been gone a minute when the forest erupted with movement. Dozens of masked ninjas poured out from between the trees. At the front were four figures Kenji had sensed earlier.
Konoha's old guard had arrived.
Hiruzen led the group. Behind him walked Danzō. And flanking them were Homura and Koharu, both looking severe and disapproving. Behind them came dozens of masked operatives. Some wore standard ANBU gear, but others had the unmarked masks and blank expressions. Hard to tell which organization they belonged to at a glance, which was probably intentional.
Kenji remained motionless as he watched them approach. He'd already guessed why they were here. The question was whether they'd be stupid enough to try it.
Hiruzen's eyes found Orochimaru lying unconscious on the ground, chakra sealed and helpless. Something flickered across his face, too quick to identify. Then his attention shifted to Kenji.
"Kenji, I already know about Orochimaru's human experimentation. This matter will be handled by Root. Hand over Orochimaru and the other prisoners to Root custody."
He didn't wait for a response. Just waved his hand, signaling the Root ninjas behind him to step forward and take control of the prisoners.
"Wait."
Kenji moved, placing himself directly between the approaching Root operatives and Orochimaru's body. His eyes locked onto Hiruzen's.
"Hiruzen-sama," he said. "The mission to apprehend Orochimaru was personally issued by the Fourth Hokage. The task force executing it is ANBU under direct Hokage command. If Root is to assume custody, I'll need to see an authorization document signed by the Fourth Hokage himself. Once I've verified the authenticity, I'll naturally complete the handover."
The Root ninjas had stopped moving, clearly waiting for orders from their superiors.
Hiruzen's expression hardened slightly. "This decision was reached through joint discussion between myself, Danzō, and both advisors. No document is necessary. I'll explain the situation to Minato afterward. Just hand over the prisoners now."
"Sorry," Kenji said without yielding an inch. "That won't work."
The temperature in the clearing seemed to drop. Every ninja present could feel the tension ratcheting up.
"We obey the Hokage's orders," he continued. "Only the Fourth Hokage himself, or a properly authorized document from him, gives any department the authority to assume custody of prisoners from this mission. That's ANBU protocol. It's also a matter of respecting the Hokage's authority."
The meaning was clear: trying to circumvent Minato's authority was disrespectful to the office itself.
Danzō stepped forward. For a moment it looked like he was going to explode with anger. But when their gazes met, the words died in his throat. There was something in Kenji's eyes that made even Danzō pause. He swallowed his fury and forced the words out through gritted teeth. "The document will be provided to you later. Hand over the prisoners now."
"The Third Hokage and both advisors are standing right here," Homura interjected, unable to contain his irritation. "Isn't that proof enough? You're just a jonin. Don't be so stubborn about procedure!"
Kenji didn't even glance in Homura's direction. His attention remained fixed on Hiruzen.
"The current Hokage is Namikaze Minato," he said flatly. "Without his direct order, it doesn't matter who comes. The answer is no."
He understood exactly what these people were trying to do. Their urgency to seize Orochimaru had nothing to do with justice or proper procedure. They were trying to contain the damage before things got worse.
Orochimaru's human experimentation hadn't happened in a vacuum. Root had been involved from the beginning, providing resources and test subjects. And when the experiments had been secretly restarted years ago after supposedly being shut down, that couldn't have happened without tacit approval from Hiruzen, who was Hokage at the time. If Minato conducted a thorough investigation, all of their dirty secrets would come spilling out. The old guard would be torn apart politically, maybe even criminally prosecuted.
And he had read the original timeline. He knew that Orochimaru had eventually defected from Konoha with suspicious ease. If Hiruzen hadn't deliberately let him escape, how could someone like Orochimaru slip past Konoha's full defensive capabilities? It wasn't possible. The Third Hokage had let his student go rather than face the consequences of a proper trial.
History wasn't going to repeat itself. Not if he had anything to say about it.
"That's right. I am the Hokage."
The voice came from beside Kenji without warning. Minato's figure appeared in a flash, materializing next to him via Flying Thunder God. His eyes swept across Hiruzen, Danzō, and the advisors.
The puppet had done its job.
Hiruzen and Danzō's faces went dark the moment they saw Minato. Their entire plan had relied on moving fast while he was absent, securing Orochimaru and the prisoners before Minato could interfere. They hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.
Now they were trapped. In front of dozens of ANBU, openly defying the Hokage's direct orders would undermine the office's authority. But backing down meant abandoning their attempt to control the situation.
After a moment of tense silence, Hiruzen's expression softened slightly. He tried a different approach.
"Minato, Orochimaru's case is grave. Allowing Root to handle it would be more prudent. They have experience with—"
"Put Orochimaru and all the prisoners in Konoha's security facility immediately," Minato interrupted, cutting off whatever justification Hiruzen had been about to offer. His gaze moved slowly across the former Hokage and Danzō, measuring them. Then he turned to Kenji and the assembled ANBU. "Move quickly. No mistakes."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The ANBU responded in unison.
They moved fast, gathering the prisoners and forming an escort detail. Minato and Kenji walked at the front with the chakra-sealed Orochimaru suspended between two ANBU operatives. Behind them came Hiruzen, Danzō, and the two advisors.
The atmosphere was so tense it was hard to breathe. Nobody spoke during the entire journey back to the village.
After all the prisoners had been safely secured in Konoha's prison and Kenji had submitted his mission report in the Hokage's office, he turned to leave. But Minato's voice stopped him.
"Kenji, wait a moment before you go."
At the same time, he glanced meaningfully at Hiruzen and the others, who showed no signs of leaving the office.
Kenji understood immediately. Minato wanted him there as a stabilizing presence. He nodded and moved to stand behind Minato's desk, positioning himself where he could observe the four elders clearly.
He was well aware of how awkward Minato's situation had become.
Every previous Hokage in history had assumed office only after their predecessor's death. Minato was the exception. He'd taken the position after Hiruzen was forced to step down following Konoha's poor performance in the Third Great Ninja War.
But Hiruzen hadn't surrendered power. Not really.
He'd kept control of part of his personal ANBU force, mostly ninjas from the Sarutobi clan who were loyal to him rather than the office. Danzō's Root continued operating with complete autonomy. The two advisors held their positions and wielded significant influence over policy decisions. Together, the old guard controlled most of Konoha's power structure.
On paper, Minato was Hokage. In practice, the only force he could directly mobilize was his personal ANBU detail, mostly younger ninjas who'd been recruited after his appointment. His authority had been hollowed out.
Among the major clans, the situation was complicated. The Ino-Shika-Chō leadership, roughly Minato's age, privately favored him. But their deep historical ties to the Sarutobi clan prevented them from openly taking sides. The Hyūga clan had chosen strict neutrality, refusing to get involved in political conflicts.
The only clan that clearly supported Minato was the Uchiha, ironically enough. After years of suspicion and hostility from Hiruzen's administration, they saw Minato as a fresh start. He'd never shown them prejudice or treated them as potential threats. The choice of who to back was obvious.
But Minato was a commoner, born without clan connections or family power backing him. His base of support was painfully thin.
Jiraiya spent most of his time traveling and couldn't provide consistent help. Kushina came from the nearly extinct Uzumaki clan. Kakashi and Rin, while talented, were still too young and inexperienced to be major political assets.
That left Kenji as his most reliable ally. And even Kenji could see that Minato had grown tired of being sidelined. The Fourth Hokage was beginning to make moves, looking for ways to reclaim power from the hands of the old guard.
This confrontation over Orochimaru was just the opening salvo.