Genius? What a laughable label.
Tap—tap—
Footsteps rushed down the hall.
"Neji, are you okay?!"
Tenten came running. Her face went pale at the sight of bodies lining the corridor and Neji slumped against the wall.
"I'm fine. Bring me my forehead protector."
Neji gave a small shake of the head and glanced at Tenten.
Forehead protector?
Tenten blinked—then noticed Neji's bare brow.
"This is…" Shock flashed across her face. The "Caged Bird" curse mark on Neji's forehead was gone.
"Please keep this to yourself," Neji said, voice steady and serious.
She didn't understand what had happened, but she knew the consequences of a vanished "Caged Bird." Tenten nodded hard.
Meanwhile, Konoha shinobi and Anbu who'd been hurrying toward the ward after hearing the fight stopped dead when the explosions boomed elsewhere.
The kekkai (barrier) that covered the sky over Konoha began to fade with the blasts.
Those five explosions had hit the core nodes of the village barrier.
With any of the five points down, Konoha turned blind—unable to quickly gauge how many had invaded or where they'd appeared.
All that "wandering" Yuto did in Konoha had been for this.
"Damn it! Move to the blast sites! Assess damage and restore the barrier now! I'll report to Hokage-sama immediately!"
The squad split into five teams and sprinted for the five directions, too pressed to check the commotion by Neji's ward.
Chunin Exams arena.
The second match had just ended—Kankurō forfeited, so it wrapped fast.
But as the third was about to begin, the sudden explosions shattered the calm.
Orochimaru and the Sand-nin all froze a beat—the timing didn't match their plan.
Hidden amid the stands, Kabuto reacted the instant the blasts hit. Without waiting for Orochimaru's cue, he unleashed Genjutsu (illusion).
On the highest dais overlooking the arena—
"As expected, that one never follows the plan," Orochimaru murmured, eyes deep.
An arrow nocked had to fly. If so, start early.
He turned toward Hiruzen. At the same time, Hiruzen turned toward him.
Their eyes met.
BOOM!
The dais erupted. A Konoha jōnin guarding Hiruzen died before he could even react.
CLANG! CLANG!
Metal rang within a swelling mist. The Anbu hidden around the arena surged for the platform the instant Hiruzen and Orochimaru clashed.
Clapping a kunai to Hiruzen's throat, Orochimaru burst from the fog and sprang onto the roof above the arena stands.
"I didn't expect Suna to betray Konoha," Hiruzen said evenly, ignoring the blade under his chin.
"Betray? How quaint. Treaties are just screens to lull the enemy."
"The dull little tournament is over. From here, shinobi history changes."
A cold smile cut across Orochimaru's face.
"You Sand-nin want a war? We can still avoid force and seek a peaceful resolution. There's time yet, Kazekage-dono."
Hiruzen hadn't resisted—because he still believed there was room to talk.
If a problem could be solved by negotiation, better to avoid force.
"Heh… a fine suggestion. Age has let peace fog your mind."
"If I were truly the Kazekage, perhaps I'd accept. But I'm not, sensei."
The pleasant honorific made Hiruzen's expression sour. He had thought Orochimaru merely cooperated with Suna—he hadn't expected him to impersonate the Kazekage.
Whoosh!
Four figures burst from hiding—four Sound-nin took up the corners.
Finding four with the original Four's prowess might be hard, but for setting a barrier, Orochimaru had plenty of hands.
"Ninpō—Shishienjin (Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation)—"
They had only half-formed the seals when four Anbu flashed in behind them.
In the blink of an eye, the barrier team lay dead.
Even as they fell, more Anbu poured in, encircling Orochimaru and Hiruzen.
"Orochimaru—you won't escape," Hiruzen said calmly, still ignoring the kunai.
—
On a secluded stretch outside Konoha—
Dozens of Sand-nin emerged from cover.
"That was the signal? The timing's off," one muttered.
"Something changed. Either way, the plan's live. Move!"
Six shinobi stepped forward and formed a six-point array.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"
A surge of white smoke—and a colossal three-headed python coiled into view, shrieking as it lunged for Konoha's wall.
The wall guards unleashed every attack they had; none pierced its hide.
The serpent smashed the outer wall like paper.
Grins spread across the Sand-nin—
—until a shadow dropped from the sky, slamming down with a quake.
By the time the Sand-nin processed it, the python was gone.
In its place squatted a toad two or three times larger than the snake had been.
"You Sand brats—I've been waiting!"
A white-haired man with an "oil" forehead protector stood on the toad's head, grinning down at the Sand-nin with swagger.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810