BOOM!
RUMBLE—!
A massive explosion suddenly echoed across Konoha, drawing attention from all directions.
"That's loud… did the construction site go out of control again?"
"Wrong direction… that's not the site. That's more like—"
"The Hokage Tower? Oh… if it's the Hokage Tower, never mind."
"Yeah, I thought we'd finally get to show off."
All across the village, clan shinobi who had already geared up for action paused after spotting the location… then quietly stood down.
If it was the Hokage Tower…
Let it be.
In just three months, the Hokage's prestige had sunk to rock bottom.
Compared to that, Konoha's new advisor—Uchiha Kai, the man who casually put two Kage-level monsters to work—
shone far brighter.
Some voices had even begun whispering that Kai should take the Hokage's seat.
"Hm? Isn't today the day the Sunagakure delegation arrives? Why would fighting break out…"
Inside the Police Force headquarters, Uchiha Fugaku frowned toward the disturbance, then rose and headed out.
As captain of the Military Police, maintaining order was still his duty.
On the outskirts, in the Forest of Death—
THUD!
The massive boulder on the Raikage's shoulder dropped to the ground.
He turned sharply, staring toward Konoha's core, sweat glistening across his dark skin.
"Tch… looks like Orochimaru finally made his move."
"But that Fourth Kazekage… is his head full of sand? Didn't he bother checking Konoha's situation before coming?"
Beside him, Onoki nodded deeply in agreement.
If they'd only gathered intelligence earlier…
If they'd known about Uchiha Kai…
They would never have walked straight into this mess.
Wasn't this basically delivering themselves on a platter?
Onoki suddenly rubbed his bald head thoughtfully.
"Say… you think Orochimaru might actually be working with that guy?"
"Pretending to help us, but really just supplying him with free labor?"
The Raikage froze.
A thought slowly sprouted in his mind.
He felt like he'd discovered something…
…and also like he hadn't.
In the end, he slapped his own head hard.
"Feels like my brain's about to grow…"
He shook the idea off, grabbed another enormous rock, and shrugged.
"Still… this life isn't bad."
Wake up, grab rocks, work all day—no politics, no stress.
Wasn't this exactly the peaceful retirement life he'd always dreamed of?
Did it really matter whether retirement happened in Kumogakure or Konoha?
With that, he hoisted the rock and kept digging.
Behind him, Onoki shook his head helplessly.
"Wouldn't surprise me if his village comes to ransom him and he refuses to leave…"
Then he glanced at the crimson chakra cloak wrapped around himself.
A spark of excitement flashed in his old eyes.
"…Honestly, if I could keep wearing this tailed-beast cloak forever, staying here wouldn't be so bad."
For an old man plagued by chronic back pain, the cloak was practically a second spine.
The feeling of freely unleashing Dust Release again—
He hadn't felt that in decades.
No wonder he'd grown strangely fond of the job.
"…Still… the village has Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi… even that brat Deidara. The future's secure enough…"
Thinking that, his eyes brightened slightly.
BOOOOM!
Back at the Hokage Tower—
A violent blast surged upward and—
CRASH!
The roof exploded.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
The Fourth Kazekage and the now-revealed Orochimaru struck simultaneously at the Third Hokage.
Gold Dust and Hidden Shadow Snake Hands slammed into the combined fire barrier—
detonating into a terrifying shockwave.
The entire rooftop was blown apart instantly.
Wood splinters, rubble, gold dust, and shredded snake corpses mixed together—
raining down like a foul-smelling storm.
"Cough… cough… O-Orochimaru?! Is it really you?"
Leaning on his Adamantine Staff, Hiruzen Sarutobi panted and looked up.
His aged, cloudy eyes clearly reflected the pale young man before him.
Only… Orochimaru's aura now felt utterly different.
Hiruzen felt surprise, anger, guilt—
and faint acceptance.
The student he'd once driven out of the village… had truly returned.
If only he'd been more decisive back then—
would Orochimaru ever have escaped?
"Hehehe… it's been a long time, Sensei."
The supposed Sound leader giggled, his voice slick and bone-chilling.
Then, amid the drifting smoke, he slowly raised a hand—
gripped the edge of his jaw—
and pulled.
RIP—!
A full human face peeled away like a mask.
Beneath it—
an even paler face emerged.
Ghost-white skin. Cold snake pupils. A grin stretched far beyond human warmth.
"…Orochimaru. It really is you."
Hiruzen inhaled sharply, nearly dropping the staff.
Not shock—
but a deeper, stabbing pain.
Once, Orochimaru had been his proudest student.
Now that same student had torn apart their bond in the cruelest possible way.
"Hehehe… long time no see, Sarutobi-sensei."
Orochimaru's tongue slid across his lips.
Only pure malice remained in his eyes.
"Do you like this… little gift of an alliance, Sensei?"
"Haa… haa…"
Hiruzen forced himself to steady his breathing.
Then he stopped looking at Orochimaru.
A deranged genius.
Nothing more to see.
Instead, he turned toward Rasa.
"…Kazekage-dono. Must Sunagakure really go this far?"
"This far?" Rasa's lips tightened, pain surfacing in his stern face.
"Konoha holds the richest land in the world."
"Green forests. Endless resources. Missions flowing nonstop."
"And Sunagakure?"
"Desert. Endless desert."
"Storms wipe out our people. Nothing grows. No resources to gather."
"The only thing we have are missions—"
"And even those… are swallowed up by Konoha."
"If our positions were reversed… what would you do?"
Hiruzen fell silent.
Yes.
No one truly wanted war.
Perhaps Sunagakure had been pushed into this corner.
From afar, Kai simply rolled his eyes.
"Nice speech."
"Desert resources are worth more than half this forest."
"And if nothing else… go pan for gold."
He clicked his tongue, then glanced toward the rooftop—
raising a hand to stop Kakashi and the others from rushing in.
"Stay put."
"K-Kai-Kai-Kai-sama?!"
Kakashi and Yamato froze, immediately halting mid-step.
Only Guy kept charging forward.
Kai shook his head lightly.
"You lead the ANBU and secure the village."
"As for the Hokage Tower…"
"…the Third Hokage will handle it himself."
Thump.
Kakashi's heart skipped.
He finally understood.
At that moment—
A sharp, piercing roar suddenly erupted from the street below.
"GYAAHAHAHA! Kurama! I finally get to beat the hell out of you!"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/SorenSwiftTL