Seven in the morning.
A red sun pushed through the clouds, spilling light across Konoha.
On any ordinary day, the streets would already be alive—shop shutters raised, vendors shouting, civilians moving through the avenues with the easy rhythm of village life.
Today, however, Konoha was silent.
No footsteps.
No merchants.
No children.
Shops remained tightly shuttered. The empty streets carried not just desolation—but tension. The kind that precedes bloodshed.
The previous evening, the Hokage Tower had issued an official notice to all civilians:
Recent rumors spreading through the village were believed to be the work of foreign spies. ANBU had identified potential infiltrators, and a large-scale purge operation would be conducted today. Civilians were instructed to remain indoors to avoid accidental injury.
The Hokage Tower still commanded tremendous credibility among the populace. When orders came—whether to celebrate, mobilize, or shut themselves indoors—the people complied.
And so the village held its breath.
Inside the Hokage's Office
The Hokage's office was thick with smoke.
Not the faint scent of tobacco—this was a suffocating haze, dense enough to sting the eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe and rose slowly from his chair, stretching stiff limbs.
The Uchiha clan meeting had lasted the entire night.
He had waited the entire night.
Though the radical faction led by Uchiha Setsuna remained a minority within the clan, Hiruzen understood one thing clearly:
One spark is enough.
Setsuna had a history. If he said "coup," he meant it.
And so Hiruzen prepared for the worst-case scenario.
A knock echoed through the room.
"Enter."
The door opened.
Koharu Utatane
Homura Mitokado
Orochimaru
Koharu and Homura looked visibly exhausted. Only Orochimaru seemed refreshed.
Koharu wrinkled her nose.
"Hiruzen… how much did you smoke last night? Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Orochimaru lazily flicked his fingers, conjuring a small spiral of wind that swept the smoke out the window.
Hiruzen ignored the comment.
"You're here early. What is it?"
Homura stepped forward.
"It's already dawn. The civilians can't remain indoors all day. Has there been any development with the Uchiha?"
As head and deputy head of the Administrative Department, they could not allow Konoha to remain paralyzed indefinitely.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, had come for a simpler reason.
He had slept well. Very well.
Thanks to a certain reminder from Uchiha Jin, his research on Hashirama's cells had entered a promising new stage. Danzo had recently provided additional materials and equipment.
He had no intention of wasting time here.
"The Uchiha have made no move," Hiruzen said slowly.
He paused.
"No news is good news."
"If they intended immediate rebellion, it would have happened during the night. Lift the civilian restriction for now—but instruct them to remain cautious and prepared to evacuate to shelters at any moment."
Koharu and Homura nodded. The logic was sound.
If the Uchiha were to strike, it would be decisive—or carefully prepared.
Daytime was unlikely.
Orochimaru seized the moment.
"May I return to my laboratory, then?"
Hiruzen frowned sharply.
"You're in a hurry."
He looked at his former prized disciple with obvious displeasure.
"You return to the village and vanish into your laboratory. You barely show your face. You think I don't know what you and Danzo have been doing?"
His voice hardened.
"Don't go too far."
There had been a time when Orochimaru was Hiruzen's greatest hope among the Sannin.
Tsunade
Jiraiya
Of the three, Orochimaru had been the most promising.
But after being entrusted with research into Hashirama's cells—
Something changed.
He grew colder.
Detached.
Clinical.
At times, Hiruzen felt as though he were speaking to a machine.
A man without emotional anchors had no weaknesses.
And a man without weaknesses was impossible to control.
That was when Hiruzen quietly abandoned the idea of making Orochimaru the Fourth Hokage.
Orochimaru merely smiled.
"Isn't this better, Sensei?" he said softly.
His tongue flicked briefly across his lips.
"It saves you quite a bit of trouble."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
He understood perfectly.
Orochimaru possessed tremendous prestige within the village. If he chose to run for the Fourth Hokage, even with Hiruzen backing Minato, the outcome would not be guaranteed.
But Orochimaru had chosen isolation.
He had removed himself from the political stage.
It made Minato's succession smoother.
Yet hearing that reality spoken aloud stung Hiruzen's pride.
"You still see me as your teacher?" Hiruzen snapped.
Orochimaru's smile deepened.
"Sensei…"
His golden eyes gleamed.
"Do I still have a chance?"
The question hung in the room.
For a moment, there were no subordinates. No advisors. Only teacher and student.
Hiruzen's restraint frayed.
"If you still regard me as your teacher," he said sharply, "then end your cooperation with Danzo immediately."
His gaze sharpened.
"This is my final warning. If you continue down that path… I won't be able to protect you."
Orochimaru's smile did not fade.
But his eyes—
for a brief instant—
lost their warmth entirely.
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