The light of the Sky Screen quietly faded away, leaving the people across countless timelines of the Shinobi World with a sense of loss. But the waves it had stirred were far from calm.
This was the first time they had received such a detailed understanding of the Sharingan—that Kekkei Genkai—and the first time they truly felt the terror of the Uchiha bloodline. Indeed, as the Sky Screen had said, no one could resist the allure of the Sharingan.
They just didn't know how many pairs of Mangekyō still existed in the world today.
[Otogakure, Underground Base]
Orochimaru extended his long tongue and licked his lips. His cold, sinister voice echoed through the spacious underground laboratory.
"So, Itachi's eyes are called the Mangekyō Sharingan. What a blessed clan, heh—descendants of the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths!"
"But… even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't achieve immortality? Only leaving behind legends and a bloodline inheritance."
He paused, his smile gradually fading as he recalled the time he had tried to seize Itachi's body, only to be defeated in an instant. If Kabuto hadn't provided cover for his retreat in time, he would have likely had to consume another hidden mark.
"Orochimaru-sama, his younger brother, Sasuke, will possess the same eyes in the future—with even greater potential, perhaps. He might be very suitable as a vessel for your reincarnation."
The voice of Yakushi Kabuto came from behind him. Orochimaru turned his head to look at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful arc.
"It seems I have no choice but to visit Konoha. Are those things… ready?"
Kabuto stood to one side and nodded.
"Orochimaru-sama, everything is prepared. Moreover, the Kazekage is even more eager than we are. He has been urging us repeatedly."
"Very well, then. It's time to send a grand gift to Sensei. The only regret is that some of the information was leaked by the Sky Screen, so it probably won't 'move' Sensei as deeply as I had hoped."
---
A few days later.
The sun was bright, and the spring breeze blew gently.
At the main gate of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with dozens of shinobis, quietly waiting.
He wore his iconic Hokage robe, his pipe in hand, taking an occasional puff. No emotion could be seen on his aged face.
Following his gaze, a group of about a dozen people could be seen approaching slowly on the distant road.
The man in the lead wore a long white robe and a green Kazekage hat that covered most of his face. Following behind him were the elite shinobis of Sunagakure. And one of them wore a wind-mask unique to the Land of Wind, revealing only a pair of eyes.
Hiruzen's gaze lingered on that person for a moment before casually shifting away.
The group drew closer and finally stopped at the gates of Konoha.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, removed his hat, revealing a face strikingly similar to Gaara's. He looked at Hiruzen and offered a practiced smile.
"Hokage-dono, I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Hiruzen also smiled, his smile equally practiced.
"You've traveled a long way. You must be tired."
The two exchanged pleasantries, as if they were genuinely leaders of friendly nations meeting in goodwill.
"Thank you, Kazekage-dono, for coming all this way to discuss the pursuit of Orochimaru. That traitor has been causing trouble out there all these years—it's indeed time to deal with him."
Rasa nodded, his face wearing an expression of righteous indignation.
"Precisely! Orochimaru and his subordinates have recently committed a series of murders near the Land of Wind. We request that Konoha assist us in hunting down that scourge."
"Naturally. Orochimaru is a missing-nin from Konoha. We have an undeniable responsibility."
Hiruzen turned and made a gesture of invitation.
"Kazekage-dono, please enter the village so we can discuss in detail."
Rasa nodded and motioned for his men to follow.
Just then—
A sudden change occurred!
With a flash of cold light, a sharp dagger was pressed against Hiruzen's neck!
Hiruzen's body tensed, but his expression remained unchanged. He slowly turned his head to look at Rasa beside him.
"Kazekage-dono, what is the meaning of this?"
Rasa stood where he was, a playful smile on his face.
"This has nothing to do with me. This is a matter between you and your disciple... I have no idea how your former student, Orochimaru, ended up in my delegation."
The man wearing the wind-protection mask slowly removed it, revealing a face Hiruzen knew all too well.
Considering that Konoha was already on guard, Orochimaru did not ambush Rasa midway to take his form this time in order to increase their strength. This allowed Rasa to temporarily keep his life, though he he had no idea.
"Sarutobi-sensei, long time no see."
Hiruzen looked at him, a complex mix of emotions flashing through his eyes, his voice carried an indescribable anguish.
"Orochimaru... you really did come after all."
"Sensei, the Sky Screen leaked my plan, so of course I had to make some adjustments. However—"
Orochimaru turned his head to look at Rasa.
"Lord Kazekage, how can you say this has nothing to do with you? We agreed to destroy Konoha together, did we not..."
Rasa cursed inwardly.
This guy was selling him out directly!
His original plan had been to let Orochimaru and Hiruzen cripple each other, so he could reap the benefits. But now...
Still, Rasa was a Kage-level shinobi after all, he reacted swiftly.
He began forming hand seals rapidly, his chakra erupting outward with a tremendous force.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Boundary!"
No sooner had he spoken than countless sharp pillars of gold dust shot up from the ground like bamboo spears, raining down on Hiruzen from all directions. Seeing Rasa's indiscriminate attack, Orochimaru released the kunai in his hand and dodged to the side.
At the same time, the Sunagakure shinobis behind Rasa also sprang into action—kunai, shuriken, and various Ninjutsu poured toward the Konoha shinobis who hadn't reacted yet.
From the forest outside the village, waves of shinobi wearing Sunagakure and Otogakure headbands rushed out, their battle cries shaking the earth. Several giant pythons drilled out from underground and charged into Konoha, beginning to destroy everything in their path.
It was clear that Rasa truly wanted to tear a piece of meat off Konoha.
"Attack!" he shouted fiercely.
Facing the onslaught of gold dust, Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged.
He took a deep breath, his chest swelling. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Blazing flames erupted from his mouth, transforming into a roaring fire dragon that met the sharp gold dust spikes head-on!
Flame and gold dust collided, producing a harsh sizzling sound. The gold dust began to melt under the extreme heat, turning into pools of molten metal.
But more gold dust kept coming without end.
Just then—
"Orochimaru!!"
A roar thundered from inside the village!
The next instant, a figure shot out like lightning, long white hair streaming in the wind.
It was Jiraiya.
He formed hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
Countless strands of hair shot out like steel needles, shattering all the gold dust heading toward Hiruzen. He landed in front of Orochimaru, his eyes blazing with fury.
"You bastard, you actually dared to come back!"
Orochimaru looked at him, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"Jiraiya, it's been a long time. You're still so... full of burning passion."
He paused and looked at Hiruzen not far away.
"Sensei, the Sky Screen already said it: I am the one among your disciples who can live the longest. This time, I want to show you the results of my research."
"Even though you've most likely already seen it on the Sky Screen... only by experiencing it firsthand can you truly appreciate its beauty."
He formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground.
"Edō Tensei!"
Two coffins rose slowly from the ground!
The coffin lids opened, revealing two pale bodies inside.
All Rasa could say was that he was lucky—this time, thanks to the Sky Screen, he wasn't inside a coffin himself.
Even though Hiruzen had seen it before, when it actually happened before his eyes, his pupils still contracted sharply.
Just then, the Otogakure Four suddenly appeared, quickly taking up positions at four cardinal points. "Ninja Art: Four Flames Formation!"
But at this moment, a figure with a blonde ponytail shot out from within the village, moving at incredible speed.
She threw a punch that landed squarely on the face of one of the Otogakure Four.
That Oto-nin didn't even have time to scream. His entire body flew like a cannonball, smashing through three large trees before landing—dead or alive, his fate unknown.
The Four Flames Formation had been broken before it could even be activated.
Orochimaru's expression changed. He looked at the figure, a flash of disbelief in his eyes: "Tsunade… You actually came back to the village?"
Tsunade stood on the battlefield, her blonde ponytail fluttering in the wind. She looked at Orochimaru, a raging fire burning in her eyes.
"Of course I did! I came specifically to find you!"
"You bastard—how dare you desecrate the bodies of Grandfather and Granduncle!"
Orochimaru's face darkened.
He hadn't expected Tsunade to be in the village too.
The Sky Screen had said earlier that Tsunade would become the Fifth Hokage—but that was after the Konoha Crush Plan.
But now—
"Orochimaru!" Jiraiya's voice rang out. "You're not getting away today!"
He began forming hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane!"
His long white hair transformed into countless blades, stabbing toward Orochimaru from all directions.
Orochimaru's figure blurred as he dodged the attack. However, his expression had become terrifyingly grim.
"Sarutobi-sensei." He looked at Hiruzen. "Are you still unwilling to let go?"
Hiruzen looked back at him, a complex mix of emotions flashing through his eyes.
"Orochimaru, this is the path you chose for yourself. What I do is none of your concern. Today, you must stay."
Hiruzen and Tsunade faced Orochimaru and the two Impure World Reincarnation bodies, while Jiraiya took on Rasa.
Monstrous strength versus the Soft Body Modification technique, Fire Release versus Gold Dust—various ninjutsu clashed repeatedly, explosions echoing without end.
But the tide of battle was clearly in Konoha's favor. With Jiraiya and Tsunade there, the two Impure World bodies were quickly suppressed.
Hiruzen seized an opportunity and formed hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Sealing Technique—!"
A sealing talisman embedded itself into Tobirama's body. The puppet-like figure stiffened abruptly and then slowly collapsed.
With Tobirama's Impure World body sealed, the battle situation shifted even faster. Soon after, Hashirama's Impure World body was also sealed, making Orochimaru's face extremely unsightly.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Orochimaru used the Orochimaru-style Body Replacement Technique. His main body turned into a small snake, blurred, and vanished into the forest.
As for the Otogakure shinobis under his command, they were completely abandoned.
Rasa stood in place, watching everything unfold, completely stunned.
Orochimaru had fled, and the Edō Tensei had been sealed.
His gold dust was being thoroughly suppressed by Jiraiya's Fire Release. Meanwhile, the people he brought were being surrounded by more and more Konoha shinobis who were rushing to the scene.
"This… this is…"
Rasa's face alternated between pale and flushed. "Orochimaru!!!"
"You bastard—you dare set me up!!"
He suspected that he had been set up by a joint plot between Orochimaru and Konoha!
Otherwise, why were Jiraiya and Tsunade in the Village today? And why did Orochimaru run away so cleanly, leaving him as the only target in the end?
"Kazekage-dono." Hiruzen's voice rang out. "Do you have anything else to say?"
Rasa looked at him, his face ashen.
"Hokage-dono… this is a misunderstanding…"
*****
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