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"Man-made..." Kagaya murmured the words under his breath.
Orochimaru nodded in agreement, his expression grim as he spoke. "Most likely man-made."
Orochimaru was no fool; he could guess as much. He had just reinforced the seal. Even if the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki went berserk, it shouldn't have reached the point of that towering pillar of light. Someone must have deliberately weakened the seal.
Kagaya lowered his head, deep in thought. Who, in the present situation, possessed both the ability to weaken the seal and the method to draw out the Nine-Tails' power?
After pondering for a moment, he realized there were quite a few who could weaken the seal. Orochimaru himself, for instance; he could reinforce it, so naturally, he could also weaken it.
There were also several who could potentially guide the Nine-Tails' power. People like himself and Itachi, with their Mangekyo Sharingan. While he wouldn't dare claim they could control the Nine-Tails like Obito once did, merely guiding its outburst was probably within their capabilities.
However, those who could do both—weaken the seal and guide the Nine-Tails' power...
In Kagaya's memory, it seemed Obito was the only one.
Yet, Kagaya hesitated to jump to conclusions. His memories of the Naruto world were fragmented at best; he couldn't remember much. It was entirely possible others could achieve this.
But who did it wasn't the most pressing issue now. What mattered was...
"I want to make our move."
Kagaya looked at Orochimaru with grave seriousness.
Orochimaru seemed to have anticipated this. He asked, "Will you not wait any longer?"
Kagaya shook his head. "I believe the time is ripe. Regardless of why the Nine-Tails went berserk, for us, it's an immense opportunity."
Back when the One-Tail had run amok, Kagaya had considered striking then, capitalizing on the chaos. But upon further thought, the One-Tails' power alone wasn't strong enough to tie down a significant portion of Konoha's forces, so he had abandoned the idea. Now, however, the Nine-Tails was also out of control. It didn't appear to be a full rampage, but the Nine-Tails' power alone should be sufficient.
The combined threat of the Nine-Tails and the One-Tails would occupy a great deal of Konoha's attention and strength. This was the perfect moment to act.
Orochimaru fell silent for a while. He was no fool either; if Kagaya could see this as a golden opportunity, so could he. However, for Orochimaru, his ultimate target remained Sasuke. Acting now didn't necessarily benefit him much. Yet, Kagaya's attitude was resolute; he was determined to move. With no other choice, Orochimaru could only nod in agreement.
"Understood. According to the plan, I will deal with the Third. You handle Danzo."
A faint smile touched Kagaya's lips. "Then it's settled."
With that, Kagaya immediately turned to Haku. "Haku, go to the outskirts of Konoha at once and inform Kisame to begin."
In dealing with Danzo, Kagaya couldn't rely on Itachi as a fighting force. But Kisame was a different story; Kagaya absolutely needed to bring him in. He was a major asset.
Haku nodded. "Understood, Kagaya." He then vanished from the spot, off to notify Kisame.
Kagaya then addressed Karin. "Karin, you stay with me. Keep your senses alert to our surroundings at all times."
To deal with Danzo, he naturally needed to bring along Karin, his human radar. Otherwise, finding Danzo would likely be impossible.
Having given his orders, Kagaya took Karin and disappeared from the location.
Orochimaru glanced at the now empty surroundings and curled his lip slightly. "So many unexpected developments... Ah, well. For now, I should hurry and find Dosu and the others."
The Sound Village had sent three participants for the exams: Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi, and Kin Tsuchi. These three were effectively Orochimaru's subordinates. Their primary purpose here wasn't truly to participate in the Chunin Exams, but to serve as sacrificial vessels for the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
Since he was going to confront the Third, Orochimaru certainly needed to prepare his trump cards in advance.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Danzo quickly received news of the One-Tail's rampage. Sitting in his room, he allowed himself a slight smile. "Orochimaru... do not disappoint this old man."
Orochimaru had come for Sasuke, so why was he so fixated on the Third Hokage, even to the point of wanting to kill him?
Few people engage in actions that offer no benefit, and Orochimaru was no exception. The reason he was willing to kill the Third was simple: Danzo had offered sufficient incentives.
Otherwise, Orochimaro would have to have his head examined to willingly go after such a tough target as the Third Hokage.
Therefore, upon hearing about the One-Tail's rampage, Danzo felt not alarm, but delight. He fervently hoped Orochimaru would create an even bigger commotion. Forget the One-Tail; he'd be thrilled if Orochimaru somehow caused the Nine-Tails to run wild as well. That would only increase the probability of successfully eliminating the Third.
Of course, Danzo had previously told Orochimaru to handle the aftermath cleanly, so presumably, Orochimaru wouldn't dare touch the Nine-Tails. The cleanup would be far too difficult otherwise.
As for why he wanted the Third dead? The reason was simple. Danzo smiled coldly to himself. "Only I can lead Konoha to prosperity."
Yes, Danzo desired to ascend to the position of Hokage. This wasn't particularly surprising. Even before this, Danzo had attempted to assassinate the Third. That attempt had failed, discovered by the Third himself, who had then reprimanded Danzo.
Learning from that experience, Danzo decided to utilize an "outsider" to kill the Third. This way, even if it failed, the Third would have no way to trace it back to him.
Orochimaru, with whom Danzo had maintained a long-standing cooperative relationship, was the perfect candidate.
In truth, this plot against the Third was partly the Third's own fault—he was far too sentimental!
When Danzo first attempted the assassination, the Third should have ruthlessly executed him on the spot!
Assassinating the leader of a hidden village was equivalent to assassinating the highest leader of a nation. In ancient China, this would be unequivocal treason, punishable by execution without need for explanation.
Yet, the Third Hokage had merely scolded Danzo a few times and let the matter drop! In this instance, it couldn't even be explained away as simple soft-heartedness; it was sheer, unadulterated foolishness.
The moment Danzo attempted to assassinate the Hokage, it proved his ambition had grown wild, that he was no longer obedient, that he harbored forbidden aspirations. At that point, he should have been crushed decisively, preferably killed outright, to thoroughly stamp out such ideas and show everyone the consequences of targeting the Hokage.
But the Third merely delivered a lecture and moved on. Frankly, this was no different from encouraging Danzo to try again. Danzo had come for his life, and all he got was a verbal lashing.
Consider it from Danzo's perspective: under these circumstances, what was the cost-benefit analysis of an assassination attempt? Success meant ascending to become Hokage. Failure meant, at worst, a stern talking-to. It was a deal with virtually no downside. Who wouldn't take that bet?
Anyone in his position would. This couldn't be entirely blamed on Danzo's ambition. When you, the Third Hokage, indirectly encourage your subordinate to assassinate you, whom can you really blame?
Of course, Danzo would never imagine that while he sat here, scheming to help Orochimaru eliminate the Third, Orochimaru had already turned around and sold him out.
Orochimaru had never mentioned a word about Kagaya to Danzo. So, at this very moment, as Kagaya moved to kill him, Danzo remained completely unaware.
As for why Orochimaru betrayed Danzo? The reason was straightforward. Orochimaru believed Danzo had outlived his usefulness. Continuing their cooperation wouldn't yield any further benefits for him. It was better to switch partners, to ally with Kagaya instead.
Orochimaru and Danzo had been brought together solely by mutual interest from the very beginning. There was no sentiment involved. Once the benefits dried up, betrayal was a given, executed without a moment's hesitation.
If not for a shred of professional integrity, Orochimaru might not even have bothered with killing the Third. But, a deal was a deal. Since he had agreed, he would see it through. After all, Danzo wasn't dead yet.