Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
On January 17th, Year 44 of Konoha, the Third ANBU Corps was finally assembled and brought into full order. Under the leadership of Minato Namikaze, this elite force set out toward the front lines of the war against Iwagakure.
Only several hours after their departure did the upper ranks of Konohagakure receive word that one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, had followed the unit—citing nothing more than "concern for his disciple" as justification.
It was a clean and decisive act first, report later maneuver, leaving the village elders bristling with dissatisfaction—yet utterly unable to object.
What could they do?
The man had already left.
It was obvious enough: he had gone to open a path for his student. And who, in all of Konoha, could stop one of the Sannin? Who could possibly rein in someone as untamed as Jiraiya?
While the other elders voiced their grievances, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained quietly seated in a corner, a faint, knowing smile hidden beneath his composure.
"Hiruzen," Homura Mitokado began, "aren't the Sannin a bit too… independent? Leaving the village without even reporting in?"
"They've always been strong-willed," Hiruzen replied calmly. "That is precisely why they've achieved what they have today." His gaze drifted, thoughtful. "In fact… I'm rather looking forward to the surprise they might bring us."
"But this lack of discipline…" Koharu Utatane frowned, concern etched into her expression. "We are in the middle of a war."
She wasn't wrong. In times of war, without strict command and structure, even the strongest army could crumble.
"They are battle-hardened shinobi—truly powerful ones," Danzo Shimura said at last, his voice cutting through the room. It was rare for him to align himself with Hiruzen, yet this time, he did. "The title of 'Sannin' was not earned lightly."
"We should place more trust in them," he concluded.
At the mention of the Sannin, Torifu Akimichi seemed to recall something. "Speaking of which… Jiraiya has gone to the Iwagakure front, and Tsunade is stationed at Kikyo Castle. What about Orochimaru? He was at the flank of Kikyo just days ago—why hasn't there been any news of him?"
Though the question was addressed to the room, his gaze lingered meaningfully on Danzō.
"Orochimaru has been assigned another mission," Danzō replied evenly. "He is already on his way to carry it out."
"What?" Koharu was taken aback. "When did we assign him a new mission?"
"This came in through ANBU intelligence this morning." Danzō produced a letter and passed it along for the others to read in turn.
By the time Homura finished reading, his face had darkened with anger. "This is absurd!"
"Outrageous!"
It was clear now—Danzō had granted Orochimaru the authority to act in such a manner. Otherwise, how could he dare employ the same act first, report later approach?
But Jiraiya had gone alone—barely acceptable.
Orochimaru, however, had taken with him an entire force of four thousand shinobi.
The feasibility of those two missions had already been discussed in detail among them, and the conclusion had been unanimous: Konoha could not afford heavy losses. The safest course was to weather the current crisis with minimal risk.
So why… would Orochimaru take such a radical approach?
And more importantly—
What was Uzuki Shimizu doing?
For a moment, all eyes turned toward the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen remained composed.
"When it comes to these young pillars of Konoha," he said slowly, "we should be more tolerant."
"They must have their reasons."
In truth, even before Orochimaru's letter had arrived, Hiruzen had already received a sealed report—delivered through Shimizu's directly subordinate ANBU unit.
Within it was a thorough analysis of the operation: its risks, its advantages, and its potential outcomes.
Taken as a whole, Shimizu's conclusion was clear.
If they could deceive Sunagakure into believing that Orochimaru had been redeployed to the northern front against Iwagakure—then vanish from sight, only to reappear like ghosts behind enemy lines—the element of surprise alone could decide the battle.
And if the operation succeeded…
It could resolve Konoha's most urgent crisis.
After all, along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, there had already been increasing sightings of shinobi from Kumogakure.
A troubling sign, to say the least.
"Hiruzen… that doesn't sound like something you would say," Danzō remarked, his tone edged with suspicion.
"Heh… everything is for Konoha," Hiruzen Sarutobi declared, his tone righteous and unwavering.
"That goes without saying. We all act for Konoha," Danzo Shimura echoed in agreement.
...
Two days later, on January 19th, Year 44 of Konoha—
"Uzuki-kun, this is where we part ways."
Orochimaru's voice was calm as he addressed Shimizu.
After marching north, their forces had taken a wide, deliberate detour before circling back south, arriving now at a secluded valley. Along the way, their highly capable reconnaissance units had detected Sunagakure's scouts trailing them more than once.
They had tolerated the surveillance—until the final moment.
Only just before turning south had they swept the spies away, erasing all traces.
And then, without hesitation, the army pivoted and descended.
From that moment on, they became invisible.
No enemy knew where they had gone.
A flawless execution of deception—an unseen advance beneath the cover of misdirection.
Now, in this quiet valley, their paths diverged.
Each carried a mission of their own.
Shimizu looked at Orochimaru. "You really think you'll complete it?"
"Of course."
Shimizu clicked his tongue softly, unable to hide his admiration.
That confidence… it wasn't the shallow composure of a seasoned man.
It was something forged in blood and steel—the unshakable certainty of someone who had survived countless battles and emerged stronger for it.
Orochimaru's task was no small undertaking. Ahead of him lay a fortified ridge, where Sunagakure's forces had constructed defenses as impenetrable as iron walls. Beyond that, tens of kilometers away, reinforcements stood ready to respond at a moment's notice.
And yet, even in the face of such odds, Orochimaru remained utterly convinced of victory.
It was… enviable.
There was no denying the truth—this mission was extraordinarily dangerous. Shimizu himself had agreed to it only because the rewards offered were too great to refuse.
But Orochimaru?
Why was he willing to stake so much?
What was it that drove him to embrace a mission so likely to end in death?
Shimizu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why are you so determined to become Hokage?"
Orochimaru paused, caught slightly off guard. Then, after a brief silence, he replied with a question of his own. "Are you interested in the story behind that?"
His tone remained even, but something about it felt… off.
Shimizu had the distinct impression that whatever that "story" was, it was far from as calm as Orochimaru made it sound.
"Just curious," he said lightly.
And he was.
From everything Orochimaru had implied, he seemed to harbor deep resentment toward what he saw as a decaying, corrupted Konoha.
Could someone like that truly love the village?
Could such a man risk his life for it—simply for the title of Hokage?
"Uzuki-kun," Orochimaru said at last, his voice cool once more, "you should focus on completing your mission. From here on… you can only rely on yourself."
Shimizu let out a faint huff of amusement as he turned away, signaling his forces to move southwest.
"Don't just say that to me," he replied over his shoulder. "You'll be relying on yourself too."
No matter the motives behind it, this mission was undeniably crucial to Konoha.
And whatever Orochimaru's true intentions were, the courage and resolve he displayed were enough to make Shimizu see him in a different light.
"Take care," Shimizu called out, his voice carrying across the valley.
For a brief moment, there was no reply.
Then, almost too soft to hear—
"Heh… you too."
It sounded less like a farewell… and more like something spoken only to himself.