"You're late, Orochimaru."
The calm greeting reached Orochimaru's ears, instantly putting him on guard. But just as quickly, his tension eased. He recognized the voice immediately—it was Natsuhiko.
Looking up, he saw that Natsuhiko was no longer dressed as before. His mask was gone, and those striking blue eyes had returned to their usual black. Right now, he looked gentle—so gentle it felt like standing in a warm spring breeze. That alone made Orochimaru let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Hmm, I suppose I am a bit late."
Orochimaru licked his lips and stopped walking, his gaze fixed on Natsuhiko standing on the tree branch. At the same time, his eyes subtly flicked toward the nearby bushes.
"It seems you didn't arrive that quickly either, Commander Natsuhiko. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state."
"No. In the end, you have to rely on yourself. You needed to find a way to escape on your own."
Natsuhiko lightly jumped down from the tree and slowly walked toward Orochimaru. His eyes, however, were locked onto Uchiha Itachi.
"If you managed to escape, then we remain partners, and everything between us continues as planned."
He paused briefly, his tone turning colder.
"But if you failed to escape… then as the head of the ANBU, I would have no choice but to carry out my duties."
His words were harsh, but they were nothing more than reality. Orochimaru didn't argue. He had already expected things would turn out this way.
Natsuhiko had always been like this—cold, practical, and always prioritizing his own interests. If something had value, he would help. If it didn't, then even if he didn't kill you, he would never lift a finger for you again.
Working with him was simple. As long as you had value, you would receive his support. But once you lost that value, your fate was entirely in your own hands.
Natsuhiko might show a trace of sympathy—but for someone as proud as Orochimaru, that kind of pity was worse than nothing.
Shaking his head, Orochimaru stopped thinking about it. He set Uchiha Itachi down on the ground and slowly stepped back.
"I had a confrontation with you, Commander. In the end, I recognized reality—I couldn't defeat you. And carrying this brat with me only made it impossible to leave quickly."
He licked his lips again, retreating over ten meters before rapidly forming hand seals.
Chakra surged wildly within him. In the next instant, a massive snake appeared before them.
Under his control, the giant serpent lashed out violently at the surroundings. Trees were smashed apart one after another, collapsing under its destructive force.
Orochimaru didn't stop there. His hands moved again, forming another set of seals. The ground trembled violently, and countless Earth Release techniques erupted in chaotic layers, reshaping the terrain entirely.
The destruction looked terrifying—but more importantly, it looked real. As if it were the natural result of an intense, high-level battle.
Natsuhiko nodded in satisfaction. Orochimaru truly understood what needed to be done. Everything he was doing now was simply to show others that a fierce battle had already taken place.
Naturally, Natsuhiko played along.
Senjutsu chakra surged within him as he completed a set of hand seals.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
This was his first time using advanced Sage Mode. He had obtained this power some time ago but never had the need to truly use it.
At his current level, most battles didn't require that much effort. With just his Jōgan, he could already handle countless problems—and with its chakra mode, his options had only grown.
But he would never ignore the power of Sage Mode. After all, this was a force capable of harming even those with Kekkei Mōra—it stood among the ultimate powers of this world.
As roaring trees burst from the ground, covering everything in their path, Orochimaru's massive snake quietly disappeared from sight.
Across the ground, countless trees were swallowed up, only for new ones infused with Natsuhiko's chakra to burst forth and take their place.
Natsuhiko calmly observed the scene in the distance. After a moment, he lightly clapped his hands. Soon, a bespectacled boy who looked about ten years old stepped out from hiding.
"This child will be responsible for maintaining contact between us," Natsuhiko said evenly. "And you will be in charge of training him."
Orochimaru turned his head to look at the boy. For a brief moment, he couldn't help but wonder if this child had some kind of connection to Natsuhiko. After all, their hair color was the same.
But he didn't dwell on it. Speculating about things like that was pointless. As long as he followed Natsuhiko's instructions, everything would remain stable.
"I understand," Orochimaru nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "I'll make sure to train him well. After all, he's someone personally chosen by Commander Natsuhiko."
Natsuhiko simply nodded, ignoring the remark. He turned his gaze toward the boy again. The child—Kabuto—hesitantly stepped closer, a trace of fear visible in his eyes.
"I know you're afraid," Natsuhiko said, pulling out a kunai and handing it to him.
"But you need to overcome that fear. I have high expectations for you, and I want to see you achieve something worthwhile."
His voice remained calm, but carried a quiet certainty.
"If you do well, the orphanage will also gain great benefits. You may not see it now, but when you return to Konoha, you'll understand just how meaningful everything you've done truly is."
He paused briefly before adding,
"This is a Flying Thunder God kunai. If Orochimaru runs into trouble, you can use it to find me. Remember—only you can do that."
After settling all these arrangements, Natsuhiko stood up and walked over to Uchiha Itachi.
Looking at the unconscious boy lying on the ground, Natsuhiko picked him up without hesitation and turned to leave.
At this point, Orochimaru's matter was basically settled. As long as he brought this child back, he would gain both reputation and rewards.
After so much planning and waiting, finally getting the result he wanted—how could that not be a good thing?
Turning slightly, Natsuhiko glanced at Orochimaru and Kabuto as they departed. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"In the future, Konoha will no longer have the so-called Sannin. They've already been completely split apart. What remains will be a brand-new Konoha… and a brand-new ANBU."
With that thought, his chakra rippled slightly, and in the next instant, he vanished from where he stood.
...
Inside Konoha, in a small conference room within the Hokage Building, three figures who held the highest authority in the village sat around a square table.
This was a closed-door meeting. None of the clan heads had been invited, because the matters to be discussed were not something they should hear.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado seated across from him. Danzo was absent this time—he no longer had the standing to attend meetings like this.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Hiruzen felt a deep unease in his heart. Orochimaru's actions had dealt him a heavy blow, and even now, he hadn't fully recovered from it.
"Hiruzen, you were too soft," Koharu said with a helpless sigh. "I understand your intentions, but you really shouldn't have handled it that way."
"I agree," Homura added, gently stroking his chin. His tone was calm, yet tinged with disappointment. "Even if he was your student, what he did is unforgivable."
He paused slightly before continuing,
"If you had been more decisive—more ruthless—the outcome might have been better. At the very least, that boy wouldn't have gained such a huge advantage."
Hiruzen listened in silence. He didn't respond, but he was clearly thinking deeply about whether his earlier decision had truly been the right one.
Within Konoha, the three of them held the highest authority.
Of course, that excluded Minato Namikaze, who was temporarily unable to fulfill his duties as Hokage… as well as Natsuhiko, who controlled the ANBU.
Everyone else in the village was, more or less, under their oversight and restraint. As for Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, although they didn't appear much in the original story, nothing could change the fact that they stood at the very top of Konoha's leadership.
As former subordinates of the Second Hokage, the two of them controlled Konoha's diplomacy and logistics, even extending into financial matters.
Although some of these responsibilities technically belonged to the administrative department, Nara Shikaku was a smart man. He knew exactly where he could step in—and where it was better to stay silent.
Because of that, policies and statements toward other villages had to pass through them, yet they weren't considered the primary decision-makers.
In other words, they held real power while skillfully avoiding unnecessary responsibility.
On top of that, logistics and finances—arguably the very foundation of the village—were also partly in their hands.
If there was ever a time they suffered a real loss, it was at Natsuhiko's hands. He had stripped them clean without mercy, and that had been a painful lesson.
Overall, their authority reached into every corner of Konoha. They were, without question, among the true rulers of the village.
"Speaking of which, Hiruzen… what role did you actually play in all this?"
Koharu frowned as she looked at Hiruzen's silence, then shook her head and asked directly.
"Without your approval, Orochimaru couldn't have gone this far. But attacking the Uchiha like that… that's too much. There's clearly something more going on here…"
"I don't know."
Hiruzen shook his head. At this point, he could only answer honestly.
"To be frank, the number of questions in my mind is no less than yours. I don't know what Orochimaru has been through either. That man… he's gone too far!"
Hiruzen was filled with anger. Even though he had been mentally prepared, when everything truly unfolded, it still shocked him.
That damn man had actually attacked the Uchiha—and not just that, he even went after Uchiha Fugaku!
What did that mean? It meant Orochimaru had no regard for Konoha at all. No respect for its rules… and no respect for him as his teacher.
But things had already reached this point. What could Hiruzen do now? He had already let Orochimaru go, even though deep down he knew Danzo was definitely involved in this matter.
What he couldn't figure out was what Danzo was really thinking. Had he gone mad like Orochimaru?
"As for Orochimaru… I think we should leave it at that," Homura said, cutting in. "Keep an eye on him, but don't dig any deeper for now."
They had more important matters to discuss.
"Let's talk about that kid from the Senju clan. How should we deal with him? He really made a name for himself this time."
At the mention of Natsuhiko, all three of them fell silent.
There was a shared sense of frustration in the room—they had suffered a major loss this time.
Because of his own considerations, Hiruzen had ultimately let Orochimaru escape. He had even tacitly allowed him to take Uchiha Itachi.
His goal had been simple: to send a message to the entire village that he valued old bonds… while also placing the blame squarely on Natsuhiko, the head of the ANBU.
After all, during the early stages of the pursuit, the ANBU hadn't been fully deployed. If Orochimaru escaped and took the Uchiha heir with him, then Natsuhiko would have to share the responsibility.
And with the right handling of public opinion, it wouldn't be difficult to make the ANBU take full blame. It was, in a way, their method of retaliation.
But what they never expected was this—
The ANBU hadn't fully mobilized in time, but Natsuhiko himself had acted.
Single-handedly, he brought Uchiha Itachi back. According to his report, he had injured Orochimaru, but the latter managed to escape using a secret technique.
Normally, such a one-sided claim would be hard to believe.
But after others saw the battlefield Natsuhiko described, any doubts about the story quickly disappeared.
It could be said that Natsuhiko's actions had greatly boosted the reputation of the ANBU—and the result of that was Hiruzen suffering a silent loss.
His original plan had been good, but in comparison, it now made him look old… as if he could no longer protect the people of the village.
For him, that was a fatal blow.
After all, he was only the acting Hokage. The true Hokage, strictly speaking, was Minato Namikaze—a young man at that.
"We really do need to free up our hands to guard against him."
Koharu nodded slightly. She didn't hold much personal dislike toward Natsuhiko, but she didn't have any goodwill toward him either.
It was simply a matter of position—they stood on different sides.
"He controls the ANBU, and now it's expanding rapidly. Even if you want to limit its power, Hiruzen, I'm afraid it won't be easy."
"Which is why we need to find a way to balance him."
Homura nodded and looked at Hiruzen seriously, speaking each word with care.
"I admit that Danzo went too far before. But he's already been removed from his position for more than half a year. I think he's learned his lesson."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"These are extraordinary times, and we need extraordinary measures. And that measure… is Root."
"Hiruzen, as things stand, you probably don't have the energy or the means to fully control him anymore, do you?"
Hiruzen listened in silence. Although they stopped there, he had to admit… he was tempted.
In truth, he had already considered this when Natsuhiko began expanding the ANBU. But the assassination incident back then had completely shaken his trust in Danzo.
Still, their years of friendship were not something that could be erased so easily. And there was no denying that Danzo was the most suitable person to lead Root.
So it wasn't strange that Hiruzen found himself wavering.
What he needed, however, was an excuse—a step that would allow him to make this decision.
Now, both Koharu and Homura had given him that step.
Perhaps… he could afford to be a little more generous.
"Besides, bringing Danzo back would also show your tolerance," Koharu added, her thoughts precise and careful.
"A Hokage who values old bonds and shows leniency might be able to recover more, don't you think?"
"…Then it's settled."
Hiruzen nodded, but soon after, something crossed his mind.
"Root can expand alongside the ANBU. But Danzo must be restricted."
"That's simple," Homura said calmly, a faint glint reflecting off his glasses.
"We can leak some of the things he's done."
"For example… we can say he was removed from his position because he attempted to attack the Hokage."
He looked at Hiruzen meaningfully.
"What do you think of that, Hokage-sama?"
...
In the Land of Rain, inside a dim room, Nagato sat with his eyes closed, quietly sensing everything outside.
The rain of the Land of Rain had long since become his means of perception. Every day, at a fixed time, he would sit here and carefully observe everything within the village.
This was his village—his birthplace, the place he once called home, and the land where his closest friend had been laid to rest.
After taking it from Hanzo, he had devoted himself to managing it, doing everything he could to make it better.
For him, nothing was more meaningful than seeing the villagers smile, living peaceful and stable lives together.
"Nagato."
A voice suddenly interrupted his observation, and he slowly opened his eyes.
A pair of pale purple eyes emerged—rippled with concentric circles, like endless cycles of reincarnation.
The Rinnegan.
The most powerful… and most dangerous eyes in the world.
They had granted Nagato unimaginable power, yet at the same time, they were silently consuming his life.
Unfortunately, Nagato himself was unaware of this.
He turned his gaze toward Konan, who was walking toward him, and a trace of softness appeared in his otherwise cold eyes.
There were very few people left in this world who could stir his emotions.
Konan was one of the most important among them.
The three children who once depended on each other for survival… now only the two of them remained.
"Konan… you're back?"
Nagato's hoarse voice echoed softly. His body had grown frail, so much so that even speaking seemed to take effort.
"Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. There's no need for you to go out in person."
"I'm already much better," Konan replied, gently shaking her head, her eyes firm and unwavering. "The organization is short on people right now. Don't worry—I'll be fine."
The truth was, she had been seriously injured, and not just her. Even Sasori hadn't fared much better.
Sasori had already turned most of his body into a puppet, yet he had still been beaten to the point of losing consciousness.
And then there was Kakuzu—the oldest member of the Akatsuki, someone who had lived since around the time of the First Hokage. Even he had died on the spot.
Konan could never forget what had happened that day.
That massive sphere of black chakra… the suffocating, overwhelming power of destruction it carried.
And most of all, the man who seemed to wield the power of the Nine-Tails—someone so terrifyingly strong it was almost beyond belief.
The reason she insisted on taking missions was partly because she wanted to gather information about that man.
A figure like that—especially if he wasn't acting alone, if there was an entire organization behind him—was not someone you could afford to provoke.
And once you did, you had to be prepared for everything.
Because they were just that dangerous.
"…Alright. As long as you're safe."
Nagato let out a faint sigh. He knew it would be difficult to change Konan's mind, so he chose not to push the issue further.
Of course, he was aware of what she and the others had gone through. It had filled him with rage—after all, that man had nearly taken away the person he cared about most in this world.
But anger alone meant nothing.
His body was too weak. He couldn't move freely, let alone search the entire world for someone.
As for the danger Konan described, Nagato didn't take it too seriously.
After all, he possessed the Rinnegan.
He was a god walking among mortals.
If the opportunity came, he would face that man himself—and avenge Konan and Kakuzu.
"By the way, did you gain anything from this trip?"
Shaking his head slightly, Nagato hid his thoughts and asked calmly.
"Nothing about that man for now. He's far too mysterious," Konan replied, before quickly adding something more interesting.
"However, I did hear that one of Konoha's Sannin—Orochimaru—has defected from the village. He apparently attacked members of the Uchiha clan, and the incident was exposed."
She paused briefly before continuing,
"Although he managed to escape the Third Hokage's pursuit, he eventually ran into Konoha's 'Nightingale'—the ANBU Commander from the Senju clan, Natsuhiko—and was defeated."
"Oh? Orochimaru… the one who was as famous as Jiraiya-sensei?"
That piece of news immediately caught Nagato's interest. After all, Orochimaru was someone closely connected to his former teacher.
And now he had defected from Konoha—how could Nagato not be intrigued?
"That really is interesting…"
"So, what are you planning?" Konan asked.
"You already know the answer," Nagato said calmly. "Find his location. We're going to meet him."
A faint pause followed.
"And if the opportunity arises… we'll bring him into our organization."
...
"So you're finally making a comeback… I've been waiting for this for a long time, Danzo."
Looking at the report in his hand, Natsuhiko couldn't help but smile.
Some time had already passed since Orochimaru's defection. During this period, Natsuhiko hadn't left Konoha at all.
Even his personal plantation—the one that belonged solely to him—had been left unattended.
There were simply too many troublesome matters to deal with. He had to remain in Konoha and keep everything under control.
Just as he had expected, Orochimaru's defection had sent shockwaves through the village.
A massive impact—one that Konoha couldn't ignore.
Orochimaru's departure also symbolized something else—the complete collapse of the legendary Sannin that Konoha had once been so proud of.
What made it even worse was that his situation was completely different from Tsunade and Jiraiya. When they left, they at least had reasons that could be considered somewhat acceptable.
But Orochimaru… he had been nailed to Konoha's pillar of shame.
He had conducted human experiments on fellow villagers, attacked high-ranking members of the village, and even abducted a child by force.
The cruelty of his actions and the severity of their impact were beyond words. From that moment on, he became a rogue ninja of Konoha.
One of the Sannin—a former battlefield commander and even a candidate for Hokage—had turned traitor.
Back then, there had been countless shinobi in Konoha willing to follow him. If not for the rumors that surfaced during the Fourth Hokage selection, along with Minato Namikaze's sudden rise, the position of Hokage might very well have gone to Orochimaru.
Because of this, his defection caused a massive shock throughout the village.
The ANBU were immediately placed on high alert.
Whenever turmoil struck Konoha, all kinds of hidden threats would surface. Foreign spies lurking within the village were certainly not going to miss such an opportunity.
One could easily imagine how exhausted the ANBU had been during this period—the number of prisoners in Konoha's jails had practically doubled.
At the same time, certain people had begun to steer public opinion, criticizing the ANBU's performance in this incident.
All of this forced Natsuhiko to handle matters carefully. Whenever something went wrong, there were always plenty of people eager to shift the blame.
But Orochimaru's departure had also allowed quite a few people to benefit from the situation.
And among them, Natsuhiko was undoubtedly the one who gained the most.
Orochimaru had attacked the Uchiha and fled after abducting a child. The ANBU's initial response had indeed been questionable.
However, Natsuhiko's performance had earned widespread recognition.
He had tracked Orochimaru down alone, defeated the genius Sannin, and brought back Uchiha Itachi. That alone was enough to restore some of the ANBU's reputation.
As for Natsuhiko himself, his reputation soared.
Combined with his identity as a member of the Senju clan, people couldn't help but think of the First and Second Hokage whenever they looked at the Hokage Rock.
"Konoha's Nightingale," the head of the ANBU, a descendant of the Senju—almost overnight, Natsuhiko became one of the most admired and celebrated figures in the village.
In truth, any kind of election system—even one that claimed to be a popular vote—was essentially about winning over the masses.
Or more simply, it was about showing off your strength, gaining exposure, and making sure everyone saw how capable you were. The more positive attention you received, the more support you gained.
From Natsuhiko's perspective, this kind of method could easily be called a performance.
Of course, sometimes he really was risking his life—but that didn't change the nature of it.
To be honest, Natsuhiko wasn't particularly familiar with this system. In his previous life, his country didn't operate this way.
And he didn't fully believe in it either.
Could someone chosen through "performance" really govern well?
He had his doubts.
On top of that, there was a deeper issue—every individual in such a system represented different interest groups, and those interests were rarely the same.
In Natsuhiko's eyes, this kind of complete overturning of previous policies severely disrupted continuity.
Take long-term strategies, for example. They often required time before any real results could be seen, and usually involved pouring in massive amounts of resources. But the moment a new leader took office, everything could be cut off just like that—wasting money and throwing the lives of ordinary people into chaos as policies suddenly shifted.
Natsuhiko still remembered how much Sir Humphrey had looked down on those so-called politicians and Commanders. A large part of that disdain came from their habit of constantly changing policies without regard for stability.
Konoha also had its own form of elections. Even if, at times, they were little more than a show for the shinobi, things had now been pushed to a point where those elections were starting to carry real weight.
During the Orochimaru incident, Natsuhiko's performance had earned him a huge boost in reputation—and that reputation would inevitably pay off in the future.
Even now, while the results weren't fully visible yet, signs were already appearing on Hiruzen's side.
Danzo's return was the clearest sign of that.
It meant Hiruzen was starting to feel the pressure. He needed to find a way to take back some of the power in Natsuhiko's hands.
"Good. I was worried you wouldn't come back."
With a casual motion, Natsuhiko tossed the report aside and stretched lazily. At this point, Orochimaru's matter could be considered successfully concluded.
He had gained everything he wanted—and even picked up a few unexpected rewards along the way.
A Mangekyō Sharingan.
Without a doubt, this was one of his greatest gains so far.
In fact, it might not even be any less valuable than what he had obtained from Hashirama's cells.
"Too bad I've been so busy lately. I haven't had the time to plant it yet."
Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan was still sealed inside one of Natsuhiko's scrolls. He planned to deal with it properly once things calmed down.
As for Uchiha Fugaku himself, he had mostly recovered. Natsuhiko hadn't gone too far back then.
Although Fugaku had lost one eye, it didn't affect his daily life too much—though mentally, he was far from stable.
Which was only natural. For any Uchiha, having their eye forcibly taken would leave a deep scar.
"Besides him, Kimimaro has also been 'picked up' without any trouble. He's already joined the ANBU."
Bringing Kimimaro back to Konoha had been part of Natsuhiko's plan from the start. The boy had arrived right in the middle of the chaos caused by Orochimaru's defection, so he hadn't drawn much attention.
Which worked out perfectly.
After all, Kimimaro was a survivor of the Shikotsumyaku bloodline.
Natsuhiko was genuinely looking forward to seeing how far that boy could develop his abilities.
If things went well, he might even obtain the most basic form of power belonging to the Ōtsutsuki.
"Everything is moving in the right direction…"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"The future really does look bright."
...
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