Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
Unlike the noisy yet deceptively calm world outside, the air here was so heavy it felt suffocating.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window; behind him, the wide desk was buried under scrolls and documents, every one of them about 'Defense Deployment', 'Border Alert Levels', or 'Sunagakure/Otogakure Movement Analysis'.
'Along the Land of Wind border, Sunagakure ninja activity has spiked, and several elite squads have vanished without a trace.'
'Otogakure is confirmed under Orochimaru's control; its ninja have infiltrated the Land of Fire in waves, their movements highly covert.'
'Cross-checking what we already knew with the intel from Shinichi, the "Konoha Crush Plan" is virtually confirmed.'
Hiruzen turned toward a towering man whose wild white hair stood like a porcupine's quills.
—Jiraiya.
Even this usually carefree hero now wore nothing but grim sorrow.
"Orochimaru..." Jiraiya's voice was hoarse with disappointment and rage. "So he's really gone this far—allying with another village to strike his own hometown? The 'Konoha Crush Plan'? Hah, what grand ambitions!"
When he first heard the news, Jiraiya thought he'd misheard.
He knew Orochimaru had long strayed into forbidden jutsu, yet some part of him still clung to the camaraderie of old.
He'd dreamed of bringing Orochimaru back to Konoha—now that last fantasy lay shattered.
Bang!
Jiraiya smashed a fist into the wall in fury.
"Before Shinichi confirmed it, it was only suspicion. Now it's fact." Hiruzen walked to his desk and handed Jiraiya a file. "This is the latest defense and counter-plan, drafted by Shikaku Nara. Take a look."
Jiraiya skimmed it, pausing at the medical-support section, his expression turning complicated.
"This spot... it should've been Tsunade's responsibility..." he murmured, then jerked his head up. "I heard your new pupil—Tejima Shinichi—he's gone out? Gone to find Tsunade? And now he's... taken over her role in this plan?"
Even given Jiraiya's vast experience, learning what his junior had done left him stunned.
Twelve years old, Wood Release, suppressing Shukaku, now shouldering such responsibility—such talent even eclipsed his own student Minato Namikaze.
Hiruzen nodded, exhaling smoke.
"It was his choice, and it's necessary for the current situation. He has the potential and the resolve."
Jiraiya fell silent, emotions flickering across his face, then sighed and ruffled his white hair.
"Terrifying youngsters... Sage Art—something even Orochimaru never mastered. Not only has he replaced Tsunade..."
His words cut off as the image of another blond boy surfaced—his new student, Uzumaki Naruto.
Right now Naruto still fumbled with the Summoning Technique; the contrast was so stark it left Jiraiya speechless.
For an instant he absurdly wondered, 'Is Naruto really Minato's kid!?'
He shook his head hard to dispel the thought.
"Old man," Jiraiya said, eyes sharpening, "leave Orochimaru to me. After tracking him all these years, it's time... to settle accounts..."
"I'll be the one to end the path he's chosen!"
Hiruzen looked at him and smiled.
"Someone else stood here and said the same thing—promising to deal with Orochimaru and take my seat as proof of his merit!"
Jiraiya froze; he knew exactly who the teacher meant—the twelve-year-old junior.
"You believe in him that much?" he couldn't help asking.
"At the very least," Hiruzen said, his eye-wrinkles softening, "that kid causes less trouble than all three of you did."
Jiraiya blinked, then grinned, even more curious about the junior he had yet to meet.
...
Time passed; only a week remained until the final round of the Chunin Exams.
Land of Wind, deep within an uninhabited desert.
Shuk!
The Kusanagi Sword pierced straight through the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's chest.
Rasa convulsed, staring at the blade protruding from his torso, shock and disbelief written across his face.
He lifted his head with effort toward the pale visage before him.
"W... why..." Blood spilled from his mouth, his voice ragged. "We... had a deal..."
Orochimaru flicked his wrist, yanking the blade free in a crimson spray, and watched with icy eyes as Rasa staggered back.
"Lord Kazekage, your worth ended the moment that agreement was signed."
"Rather than pay that hefty 'balance due', I find it far more cost-effective to let your corpse pave the way for my next move."
He flicked the blood from the blade, his voice cheerful.
"After all, a dead Kazekage is... the best Kazekage."
"You...!"
Rasa tried to speak, but his life drained away with his blood, and he collapsed onto the scorching sand.
Orochimaru glanced at Rasa's corpse, then at the two fallen Kazekage guards, and smiled toward Kimimaro beside him.
"Thanks to you, Kimimaro, eliminating his guards was effortless!"
Kimimaro bowed expressionlessly.
Nearby, Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, their lenses reflecting the desert light. "Even someone as strong as the Kazekage stood no chance against our combined assault," he said with a smile.
He paused, his tone laced with mockery. "Still, the Fourth Kazekage was quite 'helpful'—he actually believed our terms. Not only did he send more elite troops into the plan, he also shifted forces along the River Country border, drawing quite a bit of Konoha's attention for us."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Understandable. Our offer was too enticing for him. After all, the Land of Wind's daimyo cut his funding, strangling Sunagakure. A starving wolf will pounce on any meat it sees."
With that, he turned his gaze toward Konoha, his golden serpentine eyes gleaming with triumph.
"Prepare it, Kabuto—use 'that jutsu'. It's time to head to Konoha... as the 'Fourth Kazekage'!"
"Heh heh heh... I can't wait to obtain the two vessels I so desperately desire!"
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