Orochimaru's lip curled. He felt Hiruzen Sarutobi at his back and stopped.
"Lord Kazekage, you're follow—"
Before Hiruzen could finish, a kunai pressed against his throat.
"Attack!"
The command cracked through the corridor. Behind Orochimaru, the Sound Four moved as one, shattering smoke bombs across the floor.
BOOM.
Thick white smoke billowed out, choking the air and erasing visibility. Shadows within the smoke began to move.
"Lord Hokage!"
The ANBU hidden nearby burst from the darkness. They couldn't see their target, but the squad leader, codenamed Zō, spotted the disturbance.
"Down there!"
"First team, follow me! Second team—protect the Daimyo and evacuate the civilians!"
Below, in the center of the arena, Orochimaru had already dragged Hiruzen into the open. The Sound Four, disguised as guards, occupied the four corners of the enclosure. Purple flames began to rise, forming a barrier around them.
Seeing the signal smoke, the Sound and Sand shinobi sprang from their positions. They clashed instantly with the on-duty ANBU and chunin, blocking their advance toward the central arena. Kabuto unleashed a wide-area genjutsu, sweeping through the weaker ninja like a scythe through wheat.
To be honest, Orochimaru's sudden attack had caught Hiruzen completely off guard. Attacking on sight? No cunning strategist would do that—that was the move of a reckless fool.
Currently, the majority of Konoha's elite—Kakashi, Might Guy, and other team leaders—were stationed at the tower in the Forest of Death, waiting to ensure the safety of the preliminary rounds starting tomorrow. Hiruzen had planned to join them. He hadn't expected the Hidden Sand to be so impatient as to strike the moment they met.
"Sound and Sand ninja," Hiruzen called out, his voice steady despite the kunai at his neck. "I didn't expect the Hidden Sand to break the treaty. Are you planning to ally with the Sound to wage war against the Hidden Leaf?"
Orochimaru chuckled, waiting. The purple barrier was nearly complete.
"The wind turns the millstone. The wheels of history roll on," he rasped, his voice distorted behind the Kazekage mask. "This pointless arms race should end. Starting a war benefits neither of us."
Hiruzen tried one last time to salvage the situation. At his age, another great war might be more than he could endure.
"Lord Kazekage, state your demands. We can discuss this peacefully. Before things become irreparable, there's no need for—"
He stopped. The purple flames had fully risen around them. The Four Violet Flames Formation.
"You were just stalling for time," Hiruzen said, his voice hardening.
Orochimaru dropped the pretense. When he spoke, his voice was the same hoarse, shrill tone Hiruzen knew all too well.
"Hehehe… Have you become so slow-witted? Is old age finally settling in, Sarutobi-sensei?"
That voice. That cadence. Hiruzen's pupils contracted, his expression twisting into something complex as he stared at the man in front of him.
"You are… Orochimaru!"
Hearing his former teacher's shocked voice, Orochimaru threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! My dear sensei. Your arrogance and foolishness are about to cost you your life. But I suppose I've fulfilled my duty as a disciple by seeing you off at your deathbed?"
"Seeing me off?" Hiruzen's face showed no panic, only a deep, unsettling confidence. "My rebellious student, have you forgotten my teachings? Nothing should be judged until the very last moment."
Orochimaru slowly peeled the mask from his face. He licked the kunai in his hand with a long, thin tongue, a mocking smile plastered across his features.
"Hehehe… Judging by the time, Gaara should be starting his attack right now. Do you really think you have the confidence to take down a jinchuriki in their Tailed Beast form before you die and get there?"
"A jinchuriki in Tailed Beast form!" The old Hokage's expression vanished, his face instantly darkening. "I see. That's how it is. No wonder you wanted to assassinate the Kazekage, no wonder you're acting so hastily. It seems you already gathered all the information about Menma's ability to use One-Tail Chakra Mode back in the Forest of Death."
As he spoke, Hiruzen stared intently at Orochimaru's expression. The snake only smiled broadly, oblivious to the hidden meaning in the old man's words.
"This is something you taught me, too," Orochimaru said. "Information is the most important part of a ninja's strength. You'd better hurry and decide who gets the Fifth Hokage title, or you won't even get a chance to say your last words."
Seeing that Orochimaru didn't deny Menma's ability to use One-Tail Chakra Mode, Hiruzen's spirits lifted. He quickly regained his composure.
"Very good. You remember my teachings. But unfortunately, you haven't done enough."
Just as they spoke, Baki, fighting outside, noticed something was wrong.
"Damnit! The Third Kazekage is Orochimaru?!" he roared. "All Sand ninja—halt!"
At his shout, the Sand shinobi disengaged and rushed to his side. The Konoha ninja, under less pressure now, began to half-circle the still-fighting Sound ninja. The other half rushed toward the Four Violet Flames Formation.
"Stop! It's a barrier!" The ANBU squad leader codenamed Zō shouted, waving back the shinobi preparing to charge in.
Inside the barrier, Hiruzen breathed a slight sigh of relief as he saw his ANBU finally arrive. He shouted through the flames.
"Go to the Forest of Death! Bring Menma here!"
Naruto, the One-Tail jinchuriki, was definitely outmatched. Menma would surely emerge and kill him decisively. Hiruzen directly ordered his men to politely invite Menma. Once Menma arrived, Naruto, as the primary personality, certainly wouldn't watch him die. All Hiruzen needed to do now was buy time.
"Menma?" The moment Orochimaru heard the name, a bad premonition washed over him. "Looks like my intel wasn't up to par. So your confidence wasn't based on Naruto after all?"
"I was hoping to catch up with you," Hiruzen said, "but it seems we have to finish this quickly."
Meanwhile, in front of the Sarutobi Clan compound—
"It's starting over there, just like my eldest son said," Kushina Uzumaki declared, grinning. "That brilliant, shrewd cunning comes from me!"
Watching the giant snake attacking from the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf, and the shinobi rushing toward the arena, Kushina couldn't help but praise Menma.
Minato, standing to the side, lowered his head, pretending not to hear.
Kurama stood in the middle of the street, arms crossed, looking utterly invincible.
Only Hidan, wearing an excited smile, walked through the compound gates as if no one else existed.
"Is anyone there?" Hidan called out, his voice dripping with manic energy. "The Evil God… how about trying some ultimate pleasure?"
...
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