The night breeze was cool, and Konoha's lights flickered in the distance. Disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, Orochimaru stood alone at the window of his inn room, his golden snake eyes glinting coldly in the shadows. He held a secret letter that had just arrived, the special mark of Sunagakure's Anbu flickering in and out of sight in the candlelight.
"Chiyo... has actually returned to the village?"
He chuckled softly, his voice hoarse and pleased. The letter reported in detail how Chiyo had barged into a high-level meeting, berated the elders, and even examined Sunagakure's confidential archives. Though the legendary puppeteer of Sunagakure was old and living in retirement, her instincts remained frighteningly sharp.
"Heh... as expected of an old relic who lived through the Shinobi World Wars." His fingertips lightly rubbed the edge of the letter. "What a pity. You're too late."
The letter burned silently in his hand, its ashes scattering. Orochimaru looked out the window at Konoha's peaceful outline in the night. His gaze settled on the distant Hokage Rock, where Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's likeness overlooked the village.
"Two more days..." He extended his tongue and slowly licked his lips. "Rotten old relics like you should just leave the stage quietly. Why bother struggling?"
To him, Sunagakure's movements were merely a piece in his plan. Rasa's ambition, the sacrifices of the Sand ninja, even Chiyo's vigilance— all were just tools to distract Konoha.
"All the Sand ninja need to do is keep Konoha's ninja occupied for me anyway."
He turned toward the sand table in the room and tapped his finger against the map of Konoha, finally stopping where the Forest of Death met the central tower.
"Third, my teacher... we'll be able to have a nice long reunion soon."
His golden slit pupils narrowed slightly in the darkness, and his smile was sinister.
Danzo sat alone in the dim underground base, his left eye flashing with a sinister light. After the Heavenly Screen exposed the Sharingan transplanted into his arm, the Third had ordered him not to make any moves for the time being.
Now he tapped the tabletop with his bony fingers, each tap precisely matching the ticking of the clock's second hand on the wall.
"Two more days..." His hoarse voice echoed through the empty room. Aburame Torune stood quietly in the shadows. Hearing his leader's murmur, he raised his head slightly. "Do we need to make preparations in advance?"
Danzo sneered. "No need. Let that madman Orochimaru make the first move." He stroked his bandaged arm. "Once the Third... heh."
Suddenly, Sai emerged from the darkness. "Lord Danzo, we've detected unusual movements in Sunagakure. They..."
"No need to report." Danzo raised a hand, cutting him off. "Sunagakure is nothing more than a pawn. Continue monitoring Sasuke Uchiha's movements."
The Third's residence
Under the warm lamplight, Hiruzen Sarutobi poured Jiraiya a cup of sake. Smoke from his pipe blurred his weary face. "Jiraiya, these past two days, I've had a feeling..."
"That something's going to happen?" Jiraiya finished for him, unusually serious. "I've noticed it too. Three border patrol teams are missing, and the snakes in the Forest of Death have been unusually active."
The Third took a deep draw on his pipe. "Orochimaru is back."
The cup stopped against the table, sending ripples through the sake. Jiraiya's pupils contracted. "You knew all along?"
"The Kazekage's Chakra... something's wrong with it." The Third looked out the window at Hokage Rock. "But I need solid proof."
Jiraiya abruptly stood. "I'll check the outskirts."
"No." The Third shook his head. "You're staying in the village. Let the Anbu..."
"Old man!" Jiraiya slammed his hand on the table. "If it really is Orochimaru, ordinary Anbu won't..."
"That's exactly why I need you here all the more." The Third cut him off calmly. "At tomorrow's finals, you'll be responsible for security in the spectator stands."
They stared at each other in silence. Finally, Jiraiya dropped heavily back into his seat. "You haven't changed... leaving the most dangerous position for yourself."
Under Konoha's night sky
Moonlight illuminated Might Guy and Rock Lee sparring on the training ground, shone into the empty courtyard of the Uchiha compound, and fell on Naruto as he trained alone. No one noticed several white snakes silently slithering toward the Chunin Ninja Exams venue.
Jiraiya stood atop Hokage Rock, gazing out over the seemingly peaceful village. Sage Fukasaku, perched on his shoulder, suddenly spoke. "Little Jiraiya, it's going to rain."
"Yeah..." Jiraiya pressed a hand to his Forehead Protector. "A storm."
Meanwhile, Kakashi suddenly closed Icha Icha Paradise at home and looked out the window with his one visible eye. "This uneasy feeling..."
The next day...
The setting sun cast its dying light into a casino on Konoha's outskirts. Tsunade sat at a table, bored out of her mind, shaking the dice cup in her hand without ever lifting it. Her luck was as bad as ever today; she had already lost seventeen rounds in a row. Beside her, Shizune sighed helplessly.
"One more round." Tsunade pushed her chips forward, though her gaze was somewhat distant.
Just then—
A familiar figure flashed past the casino entrance.
Long blue hair, a gentle profile, that old coat she had mended with her own hands...
"Dan...?"
Tsunade's fingers trembled violently, and the dice cup dropped onto the table with a smack. The dice showed three sixes—she had won. But she no longer cared. She shot to her feet, knocking her chair over.
"Lady Tsunade?!" Shizune looked up in surprise, only to see that Tsunade had already dashed out of the casino, racing in the direction the figure had disappeared.
"Wait! Lady Tsunade!" Shizune hurried after her, but Tsunade was too fast, vanishing around a street corner in the blink of an eye.
Shizune searched the streets anxiously, but found no trace of Tsunade. A bad feeling welled up inside her, and she immediately turned and ran toward the tavern Jiraiya frequented.
"Lord Jiraiya!" She shoved the door open and shouted breathlessly, "Lady Tsunade is missing!"
Jiraiya was drinking and chatting with a few Chunin. At her words, he immediately set down his cup, his expression turning grave. "What happened?"
Shizune quickly explained what had happened at the casino, making particular mention of how Tsunade had suddenly given chase after seeing someone.
"Leaving after a win... that's not like her." Jiraiya's brow furrowed. "And someone who could make Tsunade lose her composure like that..."
A frightening possibility flashed through his mind—Dan Katō.
Impossible... Dan's been dead for years!
But what if it was a Genjutsu, or...
"Impure World Reincarnation?!" Jiraiya's pupils contracted, and he immediately stood up.
"Lord Jiraiya, are we going to look for Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked nervously.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, torn inside. The Chunin Ninja Exams finals were tomorrow, and the Third had specifically instructed him to handle security at the venue. If he left now...
Damn it! Orochimaru... is this you?!
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Shizune, calm down. Let's go to the Hokage building first and report this to the Third. I... can't leave the village."
Shizune froze, but quickly understood how serious the situation was. She nodded firmly and hurried away with Jiraiya.
After hearing Shizune's report, the Third's face grew grave. He immediately summoned an elite Anbu squad.
"Search for Tsunade at once, but don't alert the enemy," he ordered in a low voice. "If you find anyone suspicious, make Tsunade's safety your first priority."
The Anbu departed with their orders. The Third stood by the window, pipe smoke curling around him and obscuring his worried eyes.
Orochimaru... what are you planning?
He knew Tsunade's sudden disappearance was no coincidence. And tomorrow was the Chunin Ninja Exams...
Tsunade raced through the forest, her heart pounding like a drum. The figure stayed a steady distance ahead of her, as though deliberately guiding her away from the village.
Something's wrong...
She stopped abruptly, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Instincts honed over years on the battlefield brought her to her senses in an instant—this was a trap!
But just as she was about to turn and retreat, "Dan Katō" suddenly stopped ahead and slowly looked back. A strange smile appeared on that familiar face. Then he lifted a bucket of fresh blood and hurled it at her without hesitation!
"Wh—?!"
A blinding splash of scarlet filled her vision, and the strong smell of iron flooded her nose. Tsunade's pupils contracted sharply, her limbs stiffened beyond her control, and the blood in her body seemed to freeze in an instant.
Blood... blood...
She fell heavily to her knees, a pained gasp escaping her throat. The onset of her fear of blood left her trembling all over, unable to move even a finger.
"What a nostalgic reaction, Tsunade."
A chilling voice came from behind her. Orochimaru slowly emerged from the shadows, his golden snake eyes glinting coldly in the moonlight.
"Orochimaru...!" Tsunade clenched her teeth and tried to struggle, but her body refused to obey.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Orochimaru crouched down, his fingertips lightly brushing the back of her neck. "I'm just going to let you... have a nice sleep."
A Chakra sealing formula spread out in an instant, and Tsunade's consciousness quickly sank into darkness. Before she lost consciousness completely, she dimly heard Orochimaru whisper:
"After all... we were once comrades."
In a dim underground base, Orochimaru gently laid the unconscious Tsunade on a stone bed. He had deliberately chosen a clean room far from the smell of blood and even draped a clean cloak over her.
"Lord Orochimaru, aren't you going to take the opportunity to obtain her cells?" Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, his tone probing.
"There's no need." Orochimaru walked out of the room without looking back. "Her value isn't in her body, but in her absence."
He knew Tsunade all too well—as one of the Sannin, if she sensed a deadly threat, she would instinctively unleash her Chakra even while unconscious. Rather than risk angering her, it was better to let her sleep peacefully.
This... is enough.
Orochimaru closed the stone door, a complicated smile curling at his lips. Even after defecting from Konoha and walking into darkness, he still retained one last trace of affection for his former comrade.
"Next..." His gaze turned toward Konoha, a chill suddenly filling his snake eyes. "It's time to catch up with my teacher, the Third."
A thin mist shrouded Konoha before dawn, and the streets were silent and empty. Orochimaru stood on high ground, the sleeping village reflected in his golden snake eyes as a cold smile rose on his lips.
"Tsunade is out of the way. Next... is that fool Jiraiya."
He formed Hand Seals and said quietly, "Shadow Clone Technique."
A puff of white smoke cleared, and another "Orochimaru" appeared beside him. This Shadow Clone was no ordinary creation of Chakra, but a special clone infused with energy from a corpse he had previously reincarnated into, enough to fool Jiraiya's senses.
"Go. Draw him somewhere far from Konoha," the real Orochimaru ordered coldly.
The Shadow Clone smiled sinisterly, then became a black blur and sped toward Konoha's outskirts.
Early that morning, Jiraiya stood on Hokage Rock, gazing out over Konoha as it gradually awoke. His brow was furrowed, and Tsunade's disappearance still weighed on his mind.
Something's wrong... very wrong.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure flashing through the distant woods—long hair, a chilling presence...
"Orochimaru?!"
Jiraiya's pupils contracted. Without hesitation, he leaped down from Hokage Rock and pursued the figure.
"Wait! Orochimaru!" he shouted, but the other man merely looked back with a strange smile before picking up speed and disappearing into the depths of the forest.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth and gave chase, alarm bells ringing in his head. There's definitely something wrong with this guy showing up out of nowhere! Even so, he couldn't leave Orochimaru to roam near Konoha.
I have to finish him here!
But he didn't know that he was being lured, step by step, into a trap far from Konoha...
Watching Jiraiya's figure disappear into the distance, the real Orochimaru withdrew his gaze in satisfaction.
"That takes care of everyone who could get in the way."
He turned toward the Chunin Ninja Exams venue, a ruthless light flickering in his eyes.
"As for Jonin like Kakashi and Asuma..." He smiled disdainfully. "I'll leave them to those fools from Sunagakure."
The Sand ninja were still in the dark, believing the operation was meant to weaken Konoha and revitalize Sunagakure. Little did they know that they were expendable pawns in Orochimaru's plan, meant to keep Konoha's elite forces occupied.
"By the time they realize it, everything will already be over."
Orochimaru slowly walked toward the venue, his robe billowing in the morning breeze.
The morning light had yet to dispel the dew when Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before his dressing mirror. His aged fingers slowly traced every scratch on his armor—marks left from his battles with Kumogakure and Iwagakure. Since he became Hokage, the armor had lain untouched for years.
The Third tightened the final strap, and the armor gave a heavy metallic sound as he turned. He put on his Hokage robe, its wide sleeves concealing the armor but unable to hide the deadly air about him.
The armor made a faint metallic rasp with each step. The villagers he passed greeted him as usual, but the Anbu had already sensed that something was amiss and silently increased the number of guards.
"Lord Hokage." Namiashi Raidō appeared quietly at his side. "Lord Jiraiya left the village in pursuit of a suspicious person."
The Third's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. The ember in his pipe glowed and dimmed in the morning mist as he blew a long ring of smoke. "What about Kakashi and the others?"
"They've all been assigned to important positions at the venue, as you instructed. However..." Raidō lowered his voice. "Sunagakure has thirty percent more guards than they declared."
Around the corner, several Sunagakure ninja were talking. They immediately bowed upon seeing the Hokage, but the Third caught one of them tensing his muscles for an instant.
"I hope I'm overthinking things..." the Third murmured, quietly forming a hand seal inside his sleeve.