Konoha Destruction Plan IV

"Ah, this is so boring it's making me yawn." No one truly knew why Orochimaru shed tears, except Orochimaru himself. Sasuke believed they were an expression of emotion, so he pitied him. But if he ever got the chance to kill him, Sasuke would not hold back.

"Orochimaru, you're planning to destroy Konoha, aren't you?" the Third Hokage asked. "Well, it wouldn't be so bad if this decaying place were destroyed," Orochimaru said with a smile. The Sound Four appeared, taking up positions at the four corners and forming the Four Violet Flames Formation, sealing all the Anbu outside.

"Now it's just the two of us, Teacher Sarutobi. But you're old now. You're no longer my opponent. Shall I kill you, or will you struggle desperately until the end?" Orochimaru said casually.

"What a pity, Orochimaru. Though you're clever, someone saw through your plan. Konoha will not suffer the slightest damage, while your men will suffer devastating losses," the Third Hokage said leisurely, wearing his ceremonial hat and robe.

"Hehe, it doesn't matter. As long as I kill you, Teacher, Konoha will have suffered devastating losses. Hahaha, isn't that good enough?"

"Sorry, but your wish cannot be fulfilled." The Third Hokage extended his right hand from his wide sleeve. A small toad sat in his palm. Orochimaru's pupils shrank as a bad feeling immediately rose within him. The little toad hopped to the ground and vanished with a bang, replaced by Jiraiya. "It's been a long time, Orochimaru." Jiraiya's tone still sounded somewhat comical.

"So it was the Reverse Summoning Technique. It seems you were well prepared. But if this is all you have, you can't stop me. Summoning Technique: Impure World Reincarnation." Orochimaru began the Impure World Reincarnation. The first coffin appeared, marked with the character for "one." "Not good. Jiraiya, stop him." As he spoke, he moved to stop the second coffin. The Second Hokage's coffin was forced back down, while the third began to emerge. Jiraiya hurried into action.

"Well, although only one succeeded, that will be enough. This is the First Hokage. Teacher Sarutobi, I think you know very well what his strength is like." A fierce battle was about to erupt within the barrier.

Sasuke was moving quickly in pursuit. Temari decided to stay behind and block him, but she had little Chakra left. After all, her battle with Shikamaru had consumed quite a lot. At that moment, Kakashi assigned Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sakura an A-rank mission: follow Sasuke and help him defeat Gaara and the others.

"You're the only one staying behind to stop me? That doesn't seem like enough." Temari opened her fan and stood in Sasuke's path. Sasuke was in no hurry to break through. Kankuro could not carry Gaara very far, and they were about to reach a lakeside. That was the place Sasuke had chosen.

"You won't know until we fight." Temari seemed to be encouraging herself. She swung her fan, sending a fierce gust howling toward him, slicing through tree branches along the way.

Sasuke leaped aside and casually threw two Shuriken at Temari. She swung her fan and knocked them away. The Shuriken embedded themselves in a tree beside the road. Sasuke retreated a little farther, seemingly trying to widen the distance. Temari smiled disdainfully. Long-range combat was what she excelled at most, but to conserve Chakra, she still followed him.

Sasuke suddenly stopped. "Fire Release! Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" Small firebirds scattered around Temari. She did not dare use wind now. Fire grew stronger with the wind, and if she failed to blow it out, the flames would only become larger. She leaped backward and landed on the ground, but the firebirds followed her down, setting the area around her ablaze.

At that moment, the two Shuriken Sasuke had thrown earlier transformed into Sasuke with a bang. They were Shadow Clones using the Transformation Technique. Since Sasuke had known Temari would try to stop him, how could he have been unprepared? He had arranged this before they even met. The original body appeared directly on a branch above Temari. "Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball crashed down from above, and flames surged up. This ninjutsu was only meant to draw Temari's defense. Two clones appeared on the ground behind her. "Lightning Release! Earth Current!" Two bolts of lightning shot directly into the blaze. When the flames faded, Temari lay there. Sasuke had not dealt a killing blow. She would become a reliable ally in the future, and there was no need to make an enemy of her by killing her. It was enough as long as she no longer obstructed him.

The pursuit began again. Only a few minutes had passed, and Sasuke leisurely trailed behind Kankuro, waiting to reach the battlefield he had chosen.

Meanwhile, Naruto and the others ran into danger. Nine people were chasing them from behind. Shikamaru stayed behind to hold off the enemies, and just when he thought he was about to die, Asuma saved him.

At Konoha's walls, the Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja who had broken through encountered no resistance. Just as they were wondering why, the Konoha Ninja lying in ambush around them launched an attack. The three-headed snake battled Gama Hiro. Wielding two massive blades, Gama Hiro overwhelmed the snake, chopping it into several pieces until it vanished. He then turned on the enemy. The entire Konoha Destruction Plan had failed. In the arena, people who had supposedly been hypnotized began jumping up one after another and attacking the Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja. They were Konoha Ninja planted in ambush there. Kakashi and Might Guy were cutting down enemies everywhere.

At the very top of the stands, within the Four Violet Flames Formation, Jiraiya faced Orochimaru. The two were evenly matched, fighting without either gaining the upper hand. The battle between the Third Hokage and the First Hokage was also deadlocked. Left with no choice, the Third Hokage used a Shadow Clone to perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. After all, the First Hokage was already dead, so there was no need to sacrifice himself; a clone alone would suffice.

"I didn't expect it to fail. Teacher Sarutobi... I really want to kill you here," Orochimaru said in a complicated tone. His words infuriated Jiraiya. "Orochimaru, you even want to kill the teacher who admired you most. You've completely fallen." Orochimaru looked at him as though he were an idiot, making Jiraiya furious. But he truly could not defeat Orochimaru unless he used Sage Mode. Yet Orochimaru would never allow him time to prepare here, and large Summoning Animals could not be summoned inside the barrier.

"Fine, my plan failed, but it doesn't matter. I'll simply watch it continue to decay. How tragic." Orochimaru's words baffled Jiraiya, but the Third Hokage understood. His disciple did not want to see him grow so old. Konoha had begun to decay, and before that happened, Orochimaru had wanted him to die in battle. That was why the Third Hokage had always been unable to bring himself to kill Orochimaru. His feelings for him ran deep. It seems I should retire. The Third Hokage decided to retire and no longer handle Konoha's affairs. He really was old. If Jiraiya had not been here today, he would certainly have died. It was time for Tsunade to return as well.