Omen

"How did the surgery go?"

"It seems to be a success for now, with no rejection reaction. However, we still need to observe for a few days. As long as we get through these few days after the surgery, there will be no problem."

Senju Zen lay quietly on the operating table, his face wrapped tightly in bandages, and two bloodshot eyes floated in a medicine jar on the shelf beside him.

Those were the original eyes of the Senju Zen.

"Is it worth gouging out your own eyes and replacing them with something that doesn't belong to you?"

Uchiha Genso sat on the stone bench next to him.

"Whether it's worth it or not, I don't know. I only know that I need power, power stronger than I am now. Only in this way can I realize my wish. Genso, aren't you the same? You want to destroy Konoha Uchiha Clan, but you are far from being able to do it in your current state!"

Senju Zen's voice was calm; even though he had undergone eye transplant surgery without anesthesia, there was no sign of weakness in his voice.

I could only vaguely sense excitement and fervor!

"I have my own plans."

"Uchiha Genso said softly."

"As for you, mastering this power wouldn't take less than two years, would it?"

"... So I'm counting on you from now on, Genso."

"Zen is right. Now it's time to see your performance. This decaying world is too silent. Genso, go and light the fire, burn down that rotting forest." Jue said slowly in a very deceptive voice.

With the sound of "Zui," the scenery before Genso suddenly changed. The Konoha, engulfed in flames, was reflected in his pupils. Villagers ran and cried out, black smoke billowed, and the crackling sound of burning firewood could even be faintly heard.

"Just tell me what you need."

As the Mitsudomoe Sharingan rotated, all the scenery shattered and vanished like flowers in a mirror.

Uchiha Genso was not fooled by such a simple trick; when it came to Genjutsu, he was the real expert.

"Hehe, it's very simple. Konoha now, which is not something that the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth want to see. All you need to do is become a spark, a spark that ignites the fuse of a bomb called war," Zetsu said softly.

"Whether it's the Cloud Ninja or the Stone Ninja, all we need is an excuse for them to attack Konoha. Of course, to make them even more motivated, we need to add a little something extra... Genso, that depends on your skills."

"The Cloud Ninja and the Stone Ninja... but... I'm afraid it would be difficult for these two alone to take down Konoha?"

As a former Konoha Ninja, Uchiha Genso has a deep understanding of the strength of Konoha today.

The phrase "at its zenith" is quite apt to describe Konoha today.

In contrast, they are the Moryo and monsters hiding underground.

"Don't worry, there's still the Mist Ninja! They suffered such a huge loss at the hands of Uzumaki Katsuki, even their Mizukage was killed. The vengeful Mist Ninja won't let this go."

The chilling laughter was like the hooting of an owl, unpleasant and grating.

Uchiha Genso's lips twitched. He stopped talking and sat quietly on the sofa, studying the Genjutsu scroll in his hand.

Overthrowing Konoha isn't something that can be done with just words; it requires concrete action.

Konoha.

The Fourth Hokage's Kage Rock was already completed, and it silently watched over the village alongside the previous Kage.

"The Fourth Hokage Orochimaru has finally gotten what he wanted!"

Standing on a telephone pole, Jiraiya stood with his hands on his hips. The breeze blowing through the street made his pale hair flutter. His resolute face showed a changing expression, but in the end, he could not erase the trace of sorrow.

Nagato's death was an extremely heavy blow to him, because Nagato was not only his disciple, but also the Child of Prophecy he believed could change the future of the Shinobi World.

As a result, Nagato didn't have the chance to change the world.

He died just like that!

"Jiraiya, it's quite unusual to see you so down."

"What's this! Orochimaru... no, I should say the Fourth Hokage, isn't it a bit much to skip work and be out here instead of handling official business?" Jiraiya turned around, looked at Orochimaru standing on the opposite rooftop, laughed, and leaped over him with his wooden clogs.

Seeing my friend achieve their wish is a joyful thing.

In the past, because of Orochimaru's gloomy and arrogant nature, he had worried that Orochimaru might go astray and go astray. Fortunately, his worries seem to have been unnecessary!

"Skipping work with a valid reason is naturally allowed, and besides, I'm the Hokage now, who would dare to cause me trouble?"

Orochimaru also laughed, his smile still gentle, but lacking the aloofness that kept people at arm's length. The cloak with its fiery lace trim behind him swayed softly.

"Haha... You're really different from before, completely different. Your laugh is almost scary... In the past, I would never have believed you would laugh like that."

"You talk as much nonsense as ever."

After a brief interaction between the fellow disciples, Orochimaru turned to look at the idle Katsuki, as well as Yahiko and Konan, whose faces still bore traces of sorrow.

His gaze swept over the three of them, paused briefly on Katsuki, and then turned to Yahiko.

"This is our second meeting, Yahiko."

"Hokage"

Yahiko bowed his head in greeting.

The status of a Kage is second only to that of a Daimyo in a country. The Kage of a large country is even higher than the Daimyo of a small country. Not to mention that Yahiko is just the leader of a civilian organization in the Land of Rain. The two are completely incomparable.

No matter how prosperous the Akatsuki Organization became in the Land of Rain, it never officially replaced Amegakure's position, nor was it recognized by the Daimyo of the Land of Rain. In the eyes of neighboring countries, it was just a civilian organization, or, to put it bluntly, even a rebel.

After all, this was the first time since the establishment of the one-country-one-village system that a force from the lower classes had rebelled against the rule of the orthodox ninja village.

The surrounding countries also had differing attitudes toward the Akatsuki Organization. For example, Konoha was divided into two factions. The Third Hokage's faction adopted a wait-and-see attitude, intending to observe before making a decision. After all, the Land of Rain's geographical location was special, and rashly intervening could easily trigger another Shinobi World War.

Meanwhile, radicals led by Danzo advocated for the elimination of Akatsuki Organization. Their reasoning was simple: the one-country-one-village system should not be shaken. If Akatsuki Organization were to actually kill Hanzō and replace Amegakure, wouldn't that break the one-country-one-village system? This door absolutely cannot be opened.

Of course, Danzo has now fallen from power and is retired to the logistics department, leaving the martial arts faction leaderless. Although Orochimaru is quite close to Danzo, their views differ. At least on this matter, Orochimaru supports his teacher, the Third Hokage.

Therefore, his attitude was very mild today.

"Yahiko has arrived in Konoha, he should rest well for a couple of days and look around. I'm not bragging, but Konoha is quite prosperous. As for other matters... we can discuss them later."

"Thank you for your concern, Hokage."

Yahiko obediently agreed, without saying anything inappropriate because of Jiraiya his teacher.

A look of satisfaction flashed quickly in Orochimaru's eyes. He liked smart people who knew what was good for them. One or two idiots like Jiraiya were enough; he couldn't handle two more.