Aftermath

The Sannin had lost.

Yet their injuries were unexpectedly minor.

It could even be said that less than ten minutes after the two mysterious figures in White Haori had released their abilities, they had already returned to peak condition.

It was as though that brutal battle, which had nearly killed them, had been a lie. If not for the surrounding forest still blazing fiercely, Jiraiya would hardly have believed that he had nearly been effortlessly beaten to death.

But their easy defeat was an objective fact.

The newcomers had not even revealed their true power. Jiraiya did not believe that spectacle of all things reduced to ash had been an illusion.

Such immense power could even determine the course of a battlefield. Yet what exactly was the matter they had exposed themselves to warn them about?

As Jiraiya pondered this, a somewhat gloomy male voice came from beside him.

"...We should be grateful that they're still Konoha Ninja."

Slowly sitting up from the ground, Orochimaru, with his long hair and bluish complexion, rubbed his brow.

"It was probably a technique similar to the Forbidden Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation once developed by the Second Hokage. But their powerful wills still allowed them to warn us."

"Orochimaru? You guys are alright?"

"I'm fine. Tsunade... that's hard to say."

Orochimaru sighed and sat on the ground, looking at Tsunade beside him, who was still sprawled there like a corpse.

In the past, Tsunade would have already jumped up and loudly berated anyone who spoke about her with such near-pitying words. But now, she merely lay there with vacant eyes, as though she had lost her soul.

Seeing Tsunade's numb expression, Jiraiya, who had wanted to lighten the mood, fell silent as well. Though the Sannin had grown much older, there were still few barriers between them. Precisely because of that, they knew how important Dan Katō was to her.

The Uchiha outside had merely been an appetizer. Dan Katō, who had directly divided the battlefield, was the true weapon that wounded people.

The man who had once been gentle and refined, the one who had saved Tsunade, was now their enemy.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade lying on the ground and wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, they became another topic instead.

"Sosuke's Blut Vene really was useful. If not for that, I probably would've been killed by that Senior back then."

"And thanks to it, you were completely unaware that you were being toyed with by their abilities."

"Hahaha, don't say something so hurtful, Orochimaru. At least we got a lot of information, right?"

"Mm."

Orochimaru nodded silently.

"...Let's exchange information."

Though they were not seriously hurt, it would be best to return only after they had adjusted their condition.

Besides, there was still someone who needed time to come to her senses.

Glancing at the person who still did not move, Orochimaru sat on the somewhat scorching ground beneath the increasingly pitch-black night sky, adjusting his breathing as he calmly analyzed the situation.

"There were no scratches on their Konoha Headbands, and they themselves did not believe they had betrayed the village. Their actions and methods also showed mercy at every turn. Perhaps they retain a certain degree of self-control."

"Furthermore, their main purpose was to lure us out and fight. Based on what they showed, the current battle had no way of alerting the existence behind them. That was the information they gave us."

"However, as things stand, we cannot determine whether their information is true or false. The only thing we can be certain of is that behind Konoha, or perhaps behind the Ninja World itself, there may be an extremely terrifying organization plotting something. Beyond that, we know nothing."

"Huh? Didn't they say we should be wary of the people closest to us?"

Listening to Orochimaru's analysis, Jiraiya was somewhat baffled.

"I thought what those Seniors said was already pretty clear. What's there to analyze so carefully?"

"No. It is precisely because they made it so clear that we need to be concerned."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you guarantee that their minds were clear, rather than that they deliberately fed us false information? They may all be Konoha Ninja, but what if the most crucial parts are wrong?"

Seeing Jiraiya choke on his words, Orochimaru, who was responsible for thinking among the Sannin, could not help shaking his head.

This was what worried him most.

Even Impure World Reincarnation could manipulate souls and make them do things they did not wish to do. What about this unknown technique, which appeared even clearer and more refined?

Thinking from the worst possible angle, perhaps this entire act had been deliberate—intended to stir up turmoil within Konoha so certain people within could profit from the chaos. Trusting information given by an enemy was the most foolish thing one could do.

Even if that enemy had not tried to kill them, and had even deliberately provided them with a series of clues, it was still the same. No one could guarantee that this gentleness and assistance would not one day become a sharper blade, instantly piercing through Konoha's chest.

"Besides, their attire and techniques themselves are strange."

"What do you mean?"

"Their attire is extremely similar to Sosuke's. The only difference is that Sosuke's haori is plain, while theirs bear patterns and numbers that may represent rankings."

"You mean Sosuke is suspicious?"

"No, I mean it may be exactly the opposite."

Orochimaru shook his head and looked at his brute of a partner with an oddly affectionate expression reserved for idiots.

"You know I often research ninjutsu, so I investigate Konoha's research developments. Around five years ago, Sosuke proposed a new line of thought in a Konoha ninjutsu research report, aside from Blut Vene."

"This ninjutsu concept, called the 'Soul Transformation Body,' was very interesting. He drew on many ancient professions, such as Miko and Onmyoji, and pointed out that under certain specific conditions, the Spiritual Transformation Technique might be able to manifest independently and wield powers beyond Chakra in battle."

"Only, everyone who possessed the Spirit Transformation Technique had died by then. And the theory he proposed involved concepts such as Nature Energy and the self-awareness of Chakra. Though it seemed insignificant, its implications ran deep, so it was not listed separately and was instead sealed away in the records. Looking at it now, someone was probably using that thing in secret to accomplish something major."

As Orochimaru spoke, a flicker of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

The notion that souls could exist independently was, frankly, deeply appealing to Orochimaru.

And the abilities displayed by these two strange people were precisely some of the potential extensions mentioned in that old paper.

Through one's own will and thoughts, one could reflect an ability belonging to oneself within the soul, then draw upon the surrounding natural environment. The idea bore a striking resemblance to the Uchiha's Sharingan.

The Uchiha had also played a part in suppressing that paper back then. After all, it concerned the Mangekyo Sharingan and the reflection of the mind itself. It was only natural that the Uchiha felt uncomfortable seeing that research. At the time, Sosuke Aizen held little influence, and Blut Vene had enormous potential, so the matter was simply glossed over.

But now, it seemed that certain people in Konoha—or perhaps the Uchiha Clan—had not entirely dismissed that document.

"Then why couldn't Sosuke have done it?"

"The year Dan left us was the very year he proposed that theory. He developed it after being fascinated by Dan's abilities and story. And after that, he lived under Sensei's watch the entire time."

Looking at Jiraiya, who was stubbornly asking as though he were an idiot, Orochimaru patiently explained to his foolish classmate.

"If Sosuke could successfully hide for so long under the eyes of Sensei, Danzo, Elder Mito, and Elder Koharu, summon two Konoha Ninja who died in battle, and even become an advisor, then all of Konoha would be his for the taking. There would be no point in any of this."

"...What does that mean?"

"It means that if Sosuke Aizen was behind this, we'd already be dead by now."

A woman's voice slowly rose from the ground.

Watching the figure sway to her feet like a corpse, cover her face, and let out a deep sigh, the other two both smiled faintly.

Ignoring the two grown men beside her, Tsunade rather ungracefully dropped onto the scorched earth and stared blankly at the burning forest.

Only after a long while did she finally recover enough to reveal what she knew.

"That man really was Dan."

Sitting on the ground, Tsunade spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Second Division Captain Dan Katō, Sixth Division Captain Kagami Uchiha. They served an organization called the 'Soul Society.' That was all Dan told me."

"And he really was being controlled, though not completely. The information he gave us was all true, but only what they believed to be true. Dan made a point of telling me that."

"This is a trial."

"A trial it has imposed on us."

"It knows what we're doing. It knows what we're thinking. It is looking forward to all of this happening."

"Though I don't know its true purpose, the one who desecrated the souls of our Seniors is hiding somewhere in Konoha and has yet to show itself."

At that moment, Jiraiya suddenly interrupted Tsunade's account.

"Wait a second. That still doesn't prove what you said is true, does it, Tsunade? What if Dan was being controlled and fed you false information?"

"..."

Tsunade shot Jiraiya, who looked somewhat indignant, a complicated look.

"...Because Dan was the kind of person who, even if he had to die, would still give everything he had to make me happy. Even if he were being controlled, that's all he would do."

"Ah..."

This time, Jiraiya's expression became complicated.

Amid the strange atmosphere, it was still Orochimaru who broke the awkward silence with a cough.

"Should we tell Sensei about this?"

"Find ANBU Ninja we can trust, then seal it with the highest classification."

Tsunade nodded, rose to her feet, and stretched lazily.

"Seriously, after this, the Sand Ninja and Stone Ninja don't even feel like a problem anymore... Hey, Jiraiya. It's time to head back."

"...Yeah. I know."

After taking one last look at the charred forest, the Sannin each sighed inwardly before silently racing toward the main camp.

A day later, as the Third Hokage looked over the information written on the scroll, his mouth fell slightly open, and his pipe dropped to the ground, scattering ash.