Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his eyes, his emotions complicated. He thought of Minato. If Minato were still alive, everything would not have had to be borne by an old and frail man like him.
Anko stood behind him, feeling somewhat guilty. She recalled what had happened when she had gone to investigate the Forest of Death. That night, she had encountered Orochimaru. Though she had been resolved to perish together with Orochimaru, she did not possess the strength to do so.
When faced with her former teacher, Anko had faltered.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew exactly what Anko was thinking, and he slowly spoke.
"This isn't your fault. At present, there is no one in the village who can completely defeat Orochimaru." At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still did not know that another disciple he had left utterly disheartened—Jiraiya—had also quietly returned to the village.
Temari and Gaara of Sunagakure sat idly on the second floor. From where they were, they could see Shikamaru and the others going out to eat after finishing a month of special training. Kankuro sat barefoot with one leg crossed over the other.
"How could that troublesome brat possibly beat you? He looks so lifeless. He was probably forced into training too. Sis, you've got this in the bag."
Temari absentmindedly responded with a few vague remarks.
"That's all minor stuff. The real battle coming next is what matters most..." The three of them had certainly not come to Konoha merely to take the Chunin Exam. They had come with a mission.
"To coordinate with the coming Wind Shadow and the Sound Ninja in attacking Konoha, reverse Sunagakure's steadily declining situation, and swallow this juicy piece of meat called Konoha to strengthen ourselves..."
"Where's Teacher Baki?"
"He went back to the village to report the intelligence."
In a