"The game is afoot!"
Inside the inn, Kazama Kaguya watched the flames and black smoke rising from the Hokage Building, as if he could see the clash of blades within.
"Hidden Cloud and Konoha, Hiruzen and Danzo, the Main Family and the branch family. Power, status, survival—everyone has something they want. Desire is the source of unrest, and unrest forges the steps to advancement."
"I want to get ahead so badly!"
"Too bad I'm still a weakling."
Kazama Kaguya felt some regret at not taking part in a legendary moment that would go down in history.
But the moment he thought of the Byakugan that would soon be his, his frustration vanished.
"At least I can still take part in the tanuki-swapping-the-prince plot. An audience? Heh. Danzo, you think you control everything, but I'm the real director hiding behind the scenes."
Danzo had never once suspected Kazama Kaguya's identity.
He knew the secret channels of communication, understood Orochimaru's life's ambition, and possessed Orochimaru's signature summoning technique. On top of that, he had the kind of courage that seemed to come from being brainwashed into welcoming death.
If he wasn't one of Orochimaru's people, then who was?
Now the grand performance had begun. All that remained was for the climax to arrive.
Kazama Kaguya stood quietly by the window, watching the turmoil in the Hyuga Clan.
The night breeze stirred. His deep green eyes were mysterious and unfathomable, like a vast swamp tangled with countless strands of waterweed.
The Hyuga Clan was hailed as Konoha's strongest bloodline clan and was one of the founding clans that had been there from the village's very beginning.
Because of the Byakugan's strategic value, the Hyuga held considerable influence in the village.
The head of the Main Family in particular could affect Konoha's strategic plans with every word and action.
But the Hyuga Clan kept a low profile and almost never opposed the Hokage. Its only priority was protecting the inheritance of its bloodline.
If Danzo needed the Hyuga's support, he had to seize its vital point and gain leverage over it.
Kazama Kaguya knew Danzo would do anything for the Hokage Position. That was why he had proposed such an outlandish scheme as "swapping the tanuki for the prince."
If it worked, both sides would win.
Danzo would gain the Hyuga's support, and Kazama Kaguya would get the Main Family's Byakugan. Neither would lose out.
Inside the Hokage Building, Tenzo used Wood Release to repair the damaged office.
Normally, this wouldn't have warranted a special report, but as he sorted through some records destroyed by Lava Release, he discovered that several important documents had been damaged.
"Lord Third, Dodai's Lava Release damaged some important documents left behind by the Fourth Generation."
"Hmm? Records Minato left behind?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow and asked, "Were the damaged ones his notes on Sealing Jutsu or Flying Thunder God? I thought those scrolls had all been protected with seals."
"Neither. They were some confidential records from a mission the Fourth Generation once undertook in Rōran." As he spoke, Tenzo took out a scroll that was more than half burned.
"Rōran? The small country that was destroyed ten years ago?"
When Hiruzen heard it wasn't anything important, he waved a hand. "Forget it. It's already done. I remember that place is now perpetually covered by black sandstorms, powerful enough to rival an A-rank jutsu. Sunagakure has declared it a forbidden zone. They even sent people to demand this scroll back then."
After speaking, he thought for a moment, then ordered, "Have the Fuinjutsu Squad seal all the remaining important records, to prevent more damage in the future."
"Yes, Lord Third."
Soon after Tenzo left, Kakashi and Shikaku Nara returned with the Konoha High Command.
Danzo, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Hyuga Hiashi, Hizashi Hyuga, Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui Uchiha, and the others gathered together.
Secret delight, resentment, anger, helplessness—their positions were never the same, leaving the Hokage's office shrouded in suffocating tension.
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe without pause, like a chimney.
Amid the thick smoke, they debated the course of the war, the rise and fall of clans, and the survival of individuals.
Kakashi stood guard outside the door, listening to the political maneuvering within. Once again, he thought of his father, who had died because of political rumors.
"Last time it was my father. This time it's the head of the Hyuga Main Family. Who will it be next?" Kakashi grew ever more disgusted with the machinations of politicians.
If he could, he would use chakra to block his ears right then and there.
But he was the Anbu Captain directly under the Lord Third. Even if he wanted to slack off, he couldn't.
"Ugh, I don't think I've had a day off in ages. Once the Hyuga Clan matter is over, I'll ask the Lord Third for leave."
Kakashi rubbed his brow. Exhaustion mingled with anticipation in his voice. "Maybe I can go soak in the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water. I remember Lord Jiraiya spends all his time there gathering material. It's about time I asked him for the next Icha Icha Paradise book. He can't keep his readers hanging forever."
Kakashi continued guarding the tightly shut door of the Hokage's office.
The debate inside carried on from morning until afternoon.
Only after Kakashi had reread Icha Icha Paradise did the argument finally end.
He watched the group file out of the office. Every face wore a different expression.
Danzo's face was grim, but he seemed to walk with even greater confidence, his cane striking the ground with an ear-piercing clack.
The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, looked crestfallen and full of worry.
The clan heads, Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga, were pale, their fists clenched, their anger and disappointment barely contained.
Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui Uchiha walked one behind the other, wearing bitter smiles. They kept their heads lowered, lost in their own thoughts.
After the group left, Kakashi entered the smoke-filled office. He was about to clear away the overflowing ashtray and collect the cups when he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's tired, aged voice.
"Kakashi, given Hidden Cloud's actions, do you think we should go to war?"
Kakashi stiffened, then quickly composed himself. "Lord Hokage, I'm only a lowly guard."
He quickly gathered the trash, wanting only to leave as soon as possible. But after a moment's thought, he added:
"But if needed, I can fight at the very front of the battlefield. At least until I die, Konoha's civilians will be protected."
"Yes. Isn't that the very reason the village was founded?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. The last trace of hesitation vanished from his eyes, and his voice turned firm.
"Without sacrifice, how can we protect anything?"
"Wherever Konoha's leaves dance, the fire will continue to burn! That is the Will of Fire!"
Meanwhile, Kazama Kaguya had no interest whatsoever in the Will of Fire or anything like it.
At that moment, he was saying goodbye to Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro, make yourself at home here. Wait for me to come back for you."
At the Konoha Orphanage, Kazama Kaguya bowed in gratitude to a gentle woman with black-rimmed glasses and a warm, motherly grace.
"Lord Nonō, I'm entrusting my little brother to your care for a while."
As he spoke, he handed her a sealing scroll. "There are some supplies inside. I hope they'll help the orphanage get a few new sets of clothes."
This was some of the money he had put aside for his defection. Now he was donating all of it to the Konoha Orphanage.
After tonight, another fierce battle and pursuit would begin.
Once he got the Byakugan, he would have only three minutes. He could unleash his strength for a short burst, but bringing Kimimaro along wouldn't help at all.
The best place Kazama Kaguya could think of to leave Kimimaro was the Konoha Orphanage.
The village took in orphans of war. After the Third Shinobi World War, there were many children there, so slipping a seven-year-old Kimimaro in would cause no trouble at all.
Most importantly, the orphanage was run by Yakushi Nonō.
She was skilled in Medical Ninjutsu and was known as the Wandering Miko. Though she had come from the Root Organization, the kindness in her heart had never faded. She was a gentle woman full of motherly warmth, able to give Kimimaro a kind of motherly love he had never experienced.
For Kimimaro, who had been locked in a dungeon since childhood, it would go a long way toward filling the emptiness inside him.
And even if the worst came to pass and Kazama Kaguya failed, at least he wouldn't need to worry quite so much.
After all, Kimimaro's fate couldn't be any worse than it had been originally.
At the orphanage, Yakushi Nonō looked at the scroll in surprise, then smiled gently. "Thank you, Kazama. Don't worry. I'll take good care of Kimimaro."
She accepted the scroll without hesitation, showing no embarrassment at all.
The orphanage was full of growing boys. They ate a lot and were always on the move, so food and clothes were quickly used up.
On top of that, Danzo's threats over the past two years had led to most of the orphanage's funding being cut, leaving it struggling to stay afloat. It really did need the support.
She carefully put the scroll away. Looking at the skinny, bony youth before her, she showed a touch of concern. "Kazama, I'm fairly skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. Are you sure you don't want me to help?"
A doctor's compassion—this was already the third time she had offered to treat Kazama Kaguya.
"Thank you, Lord Nonō. I know what's wrong with me. I don't want to trouble you."
Kazama Kaguya turned down the gentle woman once again.
The strain caused by All-Killing Ash Bones damaged the body at the genetic level.
Although the woman before him had excellent Medical Ninjutsu, she couldn't help Kazama Kaguya at all. Worse, she might accidentally uncover some of his secrets.
Still, he had come here for another reason besides finding a safe place for Kimimaro.
He wanted to train a medical ninja of his own.
The Kaguya Clan, with their Shikotsumyaku, naturally possessed Yang Release Chakra, and that was precisely the foundation for learning Medical Ninjutsu.
Seeing that Yakushi Nonō was just as gentle as the rumors said, Kazama Kaguya took advantage of the goodwill his donation had earned and pressed the matter while the iron was hot.
"Lord Nonō, if possible, I hope you can teach Kimimaro Medical Ninjutsu. That way, I won't have to worry so much if he gets hurt in the future."
As he spoke, Kazama Kaguya patted Kimimaro's head and encouraged him. "Kimimaro, study hard under Lord Nonō and help the other children at the orphanage. You're talented, and I'm sure Lord Nonō won't keep her knowledge to herself. You'll definitely learn it. You can do it!"
At his words, Kimimaro immediately burst into tears.
"Lord Kazama, sob... Don't worry. I'll study hard!"
"Good."
Kazama Kaguya wiped away his tears, smiled, then bowed one last time. "I'm entrusting him to you, Lord Nonō."
At this point, it had been exactly a year since Kabuto Yakushi left the orphanage to begin his espionage work in Iwagakure.
The tragedy of mother and son turning against each other had yet to happen.
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