A Secret Conspiracy Buried Beneath the Water

The letter bore a conspicuous mark from Kumogakure.

The Cloud ninja carrying it had barely delivered the envelope to the entrance of Iwagakure when a patrol squad pinned him to the ground.

Before the interrogation team could arrive, the man's mouth twitched and his head lolled to one side. Black blood sprayed from his nostrils. Four medical ninja rushed to his aid, jabbing him with more than a dozen antidote shots in less than two minutes, but they still couldn't drag him back from the brink of death.

"...Troubled times indeed."

Ōnoki narrowed his eyes, his voice as heavy as stone.

"What are those brainless brutes in Kumogakure going berserk over now?"

He had lived a long time—long enough to build Iwagakure into its golden age, long enough to think he had seen every kind of upheaval. But when he opened the letter and read the first line by candlelight, his whole body jolted. He nearly fell from the air.

The handwriting was messy, as though the writer's hand had been trembling. It looked like the writer had been consumed by rage and disbelief—or perhaps... fear.

[Two Orochimarus have appeared in Konoha. The Sannin have reunited. Killer B and I joined forces, but we were defeated by them.]

[Ōnoki, Konoha has only just weathered the Tailed Beast crisis, and now this kind of outside support has suddenly appeared. Aren't you afraid they've been hiding their strength all along, plotting to swallow us up?]

[If you're willing to form an alliance, reply as soon as possible so we can discuss it.]

[Raikage—Ai]

Ōnoki stared at the letter. A hint of absurdity flashed in his eyes, then gave way to grim concern. He slowly slapped the paper down on his desk, hard enough to kick up dust beneath its legs. The loud thud echoed through the empty office.

"Madness..."

He murmured to himself, his voice quivering with disbelief.

"Either the Raikage has gone mad, or... the world has."

But he knew better than anyone that the muscle-headed brutes of Kumogakure wouldn't make up false reports on a whim. And Raikage A of this generation was more cautious than the old brute who had only ever charged straight ahead.

"So this could all be true..."

Ōnoki froze. Age had slowed his thoughts, but his experience was like a thick layer of moss, preserving the true core of Shinobi World politics.

After a moment's thought, he called toward the door.

"Kitsuchi! Get in here!"

The door opened, and a broad-nosed man with a red headband and a bushy beard walked in. He looked honest and simple-minded, but his steps were steady, each one measured.

"Father, what's going on? Why call me here in the middle of the night?"

Kitsuchi rubbed his hands together, swept his gaze around the office, and finally fixed it on the letter on the desk.

"Here. Read it yourself."

Ōnoki turned in midair and pushed the letter toward him, then steadied himself as best he could.

Kitsuchi didn't open it right away. First, he leaned in to check the seal on the envelope.

He had inherited his father's caution—and perhaps surpassed it. He ran his fingers along the edges of the envelope twice, checking for hidden compartments, before carefully opening it.

"A secret message from Kumogakure?"

He frowned.

"That's strange. Why would they send us a message now? And the Cloud ninja who delivered it killed himself... No matter how you look at it, it feels like a trap."

Ōnoki raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that?"

"Father, the Third Raikage died at our hands."

Kitsuchi's usually simple expression turned grave, making Ōnoki take another look at his son.

"But that has nothing to do with this. You're being too cautious, Kitsuchi."

Ōnoki floated down and tapped the desk.

"Just read the letter."

At Ōnoki's urging, Kitsuchi opened it. He read slowly, sounding out the message word by word.

It took less than half a minute.

"W-w-what does this mean?!"

Kitsuchi leaped up in the middle of the Iwagakure office, his massive frame shaking. His red headband slipped to one side.

"What do you mean, two Orochimarus have appeared?! Our spies have never reported anything like this! And we haven't heard anything about the Raikage brothers being defeated, either!"

"I'm just as shocked."

Ōnoki folded his arms, his expression grave.

"But somehow... I feel this is real."

"Why would you suddenly say that?"

Kitsuchi braced himself against the desk, panting.

Ōnoki floated around twice, as though gathering his thoughts, then stopped in front of his son.

"Fourth Raikage A is more cautious than his predecessor. And... killing the messenger without hesitation isn't their usual style."

Ōnoki paused, a sharp, seasoned glint in his eyes.

"When a person or a village suddenly does something completely out of character, there's only one explanation."

"They've really uncovered the truth."

The letter slipped from Kitsuchi's hands and landed on the floor with a soft slap.

That was Orochimaru.

A Kage Level fighter—no, two Kage Level fighters now—along with the reunited Sannin. They had the power to sway the course of a war, a force capable of shattering the balance among the Five Great Nations.

Kitsuchi swallowed, his mouth dry.

"Then what should we do, Father?"

Ōnoki was silent for two seconds, then slowly replied.

"Write back. Arrange a meeting between me and A... You and Akatsuchi will come with me."

"Understood."

Kitsuchi bent to pick up the letter and respectfully acknowledged the order. He turned to leave.

"Wait."

Ōnoki suddenly stopped him. He opened his mouth as if to give some warning, but then waved a hand and sighed.

"Make sure the secret message tells A to kill the messenger as soon as he reads it..."

He laughed at himself.

"Never mind. I don't need to tell him that. He'll do it anyway. Pick someone sharp to carry the message."

"Understood, Father."

Kitsuchi finally bowed with genuine respect. He set the envelope back on Ōnoki's desk, stepped back three paces, then turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

The office fell quiet again.

Ōnoki floated in the darkness, staring at the letter on his desk without moving.

"Konoha..."

He slowly closed his eyes. His voice was as light as a sigh, yet heavy as a tombstone.

"What a land of heroes."

The night passed. Dawn had just broken over the forest on Konoha's outskirts, and cool dew still clung to the tips of the grass.

Lin Zi rolled off the stone and sat up, rubbing his stiff back. His bones cracked twice.

"Play the role of Naruto Uzumaki."

He called out silently.

"I'm getting ready to return to the village."

[Received.]

As soon as the system's voice faded, a sudden change swept through him.

A warm, surging energy burst from within him, tinged with a faint, metallic sweetness.

His hair visibly faded from black to blond, as if bleached by sunlight. His eyes shifted from dark brown back to sky blue, and whisker-like marks surfaced on both cheeks.

He looked down at his palms, spreading and clenching his fingers as he adjusted to a body several years younger.

"Same as ever, but not bad."

He grinned, leaped down from the stone, and pushed off with both legs, sprinting toward Konoha. The morning wind roared in his ears as the trees flashed past. A few villagers up early to gather firewood caught only a blur, then a streak of blond was already gone.

"Was that Lord Minato? Out for a morning run so early? How diligent!"

A villager exclaimed.

In less than the time it took to burn half a stick of incense, he was standing outside Minato's house. Lin Zi panted twice, wiped the sweat from his forehead, then swaggered up the steps.

"Hey, I came to see how you're recovering, old lady."

He slipped back into Naruto's voice, lazy and casually insolent. Reaching out, he pushed the door open with a creak.

At the sound, Kushina's head snapped up.

Her face was still a little pale, but she looked much better than before. Her red hair spilled across the pillow. The moment their eyes met, she froze.

Her red eyes locked on the blond boy in the doorway.

"Are... are you... Naruto?"

Kushina's voice trembled. Her fingers unconsciously clutched the blanket.

"You came back?"