In the Land of Rain, where gloomy weather seemed endless, gray was the dominant color.
Pain stood on a high platform, his deep purple Rinnegan fixed on Aoike.
After Konan told him what Aoike had in mind, Pain showed little reaction. He simply watched them with an inscrutable look.
"What have you lost?"
"And what have you come to understand?"
"People's hearts are unfathomable. As long as self-interest and darkness exist, people will never understand one another. Uniting the Ninja World is far too difficult. When the time comes, every country will see you as an enemy."
Indeed, bringing together countries with blood feuds was no easier than wiping them all out.
At last, Pain's figure disappeared.
"If you're confident, then gather all the Tailed Beasts first. We'll talk after that..."
Pain naturally knew how much Aoike's strength had grown over the past few years. In terms of raw power, he was second only to Pain himself! As long as Aoike didn't stray from the plan, Pain would let him do as he pleased.
Still, Pain didn't know how much longer his body could hold out.
Hidden away, Nagato silently sustained his gaunt, increasingly frail body.
At the very least, he had to hold on until the plan was complete. He could never let Yahiko's sacrifice be in vain! The Akatsuki's wish for world peace would surely be fulfilled by his hands.
That belief was what had kept Nagato going until now.
At the Akatsuki's base, Konan helped Aoike pack his belongings. With Nagato's approval, Aoike decided to go to Konoha alone and settle things with his past.
More precisely, he would purge the Hyuga Clan and clear out a few rotten apples. Surely the clan leader would be grateful to him. Probably.
He would take things one step at a time. Once the Tenseigan had undergone its third stirring, he would go deal with that bunch...
At Konoha's training ground, Kakashi hid behind a tree and put away his little book. His expression turned serious.
Not far away, Sasuke fought back and forth against his Shadow Clone, kunai in both hands. He used the openings created by Naruto's multiple Shadow Clones to put some distance between them.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Kakashi's Shadow Clone tossed Naruto away with one hand, then spun and kicked apart the clones swarming him.
He turned, finished forming his Hand Seals, and slapped his palm to the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of earth carved with a dog's head rose up.
Boom!
The two-meter-wide fireball smashed a corner off the wall. Dust kicked up by the waves of heat filled the air around them.
Naruto, hiding behind a tree, saw his chance and charged out without hesitation, only to hit empty air.
Not far away, the ground beneath Sasuke turned into a quagmire. A pair of hands seized his ankles and dragged him down.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The clone dragged underground vanished with a poof. An Explosive Tag attached to a wire blocked Kakashi's path.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Kakashi's face as he watched from a tree.
Were these the students the Third Hokage had chosen for him?
He had told them before the fight to "be ready to kill me," but they were taking that resolve a little too far.
Completely absorbed in the fight, Sasuke formed Hand Seals without hesitation. Snake, tiger, dog...
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Several small fireballs spat out one after another, sealing off every possible foothold. Just as Sasuke was congratulating himself, a large hand settled on his shoulder.
"Not bad. You know quite a few jutsu."
Too bad the one he'd pulled out with the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique had only been a clone—the Body Replacement Technique.
As expected, when the flames came crashing down, Kakashi, held up by the Explosive Tag, dissolved into smoke.
With his chakra nearly exhausted, Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he tried to pull Kakashi into a genjutsu.
It was that familiar night again. Sasuke stood before the door, the stench of blood leaving his mind utterly blank...
After countering the genjutsu, Kakashi dispelled his Shadow Clone himself, making Naruto's attempted sneak attack miss once more.
"Damn you, Kakashi-sensei! You're so sneaky. I let my guard down for a second, and you dodged again!"
"And you, you stuck-up Sasuke! What are you standing around for?"
Naruto moved closer to check on Sasuke, completely unaware of Kakashi quietly approaching from behind.
White Fang's Secret Technique: Thousand Years of Death!
In an instant, the howling Naruto crashed into Sasuke, who was still lost in the genjutsu, and they both fell into a puddle.
Outside Konoha's barrier, Aoike tried a few more times and then made it through without trouble.
Few shinobi in the villages specialized in Sealing Jutsu, and nearly every squad had its own habits and style. For shinobi who had served in Anbu or Root, guessing the password was about as difficult as playing Minesweeper.
A few weeks passed, and an izakaya in Konoha gained a new waiter. Kakashi also led his squad out of the village on a mission.
Aoike leisurely wandered around the village, keeping tabs on most of the Hyuga's movements. Fortunately, the Hyuga Clan tended to keep to themselves, and little had changed over the years.
Once his preparations were complete, Aoike quietly waited for Orochimaru to arrive disguised as the Kazekage.
Word had recently begun to spread that Konoha would be hosting the Chunin Exams. The day couldn't be far off.
He couldn't clean up the Hyuga Clan all by himself. The territory of one of Konoha's great clans was vast, and even when the Uchiha Clan was massacred, Anbu and Root shinobi had helped keep watch.
At that moment, the only person with enough men to help him was the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru.
At last, just as Kakashi led Team 7 back to the village, Orochimaru entered Konoha disguised as the Kazekage.
Night fell. Orochimaru, an honored guest, settled in a courtyard. Anbu patrolled the perimeter, while Aoike slipped inside and listened to the conversation with interest.
Before long, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Aoike's chakra stirred slightly, and he easily broke free of the genjutsu.
"Looks like Konoha's security is getting more and more lax. They've even let a rat slip in," someone inside the room said with a laugh.
Aoike stopped hiding and pushed open the door. Trying to sneak around in front of a snake skilled at lying in wait and disguising himself really was out of his league.
"Well, it's been a long time, Kazekage... No, I should call you Orochimaru-senpai."
Wearing the Akatsuki cloak, Aoike stood before the extremely dangerous man without a trace of fear.