Jade General

The Special Jōnin looked at his righteous young junior and let out a soft sigh.

For a moment, it was as if he saw his younger self.

He, too, had once been full of hope, just like this young man. But after witnessing bloodshed and sacrifice in war, he had gradually grown indifferent.

Still, he wanted to offer his junior some advice, as if helping the person he had once been.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and fumbled with his lighter several times before finally lighting it. Then he took a deep drag.

"Because only rookies who haven't seen much of the world ask such 'unnecessary' questions."

The Special Jōnin exhaled a puff of smoke and said quietly, "In Konoha, the truth often isn't all that important."

"Anbu just gave a kill-on-sight order. That means this was a decision made by Konoha's leadership. They chose the greater good. If you still go digging for the so-called truth at a time like this, you won't just lose your title as a ninja. You'll lose your life."

His tone was grave.

The young Chunin was clearly unconvinced.

Clenching his fists, he said, "But the culprit is obviously extremely dangerous. What about the juniors? Are we really going to ignore the danger they're in—even the possibility they might die—all for the so-called greater good?"

The Special Jōnin gave a cold laugh, then patted the young man on the shoulder with enough force to make him stumble.

"Listen up, kid. What does 'sacrifice' mean in Konoha?"

He lowered his voice. "First, obey orders: 'To those at the top, the board is enormous—big enough to accommodate the lives of several, even dozens, of Genin and Chunin, or even a Special Jōnin like me, but not big enough to accommodate a single accusation of incompetence. Anbu are here to declare that this never happened. If it never happened, then the danger you're talking about doesn't exist.'"

"Second, know your place. We're tools. Lord Hokage chose to relax security on the outside while tightening it within, which means he sees this as a game of strategy. If you step forward and spread the word now, ruining Konoha High Command's plan, do you think Anbu will go after the culprit first, or deal with you—the one 'undermining morale'?"

"Third, in this village, the rules come before everything. You can't defy them. Neither can anyone else."

With that, he paid no further attention to the young man, who had been deeply shaken, and left with several trusted subordinates.

The young Chunin was left behind, his expression conflicted.

After finally finishing a training session with Izumi, Uchiha Yan had gone on a date with Kurenai.

Miyabi spotted Kakashi patiently waiting at the door.

Uchiha Yan looked at Kakashi and asked directly, "Kakashi, what's up? Is something wrong?"

"Let's go inside first," Kakashi said evenly.

At that, Uchiha Yan nodded.

Then he opened the door and ushered Kakashi inside.

As he sat down on the sofa, Uchiha Yan asked, "Kakashi, want something to eat?"

Hearing him, Kakashi waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no. I've already eaten plenty."

Uchiha Yan gave Kakashi a strange look.

He sounded almost tentative. "Did you have another match with that guy Guy? Don't tell me you competed to see who could eat more this time?"

Kakashi awkwardly picked up a tangerine and carefully peeled it as he replied, "That's not important."

Then he peeled the tangerine completely.

After that, he said, "Orochimaru might be back."

Uchiha Yan deliberately put on a surprised expression. "Kakashi, what are you talking about? You're sure you're not joking?"

Kakashi's expression was grave. "Yan, I'm not joking!"

"Anbu will probably notify you tomorrow. Be careful."

Hearing Kakashi's well-meaning warning, Uchiha Yan nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll be careful."

Kakashi nodded at Uchiha Yan's assurance.

Then he pulled down his mask and tossed the tangerine into his mouth.

He moved so quickly that even with his Sharingan activated, Uchiha Yan couldn't see it.

After Kakashi left, the light in the room seemed to dim a little.

Uchiha Yan didn't turn on the lights. Instead, guided by the moonlight, he walked into the study.

A shogi board sat on the desk.

He reached out and picked up a Jade General between his fingers.

The Jade General, also called the King General, was the most important piece in shogi.

Once the Jade General was checkmated, it was all over.

For now, everything was under his control.

Danzo was an ambitious man who thought he had kept everything he did well hidden.

Little did he know that Uchiha Yan watched his every move.

As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had always thought the people he was playing against were Orochimaru, Danzo, and the Uchiha. In the name of maintaining balance, he believed he had made an exceptionally brilliant move.

Of course, from Uchiha Yan's omniscient perspective, Sarutobi Hiruzen's solution was already wildly over the top.

Because Uchiha Yan, Danzo, and Orochimaru were all using outside forces to disrupt Konoha's relatively stable balance.

The difference was that Orochimaru didn't care what those outside forces did to Konoha.

He only wanted to tear down Konoha, that decaying house.

As for rebuilding it, he neither cared nor wanted to.

On that point, Uchiha Yan and Danzo shared the same idea.

They wanted Konoha to remain largely intact, then be repaired bit by bit.

The Will of Fire was simply too useful.

Uchiha Yan couldn't think of a replacement for it.

Other villages had their own versions of the "Will of Fire," too.

For example, Iwagakure had its stone.

As for what it accomplished, it was more or less the same.

Hokage Office.

Even though night had fallen, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in his office, apparently waiting for something.

Just then, three familiar figures approached.

Danzo asked calmly, "Hiruzen, why'd you call us here so late?"

"Orochimaru might be back," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied evenly.

The three of them immediately looked surprised.

"Orochimaru's back? Is that true?" Utatane Koharu asked.

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied evenly, "Judging from the victims' bodies, there's an 80 percent chance it was Orochimaru."

All three nodded.

None of them cared whether the three people who had died were from Konoha or another village.

It didn't matter.

Danzo spoke up. "Hiruzen, how are you planning to handle this? You're not thinking of suspending the Chunin Exams, are you?"

Beside him, Mitokado Homura quickly chimed in, "That's right. We can't suspend the Chunin Exams."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled confidently.

"Don't worry, everyone. I wouldn't make such a foolish choice."

"I've already ordered Anbu to step up security for what comes next: tight on the inside, relaxed on the outside."