"Jiraiya, what did you say?"
The Third stared at Jiraiya, his voice low.
"Orochimaru... entered Konoha?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"When I got there, he was standing right in the middle of the clearing," he said quickly. "Those ninjutsu and that Summoning Technique made it obvious it was him. Let the two kids tell you the rest."
He turned sideways and tipped his chin toward the door.
"Shikamaru, Sasuke, come in. Give Lord Hokage a detailed report of what happened."
Shikamaru and Sasuke exchanged a glance and stepped forward.
Taking turns, they quickly explained how they had encountered Orochimaru.
Shikamaru gave a little more detail, speaking calmly.
"We ran into Naruto not long after entering the woods. Then we heard Sasuke screaming," Shikamaru said in a subdued voice. "So we ran over to help Sasuke and Hayashi."
The Third said nothing, motioning for him to continue.
"Then we encountered him. It was like he couldn't be killed. Our ninjutsu didn't work at all."
"In the end, Hayashi entered some unknown mode and stood in front of us. That was the only reason we held out until Lord Jiraiya arrived."
Shikamaru's voice dropped even lower.
"From what he said, it sounded like he wanted to plant something in Sasuke."
Sasuke's expression tightened slightly. He looked away, still saying nothing.
The Third slowly bent down and retrieved his pipe from the wooden splinters scattered across the floor. He gently brushed the wood shavings off it with his fingertips, then took a deep drag.
The smoke circulated through his lungs. By the time he slowly exhaled, the old man's voice had returned to its steady calm.
"What did he want to plant?"
He asked.
"It felt like some kind of technique formula," Shikamaru said. "Sasuke and I... aren't really sure."
"Mm."
The Third did not