The Third Hokage returned to Konoha, looking exceptionally peaceful.
As the Third Hokage's loyal summon and an eyewitness to the previous night's events, Monkey King Enma's testimony carried significant weight. Now, the sequence of events finally pieced itself together:
Exploiting the tense situation in Konoha over the preceding days, Danzo Shimura – who had long coveted power within the village – first lured the missing-nin Orochimaru back. He then instigated the Uchiha unrest, using the chaos as cover to bring Orochimaru before the Third Hokage.
Orochimaru used a forced summoning or similar technique to transport the Third Hokage away from Konoha. Following this, Danzo attempted to frame Habara, aiming to seize ultimate authority in the village.
In the end, Danzo's plan was only half successful. The victor of the battle far from Konoha's walls was Orochimaru; the Third Hokage could not return as the village's leader. Unfortunately for him, Danzo never became Hokage either, because one 'kind-hearted' ninja stopped him – and conveniently took him out in the process.
As for why Danzo would do such a thing, looking back, most people didn't find it too difficult to understand.
On one hand, the village environment had been too lenient towards him. Danzo held a high position, commanded formidable forces, and operated with extreme autonomy and purpose. Openly and secretly, he had defied countless Hokage orders and engaged in numerous activities forbidden by Konoha.
On the other hand, Danzo grew increasingly dissatisfied with various changes in the village. He disapproved of the Hokage's indecisiveness regarding the Uchiha issue and, even more so, the Hokage's indulgence towards certain other individuals.
Danzo's ambition had steadily grown while his patience wore thin. At some point, he likely developed the delusion that "the master is muddle-headed and incompetent," "the court is rife with chaos," "the ninja populace suffers," and "the loyal soldiers await orders." In such times, wasn't it precisely the moment to raise one's banner and rally the troops?
It seemed logical, reasonable even. So Danzo raised his banner, and then... it was game over for him.
The established norms of a society governed by rules or order indeed possess immense power. Laws hold the authority of judgment. However, one shouldn't expect certain unique individuals to remain bound by such forces under extreme circumstances. Danzo himself didn't abide by Konoha's rules, so why should he expect Habara to be constrained at a critical moment?
Just because someone doesn't flaunt their strength doesn't mean they don't rely on it. In this world, ultimately, the one with the bigger fist holds the power to change everything.
Regardless, the Third Hokage's unexpected death in battle turned the already beleaguered Konoha into a stranded, broken ship. Without the Fourth, without the Sannin readily available, without the Third... could Konoha still stand among the Five Great Shinobi Villages? The situation bore an uncanny resemblance to their neighbor Sunagakure's recent plight. Where would this village go from here?
At this moment, the death of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, which could be seen as the catalyst for this series of events, suddenly seemed less significant.
Of course, to prevent the case from going cold and to uphold fairness and justice within the village, the investigation still needed to continue, albeit at a lower priority. In everyone's mind, the identity of the killer was no longer crucial. It was likely either an Uchiha ninja, who probably perished in Itachi Uchiha's indiscriminate massacre, or Danzo or one of his subordinates, all of whom had now been rounded up or eliminated.
Meanwhile, Habara, still under confinement, was listening via Daigo to the conversation unfolding between the Sarutobi clansmen, Enma, and Kushina Uzumaki.
"The Third Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal, yet failed to seal Orochimaru? No, wait. According to Enma's description, judging by the Third Hokage's final reaction, he clearly believed he had successfully sealed Orochimaru. In that situation, the Hokage couldn't possibly misjudge..."
Listening intently, Habara felt something was off. The Third Hokage surely wouldn't be mistaken about whether the Reaper Death Seal had actually claimed Orochimaru. This meant the Third had sealed Orochimaru, yet another Orochimaru was still out there.
Mulling it over, Habara suddenly hit upon a possibility... Bijuu-fication, or perhaps some temporary evolution towards a chakra energy form.
The 'Bijuu-fication' here didn't refer to a Jinchuriki losing control, but rather an evolution towards the state of a Tailed Beast. It was well-known that all Tailed Beasts were originally aspects of the Ten-Tails' spirit, while the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was its body. The Sage of Six Paths extracted the Ten-Tails' spirit, divided it into nine – the current Tailed Beasts – and sealed the Demonic Statue on the Moon.
Tailed Beasts are chakra life-forms, possessing immortality; they can also, like an earthworm, be split in two if cut through the middle.
If one imagined Orochimaru as a sort of Tailed Beast, perhaps when facing the Third Hokage's sealing, he managed to sever a small part of himself. His subsequent "revival" wouldn't be surprising then... preserving his entire spirit, will, and consciousness while merely losing a portion of pure energy – a price Orochimaru could certainly afford.
The concept of chakra energy beings sounded incredible, but certain phenomena did occur among ninja. Daigo, for instance, was currently a standard chakra energy being, though she lacked the Tailed Beasts' immortality and couldn't regenerate if destroyed. For now, she relied on external chakra sources to maintain her existence, unable to be self-sufficient.
Another example was Habara himself. To devour the Ryumyaku's energy, he had once radically used the Mimic White-Scaled Serpent technique to assimilate himself into an energy form.
Since such possibilities existed, perhaps Orochimaru had found a similar path.
"Which means, if the Reaper Death Seal were undone now, and the appropriate 'sacrifice' prepared, then the other Orochimaru would also come back to life. Two snakes coexisting... not good. One Orochimaru is enough of a menace; two would be disastrous."
Habara considered this possibility, but what was the point of resurrecting Orochimaru #1? Orochimaru was ultimately just Orochimaru; the first one wouldn't necessarily be an asset.
Considering the consequence of adding another unstable element to the shinobi world, Habara decided it was best to pretend this possibility didn't exist. Since Orochimaru #1 was sealed, Orochimaru #2 was Orochimaru #1 now. The situation hadn't fundamentally changed, and it was best not to introduce uncontrolled variables proactively.
After turning these thoughts over in his mind, Habara finally reached the conclusion: "Orochimaru is still Orochimaru." It felt a bit like arguing in circles only to arrive back at the start, but thinking things through thoroughly was essential.
While Habara focused on Orochimaru's "resurrection," Daigo's attention turned to Orochimaru's motives.
"Habara, why did Orochimaru absolutely have to kill the Third Hokage?" she asked. Honestly, she didn't sense any heart-wrenching hatred from Orochimaru towards his former teacher. To draw an analogy, she almost felt that Orochimaru's current attitude towards the Hokage wasn't much different from ten years ago.
Therein lay the contradiction: if his basic perception and attitude hadn't changed, why wouldn't the Orochimaru of ten years ago try to kill the Hokage, while the current Orochimaru felt compelled to do so?
"It's hard to say; the situation is complicated," Habara replied. "Things aren't always driven by resentment or hatred, or even the desire to surpass someone. Some people might kill their teacher simply to prove something twisted like, 'You taught me well; you're the best teacher in the world.'"
It was genuinely difficult to explain. Humans were too complex, especially mentally unstable ninja.
In short: don't try to guess a snake's thoughts.
The Third Hokage's death saddened Habara, but he also saw it as an opportunity to spread his wings and soar. Compared to his feelings about the Hokage, his reaction to "Orochimaru's death" was purely one of dark amusement, the mentality of someone enjoying the drama. Regardless, the snake that had once tormented him was dead (in a manner of speaking). Habara decided to offer a brief moment of remembrance.
The sky is still the sky, the rain is still the rain,But you are no longer beneath my umbrella.
I am still me, you are still you,Only another winter has passed.
If we meet again, let words remain hidden in the heart.
No one understands you better than I do...