The morning mist still hadn't cleared, and the village below looked hazy and dim.
But even with the fog covering it, the damage to the village couldn't be hidden.
A lot of buildings had collapsed, and trees were scattered and fallen everywhere.
Aside from the outer forest, the structures inside didn't look good either.
"Ding-a-ling."
A soft, clear bell sound rang out as two figures stood on the high ground near Konohagakure.
In front of them was a low fence, marking the border with the outside.
"Although it wasn't destroyed, it looks badly damaged."
The high collar of the black cloak with red clouds was raised, and the straw hat hid the person's face.
Through the small gap between the collar and the hat, only a faint glimpse of blue skin could be seen.
"That once-prosperous village… what a pity."
The person beside him lifted his head slightly and spoke with a hint of emotion.
Hoshigaki Kisame paused for a moment and looked at Uchiha Itachi in surprise.
That didn't sound like something Itachi would say. He never made such remarks about a place during a mission.
"Doesn't sound like you. Still got feelings for your old home?"
"No. Not at all."
Itachi replied without the slightest hesitation.
Then, with a thoughtful look, his red eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the village below.
This was his hometown, but it was also the place that tormented him the most.
If there was anything he cared about, it wasn't this land—it was someone here that he couldn't stop worrying about.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was dead. It had been years since he last came back. Time to show some presence again.
Right now, Konohagakure was in the middle of rebuilding, its fighting strength and defenses weak.
Pain took this chance to send them to gather intel on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Even if they were spotted and caused a stir, Itachi and Kisame could still retreat.
Just like when Biwa Juzo was sent to scout the Three-Tails, Pain liked sending them to investigate their own villages.
Probably because he thought they knew their old home best.
The crimson Sharingan lowered slightly, then lifted as Itachi looked at Hoshigaki Kisame.
Bringing Kisame along was most likely to keep an eye on his connection with the village.
Itachi had no intention of letting Kisame sense anything unusual.
"Let's go. It's still early."
Once inside, they needed to locate Naruto and Sasuke. When morning came, someone would surely notice their presence.
Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame stood quietly for a moment, then turned and walked down from the high ground. The morning wind blew, making their Akatsuki cloaks rustle loudly.
...
In a silent underground room deep in the forest.
The room was completely dark, with scrolls scattered across the table and jars filled with soaking objects or items wrapped in bandages.
The candle on the table flickered gently with the breeze.
Kabuto helped Orochimaru sit down in a chair. His thin, pale face now carried a look close to death.
His head was wrapped in bandages, but injuries of the mind couldn't be eased by physical means.
Ever since he was brought back, Orochimaru had been in a state worse than death. For three days and three nights, endless streams of information flooded into his brain.
He didn't have a single chance to rest.
When those terrifying three days ended, there was even a moment when Orochimaru felt his mind go blank, as if the overwhelming tide of memories had washed away even his own thoughts.
But when Orochimaru fully regained consciousness, he realized this wasn't simple at all.
He had forgotten almost every way to perform Ninjutsu.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember. It was pure memory loss.
That meant he would have to start over from the basics and relearn every single Ninjutsu.
Luckily, he had left research notes on many forbidden techniques. Otherwise, if everything had to start from scratch, his life would basically be over.
"Damn it… I even went through all the trouble of killing that Sarutobi bastard."
Orochimaru clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in anger, lowering his head with hatred.
That Hatake Satoru had suddenly barged in out of nowhere. When he was acting as an exam proctor, he hadn't even stood out much.
Before that, he had disappeared for so long that Orochimaru almost forgot such a person even existed—yet suddenly he became the one factor that completely ruined his plans.
"The Sand also betrayed us halfway through. Our people suffered heavy losses."
Yakushi Kabuto spoke after a short silence.
He didn't really know much about Hatake Satoru, but this was someone who had single-handedly defeated the Edo Tensei and even badly wounded Orochimaru.
Yet before this, there hadn't been any important records about such a man.
Even during the exam, he had only appeared as a non-ninja, brought in as special outside help for the written test.
"But this was never going to be simple."
"After all, the enemies were people on Kage level. To be able to take down two of the Five Kage this time is already a pretty good result."
Orochimaru slowly lifted his bowed head, his golden snake-like pupils narrowing sharply.
"Don't say things like you're trying to comfort me."
"Watch out, or I'll kill you."
Yakushi Kabuto wisely shut his mouth. At a time like this, saying such things to someone who had almost been completely defeated was just asking for trouble.
Kabuto's face carried a faint, knowing smile.
"Of course, I didn't mean it that way."
Orochimaru raised his hand and touched the bandages on his head. The strange powers of Hatake Satoru, combined with the fact that he had interfered in the Chunin Exams…
And then there were those three kids from the Mist.
All these sudden variables had left him with nothing—he hadn't managed to bring down Konoha, nor had he managed to put his cursed seal on Sasuke.
What a waste.
After seeing Sasuke's abilities with his own eyes, Orochimaru only became more certain the boy was worth cultivating.
As the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi, it was no surprise Sasuke had so much potential.
"Speaking of which, if I could get my hands on Uchiha Itachi himself, that would be even better."
"But that's already nothing more than a dream I can't reach."
In his mind appeared the man with long black hair.
"Because right now, he's stronger than me."
This attempt to take Konoha and capture Sasuke had failed, but once he recovered, Orochimaru was determined to act again.
In truth, it hadn't been a complete failure. He had also noticed Konoha's biggest weakness—lack of manpower.
That wasn't something that could be fixed in a short time. Until the new generation grew strong, they would remain weak.
Once he had recovered enough, he would definitely return.
Even if he couldn't destroy Konoha, he had to take Sasuke.
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