The moment Fugaku finished speaking, a giant tanuki and a beetle with six wings materialized in the center of the Chunin Exam Arena, with a massive surge of chakra.
*ROAR!*
Shukaku threw back his head and howled, unleashing a storm of sand that swallowed half of Konoha's sky. Chomei beat his wings, scattering countless motes of scale powder that fused with the sandstorm and swept across the entire village.
"Tailed beasts?" Hiashi stared, his mind going blank. "Two of them?!"
How could tailed beasts be here, in Konoha? He knew their destructive power all too well, a single Tailed Beast Bomb from the Nine-Tails could obliterate half the village. Even if these were weaker, their potential for devastation was absolute. A single careless step from one could level city blocks, and they were standing right in the heart of Konoha's residential district. They were the ultimate weapons of the Shinobi World.
Fugaku cast a sidelong glance at the twin monsters, his voice a low murmur. "Look closely, Hyuga. This is the end of Konoha as you know it."
He paused, letting the weight of the scene sink in. "Which side will the Hyuga stand on?"
"What are you talking about?" Hiashi finally snapped out of his stupor, his confused gaze locking onto Fugaku.
'What in the world happened to them these past few years?' Hiashi thought, a cold dread creeping up his spine. 'Could it be true? Are they really specters of the Uchiha, crawled back from hell? Is it some forbidden jutsu? That grandfather once mentioned, like the one created by Second Hokage?'
"What are you trying to do?" A terrible premonition took root in his heart, but the thought was too absurd to entertain.
Then again, the Uchiha joining Root was absurd in itself. Everyone in Konoha knew how much Danzo despised them, how he was the harshest of all their critics. And yet, now, every member of Root was an Uchiha.
Fugaku gave him a wide smile. This was the moment they had waited for, the day they had anticipated without pause.
It had finally arrived.
"After today, there will be no more Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Hiashi's breath caught. Those words made him remember what the Root shinobi in the spiral mask had said. Konoha was about to change hands. It was really happening. And it wasn't just the Third Hokage or Danzo being replaced, it was the Uchiha taking over. Or rather, the hidden hand that guided them.
'Neji... what role are you playing in all of this?'
From a rash, arrogant prodigy to a sinner who defected to Root, Hiashi could no longer see through his own nephew at all.
"Nirvana Temple Jutsu!"
Countless white feathers drifted down from the sky, blanketing the arena and its audience. As the plumage settled, those it touched were drawn into a deep, illusory hypnosis. Within moments, nearly everyone in the stands was asleep.
Suddenly, Otogakure shinobi swarmed into the arena from all sides. Simultaneously, barriers across Konoha were opened from within, allowing a vast number of Suna-nin to surge into the village.
Chaos erupted.
In that instant, the "Fourth Kazekage" sprang into motion. He whipped out a kunai and seized the Third Hokage, forcing him up to the rooftop of the arena tower. The two guards at his side were joined by two others, and the four of them took positions at the rooftop's four corners.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!" they yelled in unison.
A barrier reputed to be impenetrable from the outside shimmered into existence, sealing Orochimaru and the Third Hokage within. When an Anbu agent tried to break through to rescue his leader, he touched the violet wall and was instantly reduced to ash. The formation wasn't just a defense, it was a killing field.
"Just the two of us now, Third Hokage," the "Fourth Kazekage" said softly, the kunai pressed to the old man's throat.
"Kazekage, what is the meaning of this?" Hiruzen demanded, his voice strained. "Starting a war will only lead to needless bloodshed. We can still resolve this through negotiation!"
The 'Kazekage's' next words shattered any hope he had left. "Getting slow in your old age? To think you didn't even recognize me."
A foreboding chill pricked at the Third Hokage's heart. The next words confirmed it.
"Sarutobi-sensei."
Only three people had ever called him that. And only one of them would be here, masquerading as the Kazekage after appearing in the Forest of Death. One of the Sannin.
Orochimaru.
"At last," Orochimaru hissed, sliding the kunai away from Hiruzen's neck. He slit his own arm instead, licking the blood from the wound with a look of excitement. "I get to fight you again."
The Third Hokage seized the opening, leaping back to create distance as he tore off his ceremonial Hokage robe. Revealing his battle armor, a habit drilled into him by his father and Second Hokage, as the survivors of Warring States.
"You will die here by my hand, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru pressed his hands together in a seal and slammed them to the ground.
Three coffins slowly rose from the roof tiles. On the lid of each, a number was carved: one, two, and three.
"Sensei, I prepared these especially for you."
--**--**
"It's finally starting." In the VIP box, Danzo rose from his seat. A genjutsu of this level could never ensnare him.
A Root operative leaned close. "Danzo-sama, everything is proceeding according to plan. Sunagakure and Otogakure have launched their joint invasion."
"As of now," the operative continued, "thirty ninja clans have chosen to support you as Hokage. And a batch of Root shinobi are currently negotiating with the Hyuga."
"As soon as the Third Hokage dies, all we need is the Daimyo's formal approval, and you will become the Fifth Hokage."
Danzo glanced down at the collapsed Daimyo of the Land of Fire at his feet and laughed, a delighted, genuine laugh, like an overgrown child. He had never been so close to the Hokage's seat.
'He will agree,' Danzo thought. 'The Daimyo will agree.'
"The clans stand with me. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki stands with me. Even the Daimyo will stand with me. They're all on my side. I am the destined Fifth Hokage."
His eyes burned with excitement, already seeing himself crowned with the Hokage hat, cloaked in the white robe emblazoned with the bold characters for Fifth Hokage.
"Hahahahaha... Everything is under my control. Everything-"
*ROAR!*
A furious bellow shattered his fantasy. Shukaku heaved its massive body through the village, launching a Drilling Air Bullet into the distance.
'Savage beast,' Danzo thought with a scowl, annoyed at the interruption. He hadn't foreseen two tailed beasts appearing, but this worked even better. The more chaos, the more complete the destruction, the easier it would be for him to take over. The dead were a small price to pay for the village's future, his future as Hokage.
"Root, with me!" Danzo commanded. "Escort the Daimyo to safety."
===============
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