Two days later – Land of Fire.
Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha.
The village appeared peaceful on the surface, but an invisible storm was gathering. In the shadows, conspiracies had already begun to stir—unseen by most, but undeniable in the air.
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, eyes scanning documents with a furrowed brow. The room was quiet except for the faint rustling of paper.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Two elderly figures stepped in slowly—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Konoha's senior advisors. Their expressions were unusually grim.
Hiruzen looked up, his voice steady but alert.
"What's the matter?"
Homura and Koharu exchanged glances. Then Homura stepped forward, his tone neutral but carrying weight:
"We were wondering if Danzo has been here."
"Danzo?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
It had indeed been a while since he last saw Danzo. Ever since that heavy injury inflicted by Zeldris, Danzo had mostly remained in seclusion. In fact… Hiruzen could only recall seeing him twice since.
Was it the psychological toll from that defeat…? Hiruzen's thoughts trailed.
After a pause, he looked back at the two advisors.
"I haven't seen him in some time. Likely still in his base. Why are you looking for him?"
Koharu gave a faint smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"No particular reason. It's just that we've visited his place a few times now. He wasn't there."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"I see. After I finish this paperwork, let's go see him together."
As he turned back toward his desk, something tugged at the back of his mind. He looked up again.
"By the way... there haven't been any intelligence leaks lately, have there?"
The two advisors looked at each other, momentarily puzzled.
Then, as realization dawned, Homura's expression sharpened.
"If you're referring to the Uchiha extermination... the news hasn't spread."
"If it had, the other villages would've acted by now."
Ever since the Uchiha clan's destruction, Hiruzen had ordered the information sealed. Even so, he remained uneasy. Every few days, he'd personally request updates on neighboring village activity.
"Keep monitoring the situation," he said gravely. "Konoha hasn't fully recovered. If the other villages catch wind of our vulnerability and strike... it'll be a disaster."
Homura and Koharu nodded, their expressions dark.
But Hiruzen wasn't done. His voice dropped a note deeper.
"That's not the only thing I'm worried about."
The air in the room thickened. The two advisors stiffened slightly. They knew exactly who he meant.
Zeldris.
Konoha's S-class rogue ninja. A shadow even more dangerous than Orochimaru.
Hiruzen continued in a low voice:
"He's been far too active lately. According to our intelligence reports, he's formed an organization."
"Shadow," Koharu murmured, brows knitting.
Hiruzen nodded.
"And he wasn't just involved in the Uchiha incident—he helped orchestrate it."
"But... why?" Homura's voice was tight. "What reason would he have to involve himself in our internal affairs?"
Hiruzen shook his head, stepping toward the window. His cloudy eyes gazed at the peaceful village outside.
"That's what troubles me. If his aim was to weaken Konoha, they should've attacked right after the Uchiha incident… but they didn't."
Why? he wondered.
Despite the silence, an unease curled in his chest.
Meanwhile…
Deep underground, in a dark and cold basement.
Wrapped in white bandages, Danzo Shimura sat quietly on a creaking chair, his eyes shut in meditation. The shadows clung to him like old friends.
Suddenly, without a sound, a figure materialized beside him.
The man dropped to one knee, voice low and respectful.
"Danzo-sama, Orochimaru is ready."
Danzo's eyes slid open slowly. For a moment, he didn't speak.
Then he smiled.
"Good. You may go."
"Yes, sir."
The figure vanished as silently as he had come.
Danzo rose to his feet, bones creaking with age—but his gaze was burning with ambition.
"The day has finally come…" he muttered.
He looked up toward the stone ceiling above, as if seeing past it to the Hokage's office.
"Sarutobi… you've sat in that chair long enough."
"Under your leadership, Konoha grows weaker by the day."
His voice was calm, but laced with contempt.
He looked down at his bandaged arm. Slowly, he peeled away a portion of the cloth, revealing a strange, disturbing eye embedded in the flesh.
His smile widened.
"Izanagi… the Uchiha clan's ultimate forbidden jutsu. A perfect illusion... where even death becomes nothing more than a fleeting dream."
"With this… I will never fall."
"Konoha needs strength. Resolve. Ruthlessness. I'll protect the village—my way."
Although Izanagi is a powerful technique, the cost it demands is steep—once used, the Sharingan that activates it loses its light forever. No further jutsu can be performed with that eye.
Because of this, the Uchiha clan marked Izanagi as a forbidden technique, not to be used lightly.
But for Danzo Shimura, this so-called price means nothing.
After the night of the Uchiha massacre, Danzo had nearly lost all hope. He had been forced into a corner, bitter and defeated. But everything changed the day that man appeared.
The man who called himself "Uchiha Madara" arrived unexpectedly, handing over something that Danzo never imagined possible—an entire collection of Sharingan!
Only then did Danzo realize the truth: both he and Madara had been played by that cunning brat—Zeldris.
The very thought of him made Danzo grind his teeth. The memory of that humiliating day burned in his chest like a scar that refused to fade. The anger. The shame. The helplessness.
But now?
Now, things were different.
He had Orochimaru's experimental data. He had access to the First Hokage's cells. And more importantly—he had Sharingan eyes in abundance.
He no longer had to fear the cost of Izanagi. He could use it over and over again. To manipulate death itself. To rewrite fate at will.
Danzo Shimura… could become immortal.
A twisted grin curled on his face as he stood in the shadows of his underground chamber, eyes glinting with obsession. If Orochimaru's plan succeeded, if everything unfolded as intended, then Danzo would finally take the seat of Hokage.
He, not Hiruzen, would shape the future of Konoha.
He clenched his fists and whispered into the darkness, "Hiruzen… don't blame me. Everything I've done… has been for Konoha."
His laughter echoed eerily through the chamber, madness bleeding into every note.
—
Meanwhile, deep in a forest on the outskirts of Konoha, thousands of Sunagakure shinobi lay hidden, waiting for the signal.
Each one bore the solemn weight of the coming war in their hearts. Yet none turned back—they knew what this war meant for the future of their village.
Perched high in the branches of an ancient tree, two figures stood in silence, staring down at Konoha from afar.
Orochimaru and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Rasa's expression was grim. His patience was wearing thin.
He turned toward Orochimaru, his voice low and urgent. "When do we move?"
Orochimaru, as calm as ever, gave him a slow, serpentine smile. "Be patient, Kazekage-sama. There's still one more ally we're waiting for."
Rasa narrowed his eyes. "Ally?"
The tension crackled between them.
What kind of 'helper' was worth keeping an entire army waiting?
Rasa had heard the whispers about Orochimaru's plans. He didn't trust him. But he didn't have a choice, either. The man was a traitor—but also one of the Legendary Sannin. His power was undeniable.
Just as Rasa was about to question him further, a quiet voice floated down from the sky above.
"Oh? Long time no see, Rasa."
Rasa's heart skipped a beat.
Orochimaru flinched.
That voice—familiar and mocking—sent a chill down both their spines.
They looked up in disbelief.
There, hovering above them as if walking on air, was a lone figure cloaked in black.
Flying…?
Impossible.
Even Orochimaru's eyes widened. His lips trembled as he muttered, "Zeldris…?"
Rasa froze. That name. That cursed name.
It couldn't be.
The hat concealed much of the stranger's face, but the moment he spoke, Rasa's instincts screamed. That voice—it was burned into his memory. It had to be him.
And when Orochimaru said the name aloud, there was no more doubt.
Zeldris slowly removed his hat, revealing his face. A faint, almost amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he gazed down at them.
Rasa's blood boiled. Veins bulged on his forehead as he snarled, eyes filled with rage.
"Zeldris… YOU BASTARD!!"
Zeldris's gaze didn't waver. His voice was calm, detached. "Orochimaru-san… you didn't tell him we were working together?"
Rasa's fury faltered for just a moment.
Working together?
Orochimaru smiled, unfazed by the tension. "That's right, Kazekage-sama. Mr. Zeldris is one of our allies in the plan to destroy Konoha."
The words hit Rasa like a slap to the face.
He spun toward Orochimaru, his expression incredulous.
"You... you planned this?! You knew what he did to my village!"
"And yet you want me to fight beside him?!"
"You expect me to align with the very man who brought Sunagakure to its knees?!"
His voice cracked with rage.
Orochimaru tilted his head, still smiling.
"Sometimes, Kazekage-sama… the enemy of your enemy is your greatest weapon."
Zeldris didn't respond. He simply stood there in the air, that unreadable smile on his face, as if none of this mattered. As if he had already won.
Rasa, torn between fury and confusion, gritted his teeth.
He hated Zeldris.
But he hated Konoha more.
As Rasa mulled over the situation, Zeldris spoke calmly, almost dismissively:
"Rasa, didn't I tell you before? I'm just a mercenary in this ninja world. The last time I attacked Sunagakure, I was only following someone else's orders."
He shrugged lightly. "I didn't expect you to hold such a grudge against me."
Rasa's glare sharpened. Damn it, he's not the one who destroyed the village — of course, he doesn't care!
Through clenched teeth, Rasa demanded, "Where did you take Gaara? And what about the Shukaku inside him?"
A faint, almost mocking smile tugged at Zeldris's lips. He chuckled softly.
"You're right to be the most devoted father in the ninja world. What you care about most is the tailed beast inside Gaara, isn't it?"
"But don't get your hopes up. I was only responsible for capturing him. What happens next isn't my concern."
Rasa's expression hardened. His pupils suddenly contracted, a cold dread settling deep within him.
Could it be that Gaara is already… lost?
And if that's the case, what about Shukaku?
The realization hit him like a thunderclap — the tailed beast weapon of Sunagakure was gone.
And the root of it all was the man standing before him.
If not for this mercenary, Sunagakure wouldn't be in this ruinous state.
Rasa's fury boiled beneath his skin, but before he could voice it, Orochimaru's rough voice cut through the tension.
"Lord Kazekage, that is all in the past. Our focus now must be Konoha."
"Now that you understand Zeldris's power, handling the task ahead should be easier."
Orochimaru's words struck a nerve.
"Are you really going to care more about Shukaku than the fate of Konoha itself?"
Rasa's gaze hardened. As angry as he was, Orochimaru's logic was undeniable.
There was no turning back now.
He knew Zeldris's strength well — and if they hesitated, only Sunagakure would suffer.
Swallowing his frustration, Rasa nodded grimly.
"When do we begin?"
Orochimaru allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.
Rasa's question was a formality — the plan was already in motion.
Zeldris, standing silently, regarded Rasa with a cold, unreadable expression. After a moment, a low chuckle escaped him.
"Since I'm here… let's get started."
Without hesitation, Rasa raised his voice, commanding the hidden Sand ninja.
"Send word! Proceed as planned. The operation starts now!"
"Understood!" came the swift reply.
The Sand ninja exchanged surprised glances as they noticed Zeldris levitating silently above them.
But Rasa showed no reaction — he understood why.
Zeldris turned his gaze toward Konoha, an unfamiliar gleam flickering in his eyes.
Now…
It was time to give Konoha a surprise it would never forget.
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