A firm knock echoed through the dimly lit office.
Shimura Danzo, deep in thought, slowly opened his eyes. His expression sharpened as he moved with deliberate calmness to his chair and sat down.
"Come in," he said, voice cold and controlled.
The door creaked open. A masked ANBU operative stepped in and bowed slightly.
"Lord Danzo."
Danzo barely acknowledged him with a nod. "What is it?"
The ANBU straightened. "Kakashi and his team have returned. No trace of Orochimaru was found."
A subtle breath escaped Danzo's lips. Relief, though brief, flickered in his eyes.
Orochimaru... so he truly vanished again. But this time, Danzo hadn't sent out feelers just to monitor him. No, he had another purpose—one he couldn't let anyone uncover.
If word got out that he'd been colluding with Orochimaru... even the Hokage's robes wouldn't save him. He'd be branded a traitor in an instant.
Danzo nodded slowly. "Keep surveillance tight. If he resurfaces, I want to know before anyone else does."
"Yes, sir." The ANBU bowed again and exited, closing the door behind him.
Left alone, Danzo sank deeper into thought.
What's the best move… to take the Hokage seat without suspicion?
He stood, eyes drifting to the shattered skyline of Konoha beyond the window—silent ruins bathed in dying light.
And then... a glimmer sparked in his mind.
Zeldris.
That man had already done the unthinkable—turned Konoha into a battlefield. Killing two more wouldn't be a stretch. Not for someone like him.
A twisted smile crept across Danzo's face.
If I hire his shadow group to take care of Tsunade and Jiraiya… then no one will be left to contest the title. It'll be mine by default. No more votes. No more power plays.
He chuckled lowly, the sound dry and chilling.
Far from Konoha, in the heart of the Rain Country, a quiet tension filled a dark chamber of steel and shadow.
The light drizzle outside tapped gently against tall windows as three figures stood in silence—Pain, Konan, and the masked man claiming the name Madara Uchiha.
None of them spoke. The air between them was heavy with thought.
Suddenly, the floor beneath them shifted slightly, and a figure emerged from the ground—a strange being with a two-toned body and a pitcher plant-like head.
Zetsu had arrived.
Obito, still facing away from the others, broke the silence first. "Well? Any news on Zeldris?"
Konan and Pain turned their attention to Zetsu, waiting.
Zetsu was quiet for a moment, his voice low and unsettling when he finally spoke.
"That guy... he's done something. Something big enough to shake the entire ninja world."
Pain's eyes narrowed. "What did he do this time?"
Zeldris had never sat right with him. Even if he had captured the One-Tail's jinchuriki, the cost had been high—too high. Scorpion and Uchiha Itachi were drawn to Zeldris's shadow instead of theirs. Since then, the Akatsuki had stagnated.
Konan's tone was sharp. "Was Zeldris involved in Orochimaru's assault on Konoha?"
Even Obito turned around now, his crimson Sharingan piercing into Zetsu.
Zetsu nodded slowly. "Orochimaru joined forces with Sunagakure. They launched a full-scale assault on Konoha… and yes, Zeldris was hired to fight alongside them."
Silence. Then a murmur of disbelief.
Pain's voice was hard. "So... Sunagakure won?"
Zetsu shook his head. "No. The attack ended in chaos. Both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage… are dead."
The air in the room froze.
"What?" Konan gasped, eyes wide.
"You're saying... Zeldris killed both?" Obito asked, stunned.
Zetsu didn't blink. "That's right."
Pain's fists clenched at his sides. This wasn't just a rogue actor anymore.
Konan spoke again, quieter this time. "If that gets out… the balance between nations will collapse."
"And a new war will begin," Pain muttered.
Obito was silent. His Sharingan dimmed slightly as he processed the implications.
This was not part of the plan.
Because of Zeldris, the Akatsuki had lost momentum. Their goal of capturing the tailed beasts had stalled. Their income, their influence—it was all being choked by his shadow.
The face beneath the mask was twisted—grotesque, even by shinobi standards. He had once believed that Zeldris's rise would accelerate the Eye of the Moon plan.
But now... things had spiraled far beyond his expectations.
Before his thoughts could settle, a cold, indifferent voice broke the silence.
"Madara... is this your so-called plan?" Pain's tone held no warmth. "You should have eliminated him from the start. Letting it escalate to this point was a mistake."
The tension in the air was palpable, Pain's words laced with both frustration and anger.
The masked man—Uchiha Obito—clicked his tongue and replied in a deep, measured voice, "Tch. Don't panic. Now is not the time for internal disputes."
His eyes narrowed, the mood darkening further.
"That guy… His growth has far surpassed what I anticipated. Killing him now won't be easy."
Pain's expression tightened as he considered Obito's words. "Then what's your plan?" he asked, his voice low and wary.
It was undeniable. The shadow organization Zeldris had built now rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, Akatsuki in raw power. Taking him out wouldn't just be difficult—it would be reckless.
And if left unchecked, their plans for peace would crumble before they could ever come to fruition.
"Just what is he after…?" Pain murmured, deep in thought.
Obito's gaze sharpened. "Founding an organization like that… He's not doing this for something petty. We need to uncover his real objective."
Turning to Zetsu, Obito commanded, "Keep watching him. If he moves—if he even twitches—I want to know immediately."
He then looked back at Pain and Konan. "And you two… stay out of this. We can't keep bleeding resources like this. Akatsuki's funds are already running thin."
"As for Zeldris... I'll pay him a visit myself."
A glint of something unreadable flashed in his lone visible eye. A swirling vortex formed before his Sharingan, and in a blink, Obito vanished into it.
The Next Day – Kumogakure, Raikage's Office
In the Cloud Village, the Fourth Raikage, A, sat behind his desk, a deep frown etching lines into his face.
The documents before him weren't helping his mood—reports, logistics, alerts—but all his attention shattered when the door burst open.
A breathless Kumogakure ninja sprinted in.
"Raikage-sama! Urgent news!"
A was ready to lash out but held himself in check when he noticed the ninja's uniform—Intelligence Division. He narrowed his eyes. "Speak."
The ninja took a deep breath. "There's been an incident… in Konoha."
A's eyebrows shot up. "Konoha? What happened?"
The words came quickly, urgently. "Two days ago, Sunagakure launched a sudden attack on the Hidden Leaf."
"What?!" A's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sunagakure attacked Konoha? Are you sure?!"
Sunagakure didn't have the strength to openly strike at Konoha—at least, not alone. Someone else had to be behind this.
Could it be… Onoki?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the ninja shook his head and continued.
"According to our intelligence, the true mastermind was the rogue Konoha ninja… Orochimaru."
"And Zeldris—he fought in the battle, apparently under Orochimaru's command."
The air in the room turned heavy.
"And… during that attack, both the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa… were killed."
"…!"
The Fourth Raikage was stunned.
Hiruzen… dead?
And Rasa too?
All in one battle?
His hands clenched. Just how powerful had Zeldris become?
After a long, tense silence, A finally muttered, "…Double the guard around the village."
"And monitor Killer Bee constantly. I want to know where he is, what he's doing—everything."
"Yes, Raikage-sama!"
As the ninja departed, A remained seated, silent. A cold sweat slid down the side of his face. He couldn't shake the growing unease.
Zeldris had once sought out the Jinchūriki.
Now he'd helped orchestrate the deaths of two Kage.
What's his next move?
Looking out the window, A whispered under his breath:
"Don't tell me… is another Shinobi World War about to begin?"
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