"Orochimaru?"
Hiruzen stared in disbelief at the figure before him.
"Where's Danzō?"
"Sensei, your reaction is far too slow."
With a casual motion, Orochimaru peeled away his disguise. His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"Tell me… since I'm standing here, what do you think has become of Danzō?"
"..."
Realization struck Hiruzen. His fists clenched tight as he growled under his breath.
"So this was your plan all along? What is it you're after?"
"It's not about what I want to do—It's about what others are about to do."
Orochimaru let out a careless laugh, then raised his hand to signal.
In an instant, signal flares shot up from all corners of Konoha. At the same time, the One-Tail's chakra surged, swelling more violently by the second.
"Looks like this exam has turned out far different from what we expected."
Ōnoki raised his brows at the sight, though his expression hardly matched his words.
"For such a grand gathering to fall into this state… what a pity."
Genji shook his head, unable to bear watching. Only the Fourth Raikage glanced at Orochimaru, then shifted his gaze to Rasa.
"You've certainly been a great help, Kazekage."
"..."
Rasa stayed silent. He himself had no idea what he should say. Orochimaru, on the other hand, chuckled.
"Gentlemen, your ties with Konoha have never been particularly warm, have they? In the face of such chaos, do you really mean to do nothing?"
"Orochimaru, you—!"
Hiruzen's face darkened. Never had he imagined that Orochimaru would choose this moment to speak such words.
It was outright incitement—an attempt to drive the other villages' Kage into making disastrous decisions. At once, Hiruzen moved to strike!
In the blink of an eye, his hand seals were complete. A sea of fire erupted from his mouth, flames fierce enough to ignite everything in sight, flooding the entire high platform in searing red.
"Sensei, that's hardly the right approach."
But Orochimaru knew Hiruzen all too well. Almost at the exact instant the Third Hokage moved, he had already leapt back, raising an Earth Flow Wall.
When the flames dissipated, a coffin had appeared before him.
"Aren't you curious, Sensei… where Danzō is?"
"Could it be—"
Hiruzen froze mid-thought. At that very moment, the coffin creaked open, and Shimura Danzō stepped slowly out!
For a long time he just stared at his old comrade before finally speaking.
"Danzō?"
"Hiruzen…"
But then—
A deafening roar split the air. Beside them, the competitors' rest building collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"At last, this great lord is free!"
Amidst the swirling smoke, a grating voice echoed through every corner of Konoha. A colossal form, looming like a mountain, began to emerge from the haze!
"Damn it… has the One-Tail broken loose?"
Hiruzen's face turned ashen. The emergence of the One-Tail was nothing short of catastrophic.
"Well then, gentlemen…"
Orochimaru licked his lips. Though the high platform was already surrounded by ANBU and shinobi from every side, he remained as calm as ever.
"How about it? Surely this is a rare opportunity."
[Whummm—]
In that instant, a vast, overwhelming surge of chakra erupted within Konoha, sweeping through the entire village in the blink of an eye.
...
"The One-Tail has gone berserk. It's time for us to move as well."
Outside the Root base, the Akatsuki members stood ready.
Nagato could feel the ever-intensifying chakra and spoke in a low voice. But beside him, Uchiha Itachi frowned.
"Shouldn't we wait a little longer? That man hasn't returned yet—and neither Hiruko nor Hidan are here."
"No need to wait. He'll come on his own."
Nagato shook his head and replied softly.
"As for Hiruko and Hidan, they have their own tasks. They'll join us when the time comes."
After all, Hiruko had once been part of Konoha. And none of them fully trusted Orochimaru.
Sending him to watch Orochimaru—and keep an eye on Konoha—was only natural.
As for Hidan—
The main reason was that his mouth never stopped. Everyone found him unbearable, so they simply sent him along with Hiruko.
"Itachi-kun, what is it you're worried about?"
Kisame suddenly asked with a grin. That made Uchiha Itachi frown before he finally spoke with indifference.
"There's nothing to worry about. After all, that Ōtsutsuki Genshiki isn't simple. But what I'm more curious about is whether he'll actually come."
"I rather hope he does. I'd like to see for myself if he's truly as strong as you say."
Nagato shook his head, his own focus still fixed on Konoha. But as Kakuzu felt his Wind Release heart pounding in his chest, he couldn't help but speak.
"I'm curious too. What sort of man leaves such a lasting impression on all of you? Compared to Kitagawa Gen—how does he measure up?"
"That's what you want to know?"
Kisame only gave a sly smile without answering. He tilted his head back to gaze at the sky, and only then did he murmur faintly: "You'll find out soon enough."
"Hm?"
His words startled everyone. One by one, they looked up.
And only then did they realize—
At some point, the clear skies above Konoha had darkened. Black clouds had gathered in the heavens.
A lone figure stood upon the sky itself.
That figure swept its gaze over them once, then stepped forward.
In that instant, he appeared directly before the Akatsuki.
He wore a flowing white robe, his silver hair drifting with the wind.
Upon his face rested a mask, and his entire being radiated a presence both mysterious and terrifying.
"This is—"
The Akatsuki's faces shifted. Even Nagato himself found it nearly inconceivable.
Never had he imagined someone moving in such a way—and he could sense, faintly but undeniably, an unfathomable power coursing within this man!
"You are…"
At length, Nagato finally spoke in a low voice.
"Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
"I suppose it was your friends who told you that."
Kitagawa Gen's voice was clear and calm as he regarded them. His blue eyes shone like twin stars—dazzling in their brilliance.
After receiving Kisame's intelligence, he had long since prepared himself.
And now, at last, it was time to stretch his limbs.
"So that's what it was… I kept feeling a strange force pulling at me. Turns out this is the reason."
"A force pulling you?"
The others in Akatsuki didn't understand, but Nagato seemed to.
His expression turned grim. Fixing his gaze on Kitagawa Gen, he spoke in a low voice.
"You mean… the Rinnegan?"
"Correct."
Kitagawa Gen nodded, and a faint smile seemed to cross his face.
"Those eyes—an aberration born of the God Tree's fruit. Even to me, they carry a certain allure. I never expected to encounter them here. Tell me… can you hand them over?"
"Hand them… to you?"
Nagato's expression hardened. He realized this man's arrogance was something far more dangerous than mere conceit.
Kakuzu and Sasori exchanged a glance. This was the first time either of them had met someone so arrogant. Uchiha Itachi and Kisame, however, looked as though they were facing down a mortal threat.
"How utterly senseless. Just like Orochimaru. If you truly want them…"
Nagato's tone grew calm, yet his voice turned cold—brimming with killing intent.
In the next instant, he thrust out his hand, and an invisible, overwhelming repulsive force exploded from his palm.
"Then take them—if you can!"
[Whummm—]
In the blink of an eye, a boundless surge of repulsion swept forth like a tidal wave, crashing toward Kitagawa Gen.
"Oh?"
Gen raised a brow. Perhaps because Nagato was using the White Zetsu exoskeleton, this Shinra Tensei was even more ferocious than he had expected.
Under Nagato's control, the invisible force seemed to take on tangible shape.
The unleashed power twisted the very air, and under the shafts of sunlight filtering through the storm clouds, faint halos shimmered at its edges.
"So it seems you've learned nothing after all."
Though surprised, Kitagawa Gen remained utterly calm.
Feeling the torrent of repulsion, he slowly raised his right hand.
"I've always wondered something… Why are you lower creatures so endlessly confident? Is it simply because you wield chakra?"
Before his words had even faded, an unfathomable power surged forth from him!
His body flared with a silver radiance, like motes of moonlight scattering across the air.
His eyes blazed brilliantly, and in that moment his own force erupted outward.
"But the truth is… chakra doesn't mean you can fight me. The sky itself is proof of that—"
[Whummm—]
A tremendous surge of repulsion burst forth from him, vast as crashing mountains and sweeping seas, colliding head-on with Nagato's Shinra Tensei!
At once, the space between them twisted violently.
Explosions thundered as the two forces clashed again and again, the earth trembling as though it could no longer bear the strain.
[BOOOOM—]
Before their eyes, the ground split apart in jagged cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
A moment later, the earth collapsed entirely. A massive chasm yawned open, swallowing trees, stones, and rubble in a cascading plunge.
And then—Gen's power surged once more, crashing down on Nagato with devastating might.
"—!"
Caught off guard, Nagato was flung through the air, while the Akatsuki behind him were blasted away almost simultaneously.
At that moment, Gen's voice rang out once more.
"The sky is colorless. It never deceived you—only your own eyes deceived themselves."
"You may wield chakra, but you still have no right to stand against me. You are nothing but inferior creatures."
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