"That's right, Lord Hiruzen... but I didn't even get a reward!"
As the voice faded, the figure of the Fourth Kazekage suddenly turned into countless snakes, slithering and scattering in all directions. It was a substitution—Orochimaru's real body now stood directly behind the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
A sharp kunai was pressed against the aged Hokage's throat. One small movement, and his life would be forfeit.
"This is thrilling, isn't it, old man?"
Orochimaru removed the bamboo hat labeled "Kazekage," revealing his familiar, youthful face.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned grave—he now completely recognized this man as his former disciple, Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru… What are you trying to do, you traitor?"
In an instant, Hiruzen grasped the full picture. If Orochimaru had been impersonating the Fourth Kazekage all this time, then the real Kazekage must've already been killed. And that meant the alliance between Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village was a farce—merely a pretext for betrayal.
"No matter what happens, we must kill Orochimaru today. Only then can we hope to settle things peacefully with the Sand Village!"
Understanding the severity of the situation, Hiruzen's mind raced to find a remedy.
But what he didn't expect was that the betrayal had been carefully orchestrated—with the full cooperation of the Sand Village itself.
"Nirvana Vihara Technique!"
At the Chūnin Exam venue, soft feathers began falling from the sky like snow. The genjutsu was powerful, putting many of the attending ninjas, civilians, and even nobles into a deep slumber.
Kankuro and Temari stood frozen, clearly panicking. This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go.
Naruto's earlier provocation had triggered Gaara's transformation too soon. Although the original scheme involved using the One-Tailed Beast sealed inside Gaara, everything was happening much faster than expected.
As Nara Shikamaru and the others broke free from the illusion, a wave of Sound Ninjas erupted from the shadows. At the head of the charge was none other than Yakushi Kabuto.
The once-orderly stadium descended into chaos. Rock debris crashed down from above. Amid the confusion, several Jōnin—Kakashi, Might Guy, and others—immediately took on the responsibility of protecting the civilians.
"Kakashi! Let's see who can save more people!" Guy shouted, burning with enthusiasm.
"Hey, Guy, now's not the time for a competition!" Kakashi replied, slightly exasperated. But in truth, he was only half-focused on the collapsing venue.
His mind was on the battle between Naruto and Gaara.
Kakashi had a hunch—something about the way Gaara's tailed beast powers were released felt… deliberate. Almost like Naruto had planned it.
Indeed, down in the arena, Uzumaki Naruto was skillfully dodging the rampaging attacks from Gaara, who had already entered a half-tailed beast form. But Naruto wasn't just fighting—he was carefully watching the high platform, where the Third Hokage had clearly fallen into Orochimaru's trap.
"It seems Orochimaru's begun. Then I guess it's time for us to fight too."
Naruto's voice was calm.
"Let's go, big fox."
Red chakra began to swirl around him, forming a translucent cloak—the beginning manifestation of the Nine Tails' power.
"Due to the seal, I can only lend you this much chakra for now," Kurama rumbled inside him.
Naruto nodded in response. "That's fine. This is enough to deal with this out-of-control Gaara."
He extended one arm as a wind-enhanced Rasengan formed in his palm, its furious energy screaming through the air.
"Wind Style: Spiral Shuriken!"
With Nine Tails' chakra boosting his speed, Naruto became a blur. Even Gaara, now partially transformed into the One-Tailed Beast, couldn't keep up.
"Get ready to die, little raccoon!"
Elsewhere, Konoha's elite Anbu forces had arrived on the scene.
"You three, protect the Hokage! The rest of you, secure the Daimyo. His safety takes top priority!"
The Anbu members understood the weight of their mission. In wartime, the life of the Daimyo outweighed those of Genin—or even civilians.
Following the command, three of the Anbu dashed toward the platform, intent on rescuing the Third Hokage.
But before they could reach him, four figures suddenly dropped from the sky. Without uttering a single word, they formed hand seals and activated a powerful barrier technique.
"Ninjutsu: Four Purple Flame Formation!"
From the ground, four pillars of glowing purple flame shot up, forming an impenetrable cube around Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
One Anbu foolishly attempted to force his way inside. The moment he touched the barrier, he was instantly incinerated—reduced to ashes.
The remaining two halted immediately, their bodies tense with fear.
"Tsk tsk… Konoha's Anbu are still so useless. Don't you agree, Lord Hiruzen?"
Orochimaru let out a perverse chuckle, stretching out his long tongue and licking Hiruzen's wrinkled cheek with disgusting delight.
"Enough with your games, Orochimaru! What exactly are you planning?!"
The old Hokage's voice rang with fury.
But Orochimaru only smirked. "You've truly grown senile, haven't you, Sensei? My goal is simple. I want to destroy Konoha."
He continued, voice disturbingly tender: "This decaying village should've been burned to the ground long ago… Don't you think so, dear teacher?"
Those gentle words cloaked the pure malice in his heart.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen would no longer be manipulated. In one swift motion, he broke free from Orochimaru's grasp, throwing off his ceremonial Hokage robe and hat.
This time, he would deal with his former student himself.
But Orochimaru wasn't caught off guard. He already had one more deadly card to play.
"Ninjutsu: Reanimation Jutsu!"
Three coffins rose from the arena floor, breaking through the roof.
Sarutobi tried to stop him, but he was too late.
The first two coffins opened, revealing none other than the First and Second Hokage.
"You bastard! How dare you defile the dead again?!"
Hiruzen's fists trembled with rage.
Orochimaru only laughed, clearly enjoying his sensei's fury. The more Hiruzen lost control, the more delighted Orochimaru became.
Elsewhere, under Kabuto's command, the combined forces of the Sound and Sand Villages launched a full-scale assault on Konoha.
The invasion wasn't confined to the exam arena. Battles erupted throughout the streets. Explosions echoed. Buildings burned. Blood stained the village paths.
Jōnin like Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, Asuma, and Genma fought valiantly. But the sheer number of enemies—and the surprise attack—had already inflicted devastating losses.
"Damn Sand and Sound scum… Where's the Root division? Why aren't they fighting? What's Danzo doing?!"
Morino Ibiki, after defeating another foe, gritted his teeth in frustration. He had yet to see a single Root operative.
Just as he was about to head toward Danzo's compound for answers, the ground shook. Giant snakes—each over 20 meters long—emerged in front of him.
Without warning, they lunged.
"Where the hell did these things come from?!"
Though a formidable intelligence officer, Ibiki wasn't built for direct combat, especially against summons like these. His chakra was nearly depleted.
One snake's mouth opened wide, ready to swallow him whole—
"Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique! Technique to Suppress the Vendors!"
BOOM!
A giant toad descended from the sky and crushed the snake instantly. A lone figure stood atop the creature's head—tall, white-haired, and carrying an enormous scroll on his back.
"You go find that bastard Danzo," he said. "I'll handle the rest."
It was Jiraiya—one of the Legendary Sannin—finally making his entrance onto the battlefield.