*Hokage's Office*
The air in the office was thick with tension. Koharu Utatane leaned closer to the Hokage's desk, her voice low and urgent.
"Hiruzen, it's almost time. We can't delay any longer."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long draw from his pipe, the smoke doing little to calm the conflict in his eyes. "Jiraiya isn't back yet," he muttered, almost to himself. "Maybe we should wait a little longer. Just a little more time."
"Fool!" Danzo slammed his fist on the desk, his face contorted in anger. "This is the joint rally of the Five Great Shinobi Villages! You are the keynote speaker! Do you have any idea what that signifies? It means the five Great villages will be looking to Konoha for leadership from now on!"
Hiruzen's weary gaze shifted to his old rival. "Danzo, isn't that a bit far-fetched? Our purpose is to unite against a common enemy, not to bicker over who gets to sit at the head of the table."
"This is an opportunity, Hiruzen!" Danzo insisted, his voice dropping to a harsh, passionate whisper. "A chance to lift Konoha to its rightful place as the leader of the shinobi world! And we must seize it!"
"Enough," Hiruzen stated, his tone final and leaving no room for argument. "What the shinobi world needs right now is unity, not another power grab."
"Reckless! A fool's sentiment!" Danzo shot back.
"I am the Hokage, Danzo!" Hiruzen's voice rose, filled with a firm authority that brooked no dissent.
"You will regret this, Hiruzen! Mark my words!"
"Danzo, even after being locked up for so long by Hayashi Yuto, you haven't changed a bit." Koharu let out a tired sigh, shaking her head. "Why is your mind always on power struggles and schemes?"
"Everything I do is for Konoha!" Danzo retorted, his conviction absolute and unshakable.
Koharu turned away from him, addressing Hiruzen with a softer tone. "Hiruzen, you need to stop worrying about Jiraiya now. It's been over half a month. If there was news… we would have heard it."
"Hmph, that fool walked right into his own demise," Danzo snorted coldly, unable to help himself. "We all warned him the Land of Waves was a death trap, but he charged in anyway. He got what was coming to him."
"Oh, put a lid on it," Koharu said, sharply tugging on his sleeve to silence him.
Hiruzen looked out the window, watching the clouds drift past. A deep sadness settled in his heart, but it was quickly replaced by hardened resolve. His old friend was right. Jiraiya wasn't coming back. Whether he was alive or dead was unknown, but Hiruzen silently swore to avenge him.
"...Forget it. Let's go."
—
*Land of Rice Paddies - Former Otogakure (Hidden Sound Village)*
The rally was set in the hollowed-out remains of the Land of Sound, the former site of Orochimaru's Otogakure.
Kabuto Yakushi had long since dissolved the village, moving all valuable assets and personnel to the Land of Waves. All that remained was an empty shell of a base, which now served as Orochimaru's current… hiding place.
Deep underground, in a dimly lit lab funded by… creatively reallocated Sunagakure resources, Orochimaru was hard at work. Strange, fleshy creatures floated in culture vessels, their forms twisted with white, bony protrusions and grotesque, mutated organs.
Creeak.
The lab door swung quietly open. Orochimaru, hunched over a microscope, paused and slowly turned around. A wide, unnerving smile spread across his face. "Well, well… To think you would come here. What an unexpected guest, Itachi-kun."
The visitor was Uchiha Itachi. Dressed in the standard Konoha Anbu gear, his face was a cold, impassive mask. "Orochimaru. The Hokage sent me to ask you… are the bodies of the previous Hokage in your possession?"
"Hmm?" Orochimaru was momentarily surprised, then let out a low, amused chuckle. "Is that an accusation? Do you have any proof?"
"If you don't have the Hokages' bodies, then Hayashi Yuto does," Itachi stated, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion. "In that case, the Allied Shinobi Forces' battle plans will need to be revised."
"The Allied Shinobi Forces…" Orochimaru's chuckle turned into a derisive sneer, dripping with sinister amusement. "Do you truly believe that pooling the strength of the Five Villages will be enough to defeat a monster like Hayashi Yuto?"
Itachi said nothing. The truth was, he had his own personal doubts. Hayashi Yuto was an enigma, a puzzle box of terrifying power.
And then there were his two subordinates. Their raw physical strength could manhandle a Tailed Beast. Power like that hadn't been seen since the First Hokage's era.
If his subordinates were that powerful, how strong was Hayashi Yuto himself?
Furthermore, what was the true state of the Land of Waves? How many of these super-powered subordinates did he actually command? They were going in blind.
Frankly, Itachi felt this entire attack was a reckless gamble.
But he hadn't tried to stop it. He hadn't even tried to dissuade Hiruzen. He knew the higher-ups still didn't fully trust him.
"It seems you aren't very optimistic about this campaign either, Itachi," Orochimaru remarked, his snake-like eyes seeming to see right through him. "How interesting."
"Do you believe the Allied Forces will lose?" Itachi asked coolly.
"Hmph, let me show you something." Orochimaru led Itachi to a large vessel. Inside, a boar-like creature twitched, its muscles grotesquely enlarged. "This is the purest super-soldier serum I've managed to distill so far. Though, using Hayashi Yuto's terminology, it's called a 'Hollowfication' agent. Its effect… It can increase this subject's strength and muscle activity by over five times. Do you understand what that means?"
Itachi didn't respond, but his brows furrowed deeply.
"I must admit, Hayashi Yuto is a genius," Orochimaru continued, a hint of reluctant admiration in his voice. "Given his level of research, the Land of Waves likely possesses agents far more refined than this. In other words, if they were to mass-produce this… they could create an army where every single Genin-level shinobi could fight on par with a Kage."
"If you've reached this conclusion, why haven't you reported it?" Itachi's voice was icy.
"Hearing is not believing, Itachi," Orochimaru shook his head, a deeply sarcastic smile playing on his lips. "Do you think a few words from a defected shinobi like me would change the minds of the four Kage? They are riding on a wave of righteous fury. They wouldn't listen."
Itachi fell silent again. He had to admit Orochimaru was right. The momentum for this war was too great. There was no turning back now.
"If that's the case, what do you intend to do?" Itachi asked.
"Are you? Or are the Allied Shinobi Force? asking for my advice?" Orochimaru gave a light, mocking laugh. "My relationship with Konoha is strictly technical cooperation. I don't provide advisory services."
"I understand." Itachi gave a curt nod and turned to leave. He would relay this to Lord Third. Whether he was listened to or not was out of his hands. He would simply do his duty.
"Wait." Orochimaru's voice stopped him. "The enhancement might have… special effects on non-living subjects."
"Non-living?" Itachi paused, a flicker of genuine surprise breaking through his stoic facade.
"I have yet to find a way to successfully enhance and reanimate the deceased, but Hayashi Yuto has almost certainly achieved it." Orochimaru was silent for a moment, his face darkening with a rare look of genuine dread. "I believe… that is where his true terror lies."
BOOM!
The moment the last word left his mouth, a explosion tore through the very heart of the Land of Sound, shaking the foundations of the underground lab.
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