"Scatter! Fire the signal flares!"
A sense of danger stabbed at the Third Hokage's heart. Without hesitation, he gave the order. Konoha had to be warned, for Orochimaru's return could only mean hidden schemes.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bright fireworks burst across the black night sky.
"Orochimaru, why sneak back into the village? What are you plotting?"
"Heh… sneak back?" Orochimaru smirked, golden snake eyes glinting. "Sarutobi-sensei, you need not be so tense. This time, I was not the one who chose to return. I was invited."
He tilted his head, voice like venom. "And surely you know who that is. You know how I left Konoha back then. Do not tell me you have forgotten."
The Third Hokage's face darkened. His former student's words cut deep, for he knew exactly whom he meant. Shimura Danzo.
Long ago, when Orochimaru's inhuman experiments were exposed, Sarutobi had deliberately allowed him to escape. He knew Danzo and Orochimaru were entwined, that Root's shadowy channels would spirit the Snake away no matter who tried to intercept.
But he had not expected this. Two months away from the village, and already Danzo had reached out again.
"Letting you go was my greatest mistake. Tonight I correct it."
Sarutobi tore off his Hokage robes, revealing the battle armor beneath, his aura sharp as a drawn blade.
Orochimaru's smile widened, tongue curling across his lips. "Kill me? You could not do it years ago. Do you think you can now? You have grown old, sensei. Feeble. And your village… your beloved Konoha… it rots."
Sarutobi stepped forward, killing intent flooding the forest. "Orochimaru, your end is written."
But Orochimaru only laughed softly. "You always told me the outcome cannot be known until the very end. Or is there some hidden ace among these weaklings that gives you such confidence?"
The Hokage gave no reply. Instead, he drew blood across his arm guard and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu! Monkey King Enma!"
With a puff of smoke, the white-haired simian guardian landed by his side, clad in tiger pelt. His eyes locked grimly on Orochimaru.
"Sarutobi… I warned you. This snake has grown beyond troublesome. End it here and now."
"Enma! Adamantine Staff!"
"Understood. Transform!"
The Monkey vanished in a swirl, replaced by a massive iron staff, thick as a tree trunk, in the Hokage's grip.
Orochimaru's golden pupils narrowed. "So you call on allies. How nostalgic." His voice slithered into a hiss. "Then let me present you with a gift in return."
His hands blurred into seals. "Summoning Jutsu… Edo Tensei!"
The ground convulsed. A coffin erupted from the soil, its lid etched with the kanji for "First".
The ANBU gasped in confusion. But the Third Hokage's face turned ashen.
"Fiend! To toy with the souls of the dead!"
At that same moment, Naruto sat at his window, fingers steepled.
Should he detonate the explosive tags now? With the Hokage lured to the Forest of Death, it was an opening.
But uncertainty gnawed at him. His plans had always been set to coincide with a great event in Konoha's future. If he triggered them too soon, would he shatter the order of things, twisting paths he could not foresee?
Just then, brilliant signal flares lit the night sky. His senses told him the entire village had mobilized. Ninja swarmed across the streets. Only the one tailing his house remained still.
No, it was not time yet. Naruto never liked changing plans.
Still… the chakra in the Forest of Death had shifted. The ANBU signatures were vanishing. Where once there were many, only three remained: the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, and two new presences. One of them pulsed with unstable power, rising and falling like a storm.
Naruto formed the seals. A shadow clone appeared, masked and cloaked.
"Use the Flying Thunder God mark nearby. Go see what is happening. Do not act unless you must."
The clone adjusted the mask. "I am you. I know what to do."
And then he was gone.
The clone appeared at the edge of the Forest. He ran, swift as the wind.
At the heart of the trees, he saw it: Sarutobi and Orochimaru locked in battle, the ANBU lying broken on the ground. The summoned coffin had shattered, leaving only a corpse amid splinters.
"Orochimaru," the Hokage growled, "your jutsu falters. You are still the foolish boy who chases power."
Orochimaru chuckled, his voice soaked in malice. "But did you not tremble when you saw the First Hokage's face? Such a touching reunion, if only my technique was complete. Admit it, you were moved."
"Silence! Profaner of souls!"
Sarutobi leapt, Adamantine Staff roaring in his grip. "Ruyi Staff: Howling Gale!"
A fierce gust wrapped around the iron pole, pulling Orochimaru toward him.
But Orochimaru's arm unraveled into writhing snakes, latching onto the trees. "Futile! Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
The two clashed, master and fallen disciple, their power shaking the night.
Orochimaru's tongue flicked as his golden eyes suddenly snapped toward the darkness. "Who's there!"
The Hokage too turned sharply.
From the shadows stepped a black-haired, masked figure in flowing robes.
Naruto's clone.
"Such a shame," the masked youth said lightly. "I thought I could simply watch the play unfold. But since I am here…"
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "You. Who are you?"
The clone spoke softly, words lost in the wind. He raised his hand to the heavens.
Orochimaru and the Hokage both tensed, their pupils contracting.
From the palm of that hand, chakra coiled and spun, black as night, condensing into a sphere of annihilation.
"Great Spiral Abyss!"
A roar split the forest.
Light devoured everything.
The Forest of Death exploded.
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