This was quite normal.
In anyone's view, Mitarashi Anko was merely a tool to threaten Orochimaru, never the one truly responsible for monitoring him.
"Lord Orochimaru," a white-haired youth stood by his side, bringing up the imprisoned Anko. "That woman is still unconscious. Should we keep her locked up?"
"Send her away," Orochimaru said, then added as an afterthought, "And send her to the border of the Land of Fire. There will be Konoha ninjas there to receive her."
"Yes," the youth replied respectfully, turning to leave.
"You're really going soft," Obito jeered from nearby. "The brats you brought back are all branded with your Cursed Seal. That woman is useless now, isn't she?"
Orochimaru just chuckled, having no intention of explaining the subtle ranks and differences of his Cursed Seals to Obito. "Let's just call it a whimsical move," he said dismissively.
"Placing too many chess pieces," Obito retorted coldly, sensing the perfunctory attitude, "inevitably confuses the mind."
His tone was that of a condescending senior, the kind that would annoy anyone, but Orochimaru's self-restraint kept him from lashing out. They needed each other.
This was no time for a falling out, not before the threat of Emiya Shirou was dealt with.
"This chess piece is still very important," Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh, then casually changed the subject. "By the way, it seems like it's been a while since we've heard any news from the Akatsuki."
"Hmph," Obito scoffed, remembering Black Zetsu's past criticisms. "With Emiya Shirou in charge, he's just leading those guys on a wild goose chase, doing meaningless things."
The Three-Tails Jinchuriki was dead.
Wasn't everything the Akatsuki did pointless now?
Under Shirou's control, they were still doing the same old thing: recruiting members and gathering funds.
-----
At the border of the Land of Fire, the white-haired youth left Anko at a Konoha outpost. After he departed, a figure quietly appeared by her side.
"As expected, her memory was sealed," the newcomer observed, checking the Cursed Seal on her neck. His fingers, coated with chakra, rubbed her neck, waking her from her deep sleep.
"You are..." Anko opened her eyes, dazed.
"I am Emiya Shirou," he said, helping her sit up. His eyes lowered slightly. "Let me send you back to Konoha first."
As long as he accompanied her back, the fog that had been clouding the Third Hokage's mind would finally dissipate.
Anko was his ticket, the perfect excuse to re-enter Konoha.
-----
The news of Anko's return sent a shockwave through Hiruzen.
He knew what this meant. Eager for information about Orochimaru, the old man went to meet her in person.
And then, he received an even bigger surprise.
When the figure who had escorted Anko back lifted his straw hat, a familiar face came into view, causing the old Hokage's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Long time no see, Hiruzen," a familiar voice fell on his ears, as if seeing him still as the boy from long ago. "You've become the Hokage of Konoha?"
"Lord... Emiya," the Third Hokage's hands froze.
Even though he had suspected Orochimaru might have resurrected him, seeing him in the flesh was another matter entirely. A storm raged in his heart.
This reunion, after forty years, felt like it had bent time and space.
But Hiruzen quickly composed himself. He ordered the ANBU to keep it a secret and personally led Shirou to the Hokage's office.
"I'm sorry," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy with apology, especially for his disciple's transgressions. "I never expected Orochimaru would disturb your peace again."
"It's fine," Shirou replied calmly, completely unbothered by having been deceived. He even offered up a convenient scapegoat. "I was just deceived by him. If not for a person named Uchiha Itachi telling me everything, I might still have been kept in the dark."
"Itachi?" Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected Itachi to play such a pivotal role.
A flurry of questions raced through his mind—about Anko, Obito, and the mysterious connection between Orochimaru and the Uchiha.
And, of course, about Shirou's own Rinnegan.
But Shirou remained the same as ever.
He openly confessed everything—Orochimaru's improved Edo Tensei, Obito carrying on Madara's will, even the reason for abducting Anko.
Apparently, Orochimaru had claimed he was acting on orders from Konoha's higher-ups to strengthen ninjas with the Cursed Seal, and Anko was the first... not-quite-failed experiment.
"That was Orochimaru's private action," Hiruzen quickly retorted, unwilling to take the fall.
He explained Konoha's strict regulations on the Cursed Seal. "The village never intended to use your seal. The few who have it received it as a gift from you, more than forty years ago."
In truth, it was because Konoha had never succeeded in replicating it.
Only Orochimaru had cracked the code, and he'd hidden his results until his defection.
And now, that brat had the audacity to pin the blame on them.
Given Hiruzen's evidence, Shirou believed him, but he refused to divulge Madara's plan. "I can't tell you. It was a secret Madara asked me to keep, one that even Hashirama couldn't know."
"The reason I haven't undone this jutsu is because I heard two more Great Ninja Wars broke out. I hope to see the day that Madara's plan can succeed in this era."
Hiruzen felt a headache coming on.
This is too honest!
Madara's plan would surely bring ruin.
If Shirou were an enemy, he could have the interrogation unit on him in a second. But against Emiya Shirou, his hands were tied.
Fortunately, he had time.
He enthusiastically invited Shirou to stay in Konoha, planning to coax more information out of him later. Neutral figures, especially powerful ones, were always so difficult to handle.
And so, Shirou stayed in Konoha. He seemed to have changed over the past forty years, his favorite pastime now being to wander the village in a straw hat, observing all the new things with a quiet curiosity.
This also gave him the perfect excuse to frequent the commercial street, allowing him to "coincidentally" meet Naruto and observe Sasuke, all while waiting for his own mission requests to appear.
-----
Time passed. A strange man was added to Konoha's population, but it was as if nothing had changed. People rarely paid attention to an irrelevant person.
Except for a certain lonely, yellow-haired brat.
When Naruto met Shirou at Ichiraku Ramen, and the man suddenly offered to treat him to a bowl, he felt a strange warmth, a friendly aura that made his own chakra—and the other chakra sealed within him—calm down.
"Thanks! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he said, wolfing down his ramen. "I've seen you around a lot. Are you a senior ninja from the village?"
"Something like that," Shirou replied calmly, pushing his own bowl towards the boy. "My name is Emiya Shirou. If you've heard the name..."
The name was legendary, though it was common enough for people to be named in tribute. Only those who had seen him admit it firsthand knew he was the real deal.
Naruto, of course, didn't make the connection. "Sounds just like the hero from the bedtime stories," he mumbled between bites. "Grandpa told me lots of stories about him. I want to be respected like him, but I don't want to be a medical ninja. I'm gonna be Hokage!"
"Is that so?" Shirou listened quietly. "The First Hokage also gave up his dream of becoming a medical ninja to establish Konoha."
"Right!" Naruto nodded emphatically. "It seems medical ninjas really aren't that great. They're not as impressive as the Hokage at all."
"Indeed, not great," Shirou agreed, his voice drifting away on the Konoha breeze.
Hiruzen, who had been eavesdropping from a safe distance, almost fell over.
Naruto, you little brat, don't ruin Konoha's image in front of Lord Emiya!