"I don't want that kind of gift!"
Shimura Danzo's mind was racing. If Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all died in the Nine-Tails' rampage tonight, Konoha would be crippled. Those three were vital to the village's strength.
"But..." Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, a sly smile playing on his lips as he poked at Danzo's biggest weakness. "If they were all gone... there wouldn't be many suitable candidates left for Hokage, would there?"
Danzo's heart began to pound.
He's right. If they all died... the only one left who could become Hokage would be... ME.
The former Hokage's assistant!
"Hmph," Danzo scoffed, trying to regain his composure. "For all your talk, you still haven't accomplished a damn thing!"
He had already heard from his spies in the ANBU that the village hadn't suffered any real losses from the Nine-Tails incident. It wasn't exactly a false alarm, but it was certainly a lot of fuss over nothing.
Danzo took a slow sip of his tea, casually changing the subject. "I heard you got your hands on the Uzumaki clan's treasure."
"That's right," Kabuto nodded with a smile. "It's a treasure that works with the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu. To be specific, it allows us to obtain some very powerful souls."
Danzo immediately lost interest. He hadn't mastered the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu yet, so the treasure was useless to him.
That didn't stop him from criticizing Orochimaru's methods. "What has Orochimaru even been doing all these years? Wasn't he supposed to kill that Rinnegan user and get me a pair of those eyes?"
He sneered. "And he still hasn't dealt with it?"
Kabuto's gaze dropped slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. "There was a... small complication."
"What kind of complication could there be?" Danzo snorted, his contempt for Orochimaru growing. "That idiot can't even handle someone as gullible as Emiya Shirou."
And I let him take my Kotoamatsukami Sharingan!
Danzo was furious. If Orochimaru hadn't left him that arm made with his scientific techniques, proving he was still useful, Danzo would have cut ties with him long ago.
But his next thought was cut short.
"The situation is a bit worse than we expected," Kabuto continued, watching Danzo's leisurely posture. "The strength of that Rinnegan user seems to be far beyond our estimates."
He smiled faintly. "The leader of the Hidden Rain Village, Hanzo of the Salamander, was killed by him."
Danzo's entire body trembled.
Hanzo... is dead?
His old ally, the one he had worked with to crush the Akatsuki, was killed by the Rinnegan user.
Does that mean... he's coming for revenge?
Just as the thought filled him with dread, Kabuto confirmed his fears. "According to our intel, that Rinnegan user might be looking for a chance to get revenge on you, Lord Danzo. That was the second part of my mission tonight, besides unleashing the Nine-Tails."
Danzo shot up from his seat. "You bastard! Why didn't you say so earlier! And that damn Orochimaru! He knew this guy was coming for me, and he still tried to get Hiruzen and Tsunade killed? They could have protected me!"
Just moments ago, he was fantasizing about becoming Hokage.
Now, faced with a direct threat to his life, his mind instantly snapped back to that of an ordinary ninja who needed the Hokage's protection.
"Please, don't worry," Kabuto said, calmly watching the distraught old man. "We've already obtained the Uzumaki clan's treasure. We'll soon be able to use the Impure World Reincarnation to revive two even stronger shinobi to help you."
-----
Back in the Hokage's office, the immediate crisis was over, but the village was buzzing. Everyone was talking about Naruto Uzumaki's real identity, a discussion that looked like it would continue for a long time. Hiruzen dismissed the other shinobi and gathered the key players from the incident in his office.
While the average ninja was focused on Naruto's parents, the Third Hokage and the village elders had bigger problems to consider. They had to deal with the threat from Orochimaru and figure out what his subordinate planned to do with the stolen Uzumaki clan treasure.
"That damn Orochimaru..." Jiraiya's eyes were downcast as he let out a long, quiet sigh. "He's really made a huge mess this time."
Not even Jiraiya had believed his former teammate would go this far—trying to kill them and invade Konoha.
It seems... he's truly lost.
Everyone knew that even if Orochimaru's subordinate was the one who acted, the orders came directly from Orochimaru himself.
"Orochimaru... changed a long time ago," Hiruzen sighed deeply. "What we need to do now is raise our alert. If he really does invade Konoha in the future..."
"Then we kill him," Jiraiya said, clenching his fist. What happened tonight—unleashing the Nine-Tails—was unforgivable. It was the same as what the rogue ninja Obito Uchiha did.
He can try to kill me, that's one thing... but he went after the old man and Tsunade too!
The night's events had solidified Jiraiya's resolve. A murderous look flashed in his eyes.
They had pieced the whole story together.
Information from the Torture and Interrogation Force's questioning of Mizuki, combined with what Iruka had found, painted a clear picture. Orochimaru sent someone to steal the Uzumaki treasure, then used the truth about Naruto's parents to push the boy into darkness and trigger the Nine-Tails' rampage.
It was all a setup to weaken Konoha for a future invasion.
Hiruzen glanced at his student. He knew how deep Jiraiya's friendship with Orochimaru ran. As their teacher, he had hesitated to strike the killing blow before, so he understood how hard it would be for a former comrade.
But his own soft-heartedness had almost led to tragedy tonight. Hiruzen made up his mind. The next time he faced Orochimaru, he wouldn't hesitate. He would kill his dangerous student.
Just one of his subordinates almost destroyed Konoha, Hiruzen thought with growing worry.
If Orochimaru himself makes a move... what kind of disaster will that be?
He desperately wanted to know what Orochimaru's next move was, and what role the stolen treasure would play.
"We'll have to deal with Orochimaru's threat as it comes," Jiraiya said, sitting casually by the window. "Right now, the most pressing issue is that kid... Naruto. What are we going to do with him?"
By morning, everyone in Konoha would know that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son. His life was about to change completely. People might still look at him with fear because of the Nine-Tails, but no one would dare bully or discriminate against him anymore.
But could he ever have a normal life?
"The way Konoha used to treat jinchuriki..." Jiraiya thought of Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki. "They can't live like normal ninja."
Would Naruto have to be confined to the village like his mother was?
"Ah, forget it. It doesn't matter," Jiraiya said, deciding not to mention Emiya Shirou's prediction about Naruto being the Child of Prophecy.
He just praised the boy seriously. "That kid Naruto is special. It would be good for him to continue training with me..."
"No," Hiruzen interrupted, opening a drawer and pulling out a list. "I already have arrangements for Naruto."
"What is this crap?" Tsunade walked over and snatched the list from Hiruzen's hand. She glanced at it and frowned.
"Doesn't seem to be a problem..." Jiraiya leaned over to look.
A kind smile spread across his face, pleased with the assignments. "This looks pretty good! Kakashi Hatake is the team leader... and Sasuke Uchiha is on the team with Naruto. They've always been friends and rivals, so Sasuke won't be scared of him being the jinchuriki. Their relationship is solid."
"Mmm... but this girl, Sakura Haruno..." Jiraiya trailed off. "I remember Naruto always had a crush on a girl named Sakura. But from what I saw at the graduation ceremony, she was only asking about Sasuke. She must like him."
As he said this, the corner of his eye twitched, and he shot a quick glance at Tsunade, as if reminded of an unpleasant memory of his own. "This kid Naruto... he's not going to end up chasing a girl he can never catch too, is he?"
He quickly hid his thoughts and gave his final opinion. "Emotionally, the team works. But... when you look at their power levels... this little girl might have trouble keeping up with Naruto and Sasuke for a while."