At the Konoha Ninja Academy, the newest graduates were finally being assigned to their teams.
Twelve-year-old Naruto Uzumaki was pretty happy to be on Team 7. One of his teammates was his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, and the other was Sakura Haruno, the pink-haired girl he had a crush on.
Sasuke didn't really care who his teammates were, but seeing Naruto, his longtime training partner, put him in a decent mood.
As for Sakura Haruno…
She kept glancing happily at Sasuke, but she also looked at Naruto with a touch of envy. She, like everyone else, now knew the truth about Naruto's parents.
That guy has all the luck, she thought.
He used to be the kid everyone in the village hated. Then, it came out that his dead parents were the village's greatest heroes, and suddenly, everyone's opinion of him changed. Many of the older ninja even treated him with sympathy, feeling guilty for how he'd been treated.
Some people questioned why the village leaders had hidden the truth for so long, but the higher-ups didn't have much to say. To them, it was simple.
The son of the Hokage, the son of heroes—those titles didn't change the reality of his childhood. They saw Naruto's twelve years of hardship through the lens of their own decades of struggle and loss. In a world full of pain, a difficult childhood was hardly unique.
Every jinchuriki suffered. So did every orphan. In their eyes, a true ninja had to stumble, get scarred, and push through pain to become strong.
At least, that's what Jiraiya believed.
As an orphan who lost his parents in the war, Jiraiya's own upbringing had been harsh. Now, at fifty years old, he was one of the legendary Sannin. Looking back, his childhood struggles felt like a minor footnote compared to the endless human tragedies he had witnessed across the ninja world.
From his perspective, Naruto's suffering was just a light drizzle. It was nothing compared to the storm his own team leader, Kakashi Hatake, had endured. Kakashi's life was a thorny path of constant gain and loss, as if fate had doomed him to walk alone.
When Emiya Shirou heard Jiraiya's theory, he disagreed. "You people always seem to think that hardship is a good thing."
"Is there something wrong with that?" Jiraiya asked, scratching his head, confused. "That's just how life is."
"But it shouldn't be," Emiya said softly, his gaze falling on the medical ninja code he had written long ago, now engraved in the Konoha Hospital. "The purpose of chakra should be to create a world where no one has to suffer."
"I get what you're saying," Jiraiya sighed, his mind drifting to the prophecy. "But Naruto isn't just some ordinary person who gets to live a peaceful life. He's the one who will change the world. He's the one who has to bear the burden so that others no longer have to suffer."
In this world, different people had different roles. As one of the Sannin, Jiraiya knew his role was to guide Naruto Uzumaki—to help him become the savior the world needed.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya said, turning to his friend who was lounging in a chair at the hospital, writing on a scroll. "I'm leaving Konoha for a while."
Her eyes remained on her work.
"I need to investigate Orochimaru," he continued in a low voice.
The timing was perfect. With Naruto just starting out as a Genin, he'd be busy learning the basics from Kakashi. It gave Jiraiya a window to slip away and track his old teammate. This wasn't a request; it was a notification.
He had already spoken with the Third Hokage, who had approved the mission on one condition: Jiraiya had to be back before the Chunin Exams later in the year.
The upcoming exams were a massive joint event with Konoha's allies, and Hiruzen wanted both of his students present. Having three Kage-level shinobi in the village would be a powerful deterrent against anyone with ill intentions.
But this Chunin Exam was destined to be anything but peaceful. Behind the scenes, many players were already moving their pieces, fanning the flames for a major incident.
-----
In the Land of Rice Fields, within Orochimaru's hidden base, Kabuto had successfully returned with the Uzumaki clan's reaper mask.
Orochimaru wasted no time. He sacrificed a subordinate, used the mask to summon the Shinigami, and freed the souls of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
"It's about time to make our move," Orochimaru hissed, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
On his desk lay the final components: the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the remains of Tobirama and Minato. The souls were free, the physical materials were ready, and the sacrifices were prepared.
"The First, Second, and Fourth Hokage..." Orochimaru licked his lips, his serpentine eyes narrowing as he looked at Obito Uchiha. "All our preparations are complete. Now, we just need the right opportunity to expose Emiya Shirou's true face to Konoha and force the three Hokage to eliminate the threat he poses."
The joint Chunin Exams were the perfect stage. They could infiltrate Konoha, set their trap, and wait for Emiya Shirou to appear.
And Obito had brought another piece of news—a wild card. Because of the exam's large scale, several smaller nations, including the Rain Village, would be participating.
"I have news that's... hard to say if it's good or bad," Obito said with a cold smirk. "Hanzo of the Salamander is dead. Nagato and his group control the Rain Village now."
He paused. "I don't know what that guy is thinking, but according to Akatsuki intelligence, Nagato plans to disguise himself as a participant, infiltrate Konoha, and assassinate Danzo Shimura."
Orochimaru's eyes froze. This was indeed hard to classify.
On one hand, it presented an incredible opportunity. They could use Nagato to force Emiya Shirou's hand, exposing him completely. Emiya would become a public enemy of the entire ninja world.
On the other hand, it was incredibly risky. Emiya was already a monster. Adding Nagato to the mix meant facing two Rinnegan users at once. If the battle got out of hand, the consequences would be catastrophic.
But Obito didn't care about risk. He was a madman who believed he had waited long enough. With the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan, Kamui, he considered himself untouchable.
"We don't have many chances," Obito reminded Orochimaru, his tone sharp. "This opportunity is fleeting. Don't forget, the three Hokage you're reanimating are so powerful they'll be impossible to control. If we don't start the fight against Emiya in Konoha, they might not be willing to help us."
"Don't worry," Orochimaru replied with a soft laugh, though a cold light gleamed in his eyes. "I will plan this well. It must be... foolproof. After all, if we openly betray that great man and fail to kill him, what awaits us is a fate far worse than death."
-----
In the steel-and-concrete landscape of the Rain Village, Pain, Nagato, and Konan stood at the village's highest point, discussing the same Chunin Exams.
"Nagato," Konan said, taking a deep breath. She didn't like this plan. "Is this really the time to take such a risk? It's too dangerous." She furrowed her brow. "We should be waiting. Once the Three-Tails is revived, we can follow Lord Emiya's plan to collect the Tailed Beasts. Then we won't have to worry about peace anymore."
"Konan," Pain's cold voice cut through the sound of the rain. "Haven't you realized? Lord Emiya has already shouldered that fate. We don't need to carry that burden anymore."
Next to him, Nagato spoke in his own, softer voice. "With Lord Emiya here, Pain doesn't need to become a god. I can just be an ordinary ninja again."
It felt like the old days—just him, Konan, and Yahiko, a three-man team. And an ordinary ninja's life had room for one thing a god's didn't: revenge.
"This is a personal mission," Pain declared. "Black Zetsu reported that Lord Emiya is already looking for a way to deal with Danzo in Konoha. But..." His voice hardened. "I want to be the one to kill him."
He looked out at the rain-soaked village below.
"This time, it won't be in the name of Pain."
"This time, I will complete our revenge... in the name of Yahiko."