"Really? That's amazing!"
"Lee always dreamed of becoming a great ninja!"
The girl with her hair in buns didn't seem to care that the man in front of her had the balls to judge Tsunade. All she heard was that her teammate could be healed, and that was enough.
"You really care about your friend," the man said, his eyes lifting to meet hers.
He sat on the bench beside her. "What about you? What's your dream?"
"I used to want to be a legendary kunoichi, just like Lady Tsunade," Tenten said, staring up at the hospital ceiling with a tired sigh. "But I don't have the talent for medical ninjutsu, and I'm no good at drinking or gambling. I figured being a master of ninja tools would be enough..."
But the Chunin Exams had been a harsh reality check. She was just an ordinary ninja, worlds away from the geniuses she saw every day. Watching Lee and Neji train was a constant, frustrating reminder of that gap. She always tried to push past it and find her own way, but it was hard.
And then, in the preliminary rounds, she'd lost again. This time to Temari, the sand kunoichi.
She allowed herself to feel down for a little while, but then she pushed it aside. Her own problems could wait. Right now, she was more worried about her teammate.
"Lee..." Tenten's gaze drifted back to the closed door of the operating room.
Creak.
The door swung open. Tsunade walked out, looking as relaxed as if she'd just finished a minor procedure. She had the same confident air Emiya Shirou often carried.
"He's fine," Tsunade said, waving a casual hand as Tenten rushed toward her. "He just needs to rest."
"Lee's going to be okay!" A huge smile broke across Tenten's face.
She clenched her fist, her eyes shining with admiration. "You're amazing, Lady Tsunade!"
"Yeah, yeah," Tsunade mumbled, used to the praise.
She plopped down next to Emiya Shirou, grabbed the glass of water he offered, and downed it in one go. "That was a new one. The kid's body was wrecked by some special forbidden jutsu. Kids these days really go all out..."
"I noticed," Emiya Shirou added just as casually. "When I brought him in, I saw that the technique had opened some of his chakra gates. Not too many, but it still did a number on his body."
Tenten watched them, her curiosity piqued.
The legendary Tsunade was talking to this man so freely, with so much respect.
Who was he?
And how did he know so much?
He'd instantly pinpointed that Lee's injuries were from using the Eight Gates.
"He's a lucky one," Tsunade said, holding her cup.
She sighed, grateful for the cool drink after a long surgery. "It's nice to have a cold drink waiting for you."
She was about to change the subject. "So, about the Chunin Exams... well, let's not get into that mess. Lord Emiya isn't a fan of ninja conflicts."
"A report just came in," Emiya Shirou said quietly, his head lowered. "From the exam site. It's about Orochimaru."
CRACK!
Tsunade crushed the cup in her hand. The fury was instant. She ripped off her white coat and stormed out of the hospital. When it came to Orochimaru, she wasn't about to sit on the sidelines.
She was going to find Jiraiya and get to the bottom of this. There was no way she'd forgive that bastard for what he'd done.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune called, running after her. "What about the patient's medication—"
"I'll handle it," Emiya Shirou said, standing up slowly.
"Huh?" Tenten stared at him, confused.
"Oh!" Shizune looked back at the man, her face flooded with gratitude. "Thank you so much, you have no idea..."
"That doctor's a little weird," Tenten muttered to herself.
"Shh, not so loud!" Shizune whispered, pulling Tenten closer. "That man is the greatest medical ninja in the world, even better than Lady Tsunade! He's the person she admires most!"
"What?!" Tenten's eyes went wide with disbelief.
The legendary Tsunade, her lifelong hero, actually looked up to this guy?
How had she never even heard of him?
-----
Meanwhile, the hospital kept filling up with casualties from the exams. Hyuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura... these genin were risking their lives for a promotion. For them, moving from genin to chunin was everything—a chance to finally prove themselves.
Later, Naruto and Sasuke showed up, not just to visit, but to brag. They proudly told Emiya Shirou they had both made it to the third stage and that he had to come watch.
"Sasuke and I are gonna win for sure!" Naruto declared, pumped up as usual.
"We still have a month of training left," Sasuke said, less certain. He rubbed the back of his neck where Orochimaru's curse mark still burned.
That was the other reason they were here. They needed Emiya Shirou's help.
The curse mark was holding Sasuke back, and in all of Konoha, no one was better with seals than Shirou. Once it was under control, Sasuke knew he could win.
He and Naruto were both about to start intense training—Naruto with Jiraiya, and Sasuke with Kakashi. Their opponents in the final round were going to be tough.
Emiya Shirou raised a finger and gently touched the back of Sasuke's neck. A calm chakra flowed into the curse mark.
"This won't be easy to remove," Shirou said quietly, watching the mark writhe under his touch. "Let's try sealing it with my own jutsu for now."
As his chakra pulsed, Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven began to fade. When Shirou lifted his finger, a black, spiked ring had formed over the mark, like an iron cage locking it away.
"The pain is gone," Sasuke said, touching his neck. A cool sensation spread from the seal, calming his mind. He no longer had to fear the curse taking over. Now, he could focus on his training.
-----
Over the next month, Jiraiya taught Naruto the Rasengan, and Kakashi taught Sasuke the Chidori. Everyone was training their asses off.
Well, almost everyone. Pain, the ninja from the Rain Village, couldn't care less about the exam. He had the power to flatten all of Konoha if he wanted to. The only problem was Jiraiya, who was keeping a close eye on his team. It meant Nagato had to put his plan to assassinate Danzo on hold.
This created another problem. With Konoha focused on Orochimaru, Obito, and the Rain ninja, they didn't have enough manpower to watch another troublesome village: the Sand.
Ever since their surrender in the Third Great Ninja War, the Sand Village had been little more than Konoha's puppet. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was desperate to break free, so desperate that he'd made a deal with Orochimaru. The Sand was about to join the chaos.
In the swirling dimension of Kamui, Obito and Orochimaru met in secret. It was the only place they could talk without Black Zetsu spying on them.
"The Sand Village is useless," Obito scoffed. He didn't think Rasa would make any real difference.
"They're just pawns," Orochimaru hissed, not caring about their weakness. "Konoha's security is getting tighter. Jiraiya and Tsunade are watching everything."
"Are you sure we can handle Emiya Shirou?" Obito asked, a sliver of doubt in his voice. "Even with the power of three reanimated Hokage?"
"Of course," Orochimaru licked his lips, full of confidence. "He's powerful, but not beyond what we've prepared for."
From what they knew, Shirou's chakra levels were about on par with a Kage. Even with Sage Mode or a curse seal, he was still within their control.
Thanks to Obito's intel, Orochimaru knew about the Rinnegan's powers, but he had a counter for everything. The only real wildcard was Shirou's seemingly endless arsenal of jutsu.
But even then, Orochimaru was sure the reanimated Hokage could handle it. The First would fight him head-on, while the Second and Fourth would look for an opening. The odds were good.
"As for Nagato," Orochimaru added, "if what you say is true, his power might now surpass even Emiya Shirou's."
"I'll handle Nagato," Obito said flatly.
He trusted his Kamui. He touched the spare Sharingan in his other eye socket. "Don't worry about him. He can't beat me."
Besides, he still had Izanagi, the ultimate genjutsu that could turn any defeat into a mere dream. It would give him the opening he needed.
But Izanagi wasn't exactly a secret. Another man in Konoha was also planning to use it as his trump card against Nagato.
In a pitch-black underground base, Shimura Danzo stroked his sword. He'd heard from his old contacts in the ANBU about the Rain Village team. They were obviously too strong to be genin, and Danzo knew exactly who they were and what they wanted. It was Nagato, the boy with the Rinnegan who had ruined his plans years ago.
He was here for revenge.
Danzo wasn't about to trust Hiruzen to protect him. He'd seen Nagato's power firsthand. But this was Konoha. If Nagato fought the village leadership, Danzo figured they'd probably destroy each other.
Which would be perfect.
Danzo's eyes narrowed as he slammed his sword into its sheath. The Rinnegan, the seat of the Fifth Hokage—if Nagato and the leadership clashed, he could snatch it all. No matter what Orochimaru or Obito were scheming, Danzo was sure he would be the one left standing.
"It's time," he muttered, wrapping the bandages around his arm and face. He took two guards and left the darkness of his base. For four years, ever since the Uchiha massacre, he had been sidelined.
Now, with Konoha facing a real threat, it was time for his comeback. He was going to pay a visit to his old friends, Koharu and Homura. He'd need their backing.
A storm was coming to Konoha, and Danzo planned to not only survive it but to rise from the ashes. With an arm full of eleven Sharingan and another in his eye socket, he had all the power he needed.
"This time," he thought, gazing up at the Hokage Rock, his eyes turning cold. "Hiruzen will die. And with any luck, Jiraiya and Tsunade will die with him."
"Then, the Hokage's seat will finally be mine."