Menma stared in the direction Kabuto had vanished, a heavy seriousness settling in his eyes. A moment later, he pushed the door open, returned to his room, and walked over to his desk to unroll the scroll Kabuto had tossed to him.
It was exactly what he expected: a detailed outline of the joint operation between the Sound and the Sand.
It covered everything—from the alliance between Rasa (the Fourth Kazekage) and Orochimaru, to Gaara's full Tailed Beast transformation, and even the precise timing for the elite Sound and Sand units to launch their surprise attacks.
You could say this scroll contained the blueprint for the entire "Konoha Crush" plan.
'So, he thinks he's got me cornered, huh? Orochimaru...'
A faint trace of malice flickered across Menma's brow as he murmured to himself.
This invitation was unexpected. It was clearly outside the scope of Menma's original plan.
Initially, he had intended to use the chaos to slip away from the Hidden Leaf and watch the destruction from the sidelines. He didn't care who won or lost, nor did he care about Orochimaru—the snake was hard to kill anyway. But now, it seemed that whether he liked it or not, he was being pulled into this "feast."
'But fine. At least before I leave, I can put on a good show.'
Menma let out a long, heavy breath. staring out at the dark night sky, his right hand slowly clenched into a fist.
---
At the same time, in a secluded area some distance away from the Hidden Leaf Village.
Kabuto, having just left Menma, appeared directly at the site.
With practiced ease, he found a hidden entrance behind a pile of rubble. Without hesitation, he stepped into the darkness, descending straight to the lowest level.
In a dim room at the very end of the corridor, lit only by a single oil lamp, Orochimaru was deeply engrossed in his research.
organs and severed limbs were scattered casually across the operating table, and blood was splattered everywhere. If an ordinary person were to see this scene, they'd likely vomit their guts out in terror. Yet, Kabuto walked in with a look of perfect composure.
Over the past decade, Kabuto had grown accustomed to scenes like this. Since becoming Orochimaru's right-hand man, seeing this kind of taboo human experimentation every other day was routine. It was, after all, one of the core projects in Orochimaru's quest for power and immortality.
Studying humans with unique constitutions was one of the best ways to achieve that goal.
Upon entering the lab, Kabuto didn't speak immediately. He knew his master hated being interrupted during an experiment. Instead, he walked to the opposite side of the table and skillfully began assisting with the procedure.
They worked in tandem, completing one phase of the experiment after another.
Finally, as the concluding work was finished, Orochimaru picked up a nearby towel. He casually wiped the blood from his hands and face, then turned his slit, snake-like pupils toward Kabuto.
"So, Kabuto... how did it go?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. The Sand has confirmed for the second time. They will induce the One-Tail to rampage at the designated time. regarding troop deployment, they have promised to send a thousand elite shinobi to the rendezvous point on schedule. However, they remain skeptical about our ability to sneak their forces into the outskirts of Konoha undetected."
Kabuto paused briefly before replying softly.
"Heh, the Sand hasn't changed a bit. Their backbone was snapped over a decade ago. But it doesn't matter. As long as they play their part, that's enough. When the time is right, you can reveal a little more to them. If necessary, I will contact the Fourth Kazekage again myself."
Orochimaru chuckled, a mocking glint appearing in his eerie eyes.
In the three Great Ninja Wars, the Hidden Sand had been on the losing side every single time.
It was these repeated defeats that had caused the Sand's continual decline. When the Five Great Ninja Villages were first established, aside from Konoha standing head and shoulders above the rest, the gap between the other four wasn't significant.
They were essentially neck and neck.
But now? The Hidden Sand had fallen to the absolute bottom of the pile.
As a former high-ranking official of Konoha and now an "ally" of the Sand, Orochimaru saw this clearly.
However, Orochimaru didn't mind. In fact, a strong ally would have been more trouble than they were worth.
If he wanted strength, he would have approached the Cloud or the Rock. In terms of raw power, those two villages would have been the most suitable partners. The Hidden Cloud, in particular, had been catching up to—and even threatening to surpass—the Hidden Leaf in recent years.
And that was exactly why Orochimaru chose the Sand. He needed a tool, not a rival.
Of course, even Orochimaru couldn't foresee just how spineless the Sand would turn out to be—that the Fourth Kazekage would be willing to abandon a plan months in the making at the very last second.
"Understood, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said, bowing respectfully.
"Now then, what about the other matter? Did our other ally agree to join the plan?"
Orochimaru looked at Kabuto with an expression even more serious than before. It seemed that in his eyes, Menma's weight as an ally was significantly heavier than that of the entire Sand Village.
Of course, this was largely due to Menma's potential and the massive benefits he could bring to Orochimaru's research.
If looking strictly at the "Konoha Crush" plan itself, unless Menma could instantly access a full Tailed Beast Mode, the sheer numbers of the Sand Village should have outweighed him. Based solely on his previous combat performance, Menma wasn't quite that valuable yet.
"Just as you predicted, Lord Orochimaru. Menma-kun did not refuse the invitation. However, he did have some reservations."
"Oh? Reservations? Let's hear them."
"Yes."
Kabuto proceeded to give a concise summary of his conversation with Menma.
After listening, Orochimaru laughed coldly.
"Heh, a rational judgment. But as long as he's willing to join, that's enough. When the plan commences, Menma-kun will move with you, Kabuto. That way, you can cover that specific sector and put on a display for my beloved teacher. I can hardly wait to see the look on the Hokage's face."
Orochimaru extended his long tongue, licking his lips in anticipation.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
The forces were gathering. The undercurrents were rising.
After more than a decade of peace, the Hidden Leaf Village was about to face its tribulation once again.