[CH-289: Orochimaru's Betrayal]
"Sand Village wins!"
The following day, inside the arena, the referee's loud call was followed by a thunderous eruption of cheering from the stands.
"Pakura!"
"Pakura!"
At this moment, virtually every Sand Village spectator in the gallery was calling her name.
In the Jonin division between the Sand Village and the Hidden Mist Village, Pakura had swept through all five opponents consecutively, winning five matches in a row.
This kind of dominance made every senior Hidden Mist figure present feel a genuine and tangible pressure and unease.
In the arena, Pakura was covered in sweat, her expression carrying fatigue. And yet she stood straight, receiving the respect of the crowd.
Her eyes held neither arrogance nor self-deprecation. On her face was a faint quiet smile, her bearing entirely free of pride. There was only a kind of calm composure and a sense of dignity.
That dignity did not come from having won. It came from something deeper, a pride rooted in being from the Sand Village.
"She becomes more and more composed with each passing year," Yuji thought quietly from the platform, applauding along with the others.
Pakura was still very young, yet she projected something that felt like the presence of a seasoned figure from the ninja world.
After years of development and searching, and ten years of transformation, he sometimes hesitated to connect the young woman standing in the arena with the small girl who had once followed him around everywhere.
He let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
Composure was certainly a good quality. But it also meant a certain youthful energy had been replaced by something older than her years. He had lived two lives and had been forced into maturity by the weight of becoming Kazekage.
Pakura, on the other hand, had simply imposed this pressure on herself out of habit and conviction. This kind of personality had both advantages and costs.
Across the platform, Yagura and the Hidden Mist contingent remained silent.
They had anticipated that today's Jonin division would be difficult for the Hidden Mist Village to win. But they had not expected a defeat this complete.
Pakura's combat power had far exceeded what they had anticipated.
That said, looking at it clearly, Yagura could see from a senior perspective the real reason behind Pakura's ability to sweep five consecutive opponents. Her strength was certainly one factor. But another, just like Yashamaru's familiarity with Hidden Mist fighting patterns the day before, was that Pakura herself had extensive experience fighting Hidden Mist ninja specifically.
That experience had been a significant advantage.
Although Pakura's strength was outstanding, it had not quite reached a level that could be called heaven-defying. Against Jonin from another village she might not necessarily have been able to sustain five consecutive wins. But she understood the Hidden Mist Village's techniques too well, and was too familiar with their patterns.
This was precisely one of the reasons the Hidden Mist Village had once considered her such a dangerous priority target.
"Congratulations," Yagura said, withdrawing from his thoughts and standing. He stepped forward to stand beside Yuji and applauded generously, offering genuine praise for Pakura's performance.
In keeping with the Sand Village's welcoming customs, the Hidden Mist Village's comprehensive victory the previous day had received enthusiastic and sportsmanlike reception from the crowd. In return, today's Sand Village victory was accepted by the Hidden Mist contingent with equal grace.
They acknowledged they had been outmatched.
"Let us enjoy the moment," Yuji said with a light laugh.
Yagura glanced at him but said nothing.
What did he mean by enjoy the moment? They were elite Jonin who had been beaten so thoroughly they could barely recover their composure. And this was after Yagura had personally directed all five of his competitors and formulated specific tactical plans to counter Pakura.
They had still lost.
The exchange gathering concluded.
The entire Sand Village buzzed with conversation about the competitors from the past two days. Everyone was discussing their performances. Pakura was naturally the central figure in these casual conversations.
Having competed consecutively against the three great hidden villages' same-generation fighters and dominated each time, Pakura's achievements had thoroughly captured the hearts of the Sand Village's people. Her reputation within the village had risen to an extraordinarily elevated level.
In truth, Pakura's track record and accomplishments over the past several years had already been outstanding. Her growth had been noticed and recognized by both senior leadership and ordinary villagers alike, so her current standing was only natural.
She had not been like someone who needed to go through a transitional phase of greeting officials and performing exceptional deeds to force people to set aside their biases. Her rise had come through the deliberate cultivation of the village's senior leadership combined with her own unrelenting determination.
Her rise had been as swift as a kite catching the wind, reaching its height without obstacles. Many villagers had already begun calling her the strongest female ninja in the Sand Village's history.
After the competition concluded, the Hidden Mist Village spent one more day in the Sand Village, browsing local specialties and picking up souvenirs. Then under Yagura's leadership the delegation made their way back toward the Land of Water.
The senior figures of both villages held a final meeting to discuss future cooperation and exchange arrangements.
The Hidden Mist Village also had a considerable number of matters waiting for Yagura's attention back home. This exchange gathering in the Sand Village had been purely for training the Hidden Mist Village's newer generation, to give Terumi Mei, Zabuza, and the others a boost in reputation and add another achievement to their records.
With everything accomplished, there was naturally no reason to extend the stay.
As the Sand Village's senior officials cheerfully saw the Hidden Mist delegation off at the village gate, Yagura had barely departed when a Sand Village intelligence ninja appeared at Yuji's side and quietly delivered a report.
"When?" Yuji asked after hearing it.
His expression shifted slightly.
"Three days ago?" the intelligence ninja confirmed.
"What happened?"
Chiyo and Ebizo, noticing his unusual expression, looked over.
"Orochimaru has betrayed and fled Konoha," Yuji said quietly.
"What?!"
The village elders were all visibly shaken.
None of them had expected that one of Konoha's Three Legendary Sannin, an absolute pillar of the village, would become a rogue ninja. And it had happened so quickly. When they had visited Konoha earlier, there had been no visible signs of any conflict between Orochimaru and the village's senior leadership.
Furthermore, Orochimaru was the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's direct disciple and considered a core member of Konoha's lineage. How could he have turned against the village?
"Orochimaru was conducting human experimentation within Konoha. Hiruzen discovered it. Although Orochimaru himself is a senior figure, his ideology diverges from Tsunade's and from Hiruzen's," Yuji said.
The intelligence ninja standing beside him grew increasingly astonished as Yuji continued speaking. They had only heard the rumors that Orochimaru had betrayed and fled. They did not understand the specific reasons. They had never imagined the Kazekage already knew the full inside story.
"The Second Great Ninja War brought different kinds of changes to each of Konoha's Three Legendary Sannin. If we say that from the very beginning Orochimaru was driven by certain motivations..."
"In Konoha's battles he shared both glory and humiliation with the village, but in the end his loyalty to the village had weakened considerably. What he truly cared about was the mystery of eternal life. And to pursue that realm, he would inevitably cross certain forbidden lines."
"In the Third Great Ninja War he also made outstanding contributions. But unfortunately, he was not chosen as the Fourth Hokage," Yuji added with a quiet sigh.
Chiyo and the others listened, lost in thought.
Orochimaru becoming a rogue ninja was without question the most significant piece of news in the ninja world at this moment. But ultimately it was Konoha's internal affair and had no direct connection to the Sand Village.
"What concerns me more is that with Minato present and watching, Orochimaru still managed to escape." Yuji said with a slight smile.
And he recognized that this outcome was partly a chain reaction of his own making. Konoha had not suffered the severe damage caused by the Nine-Tails' rampage in this timeline. Minato was still alive. Everything had been kept relatively contained. Once Orochimaru's secret experiments were exposed, he would have had to face not just Hiruzen but Minato as well.
Under those circumstances, Orochimaru had still managed to escape. That had to be acknowledged.
With Orochimaru's cunning and capability, plus Danzo's quiet cooperation behind the scenes, there was indeed a realistic path to getting out. But the problem was that with Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, escaping from him should not have been easy even for Orochimaru.
The specific details of what had actually happened remained unknown to outsiders. Perhaps Orochimaru had received an early warning through some channel and fled before a direct confrontation with Hiruzen and Minato became unavoidable.
"But I always feel like something about this is slightly off," Yuji said, his brow furrowing slightly as he turned it over in his thoughts.
...
[CH-290: Plan]
"Ah."
"This is the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, is it not."
Inside the Land of Grass, within the stronghold that had once belonged to Uchiha Madara during his lifetime, an unexpected figure had appeared. He looked up at the enormous demonic statue seemingly embedded into the mountain above him and let out an eerie quiet chuckle.
"The next Great Ninja War will definitely be instigated by the Sand Village."
"When that happens, it will become a situation where the Sand Village is fighting against many enemies simultaneously. The Fourth Kazekage understands this clearly. Even though he single-handedly elevated the Sand Village to its current position, relying solely on the village's own strength would make it very difficult to contend against the other four great hidden villages combined."
"Even if the Sand Village ultimately wins, it will certainly suffer heavy losses."
A low voice echoed from within the darkness.
Orochimaru withdrew his gaze from the statue and looked toward the shadowy figure.
"So. What is your purpose in finding me?"
"You have become a rogue ninja. In the future, even if you want to strike Konoha, as long as Namikaze Minato is alive, success will be very difficult."
"I can help you achieve your plan."
"My purpose is only one."
"Destroying the Sand Village. Killing the Fourth Kazekage."
"So that is why you helped me escape from Hiruzen and the others' pursuit," Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"It seems you truly hate him."
The figure in the shadows said nothing.
"However, worthy of the Fourth Kazekage. Truly intelligent. He made arrangements this early to prepare for the coming great war. No wonder Danzo and the Sensei were never a match for him, always being toyed with in the palm of his hand. Truly formidable."
Orochimaru stroked his chin, murmuring to himself. A certain glint flickered in his eyes.
"I can provide you with internal Sand Village research materials that you would find very interesting. Including the Fourth Kazekage's research on gene-modifying medicines. If you want to build your own force, I can also provide clues toward that end."
"At present, there appears to be no one in the entire ninja world capable of killing the Fourth Kazekage in a direct confrontation. But with the Fourth Great Ninja War underway, if the plan is sound, even someone as powerful as him can be placed in a position of certain death.
Ideally both he and Namikaze Minato would fall together in this great war. That outcome benefits both you and me."
"Why me?" Orochimaru said with a light laugh.
Meaning, why would this figure think Orochimaru would help? And furthermore, the Fourth Kazekage was recognized across the ninja world as extraordinarily powerful. Why would anyone think Orochimaru specifically had the ability to kill him?
"The Sand Village's prosperity is the product of its rise over the last ten years. Unlike Konoha."
"Although Konoha may appear inferior to the Sand Village at first glance right now, its accumulated depth is still the greatest among the Five Great Hidden Villages. The Reanimation Jutsu alone is enough to accomplish incredible things when wielded correctly."
"The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and including Uchiha Madara himself. If you could summon them and intervene at a crucial moment, even the Fourth Kazekage might not be able to handle it."
"Uchiha Madara's corpse is currently in the Fourth Kazekage's possession. But I also possess a Reanimation sacrificial offering. In short, as long as the Fourth Kazekage dies, the Rinnegan and the Mangekyo Sharingan can easily fall into your hands."
"Aaa."
Hearing these words, Orochimaru suddenly laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at?" the shadowy figure asked.
"Let me confirm something," Orochimaru said, studying the figure before him.
"You were created by Uchiha Madara to eventually destroy Konoha. But by bad luck you were discovered by the Fourth Kazekage, brought under his control, and are currently serving within the Sand Village."
"That is correct."
"Hmm. Sounds interesting," Orochimaru said.
"If you want my agreement, you at least need to first demonstrate your capabilities and your value as a partner."
"What do you want?"
"You mentioned that the Fourth Kazekage is researching several types of gene-modifying medicines."
"That is possible. But not so quickly."
"I have considerable patience," Orochimaru said with a smile.
The conversation between the two abruptly ceased.
Orochimaru turned his head and glanced toward the stronghold's passageway, having heard footsteps. He vanished from the spot instantly.
Shortly after, a Sand Village Anbu member assigned to guard this stronghold emerged from the passageway and entered the space beneath the statue.
He stood there staring blankly into the cave, frowning slightly.
After confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, the Anbu member turned and left.
This person was one of the informants the Sand Village had assigned to monitor the White Zetsu production. He was also one of the two personnel keeping watch on Black Zetsu specifically. An elite Jonin with a Sharingan transplant.
After the Sand Village Anbu departed, Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows.
This time it was not with the White Zetsu but acting alone.
The truth was, the more Black Zetsu considered its situation, the less it was willing to simply sit and wait for death.
Although Yuji had promised that he would help resurrect Otsutsuki Kaguya in the future, Black Zetsu had never truly believed that promise was sincere. During this period, it had been closely following developments and attempting to quietly probe Yuji's real plans and intentions, but every attempt had been deflected and thwarted. Yuji was clearly and deliberately guarding against it.
Furthermore, Black Zetsu had been sent to this base and assigned to manage the White Zetsu production on a daily basis. It was being used as a pure instrument. It had no influence over Sand Village affairs whatsoever.
Because of all this, Black Zetsu had eventually found Orochimaru.
It had now completely abandoned any plan involving the Rinne Sharingan and using it to resurrect Kaguya in the conventional way. Its singular desire now was for the Fourth Kazekage standing above it to disappear.
As long as Yuji lived even one more day, Black Zetsu could not advance its plans.
If he died, then at some point in the future it would only need to find another figure comparable to Madara or Obito, including finding an heir for the eye techniques, and that would be sufficient.
Black Zetsu had to take a risk. And the Fourth Great Ninja War was the opportunity it had been waiting for. It had enough time to plan.
Beyond calculation, it was also intuition. Black Zetsu had developed a premonition that Yuji was intending to move against it at some point. Not now, but eventually. It absolutely needed a countermeasure, something that could serve as a trump card if the relationship ever turned adversarial.
Orochimaru was the best available choice. And he had now conveniently become a rogue ninja as well.
Black Zetsu had found Orochimaru without hesitation, willing to expose its own existence to do so. It had also elaborated its disguise, not actually expecting Orochimaru to help it resurrect Kaguya. Its singular objective was to use Orochimaru's hand to eliminate Yuji.
That was all.
Completing the first stage of the plan.
As long as Yuji was dead, Black Zetsu would immediately disappear into hiding and then wait for the right moment in the future, finding another person to use in pursuing its ultimate goal once more.
"If it fails," Black Zetsu thought, and its heart sank slightly at the consideration.
From its current observations, Yuji appeared to have some connection to the Otsutsuki clan. His own power might also be undergoing some kind of ongoing development or change. He was not as terrifyingly unassailable as Black Zetsu had initially assessed.
Otherwise, dealing with the Four Great Ninja Villages would not require using White Zetsu as cannon fodder at all.
Theoretically, at this point in time, Black Zetsu still retained the ability to make a move against the opponent.
The only thing required was to be sufficiently careful about it.