Another three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The skies were unusually clear, not a single cloud in sight. A rare day of good weather.
The spring sun was warm and comforting. Even at midday, its rays weren't harsh—just gently bright.
Yet Guy felt unsettled, like something terrible was about to happen.
"Why does the village feel... off today?"
Standing in the middle of the street, Guy scratched his head and glanced at the silver-haired man next to him, who was currently applying ointment to his face.
"Kakashi, what do you think?"
"The only thing that's off is you." Kakashi pointed to his bandaged face. "We were just sparring, and you went overboard again."
Despite his words, Kakashi couldn't help but be surprised by Guy's progress. Ever since undergoing physical enhancement surgery, Guy had been developing rapidly—his body had taken to the modification exceptionally well.
It hadn't been long since he opened the Fifth Gate, but now, it looked like he was ready to push further.
"Hahaha! If you're still upset about that, how about I treat you to ramen later?"
The mention of their spar snapped Guy out of his funk. He raised a finger proudly, grinning with dazzling white teeth.
"Thirty-six to thirty-five. I'm finally one win ahead!"
"Next time, I'll even the score," Kakashi muttered. Then, after a brief pause, he added more seriously,
"Let's put the competition on hold for now. Something's coming. Don't push yourself too hard—stay in shape."
As a member of the ANBU, Kakashi didn't need to go looking for intel—it often landed right in his lap. And lately, the entire village had been on edge. That tension? It wasn't normal. And Kakashi knew it better than most.
He'd invited Guy to train today under the pretense of friendly competition, but his real purpose was to issue a quiet warning.
Guy had been overexerting himself after the surgery. It was understandable—he wanted to master his new strength quickly. But right now, he wasn't ready for a sudden emergency.
"You really think something's going to happen?" Guy asked, brows furrowed.
"Just a gut feeling," Kakashi replied. "Let's hope I'm wrong."
"Alright, alright. I'll stop asking. You're buying ramen, then."
Guy gave Kakashi a hard pat on the shoulder.
"We'll figure it out when it happens."
"No, you're buying," Kakashi shot back, brushing his hand away and heading toward Ichiraku Ramen.
---
Meanwhile, in the forest west of Konoha...
A sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing as more than a dozen figures appeared. At the front stood Uchiha Shisui, wearing his ANBU gear, and beside him was Hyuga Hizashi, leader of the Hyuga branch family.
"Lord Orochimaru. Lord Kazekage. Please follow me into the village."
Shisui bowed respectfully.
"We've prepared a secure location with barriers that block detection."
Rasa, the Kazekage, gave a small nod and sighed.
"To think I'd return to Konoha like this... in my current capacity."
The last time they came this close was during the Battle of Kikyo Pass, when Sand tried to push Konoha to its gates during a moment of weakness.
How quickly roles change. Allies, enemies—impermanence was a ninja's constant.
"No need for sentiment," Orochimaru's clone smiled faintly.
"The alliance between Konoha and Suna will only deepen."
"Let's hurry. White Zetsu's clones could be watching us at any moment."
"Understood," Rasa said. The group moved swiftly into the village.
Though still called a "Kage," this was the first time since the Warring States era that a village leader came to another nation with so few guards.
Even Onoki once visited Konoha, but that was decades ago, and he was just a boy then. This was different.
Still, Rasa wasn't worried. Orochimaru had been generous so far, and that alone was enough to gain some trust.
But what kind of enemy was the Akatsuki, if they could push Orochimaru to give so much?
"Tch… the benefits Orochimaru offers don't come cheap," he muttered, glancing at the Jonin escorting him.
"I wonder how many of us will survive this time."
---
In the Hokage's office...
"Lord Hokage, Kazekage-sama is settled in," the ANBU captain reported with a bow.
"Apologize for me. I don't have time to meet him," Hiruzen said without looking up, pipe in hand, eyes focused on paperwork.
"Also, have the sealing corps stay alert. If the Akatsuki invades, they'll be our first line of warning—"
Before he could finish, a loud siren rang through the village—sharp, urgent. The highest-level alarm.
The sealing corps had sounded it. Something was happening.
Hiruzen's eyes shifted to the crystal ball used for the "Telescope Technique," but before he could activate it, the ball cracked—splintered by some unseen force.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The sound echoed inside and out.
Without hesitation, the Third Hokage leapt out the window and landed on the rooftop. Above Konoha, he saw it:
The protective barrier had shattered.
The ancient sealing formation built by the Uzumaki Clan—Konoha's detection net—was broken. Without it, the village was blind.
"So… the Akatsuki have come."
Hiruzen's face hardened.
"Follow the plan. Deploy recon teams immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
---
Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the village…
Barrier nodes exploded one after another in sequence. The Uzumaki's grand sealing formation was falling apart.
Normally, these barriers weren't built to defend against attacks from within. If the enemy was already inside, the battle was as good as lost.
But some enemies were different.
Obito, intangible, let the shockwave pass through him and spoke calmly:
"They've fought me before. They know I can slip past barriers… yet they did nothing. That's not just negligence—it's foolishness."
"Can't blame them," Zetsu's clone emerged from the ground.
"The Uzumaki Clan is long gone. Who even knows how to fix those formations?"
"Whatever. We've got a few more nodes to destroy," Obito said, swirling into Kamui space.
Zetsu vanished underground. Silence returned—leaving only rubble behind.
---
In a forest northeast of Konoha…
Lord Naoyan of Kusagakure, ruler of Gozu Tennō's Ghost Lamp City, stood watching a group of ninjas unload a massive, grotesque box from a wagon.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss. Carved with demonic faces on all sides.
Only Naoyan and his son could control it. But today, his son had been left behind. The risk was too great.
Fortunately, two heavy-hitters were here to guard him: Sasori and Kakuzu.
"Hmph. I thought I'd get to destroy Konoha myself," Sasori muttered.
"Instead, I'm stuck babysitting this guy."
"Calm down. This is Konoha we're talking about," Kakuzu said flatly.
"Even with the leader's help, we may not win."
"Still, Orochimaru's creations… I want their corpses. Modified ninja? That's art."
Sasori's tone was casual, but serious.
"We could have 'Satori catch some for you," Kakuzu suggested, nodding toward the box.
But Naoyan shook his head.
"I can only command it to kill. I don't have that kind of control yet."
A moment later, Naoyan stepped forward and commanded:
"Come forth—Satori!"
The box split open. From within the swirling blackness came a screeching cry.
A headless, black-winged monster lunged out—its clawed arm slicing toward Naoyan—
WHAM! It stopped inches from him.
"Naoyan… one day, I'll break free," the creature growled.
"And when I do, I'll drag you into hell with me."
Even Sasori and Kakuzu tensed at the sheer malice pouring from the beast.
Naoyan didn't flinch.
"If that day comes, I'll accept it. But until then, obey me."
"Your first target... is Konoha."
The monster turned its eyeless gaze toward the village and roared.
The earth shook.
With a flap of its wings, it shot toward Konoha like a dark meteor.
Naoyan let out a shaky breath and collapsed, drenched in sweat.
"City Lord?" Kakuzu asked.
"I'm fine," Naoyan replied.
"I knew what I was getting into when I made a deal with the devil…"
He looked toward the smoke rising from Konoha.
"But this time, Konoha won't get away so easily."
_____________________
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