Chapter 105: Raikage: Enough Pretending, Time to Attack Konoha!
If—
Provoking Iwagakure, the Akatsuki, and Amegakure, embedding his body with Sharingan, and forcing talented ninja children into Root was all done to strengthen Konoha's power…
That could still be tolerated.
But handing over Konoha's defense maps to a rogue ninja—how could that be explained?
Could it be that Orochimaru, like Uchiha Itachi, secretly bore the Will of Fire, enduring disgrace and betrayal just to protect Konoha in the shadows?
Bastard!
Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled with fury, wanting nothing more than to storm into Konoha's prison and beat Danzo to a pulp.
"Shikaku, notify the security forces and ANBU immediately. Switch to the contingency defense plan."
"If you see anyone suspicious, don't capture—kill on sight!"
His tone was cold and filled with killing intent.
Though he had compromised on many things over the years, he would never tolerate anything that endangered the safety of the village.
Also trembling was Baki, who had taken the Wind Kage's seat in the stands after his sudden departure.
"Lord Kazekage… Orochimaru…"
Baki's eyes widened in shock.
He had just witnessed Orochimaru, together with Kabuto and Kimimaro, assassinate a completely unprepared and defenseless Rasa.
After that, he disguised himself as the Fourth Kazekage and infiltrated the Suna delegation.
The whole arena was in uproar.
"Orochimaru killed the Fourth Kazekage and has already infiltrated Konoha? Is he planning to launch the Konoha Crush?"
A player couldn't help but cry out.
Everyone turned their eyes toward the center of the viewing stands.
Just moments ago, the Kazekage had found an excuse to leave.
Hiruzen's expression turned dark as he asked, "Baki, is Sunagakure declaring war on Konoha?"
No one expected a single Golden Critical Hit during the joint exams to uncover Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan.
Baki, flustered and panicked, didn't even try to explain. He quickly ordered the Suna shinobi accompanying him to verify the situation and said, "Lord Hokage, Orochimaru is the true mastermind here. As you saw, Sunagakure is also a victim."
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen glanced at the unbothered Mizukage and Raikage, and then at the eager-to-act Tsuchikage. He dropped the subject for now.
If he pushed too hard, Sunagakure might flip the table right then and there.
He needed to immediately adjust Konoha's defense network.
Damn Orochimaru. Damn Danzo!
Inside the arena,
The disguised Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly. He muttered, "So the Konoha Crush plan has been exposed."
Then, he suddenly smiled and looked toward the noble faction's viewing area, shaking his head. "But unfortunately for them, the plan has changed. I'm no longer the villain behind the attack on Konoha. I'm…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the look he gave Hiruzen was full of meaning.
Sensei, rather than let you rot into dust, let me be the one to write your final chapter.
"Lord Hokage, an ANBU has gone missing. We suspect they were killed."
An ANBU member appeared suddenly, kneeling with one knee on the ground.
Hiruzen's face darkened. "Who did it?"
"The missing ANBU was guarding the exam arena. Initial evidence suggests it's related to the Kazekage who just left."
"Alert the security forces. Surround the arena. No one enters or leaves."
Hiruzen issued the order without hesitation, his expression serious.
Raikage was the first to explode. "Hokage, are you trying to restrict my personal freedom?"
Hiruzen explained, "My apologies. Orochimaru has infiltrated Konoha. I must ensure everyone's safety."
"Hmph!"
Onoki scoffed, "To think a rogue ninja could get this far—to the point of killing someone during the Chūnin Exams. Seems Konoha isn't as powerful as the rumors say. Since it's come to this…"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb that had fallen to the ground earlier.
Right in front of everyone, he pulled the pin.
Whoosh.
The smoke bomb flew high into the air and exploded into a dazzling firework, forming the symbol of Iwagakure.
"Old fool," Raikage muttered. "I was planning to wait until after the exams, but I guess there's no point in pretending anymore."
He casually removed his outer robe, revealing his tightly packed muscles, and also signaled for action.
Mei Terumi covered her mouth in surprise and chuckled. "Looks like things are getting out of hand. Hokage, it seems your position is in danger."
"So they were planning to take advantage of the exams to attack Konoha,"
Hiruzen muttered. He wasn't surprised at all—thanks to Asuma's repeated warnings, he had long anticipated this.
Boom.
A puff of smoke burst open.
"Everyone, I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku. If you stop now, Konoha will pretend nothing happened. You'll all remain our honored guests. What do you say?"
A man with wild white hair tied at the back and wearing wooden sandals landed in the arena.
Jiraiya's expression was goofy as always, but his eyes were sharp and full of caution.
Without hesitation, he stood beside Hiruzen.
Though he had been disillusioned by his teacher's decisions and left the village, if anyone dared to attack Konoha, he would fight to the death.
"Jiraiya… it's been a long time."
Hiruzen's murky eyes lit up. He tore off his ceremonial robes, revealing the battle armor he had already donned.
Jiraiya looked serious. "Now's not the time for reunions. I can't believe Orochimaru would go this far—daring to attack Konoha."
"Jiraiya, is it…"
The Kage were all familiar with the legendary Sannin who had shined during the war.
According to the intel,
He had long since left Konoha and was last seen in the Land of Hot Water. No one expected him to return so quietly.
Originally, Raikage and Tsuchikage had planned to work together—kill the Hokage as quickly as possible, and then unleash chaos on Konoha while it was leaderless. After that, they would rally their border forces to conquer the Land of Fire's territory.
But now, it was clear that Sarutobi Hiruzen had anticipated everything.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
The ANBU who had just reported suddenly launched an attack, summoning three others. They quickly moved to the corners of the viewing stands.
A translucent purple barrier of fire rose up.
Their masks came off—
Revealing the faces of the Sound Four.
From inside the arena came Orochimaru's eerie voice: "It's been a while, Sarutobi-sensei."
Hiruzen turned slightly, closed his eyes in pain, and sighed. "I never thought it would come to this… my beloved student, Orochimaru."
From within the barrier, Raikage let out a laugh. "Looks like Orochimaru wants to use us to take you down. Quite the plan."
"I was worried about all the Konoha shinobi coming to your aid, but now it seems we should thank Orochimaru properly."
The original plan was to kill the Hokage swiftly if possible.
Jiraiya's sudden appearance threw that plan into disarray. If they couldn't kill Hiruzen quickly, they risked being dragged into a quagmire.
Some had even considered backing down...
But then Orochimaru appeared, deployed the Four Violet Flames Formation, and gave them yet another unexpected advantage.
As expected of Konoha—
Always full of surprises.
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