Up in the Kage box, the mood had shifted completely.
"…Kazekage-dono," The Third Hokage said mildly, the weight beneath the words anything but mild, "your son seems… agitated."
The masked 'kazekage' turned slightly, as if only just now noticing.
"Gaara is… special," the disguised Orochimaru replied, his voice low and distorted behind the mask. "He was entrusted with a great power at a young age. Sometimes it… leaks."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed a fraction. He took a slow drag from his pipe, the ember at the tip glowing softly before dimming again.
"…I see," he said at last.
His voice was calm, almost casual.
Even so, he kept his eyes on the arena below, watching closely.
A Jinchūriki losing control during the Chūnin Exams… in the middle of Konoha.
Hiruzen exhaled a thin stream of smoke.
"…That is a dangerous kind of power to bring into another village, Kazekage-dono."
His tone was courteous, but the message underneath was plain enough.
The "Kazekage" said nothing more, only watching the arena in silence. Seeing that, Hiruzen grew even more suspicious.
--
"He's hurt after all..." Temari said, her voice trembling, her expression ugly.
Kankurō didn't look any better. Both of them knew exactly what that implied.
'He's different from before. Even the look in his eyes has changed,' Haku thought as he watched Gaara's strange state. He understood as well that Gaara might go on a rampage at any moment.
"But... then again, it seems that's not the only thing we need to worry about right now..."
Haku slowly lifted his gaze to the sky as white feathers drifted down over the arena and into the stadium.
"Heh...? What's this?"
"Feathers..."
Other people noticed them as well and even reached out to catch them, but then their eyelids grew heavy, and one by one, they started falling asleep.
"Kakashi, this must be..." Might Guy said, his face turning serious as he looked at his eternal rival.
"Yeah... it's a genjutsu," Kakashi replied just as seriously.
Then both of them spoke at the same time.
"Release!"
"Huh? What's going on?" Naruto glanced around suspiciously for a moment. Then his eyelids suddenly grew heavy, and he instantly slapped himself awake before shouting with a panicked look on his face,
"Release, damn it!"
"Be careful, you two... it's a genjutsu!" Sakura said urgently as she also released the genjutsu trying to trap her.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Naruto hadn't fallen for it. Then she turned toward Sasuke, only to freeze in confusion.
She saw Sasuke's body tremble slightly, while a huge smile spread across his face.
She had never seen that kind of expression on him before.
"Sasuke-kun?"
"...It's nothing, Sakura. Mind your own business," Sasuke said absentmindedly, clearly having no intention of paying attention to her right now.
He had better things to focus on.
The time had come, Sasuke exhaled a deep breath, trying hard to make himself calm.
Kabuto is already moving... In that case, it's just about time, Baki thought as he glanced toward the Fourth Kazekage, who was still seated beside the Third Hokage.
Up in the stands, both the Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" slowly turned their heads at the same time and locked eyes.
"Let's begin," the Fourth Kazekage said in a deep voice.
Swoosh.
Boom!
Before anyone could react, the sound of explosions rang out, and smoke began spreading from where they were seated, obscuring everyone's vision.
At the same time, the Sound shinobi and Sunagakure shinobi, having received the signal, moved in unison at full speed.
"The operation begins."
Even the Sand siblings, Temari and Kankurō, distanced themselves from the Konoha genin and appeared beside Baki.
"Lord Hokage!" Kakashi and Guy, realizing the situation was wrong, were just about to move in to support him when several shadows flashed past them.
"Leave it to us."
The ANBU squad had already been deployed, moving in perfect coordination.
Kakashi and Guy stopped and glanced at each other.
"What's going on, Kazekage?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, his eyes fixed on the Fourth Kazekage.
But the Fourth Kazekage remained silent, not saying a single word.
The ANBU moved at once, clashing with the Sand and Sound shinobi in front of them.
"You're in our way... get lost!" one of the ANBU said coldly as he instantly brought down his opponent.
The rest of the ANBU were no joke either.
They cut down their enemies one after another without hesitation.
Just then, the smoke cleared, and what they saw made them stop dead in their tracks.
Their Third Hokage was being held hostage by the Fourth Kazekage, a kunai pressed against his neck.
And that wasn't all.
Four shinobi wearing Sound forehead protectors and strange clothing appeared in four different positions around the area.
"It's finally time for us to show ourselves," one of them said, one hand resting on his waist, sounding completely confident despite being surrounded by Konoha's ANBU.
"We've been disguised for so long... I'm getting seriously frustrated," another said with a sarcastic laugh.
"You all smell so sweaty... it's disgusting!" the girl among them said, her face full of disgust.
"Come now... we're all comrades here, aren't we?" the fat one said with a serious expression.
Sound shinobi... Hiruzen muttered inwardly, his expression tightening with annoyance.
"Raidō... we have to support Lord Hokage," the leading ANBU said as he glanced back at his comrades, who immediately nodded.
"Let's move... be careful of traps."
Swoosh!
Just then, the Fourth Kazekage, who had remained silent the entire time while restraining the Third Hokage, finally spoke in a loud voice.
"Do it now!"
"Yes, sir!"
The four Sound shinobi immediately formed hand seals and shouted in unison,
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A purple barrier rose instantly, completely sealing the Fourth Kazekage and the Third Hokage inside.
One ANBU shinobi, moving too fast to stop himself, slammed straight into it and was burned to ashes by the barrier's terrifying power.
The rest of the ANBU halted at once.
"Fourth Kazekage..." This time, Hiruzen's voice carried clear anger as he glared at the man still holding him.
"Such a powerful barrier... to think they were able to outmaneuver even the ANBU," Kakashi said, one hand still in his pocket, his visible eye narrowed sharply.
"They're no ordinary shinobi," Might Guy said behind him, equally serious.
Just as they prepared to move again, several black shadows flashed across the area, and Sand and Sound shinobi spread out around them.
"To think Sunagakure would betray Konoha..." the Third Hokage said through gritted teeth.
If Obito had heard that, he probably would have laughed out loud and said, When has your village not been betrayed? Stop acting like this is the first time.
"The treaty was nothing more than camouflage to make our enemies lower their guard," the Fourth Kazekage said in a mocking tone.
"From here on... the petty games end."
"Are you trying to start a war?!"
"That's right."
Hiruzen was momentarily speechless at such a direct answer, but he still continued with his Talk no Jutsu.
"One should avoid resolving things through armed conflict... and seek a solution through negotiation."
"There is still time, Lord Kazekage."
"Hehehe..."
"Perhaps one grows too accustomed to peace when one becomes old."
"Sarutobi-sensei..."
The "Fourth Kazekage" laughed first, then spoke in a chilling tone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly, and sweat slowly rolled down his face as he realized the truth.
"You are..."
"Orochimaru!"
He could hardly believe that his own student had appeared before him in such a way.
--
"Um… what now?"
Haku looked a little awkward. Everyone around them was already doing something, and it made him feel like he should probably be doing something too.
His gaze shifted toward Gaara.
The boy was gripping his own head, drool running from the corner of his mouth, his expression twisted in clear misery.
"Hah…"
Haku let out a quiet sigh, then disappeared from his spot and reappeared beside Karin and the others.
"So… how exactly are we supposed to handle this?" Haku asked gently, glancing at them.
"Beats me," Karin replied immediately. "Honestly, we should just start smacking everyone from both sides. And then we can even—"
Cold sweat slid down Hinata's back as she heard Karin's excited suggestion.
She could already imagine the scene—every village in the stadium turning on them at once.
Before Karin could get even more fired up and actually charge into the chaos, Yugao quickly cut her off.
"Alright, alright… calm down. We don't need to do anything right now. Let's observe first."
"After all," Yugao added with a faint smile, "watching a drama like this is worth it."
"How does that make you any better, sensei?!" Karin protested, planting her hands on her hips. She clearly thought her plan was much better.
Later they could always claim they had panicked and attacked everyone out of self-defense.
"I agree with Yugao-san. Let's wait and—"
Haku suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
The others blinked in confusion.
They followed his gaze and saw Haku staring in one direction, his expression filled with a strange mix of confusion… and happiness.
Curious, they all turned their heads to look.
And froze.
Even the usually composed Kimimaro was visibly stunned.
Because standing there—
Their lord was casually leaning in the stands, hands tucked in his pockets, wearing dark sunglasses while happily clapping as he watched the chaotic battle unfolding between the villages.
"What the—!?" Karin blurted out something very unladylike, her shock completely genuine. But in the next moment her eyes lit up with excitement and she looked ready to jump over immediately.
"I see… it all makes sense now…"
Kimimaro's calm voice suddenly stopped her.
"Umm… what is it, Kimimaro-san?" Hinata asked softly.
She was also feeling happy—and a little shy—seeing their lord again.
It had been so long since she last saw him… it made her young heart race.
"This must be the lord's grand plan," Kimimaro said seriously, folding his arms. "I'm certain of it."
"Uh…?" Yugao tilted her head slightly as she thought about it.
Honestly… that did sound like something Obito would do.
If something suspicious was happening… if a war was about to break out…
Then there was a very good chance his shadow was behind it.
Meanwhile...
Obito, who had been thoroughly enjoying the chaos, suddenly felt several familiar gazes on him.
He turned his head.
Then he saw the kids—and Yugao—looking his way while huddled together in a small circle, whispering among themselves like some kind of five-person strategy meeting.
"So what are they doing?" Obito muttered, stroking his chin as he glanced at them.
Did they figure him out already?
They looked over again.
Obito casually waved back at them.
Then he raised a single finger—very much like Sung Jin-Woo—and placed it against his lips in a quiet shh gesture.
He still had things to take care of.
After all…
Next, he was planning to make a grand entrance.
And a proper entrance required a little preparation.
The group froze the moment they saw Obito raise his finger to his lips.
"…Shh?" Karin whispered instinctively, even though he was far away.
For a moment, none of them moved.
Then their little huddle tightened even more as they leaned in toward each other like conspirators.
"Did… did Lord just tell us to be quiet?" Hinata asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Karin's eyes were shining like someone had just handed her the script to a secret mission.
"Obviously!" she whispered excitedly. "This means he's already set everything up! We're probably part of some hidden operation!"
"Hidden operation?" Yugao muttered under her breath, rubbing her temple. "Don't just make things up…"
But even she had to admit… the timing was suspicious.
Kimimaro nodded slowly, his expression deadly serious.
"As expected of Lord."
Everyone looked at him.
He crossed his arms, completely convinced.
"He must be orchestrating the entire situation from the shadows. If we interfere now, we might ruin the final stage of his plan."
"…You really think that's what's happening?" Haku blinked his big eyes and asked softly lowering his voice.
Kimimaro didn't hesitate for a second.
"Without a doubt."
Hinata clasped her hands together nervously.
"S-So… we should stay quiet?"
"Yes," Kimimaro said firmly.
Karin immediately crouched down dramatically.
"Understood. Operation: Don't Ruin Lord's Mysterious Master Plan has begun."
"…That is not the name of the operation," Yugao muttered.
But despite her words, she also leaned slightly behind the railing, making sure not to draw attention.
Haku watched them all for a moment, then sighed quietly.
"…You know, I'm starting to think none of us actually know what's going on."
Meanwhile, in the stands—
Obito watched their little whisper circle with narrowed eyes behind his sunglasses.
"…Why do they look even more suspicious now?" he muttered to himself.
Shaking his head, Obito slipped both hands into his pockets and started walking down the stands step by step without looking back.
Even in the middle of all that chaos, he still looked cool as hell.
At some point, Kushina had already left the stadium and headed in Naruto's direction.
"To think you couldn't recognize my handsome face, Kushina..." Obito muttered to himself. "I'm deducting points from your favorability in my heart."
With that, space began to twist around him.
Kamui swallowed him whole, and he vanished from the spot.
After all… a grand entrance demanded the right outfit.
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