Providing only basic guidance and direction wouldn't consume much of his time. After all, he was the one who had initiated the plan in the first place.
"I'll take responsibility," Roshi said calmly.
The Third Hokage smiled, clearly pleased.
"Roshi," he said after a brief pause, his voice lowering with rare candor, "to be honest… when it comes to the changes sweeping through the ninja world, neither I, nor Koharu, nor Homura truly know the right answers anymore."
"Many lessons from the past no longer apply."
"The only thing we can foresee is this—Konoha's future displays of strength, and its exchanges with other villages, will increasingly rest on those young genin… and even on children who haven't graduated yet."
His gaze was steady as it lingered on Roshi.
"You, Kakashi, Tenzo, Gai… you are among the village's finest talents. But the wars forced you to mature too quickly. Your ranks and reputations now place you beyond the scope of these performances."
"With Kumogakure, we've already gained tangible benefits and established initial trust. We cannot afford to break that agreement over a momentary win or loss."
Hiruzen straightened, his tone turning solemn.
"You and Tsunade have done exceptionally well to bring things to this point. I will support you—wherever and however I can."
—
"Dhikamaru! Shikamaru!"
During the break, Naruto charged up to Shikamaru's desk.
Shikamaru had half his face buried in his folded arms, one eye lazily open. "…What is it this time, Naruto?"
"Yesterday at Ichiraku Ramen, I ran into Roshi-niisan!"
Shikamaru yawned deeply and shifted his head to the other side. "…So? Important people eat too, you know."
Across the classroom, Karin—who had been pretending to organize her notes—froze for a split second.
Her ears practically perked up.
She adjusted her glasses, subtly changing her posture, though her attention was now completely elsewhere.
'Captain likes ramen?'
'And that idiot actually calls him 'Niisan'…?!'
Naruto, blissfully unaware of the attention he'd drawn, continued excitedly, "But Roshi-niisan said your dad, Shikamaru, is the really important one!"
Shikamaru sighed. "What kind of important person goes around declaring they're important all day? Is that all you wanted to say, Naruto?"
"And! And!" Naruto hurried on. "Iruka-sensei also joined the Chunin Exams last year! Roshi-niisan was the one who took him there!"
"Then he even treated me and Iruka-sensei to ramen!"
"Oh."
Shikamaru's reaction was completely flat.
Naruto pouted, visibly deflated.
Behind him, Karin's fingers tightened around her pen.
'Ichiraku Ramen…'
Just then, Iruka entered the classroom with his lesson plans in hand. He clapped sharply, silencing the chatter.
"Alright, everyone, pay attention. Starting this week, the village will arrange one high-level taijutsu or ninjutsu sparring demonstration each week."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"The goal is to give you a more direct understanding of real ninja combat," Iruka continued, his gaze sweeping across the class. "Tomorrow afternoon will be the first demonstration. Attendance is mandatory. Observe carefully."
A low buzz filled the classroom—curiosity, anticipation, and the quiet thrill of a disrupted routine blending together in the air.
—
Amid the ruins of Rōran, a Flying Thunder God–marked kunai lay embedded in the earth, sealing a terrifying power buried deep underground.
Orochimaru crouched before it, his gaze lingering on the intricate jutsu formula etched into the metal.
The Yellow Flash was renowned for the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, but his mastery of sealing jutsu was no less formidable.
"Should we destroy it?" White Zetsu asked, half of his body emerging from the shadow of a shattered stone pillar nearby.
Orochimaru's lips curved into a thin smile. "Minato Namikaze didn't merely seal the Dragon Veins—he stabilized them as well. If the Akatsuki wish to achieve their goal, simply destroying the seal would be meaningless."
White Zetsu's thoughts jumped tracks, as usual. "Danzo actually sought you out for cooperation. Has someone like him, after losing power, finally learned to betray Konoha?"
Orochimaru didn't answer. Not even a flicker crossed his eyes.
Betrayal?
To Danzo Shimura—a man steeped in ambition and obsessed with the Hokage's position—such a concept never existed.
This was merely a transaction. Each side took what it needed. And the collaborator, convinced he always held the reins, would no doubt believe this entire affair served Konoha's future.
Black Zetsu cut off White Zetsu's rambling. "How long will it take to undo the seal?"
Orochimaru rose to his feet. "As I've already said, this seal maintains the Dragon Veins' stability."
"To unseal it outright would be no different from destroying it. The disturbance alone would draw Konoha's attention."
"The real challenge is opening a gap—extracting the Dragon Veins' power while keeping the seal intact."
He turned slightly, his golden eyes glinting.
"And ensuring that power reaches the right hands—that's your responsibility, Zetsu."
"Whether it ends up with Danzo… Shinno… or the Dragon Veins themselves."
"I've already proven my value," Orochimaru continued smoothly. "Now it's the Akatsuki's turn to prove theirs."
Black Zetsu replied in a low voice, "The Akatsuki has already made contact with the necessary party. You need only fulfill your role."
"Two days." Orochimaru extended his tongue, licking his lips slowly. "Just two days."
With that, Zetsu's body sank soundlessly into the ground, vanishing into the shadows.
Orochimaru watched him go, a cryptic smile playing on his face.
Danzo had clearly held something back. Not a single word appeared in the intelligence regarding the rumored descendant of Rōran's royal line—someone capable of guiding the Dragon Veins, at least to some extent.
But since Danzo had chosen this location, the hidden card prepared by Konoha's Darkness was hardly difficult to infer.
The nearby Rōran tribes had long since vanished.
So where were they hiding now?
—
"…That's the situation."
Kakashi concluded his report and gently set a document down on the desk.
Confronted with official village records—and the undeniable news of Danzo's loss of power—the two orphanage care-takers finally relented. They revealed the general whereabouts of the former director, Yakushi Nono.
Direct contact was still impossible. However, the orphanage disclosed an important detail: at regular intervals, someone would come requesting the latest photographs of the children. That line of contact had never been severed.
"At present," Kakashi continued, tracing a finger across the map, "ANBU has located the stronghold receiving the photographs and is tracking the messenger falcons' routes. All suspicious border outposts are under investigation."
"Preliminary reports show four outposts with abnormal personnel movement and material transfers."
He tapped three of them in succession.
"Three lie in the direction of the Land of Grass. Their activity patterns align with a covert operation targeting Iwagakure."
His fingertip finally stopped near the border of the Land of Rivers.
"But this one…" Kakashi continued, his voice measured, "over the past few weeks, personnel movement and material throughput here have surged abnormally—far beyond what's required for routine border defense."
Tsunade's gaze followed the path of his fingertip.
"The Land of Rivers…"
"Yes," Kakashi confirmed.
"You've already confirmed that Yakushi Nono's covert objective is Iwagakure."
"That's right. Which is why those three outposts in the direction of the Land of Grass make sense—they point toward the Land of Earth." His finger tapped the final mark. "But this one… its abnormality can't be explained by operations against Iwagakure."
There was only one major ninja village bordering the Land of Rivers that Konoha truly needed to watch.
"…Sunagakure?" Tsunade said at last.
"We can't be certain," Kakashi replied cautiously. "It could also involve Yakushi Kabuto." He paused. "What is certain is that someone intends to use this route—for something."
A knock interrupted the room.
Two light, almost perfunctory taps.
The door opened, and Roshi stepped inside, having just finished handling matters at the Ninja Academy. One glance was enough for him to sense the tension—Tsunade's furrowed brow, Kakashi's rigid stance, the map spread across the desk.
His eyes immediately fixed on the boldly marked location.
The Land of Rivers border?
That direction… Sunagakure?
Even if Rasa were restless, given the current state of the ninja world—and Konoha's strength—he shouldn't be making any reckless moves.
"Lady Tsunade."
"Kakashi-senpai."
"Has something happened in Sunagakure?" Roshi asked directly.
"No," Tsunade replied. "Kakashi uncovered new findings while investigating the remnants of Root." She gestured at the map. "Danzo may be planning something in Sunagakure's direction."
Unlike Kakashi, she didn't bother with vague phrasing.
Even without concrete evidence, the number of people capable of bypassing the Hokage and causing such abnormal troop movements was vanishingly small.
Koharu and Homura wouldn't do this.
The Third Hokage had been preoccupied lately—and had no reason to.
That left only one person.
Danzo Shimura.
Roshi fell silent, his thoughts racing. With Root's core forces dismantled, what could Danzo possibly do to Sunagakure with only a handful of remaining operatives?
A full betrayal of Konoha?
That wasn't his style.
Unless…
Unless Danzo intended to replicate Orochimaru's Konoha Crush—killing two birds with one stone.
Eliminate both the Kazekage and the Hokage… then step in himself.
After all, even if Hiruzen remained, without Tsunade—and amid the current upheavals in the ninja world—Danzo's chances of reclaiming power would skyrocket.
"Have there been any recent abnormalities from Sunagakure?" Roshi asked Tsunade.
"None. They submitted their participant list for the Chunin Exams not long ago."
Normal, huh…
"Any intelligence on Orochimaru?" Roshi turned to Kakashi.
"Nothing," Kakashi said. "There are no signs of Orochimaru's activity anywhere in the ninja world."
None…
Roshi had also been monitoring Mizuki. The so-called Sound Village was still nothing more than a name.
"For Sunagakure," Roshi said slowly, "unless a force appears that the Fourth Kazekage believes can overturn the current balance, he won't act rashly."
"He's a cautious man."
He lifted his gaze, expression sharpening.
"Which means there's still a crucial piece of intelligence we haven't uncovered."
With the known ninja forces accounted for, only one unknown remained—one capable of tipping the scales entirely.
"…The Akatsuki."
Roshi's eyes narrowed.
"Any recent movement from them?"
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