Tsunade did not mince words.
"Hahaha…" Jiraiya blinked, then let out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Right… that did get revealed earlier… The old man's pretty hard to kill…"
As he joked weakly, he sneakily glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi—whose face had already darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot.
Hiruzen's emotions were a tangled mess.
Watching himself betrayed by his most talented student… watching Konoha fall into chaos…
His heart churned with anger, sorrow, and regret.
And now, hearing Tsunade and Jiraiya openly mock and expose his future failures only made his face burn hotter.
Sunagakure – Land of Wind
Rasa's expression was beyond ugly.
"So that's why…" he ground out through clenched teeth. "The first sky screen showed Gaara as Kazekage in the future…"
His fists tightened.
"So I was killed by Orochimaru…?"
Orochimaru had impersonated him and launched the Konoha Crush.
Then where was the real Fourth Kazekage?
The answer was obvious.
Already dead. Silenced somewhere in the shadows.
"Orochimaru… you deserve to die!!!"
Rasa slammed his fist onto the desk. Cracks splintered through the wood.
Back to Konoha – During the Invasion
Neji stood atop a relatively safe rooftop, Byakugan activated, gaze fixed on the distant rooftop sealed inside a massive barrier.
His expression was tense.
"Lord Hiashi! The Third Hokage is trapped! We must reinforce him immediately!"
Hiashi merely glanced at the distant battlefield and shook his head.
"The Third is known as the 'Professor.' His mastery of ninjutsu is unparalleled. He can handle Orochimaru."
He gestured downward.
"Our priority is protecting clan members, evacuating civilians, and eliminating invaders. That is the greatest support we can offer."
"Neji. Hinata. With me."
Without hesitation, he leapt toward a residential district filled with cries for help.
Neji stood still for a moment.
The Hokage was in danger.
And they weren't going?
Something felt… wrong.
But Hiashi's reasoning sounded logical.
After a brief hesitation, Neji followed.
Not far away—
"Ka-kashi! We need to support the Third!" Might Guy declared passionately, preparing to charge forward.
A hand stopped him.
Kakashi's visible eye remained half-lidded, calm as ever.
"Easy, Guy. The Hokage is hailed as the strongest of his generation. Orochimaru alone won't defeat him."
He subtly steered Guy in another direction.
"Our duty is to secure the village and rescue comrades. If we interfere recklessly, we might disrupt the Hokage's battle."
Guy, worried but trusting Kakashi completely, allowed himself to be led away without protest.
Neji saw it all.
Kakashi's calm detachment.
Hiashi's decisive refusal.
A chilling thought surfaced in his mind.
They… don't want to save him.
The thought was treasonous—even to himself.
Yet the evidence was undeniable.
Konoha's elite jōnin were being redirected.
Discouraged.
Held back.
Near the barrier, only a handful of ANBU remained—positioned more like observers than reinforcements.
Across the Shinobi World
Viewers were stunned.
"…What is Konoha doing?"
"Let me get this straight. Orochimaru invades with Suna and Sound. That's war, right?"
"Their Hokage is trapped in a one-on-one fight with the enemy leader."
"And none of their elite ninja are rushing to help?! They're even stopping others from going?!"
"Hahaha! Didn't you hear Kakashi? 'Strongest Hokage!' 'Trust the Hokage!' What kind of strongest Hokage gets isolated by his own student and has no backup?!"
"Looks more like the loneliest Hokage."
"No one's willing to risk their lives for him. That says everything."
Mockery and disbelief spread like wildfire.
What shocked people more than Orochimaru's invasion—
Was Konoha's reaction.
It painted a picture that was hard to ignore.
Hiruzen Sarutobi—
Had lost the hearts of his village.
Hokage's Office – Present Timeline
"…Old man… how did you even manage that?" Jiraiya's voice held no accusation—only confusion and sadness.
To reach a point where shinobi hesitated to save their Hokage—
What kind of leadership failure was that?
Hiruzen's lips pressed into a thin line.
His hand trembled slightly around his pipe.
Today, the sky screen had stripped him bare before the entire world—showing his humiliation and isolation without mercy.
Tsunade crossed her arms and studied both the screen and the man beside her.
Then she shook her head.
"Orochimaru… gave you an opportunity, old man."
"Huh?" Jiraiya blinked.
Tsunade's voice was calm.
"Think about it. If everyone had rushed in to reinforce you… would Orochimaru's plan have succeeded?"
She let that sink in.
"If the elite jōnin had broken that barrier together—if the ANBU had coordinated a full assault—do you really think Orochimaru could have executed his 'windmill' plan?"
Silence fell.
The implication was subtle—but sharp.
Was it incompetence?
Or was it calculation?
Did Hiruzen truly stand alone—
Or had the village leadership, consciously or unconsciously, allowed the confrontation to happen?
And if so—
What did that say about the internal fractures within Konoha?
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