The hand gripping Uchiha Itachi's kunai tightened almost imperceptibly.
His Mangekyō Sharingan remained calm, yet deep within, the faintest ripple seemed to pass.
As a former ANBU captain, how could he fail to sense the anomaly in all this?
Orochimaru did not wait for Itachi's response—or rather, he did not need one.
He continued speaking, his voice carrying a cold clarity, as though he were observing the cyclical rise and fall of history itself.
"Because most intelligent people… can see it clearly."
He raised a hand and gestured toward Konoha below—the village still standing amid flames and chaos, as if he were pointing out the course of a nation.
"The great tree that is Konoha has already begun to rot from within."
"Its branches appear lush, but its roots have long been gnawed hollow by worms and ants. Factional strife. Clan divisions. A rigid leadership. And the Hokage… heh—has lost the people's hearts."
His gaze finally settled on Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged, weary face, his tone almost cruel in its pity.
"Old man, you are like the largest and oldest branch on that tree—heavy, withered… and blocking new growth."
"Only when that 'withered branch' breaks and falls—"
His voice sharpened, certain, as though stating an inevitable future.
"—can Konoha's stalled, rusting 'windmill' cast off its burden and begin turning again! Only then can it be reforged in blood and fire, reborn with new vitality!"
He paused, glancing at the subtly moved Itachi, then at the Konoha elites below—those who, in tacit understanding, ignored the Hokage's battlefield and focused on their own duties.
"Tell me, Uchiha Itachi—do you believe it?"
"If the old man dies here today…"
"I guarantee you—within three days. No, within one day!"
"All hidden conflicts within Konoha, all wavering factions, all those harboring ulterior motives… will instantly fall in line!"
"They will unite like never before! United in hatred against a common enemy!"
"Because the humiliation and grief of the Hokage's death will become the strongest glue binding them together. It will be the hammer that shatters internal deadlock!"
"One dying, obsolete Hokage—who has already become an obstacle…"
"In exchange for a united, vengeance-fueled, outward-facing 'new' Konoha—"
Orochimaru spread his hands as if presenting a flawless design. His golden eyes gleamed with a terrifying blend of madness and rationality.
"Isn't that… a profitable exchange for Konoha?"
"A dead Hokage is the best Hokage."
"And for me… to see this windmill turn again, to witness the collapse of the old order and the birth of new power…"
His lips curled faintly.
"Isn't that… precisely the interesting spectacle I've been waiting for?"
Silence fell within the barrier.
Hiruzen's expression could no longer be described as merely grim. It was despair at being utterly exposed—shame at the failure of his leadership.
Orochimaru had dissected the fragile unity he struggled to maintain, leaving it raw and bleeding.
Itachi stood silently beneath his hat. His expression remained hidden.
Beyond the sky projection, the entire shinobi world also fell into brief silence.
Everyone was shaken by Orochimaru's naked, brutal logic: sacrifice the Hokage to force unity.
Cold. Cruel. Inhuman.
And yet… disturbingly persuasive.
"…Orochimaru—a missing-nin—understands Konoha better than Konoha's own people?"
"Yeah… At first I thought no one rescuing the Hokage meant cowardice. That Konoha's spirit had scattered… But when Orochimaru puts it that way…"
"Sacrifice a decaying old Hokage. Unite the village. Break the stalemate. Create a single, outward-facing force…"
"This way of thinking… it's insane! But… if you really think about it… doesn't it almost make sense?"
Only now did many realize—Orochimaru had not returned merely to destroy Konoha.
In his own way, he might be trying to "reshape"—even "save"—what he saw as a stagnant, decaying village.
"So… is Orochimaru trying to 'save' Konoha in his own way?"
The question lingered.
Save?
Through war, death, betrayal, and the sacrifice of a Hokage? What kind of salvation was that?
"Then why?" someone asked. "He's a missing-nin! Why should he care whether Konoha lives or dies? Why take such risks for something that gains him nothing?"
Why indeed?
Revenge? Not entirely.
Amusement? The cost was too high for mere entertainment.
"Maybe… this is what they call charisma."
"The truly powerful operate beyond ordinary logic."
"They act because they wish to. No need for explanation. No need to conform to moral standards."
"'This is my will'—that alone is their creed."
"Orochimaru wants to see the windmill turn again. He wants to shatter the old order and witness change."
"So he pushes. He creates the storm."
"As for how many die… how much infamy he bears… he doesn't care."
"He cares only about the result—and the pleasure of watching it unfold."
That interpretation left many deep in thought—and deeply unsettled.
"…You know," someone muttered with a strange tone, "compared to Orochimaru… Uchiha Itachi seems… far inferior."
The remark drew murmurs of agreement.
"Exactly! Itachi's handsome, powerful, those eyes are priceless—but something about him feels… twisted."
"Right! Orochimaru's creepy and disgusting, sure—but at least he's clear about what he wants!"
"He wants immortality? He researches forbidden jutsu. He wants power? He experiments. He thinks Konoha's stagnant? He comes back to push it forward! Clear and direct!"
"But Itachi? He massacres his clan 'for the village,' defects 'as a spy,' now returns to 'execute a traitor' and save the Hokage…"
"It feels like he's splitting apart at the seams!"
"What does he actually want? Does he even know?"
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