"Root must preserve its strength to guard against future moves from other ninja villages." Without even thinking, Danzo gave his response.
Hearing this, Orochimaru's hands froze mid-operation. Has Danzo brainwashed others for so long that he ended up brainwashing himself, too?
"I think what you really want is for Sarutobi Hiruzen to die at the hands of that monster. That way, you'll finally have a shot at becoming Hokage."
Orochimaru cast a side glance at Danzo, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Danzo replied with a cold snort. "Then why aren't you helping?" he shot back.
Orochimaru simply sneered and returned to his experiment.
Ever since the Second Great Ninja War—when he watched Nawaki get blown apart by explosive tags before his very eyes—his obsession with immortality had only deepened.
So after the war ended, he buried himself in his lab, rarely showing his face in public. In fact, the thought of leaving Konoha had already begun to take root in his heart.
Staying in the village made the pursuit of eternal life too difficult. And yet, this was the village he had grown up in. Leaving it wouldn't be a decision made lightly.
Dropping the topic, Danzo shifted the conversation to what he really cared about—the progress of the Wood Release experiments.
As someone who had been with Konoha since its founding, Danzo knew full well the terrifying might of Wood Release.
Invincible. Two simple words that said it all.
To Danzo, if he could obtain Wood Release, forget Hokage—unifying the entire ninja world would be within his grasp.
"We're out of funding." That was Orochimaru's blunt reply.
Scientific research demanded massive amounts of money. And though he looked down on Danzo, this was precisely why he cooperated with him.
"I've already given you tons of funding, but I haven't seen any results!" Danzo's tone turned hostile.
"You of all people should know how dangerous Hashirama's cells are. If it were easy to get results, Konoha would've brought back Wood Release long ago."
Orochimaru's reply was as matter-of-fact as ever.
He knew Danzo didn't fully trust him. The man had probably run his own private experiments behind the scenes.
"Besides, I need test subjects."
Because the last round of human experimentation with Wood Release had resulted in severe losses, their current collaboration had so far avoided using live subjects.
Now, however, it had reached that stage.
"I'll bring both funds and subjects tomorrow—but I expect to see results."
---
Meanwhile—
Back at the Chūnin Exam stadium—
After Hiruzen left with the elite jōnin, the Grass ninja hidden among the crowd began their move. Their mission was clear: cause as much destruction within Konoha as possible.
This was the price of Kumogakure's support.
After all, even Kumo didn't fully understand the Box of Ultimate Bliss. They weren't about to bet everything on some mythical weapon.
"Damn it, Grass ninja!" Uchiha Mikoto, who had been left behind to monitor the Kumo shinobi, scowled as chaos broke out.
With no other choice, she led a portion of the Konoha ninja to intercept the Grass shinobi.
That left an opening. Toroi, a Kumo shinobi and Magnet Release user, launched a surprise attack, gravely wounding the remaining Konoha jōnin tasked with guarding the Kumo team.
Seeing Toroi take action, Killer Bee and the others quickly followed suit, joining forces with the Grass ninja to wreak havoc in the village.
Thanks to Aoshi's medical treatment, Motoi's wounds had not fully healed—but he was still fit for short-term combat.
"Kumo-nin! Are you declaring war on Konoha?!"
Toroi didn't bother responding. He grinned viciously and unleashed another wave of attacks.
Konoha had no choice but to fight back.
Using his Magnet Release, Toroi launched a barrage of square-shaped shuriken, forcing the surrounding Konoha shinobi to retreat.
Then he charged straight toward Kushina. He wasn't alone—Killer Bee and the others moved in as well.
Though Kushina was a fierce close-combat fighter, she was overwhelmed by the four-on-one assault. Before long, she was knocked unconscious and captured.
"Retreat!"
With the target secured, Toroi and his team didn't hesitate. They abandoned the Grass ninja and made a swift escape.
Naturally, the Grass ninja were furious. But they had already committed. There was no turning back now.
With the black-winged monster distracting Konoha's strongest shinobi, they believed there was still a real chance to devastate the village.
Rasa shared that thought.
He believed this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Sunagakure joined the assault, they might not wipe Konoha out—but seriously weakening it was definitely possible.
Unfortunately, the Third Kazekage had given strict orders: under no circumstances was Suna to initiate conflict with Konoha.
Worse, they were completely unprepared for an operation of this scale. With only himself, Pakura, and a few genin, there wasn't much Rasa could do.
So he behaved, making no sudden moves. Even so, after what happened with Kumo, the Konoha jōnin assigned to monitor the Suna delegation remained extremely alert.
"Kushina!" Seeing her being taken, Aoshi immediately stepped forward to intercept.
Minato, meanwhile, was with the other genin, guarding the daimyō and noble guests.
Killer Bee clearly wanted to face Aoshi in battle, but Toroi stopped him with a stern glance. "This isn't the time for personal grudges—the mission comes first!"
They were still deep in enemy territory. Escape was the top priority.
That snapped Killer Bee out of it. He took the bound Kushina from Toroi, leaving Aoshi with him.
Rasengan! Aoshi launched forward, spiraling chakra ball in hand.
But Toroi blocked it with his Magnet Release: Conserving Bee Twin Blades and simultaneously activated his magnetic field, magnetizing Aoshi in the process.
Now, every one of Toroi's attacks would lock on automatically—Aoshi couldn't dodge them. That was the danger of Toroi's Magnet Release.
It wasn't as overwhelming as the Third Kazekage's or Rasa's—but its homing ability made it incredibly difficult to counter. Aoshi dodged as best he could—but eventually, Toroi's attack hit him.
With a burst of smoke, he vanished—it was a Shadow Clone!
"What? Just a clone?" Toroi was caught off guard.
---
Back in the emergency medical room—
Three Grass shinobi barged in and immediately lunged for Aoshi.
He didn't hesitate—forming a one-handed seal, he unleashed Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu. Despite the lack of water in the room, a massive water dragon formed out of thin air.
The sight left the Grass ninja stunned.
They scrambled to fight back—but it was no use. The water dragon crashed into them and knocked them out with ease.
Aoshi stood silent for a brief moment. Then he vanished. The Shadow Clone's memory had returned to him. Kushina had been taken.
In the original timeline, Kumo had tried to abduct her in secret. But now, they'd done it openly amid the chaos. There weren't enough capable fighters available.
Only he could go after her.
Thanks to his clone's intel, Aoshi knew which direction Toroi and the others had fled. But when he finally caught up to them…he discovered reinforcements had arrived—the Future Fourth Raikage A and Dodai!