"Fight again?"
Hiroki exhaled slowly, forcing the flicker of panic back down. His heart rate leveled, his breathing evened. Emotions wouldn't help now.He steadied himself and waited for Orochimaru to speak.
How long have we even been at the border?Is the Fire Country's defense really this unstable?
Across the clearing, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes fixed on the two Rain ninjas who had just appeared. His gaze was sharp, unblinking—calculating.
Perfect… just perfect.Hanzo's two adopted sons. His personal guards.
These weren't ordinary enemies. They were among the strongest ninja in the entire Hidden Rain Village. Orochimaru had never crossed blades with them before, but their reputation alone spoke volumes.
"Are you the disciple of the Third Hokage?" one of the Rain ninja, Zheng Jue, asked, his tone wary but confident. "What are you doing here?"
They recognized him. Every Jonin-level operative in the region did. No one fighting against Konoha could afford not to know its elite.
But recognition didn't mean understanding—they had no idea how dangerous Orochimaru really was.
"I should be the one asking that," Orochimaru replied, his voice a low hiss. "This is still the Land of Fire. You're the ones trespassing."
"We received word that your outpost was attacked," Zheng Jue answered carefully. "After coordinating with Stations 97 and 98—and with your permission—we entered your territory to assist with the investigation."
His tone was polite, but Orochimaru could smell the lie.
Permission from Konoha? Impossible.The Third Hokage had sent him here precisely because he feared the Rain Village might act first. There was no way anyone in the council—least of all Danzō—would approve foreign shinobi crossing the border.
"Who gave you permission?" Orochimaru asked flatly. "Show me your authorization."
The two exchanged a glance, then produced a folded pass and tossed it over.Orochimaru caught it without lowering his guard. His golden eyes scanned the seal—and his lips curled into a thin, humorless smile.
Issued by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
He almost laughed. The Daimyo's office? They handle taxes and tea ceremonies, not military operations.If you're going to forge documents, at least make them believable.
Expression darkening, Orochimaru tossed the pass back without a word.
"Sir, are we just letting them go?" one of the Rain ninja whispered as Orochimaru's team moved off.
"We've done what we came for," Zheng Jue replied. "We confirmed Konoha's border reinforcements and their level of alertness. That's all Hanzo-sama needs to know."
"But… he's just one Jonin, and those are kids with him," the subordinate pressed.
"Have you already forgotten what we found at Post 99?" Zheng Jue shot back. "Two, maybe three separate battle traces. You really think Orochimaru was alone?"
The other man fell silent. If there was another Jonin hiding nearby, engaging now would be suicide.
"We return immediately," Zheng Jue decided. "Hanzo-sama will decide our next move."
"…I just wish Hidden Rain could stand on equal ground with Konoha one day," the other sighed.
"It will," Zheng Jue said, his voice firm. "Under Hanzo-sama's rule—it definitely will."
Konoha – Hokage's Office
Orochimaru's report reached the village by encrypted relay.Sarutobi Hiruzen read it in silence, the smoke from his pipe coiling like mist around his weary face.
"They let Rain ninja enter our borders in force…" he muttered. "Does Hanzo really intend to start a war?"
Danzo gave a derisive snort. "What else did you expect? You think he came to exchange pleasantries? The man's ambition has no limit."
He leaned forward, his one visible eye narrowing."Hanzo the Salamander can paralyze an army with a breath of his poison. He's unmatched with the blade. Stop deluding yourself, Hiruzen—this is war."
"I know," the Third Hokage murmured. He exhaled smoke through his nose. "Send word to recall Jiraiya and Tsunade."
Danzo's brow furrowed. "You think we're ready for this?"
"We don't have the luxury to be ready," Sarutobi replied bitterly. "We'll redeploy what we can. Have Hatake handle the Wind Country's incursions—keep them occupied. Recruit fresh Jonin to hold the Rain front."
"I'll take the field myself," Danzo said.
Sarutobi nodded slowly. "Good. End that conflict quickly. I'll deal with Ōnoki personally if I have to."
Danzo paused on his way out. "And Orochimaru? He's requesting extraction."
"Send a retrieval team—no, go yourself," Sarutobi said grimly. "Bring back all four of them. Then redeploy Orochimaru to the front lines."
He hesitated. "The last report mentioned… Hiroki Sawada. What do you make of him?"
Danzo stopped in the doorway. "The boy who supposedly took down two elite jonin?"
Sarutobi nodded. "Orochimaru's evaluation was… unusually high."
The Hokage frowned. Even he found the report difficult to believe. A child defeating two elite jonin? Without backup? It bordered on impossible.
"Check for yourself," Sarutobi finally said. "Then decide what to do with him."
The Underground Exchange – Somewhere in the Borderlands
A tall man stitched together with surgical seams stood under the dim lantern light. His grin was crooked, his head slightly tilted—almost detached.
"Hiroki Sawada?" he asked, voice low and rough.
"Yes," the broker replied. "A newly famous ninja. Still a Genin, but rumored to use poison. Not much intel beyond that."
"And the target's connected to him?"
"Not directly. Just a teammate. But if the target dies, it doesn't matter what happens to the others."
"Any bounties on them?"
The broker flipped through a dossier. "Orochimaru—seventeen million ryo, alive or dead. Uzumaki Kushina—twenty-two million, alive only. And Hiroki Sawada—five million, any condition."
The stitched man chuckled darkly. "Then we'll take all three."
"Be careful," the broker warned. "According to reports, that team has strange abilities—memory interference, illusion disruption. We found traces of it during autopsies."
The man tilted his head, vertebrae cracking audibly. A thin line of black veins pulsed beneath his skin, snaking like wires.
"You think I'll fall to a little genin's illusion?" he sneered.He adjusted his cloak, grinning wide enough for the stitches on his cheeks to stretch.
"Just wait."