The atmosphere inside the dimly lit underground laboratory was tense, the sterile smell of disinfectant faintly mixing with the earthy scent of Hashirama's cells stored nearby. Orochimaru stood beside a metal operating table, his pale hands slowly putting away his surgical instruments. Moments earlier, he had performed several complex procedures—each one precise, calculated, and unnervingly cold.
Across from him, Danzō Shimura stood silently, the flickering lab lights reflecting in his narrowed eyes. His expression was as unreadable as ever, but the tension in his jaw revealed what his face did not—impatience mixed with ambition.
"The Root must preserve its strength to guard against future threats from other villages," Danzō declared matter-of-factly, as though he were reciting a simple truth rather than justifying his own inaction.
Orochimaru paused mid-movement and turned slightly, a thin, sharp smile tugging at his lips.
"Danzō," he drawled, tone dripping with mock amusement, "have you been spouting your propaganda for so long that you've started believing it yourself? You're not worried about Konoha's safety. You're hoping Hiruzen-sensei dies fighting that monster outside. That way you'd finally have your chance to take the Hokage's seat."
Danzō let out a derisive snort, refusing to dignify the accusation with a direct rebuttal.
Instead, he shot back, "Then why aren't you out there helping?"
Orochimaru chuckled softly—an unsettling sound that echoed faintly through the room. He didn't bother turning around again, resuming his cleanup as though the conversation bored him.
Since the moment he saw Nawaki's body torn apart by explosive tags during the Second Great Ninja War, his obsession with immortality had only grown. And after the war ended, he had retreated deeper into his research, spending nearly all his time in this hidden laboratory. Rumors circulated that he had even begun considering leaving Konoha entirely, believing the village's political restraints would hinder his quest for eternal life.
Yet, for all his twisted ambitions, the village was still his birthplace, the home where his roots lay. That alone made it difficult for him to simply walk away.
Danzō, ignoring Orochimaru's refusal to engage further, finally asked, "What about the experiment? How is the progress on Wood Release?"
Orochimaru's eyes glinted at the mention of the subject. The experiment on replicating Wood Release—a power possessed only by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—was Konoha's greatest forbidden project.
"It's proceeding," Orochimaru said calmly. "But we need more funds."
He spoke casually, almost lazily, but the meaning behind his words was firm. Experiments of this scale required vast amounts of money and resources, which was why—despite looking down on him—Orochimaru still cooperated with Danzō.
"How much funding have I already provided you?" Danzō snapped coldly. "You still haven't shown me a single successful result!"
Orochimaru let out a faint, dismissive laugh. "You of all people should know how terrifying Hashirama's cells are. If it were simple to replicate Wood Release, Konoha would have done it long ago."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Besides… you've surely been conducting your own private experiments, haven't you, Danzō?"
The Root leader's silence was confirmation enough.
Orochimaru then held up two fingers. "Funding. And test subjects. If you want results, those are the requirements."
The mention of human experimentation did not faze Danzō at all. "Very well. I will bring both tomorrow. But in return, I expect visible progress."
Orochimaru simply smiled.
---
Meanwhile — At the Chunin Exam Venue
Far above the laboratory, Konoha was in chaos. The sudden appearance of a monstrous black creature had drawn away the Hokage and many elite shinobi, leaving the village's defenses severely weakened.
Among the crowd of civilians and lower-rank ninja remaining in the exam arena, several Grass Ninja disguised as bystanders subtly exchanged glances.
This was their time.
Their mission—given by the Hidden Cloud Village—was simple and brutal:
Cause as much destruction in Konoha as possible.
No matter the cost.
It was the price they had agreed to pay for the Cloud's cooperation in investigating the mysterious Box of Ultimate Bliss. Even the Cloud didn't trust ancient legends enough to act without backup plans.
"Damn it, the Grass Ninja are moving!" Mikoto Uchiha, one of the jonin supervisors, scowled sharply the moment she noticed suspicious figures rushing from the stands.
She immediately signaled the remaining Konoha ninja. With Hiruzen gone, she had been left to oversee the safety of the Cloud's visiting jonin. Now she had to split her forces to intercept the Grass Ninja.
It was the opening the Cloud shinobi had been waiting for.
Troy—the Magnet Release user assigned to "observe" the exams—moved first. With a twist of his hand, sharp diamond-shaped shuriken hovered around him like metallic birds.
In an instant, he attacked, catching the Konoha jonin by surprise and severely injuring them.
Seeing Troy initiate combat, Killer B and the two other Cloud ninja struck without hesitation. Their coordinated assault threw the area into chaos.
Although Motoi had only recently been treated by Seisui, he was still strong enough to fight for short bursts and joined in.
"Kumo! Are you trying to start a war with Konoha?!" one Konoha jonin shouted angrily.
Troy only grinned.
He launched more magnetized shuriken, scattering the Konoha defenders with ease. Then, with ruthless efficiency, he charged directly toward Kushina Uzumaki, whose vibrant red hair made her stand out even inside the chaotic battlefield.
Killer B and the other Cloud shinobi followed, moving with frightening synchronization.
Kushina fought fiercely, her chakra chains lashing out with desperate power, but facing four elite jonin alone—even for an Uzumaki—was overwhelming. Within moments, she was knocked unconscious.
"Retreat!" Troy ordered sharply.
Holding nothing back, he and his team immediately withdrew with their unconscious target.
They abandoned the Grass Ninja without a second thought.
The Grass ninja cursed them in fury, but they had already committed to their destructive mission. The chaos was only escalating, and now that the Hokage was distracted, this might truly be their only chance to severely damage Konoha.
Even Rasa of the Sand, watching from the visitor stands, felt the same. With the monster attacking the village, Konoha was weakened. If the Sand joined in—even with limited forces—they might inflict severe damage.
But the Third Kazekage had issued strict orders:
Do not engage Konoha under any circumstances.
So Rasa remained still, silently observing while tension mounted around him. The Konoha jonin guarding him and Pakura tightened their formation, clearly shaken by the Hidden Cloud's sudden betrayal.
---
"Kushina!"
Seisui felt his chest tighten the moment he saw the unconscious red-haired kunoichi carried away.
Minato, on the other hand, was occupied protecting the Fire Daimyō and various nobles—a critical responsibility he couldn't abandon.
This left only Seisui to act.
Troy tossed Kushina to Killer B, then stepped forward to block Seisui's path. Killer B shifted into a defensive formation and continued fleeing.
"This isn't the time for your stupid rivalry!" Troy snapped at B. "Our mission comes first!"
Surprisingly, the words made Killer B immediately drop his heated battle-lust. He nodded seriously, grabbed Kushina, and retreated with the others.
Troy remained to stall Seisui.
"Rasengan!"
Seisui attacked without hesitation, but his swirling sphere of chakra slammed against a barrage of magnetized shuriken. As soon as he made physical contact with Troy's metal projectiles, his body became magnetized.
Troy smirked. "Now you can't escape. All my attacks will track you."
Magnet Release was troublesome exactly for this reason: once marked, evasion became nearly impossible.
Seisui dodged desperately, but the shuriken curved with unnatural precision. They finally struck him squarely, bursting through the clone's body—
—in a puff of white smoke.
"What? A Shadow Clone?" Troy muttered, briefly startled.
---
Inside the Emergency Medical Room
The real Seisui stood inside the room, already tense. Three Grass Ninja barged in the next moment, attempting a surprise attack.
With swift precision, Seisui weaved a one-handed sign.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Despite the room being completely dry, a massive dragon of swirling water materialized from thin air—a sight that shocked the Grass Ninja to their core.
They attempted to counter, but the water dragon crashed into them with unstoppable force, knocking all three unconscious instantly.
Seisui didn't waste a second. The moment the Grass shinobi were down, he flickered away.
His clone's memories hit him like a blow:
Kushina had been taken.
Originally, in the canon timeline, the Hidden Cloud had attempted to kidnap Kushina in secret.
But now—emboldened by the chaos—they had done so openly.
If he didn't act fast, they would escape the village.
Using his clone's last memory, Seisui tracked their path and sprinted across Konoha's rooftops, pushing his speed to the limit.
He finally caught up to them near the forest outside the village walls—
—and froze.
Standing in front of him, blocking the route…
…was a towering shinobi with golden hair, muscles like iron, and lightning crackling around his body.
The Fourth Raikage, A.
And beside him stood Dodai, silently observing.
Cloud backup had arrived.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)