As Orochimaru finished speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew solemn. His tone carried the weight of years:
"You don't need to prove your strength to me."
"If you had used it the right way… would we be standing in this situation right now?!"
His voice echoed through the shattered silence. Even Zeldris, floating above the battlefield with an aloof gaze, couldn't help but chuckle faintly. Yet his expression remained distant, unreadable.
So this was Orochimaru's true purpose in coming to Konoha… Was it really to kill Sarutobi? Or had his obsession with proving his research outweighed even that desire?
Zeldris raised an eyebrow slightly at the thought, amused.
Below, Orochimaru laughed bitterly. His eyes glinted with something between pain and madness as he looked at his former master.
"In the end, you just couldn't accept my research," he said, his voice low. "If you had made me the Fourth Hokage… none of this would've happened."
The grin on his face vanished, replaced by cold resentment. His eyes locked onto Sarutobi with barely contained fury.
Zeldris, watching from above, narrowed his eyes. So he's still clinging to that?
He glanced down at Sarutobi. If Orochimaru had become Hokage back then… Danzo would've been pulling the strings from behind. This village would've belonged to that snake by now.
He smirked quietly to himself. Though in the end, Danzo still found his moment. After all… I helped him get this far.
At that thought, Zeldris smiled faintly and shook his head.
Now… it was Danzo's move.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes dimmed, lost in distant memories. The weight of his regrets pressed down like an old cloak, worn and heavy.
He had seen promise in Orochimaru once. A genius. A hope for the future. And yet...
His voice softened, tinged with sorrow.
"Orochimaru… Minato held the true will of fire in his heart. But you…" He paused, eyes filled with quiet pain. "Your heart was too dark. You were never meant to be Hokage."
Then, slowly, his gaze shifted upward—to Zeldris.
He could sense it. Zeldris didn't carry the will of fire either. In his presence, Hiruzen felt only unease.
Orochimaru's laugh rang out again, louder and more twisted this time.
"Enough! Will of fire, will of fire… I'm sick of hearing it!"
Sarutobi said nothing. He simply watched his former student—one he had once let live out of mercy. And now…
Now, that mistake was about to consume Konoha.
Zeldris too… he thought bitterly. I let him go. Twice. And now, the flames are rising around me.
His fingers twitched, prepared for what must come.
Then, from above, a calm voice broke through his thoughts.
"…That's enough talk, Orochimaru. Go on. I'm waiting."
Hiruzen's eyes snapped up to Zeldris.
What's his game? He couldn't make sense of it. Why wasn't Zeldris making a move? Was he really just here to watch?
Orochimaru, caught off guard by Zeldris's remark, chuckled coldly.
"Heh… Alright then, Zeldris-sama. I won't keep you waiting."
He turned back to Hiruzen, his eyes sharp and gleaming with bloodlust.
"Sensei… Let me be the one to end this."
His killing intent surged like a blade.
But Sarutobi's focus wasn't on Orochimaru anymore. No—his instincts screamed at him to watch Zeldris.
That man was far more dangerous.
"Support Orochimaru first," he ordered quietly to the two ANBU beside him. "Once I've dealt with Zeldris, we'll strike him together."
The two masked ANBU exchanged alarmed glances.
"But… Lord Third," one began, hesitating. They both understood. Zeldris wasn't just powerful—he was monstrous. Could their aging Hokage truly stand against such a being?
Yet before he could finish, Sarutobi cut him off.
He moved swiftly—hands forming seals with precision honed over decades.
"Katon: Karyuu Endan!"
(Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!)
Boom!!
A torrent of flames erupted from his mouth, twisting into a massive dragon that surged through the air. The heat pulsed outward in waves, the temperature in the square rising sharply.
The dragon split into three with uncanny control, each segment closing in on Zeldris from a different angle—like hunting hounds driven by their master's will.
From below, one of the ANBU couldn't help but mutter in awe, "Incredible… to control the flame dragon with such precision…"
Indeed, Sarutobi Hiruzen had mastered this technique to perfection. This was the might of the Professor. The Third Hokage.
Once hit by this, even the strongest foes would be reduced to ash.
He wasn't going to let Zeldris move. Not even an inch.
From a short distance away, Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock.
He's attacking Zeldris?!
He had seen Zeldris's power firsthand. The devastation. The overwhelming presence. And yet, Hiruzen was making the first move?
"What… are you doing, sensei…?" Orochimaru whispered, disbelief written across his face.
Has he lost his mind? Or… has he sensed the danger Zeldris poses too?
He didn't move. He simply watched.
Whatever happened next… he wanted to see what kind of monster Zeldris truly was.
The violent fire-style dragon flame bullets roared through the air, reaching Zeldris in the blink of an eye. Flames coiled and surged around him like living serpents, threatening to swallow him whole.
Zeldris raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise passing through his normally impassive gaze.
"So… the old man decided to go straight for me," he murmured, more amused than concerned.
But the surprise faded just as quickly as it came. His eyes narrowed.
So you've figured it out, huh? That it was me who caused the earlier destruction.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips, and his eyes returned to that familiar, indifferent calm.
As the heat intensified, the space around him distorted, the air crackling from the blazing temperature. Yet Zeldris simply extended his hand—calmly, deliberately—and remained completely still.
From below, the two ANBU ninjas watched, visibly confused.
"This guy… what's he doing?"
"He's not even trying to dodge! Is he planning to take that attack head-on?!"
Their disbelief was written all over their faces. Even if Zeldris was strong, no one in their right mind would try to withstand a jutsu like that bare-handed. Would they?
Hiruzen's sharp gaze remained fixed on the flames.
"Detonate!" he commanded.
But the expected explosion never came.
Instead, something strange occurred.
The three massive fire dragons—each brimming with destructive chakra—began to shrink.
"…What?" Hiruzen muttered, his voice laced with confusion.
Before he could make sense of it, one of the ANBU let out a sharp cry.
"L-Look! The flames…!"
Hiruzen turned his gaze back just in time to see the blazing dragons shrink rapidly—until they vanished altogether, not even ash left behind.
The only trace they had ever existed was the scorched scent still lingering in the air.
"What the hell did he just do…?"
Hiruzen stared, stunned. He hadn't seen Zeldris weave a single hand seal. There was no sign of ninjutsu. And yet—
Orochimaru, standing silently nearby, frowned.
He'd been observing intently. Before the fire dragons hit, Zeldris had only raised his right hand.
And then… the flames disappeared.
That was it.
"What… kind of ability is this?"
Then, Orochimaru noticed it—a faint shimmer around Zeldris's body. A translucent, almost ethereal white barrier surrounding him like a second skin.
His eyes narrowed.
"Could it be… absorption?"
His breath caught for a second as realization sank in.
"He absorbed it…" he whispered, eyes locked on Zeldris. "He really absorbed that entire jutsu…"
Shock rippled through him.
Just how many secrets does this man have…?
A heavy silence blanketed the area. Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
Hiruzen's expression twisted, a complex mixture of shock and wariness in his eyes. Yet he didn't falter. His hands began to move—fast, practiced, unrelenting. Fingers blurred through a complex series of seals.
Within seconds, chakra surged.
From thin air, a towering curtain of water erupted behind him, crashing upward like a tidal wave.
But it didn't stop there.
Bolts of lightning sparked across its surface, merging with the water to form an unstable, glowing fusion.
The ground shook under the chakra pressure.
"Wait…" one of the ANBU whispered, eyes wide. "That's—!"
"Water and Lightning Style… a composite jutsu?!" Orochimaru's voice carried a rare note of awe.
He smirked slightly. "As expected from the man who mastered all five chakra natures… Sarutobi-sensei."
But even as he admired the old Hokage's craftsmanship, doubt flickered in his heart.
It won't work… not against him.
Hiruzen's voice boomed through the air.
"Combined Elemental Jutsu—Thunder Water Dragon Bomb!"
From the roaring water curtain, a massive dragon emerged, its body composed of writhing water currents and covered in lashing blue lightning.
It let out a thunderous roar, then launched forward with terrifying speed.
Its presence distorted the space around it, pressure alone making the nearby trees tremble.
Still, Zeldris didn't flinch.
Hovering midair, he looked down at the surging dragon, expression untouched by fear or concern. Instead, he sighed lightly and shook his head.
"Third Hokage… you really don't understand, do you?"
His calm words drifted down like falling ash.
Hiruzen's fingers trembled.
The next moment, the dragon struck.
Everyone held their breath.
And then—
The exact same thing happened.
The mighty thunder-water dragon, which should've turned Zeldris to ash in seconds, shrank—collapsing inward like a dying star—until nothing remained.
Gone. As if it never existed.
Gasps filled the air.
Hiruzen took a step back. His eyes locked on Zeldris, and this time he could clearly see it—that faint, glowing barrier surrounding him.
"…So it's true," he muttered. "He absorbed it."
Thinking that far, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Zeldris with a deep, heavy gaze.
This man… Zeldris had truly become someone formidable. A force not easily reckoned with.
Just as the thoughts stirred in his mind, Zeldris's calm, almost lazy voice drifted through the air and reached his ears.
"Sandaime," he said, tone steady and quiet, "I told you before—don't interfere in matters between a master and his disciple."
"Why are you still so persistent in standing against me?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen suppressed the ripple of unease in his chest. He lifted his eyes and looked straight at Zeldris, voice low but firm.
"Zeldris… what is your purpose in siding with Orochimaru?" he asked. "Is it truly vengeance against Konoha?"
The question hung in the air for a beat, and even Orochimaru tilted his head at that, a crooked smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His tongue flicked out ever so slightly as he eyed Zeldris with open curiosity.
He wanted to know the answer too.
Zeldris chuckled quietly at their stares. A crooked grin pulled at his lips.
"To tell you the truth, Sandaime…" he said, his voice growing colder, "I did have a grudge against Konoha."
The moment he said it, a flicker of tension spread through the air.
So it was true after all?
But before anyone could react, Zeldris continued.
"…That was in the past."
His voice softened again, more casual now.
"Now, I just take jobs. This—" he spread his arms lazily "—is business."
"I'm here in Konoha for one reason only…"
A pause.
"…Money."
The silence that followed was almost comical.
Everyone froze.
"…What?" one of the ANBU muttered, stunned.
Even Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"For money?" Hiruzen repeated under his breath, unable to hide his confusion.
Zeldris looked at their baffled expressions and sighed, shaking his head as if disappointed.
"I knew it," he said flatly. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."
Then he turned toward Orochimaru, his voice sharper now.
"Enough talk. Let's get this over with, Orochimaru."
He then glanced one last time at Hiruzen.
"And Sandaime… I told you, I won't interfere in your fight."
"But if you insist on dragging me into it…"
His smile vanished. In its place, a chilling gleam passed through his eyes.
"Then I can't guarantee I'll keep standing still."
A heavy silence followed his words.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face stiffened. Zeldris wasn't threatening—he was warning. Cold, precise, and deadly serious.
Before he could respond, Orochimaru stepped forward with a low chuckle. He licked his dry lips and let out a rasping voice:
"Well then… it's finally my turn to perform, Sarutobi-sensei."
As his words fell, the two ANBU moved instinctively, stepping in front of Hiruzen, tense and alert.
But before they could react, another voice—cold and emotionless—cut through the moment like a blade.
"I said… don't interfere in their personal grudge."
A pause.
"That doesn't mean you can stand in my way."
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