"Pain." A pain that pierced his very heart. Even being engulfed by Fire Style jutsu during the Great Ninja Wars, even being tortured by various ninjutsu, none of it compared to the agony of losing his arm today. The pain was in his body, and also in his heart.
The Third Hokage knelt on the ground in agony, his forehead already covered in a dense sheen of sweat, his face pale from excessive blood loss. His vision began to blur. But even so, he did not fall. As the Hokage of Konoha, he had to be strong. Even in defeat, he could not collapse!
"Lord Hokage!" He heard several medical-nin running towards him, and then a warmth spread through his body. His spirit finally relaxed, and he fainted.
As his consciousness faded, images from the past flashed through his mind. A once-innocent Orochimaru, taken in as his disciple after passing the ninja exams. Back then, Orochimaru had smiled genuinely. Though his disposition was rather cold, with Jiraiya and Tsunade by his side, Orochimaru had shared some relatively warm memories. But as the Great Ninja War began, Orochimaru's smiles became fewer and colder. The topics of conversation between master and disciple gradually dwindled, shifting from everyday life to war. The distance between him and Orochimaru seemed to grow ever wider.
Finally, Orochimaru, who had performed well in the war, became eligible to be the Fourth Hokage. Yet, compared to the "Little Sun," Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru's chances were so slim.
The Third had watched Orochimaru grow, from a fledgling ninja to one of the Sannin, capable of holding his own. And then, to the Orochimaru who conducted human experiments and fled after being exposed. The final image settled on the Orochimaru of today, who had severed his arm, and with it, all ties.
Originally, the Third had still held a sliver of hope. Perhaps Orochimaru, who had defected merely due to human experimentation, might have a chance to return to Konoha. But now, in full public view, Orochimaru had made his choice. Their next meeting would be an absolute, fight to the death!
"Huff! Where is this?" By the time the Third regained consciousness, he was already in the Konoha Hospital. Looking at the white ceiling before him, his expression was somewhat melancholic.
He turned his head. Jiraiya was sitting in a chair beside him, legs propped up, fast asleep. This gave the Third a little comfort. It seemed Jiraiya still cared about him. No matter what he had done, he was still their master.
The Third felt a bit thirsty and tried to reach for the cup on the bedside table. But then he was stunned to find the sleeve of his right arm empty. That's right, his right arm was gone. Habit was truly a frightening thing.
He looked at the bedside table to his left, but there was no water cup there. He frowned, displeased. He then turned, preparing to use his left hand to get the cup. But perhaps he jarred his wound; his hand trembled, and the cup fell to the floor with a crisp crash.
Jiraiya was startled awake. He quickly helped the Third lie back down, chiding, "Hey, old man, your arm's gone, so don't go moving around! Rest well, and don't injure yourself again. You're not young anymore; another mishap and you could be done for."
The Third settled back in bed and asked hesitantly, "Konoha... how is it?"
As Hokage, his first concern wasn't his own injuries, but the state of the village. His dark past aside, the Third was quite diligent in his duties to Konoha.
"Orochimaru and the Sand-nin have both retreated," Jiraiya sighed. "This time, Orochimaru impersonated the Kazekage and led the Sand-nin invasion. Now, the Sand-nin are without a leader, and their internal situation is even more chaotic than ours. Orochimaru also escaped unscathed."
"And Konoha's losses?" The Third clutched the blanket covering him, his eyes filled with worry.
"Not too good. Many ANBU ninja were injured or killed, and the subsequent reconstruction of village buildings will be a considerable expense. Don't worry, I won't leave for a while. Just focus on recovering," Jiraiya sighed again.
"By the way, did Orochimaru reveal any strange information during the battle?"
"Strange information?"
Seeing the Third's confused expression, Jiraiya recounted the situation with the Hollows. When he learned that Hollows had wreaked havoc in Konoha, the Third's expression turned extremely grim.
"Are you saying... these monsters might be Orochimaru's doing?"
"That's right." Jiraiya's face was grave. "Such non-human creations could only be brought about through countless experiments. I was already speculating about Orochimaru's objective. Given his personality, it's unlikely he came here just to destroy Konoha."
Hearing this, the Third added, "He did say... he promised someone he wouldn't kill me."
"Someone? Could it be Danzo?" A thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind, but he quickly shook his head in denial. "Impossible. Danzo's Root later came out to fight those monsters too. If he were cooperating with Orochimaru, he would never allow Orochimaru to unleash monsters in Konoha."
"Knowing Orochimaru's personality, his objective is definitely related to Kekkei Genkai. So, I suspect these monsters are connected to him. Perhaps he wanted to use this Konoha Crush plan to test their power," Jiraiya mused. "Orochimaru has always loved research; there's no reason for him to come just to destroy Konoha. That's the only reason I can think of."
As he finished speaking, Jiraiya's expression became somewhat melancholic. He could never forget this friend with whom he had forged bonds in his youth, always fantasizing that one day Orochimaru might return to Konoha. But now, it seemed Orochimaru had completely changed.
"In the past, he didn't hesitate to use villagers as materials for his human experiments. Now, he's even researched such terrifying monsters and used Konoha as their testing ground. He's completely changed." Jiraiya's eyes were full of disappointment. Although this was just speculation, considering various motives, it was the theory that best fit the reality.
Hearing this, the Third remained silent for a long time. His empty sleeve was a constant reminder that his disciple had utterly changed. But what made him even more wary was Orochimaru's statement: "Promised someone not to kill me."
Who was that 'someone'? No matter how he thought about it, it had to be Danzo. He had been defeated by Orochimaru in full public view, his prestige suffering an unprecedented blow. For Danzo, this was a golden opportunity to rise.
The Third had always understood Danzo's obsession with the Hokage position.
"Where is Danzo?" he asked coldly at once.
"He's organizing personnel for reconstruction, assessing damages... and he previously proposed to take over as Acting Hokage," Jiraiya said after a moment's hesitation.
The Third's eyes turned icy. "Tell them I'm awake."
"Old man..." Disappointment practically spilled from Jiraiya's eyes. 'Even at a time like this, he's still clinging to power.' He stood up.
"Have the ANBU outside deliver the message. I'm no messenger boy. I'm leaving. I'll follow Orochimaru's trail; I will find the mastermind behind those monsters."
With that, Jiraiya leaped out the window, leaving the Third looking helpless. In the end... he didn't even get his drink of water.
"Someone, tell Danzo to come see me," he ordered, his gaze sharp. He had too many questions for Danzo.