By noon the next day, the formal meeting was set to begin.
Of course, it wasn't held in the Hokage's office—it was far too small for such an important occasion. Konoha had a dedicated hall specifically for negotiations and conferences.
At the center of the hall, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Orochimaru, disguised as the envoy leader, exchanged a friendly handshake before sitting down next to each other.
The remaining Konoha representatives and members of the envoy each took their seats on their respective sides.
"Hokage-sama, do you have anything to say about this recent defeat?"
Orochimaru's aggressive tone startled the Konoha representatives. Normally, a noble envoy wouldn't dare speak to the Hokage so disrespectfully. Could it be that this was an indirect way for the daimyo to express his dissatisfaction with Konoha?
Hiruzen let out a bitter sigh. "The responsibility for this defeat lies with me as the Hokage. I have nothing more to say."
Seeing his teacher, once a great hero of the ninja world, now so weak and even cowardly, Orochimaru felt both anger and a deep sense of sorrow.
The inevitable decay of life—this was the greatest tragedy of the world.
"Then what actions does Konoha plan to take next?" Orochimaru pressed on.
The Konoha representatives exchanged uneasy glances. Wasn't this meeting supposed to be about discussing reconstruction funding? Why was the envoy asking such sensitive questions instead?
Hiruzen was also slightly taken aback, but he answered honestly, "We plan to console the families of the fallen and stabilize the emotions of the villagers. Of course, we'll also focus on improving ninja training to ensure such an incident never happens again."
Orochimaru's hands clenched tightly at this evasive response.
"So Konoha doesn't plan to take the initiative to retaliate?"
"Retaliate?" Hiruzen hesitated, as if the word itself belonged to a distant past.
"That's not possible, Envoy-sama. If Konoha were to act, the other four great ninja villages would likely follow suit, potentially sparking another world war. That would be disastrous."
"So you're just going to let them walk all over you?"
By now, even the dullest of the Konoha representatives had realized something was off. The envoy's attitude was far removed from the usual stance of the daimyo.
"Hokage-sama! Be careful!"
Countless ANBU and other ninja appeared, quickly surrounding the hall.
However, Orochimaru's next move left them hesitant to act. He held a kunai to Hiruzen's throat, exuding a terrifying aura of murderous intent.
This cold, sinister presence was all too familiar to Hiruzen. He looked up, and in an instant, he understood.
"Is it you, Orochimaru?"
Although Orochimaru was still disguised as the envoy leader, Hiruzen was certain.
Orochimaru no longer bothered to hide his identity. He extended his long tongue, licking his lips and leaving a trail of slimy saliva.
"Sarutobi-sensei, you've grown old."
"Today, I'll send you to meet the two previous Hokage."
Orochimaru!
The name struck fear into the hearts of everyone present. Once a symbol of reliability, it was now a name synonymous with terror. Any one of the Sannin had achieved feats in the ninja wars that would have been enough to make them Kage if they had been in any other village.
If not for Konoha's overwhelming strength during that era, any one of the three could have easily become the next Kage of another village.
"Sarutobi-sensei, let's go catch up on the rooftop!" Orochimaru said, dragging Hiruzen with him as he broke through the ceiling and headed to the roof.
"Not so fast!"
"Protect the Hokage-sama!"
Despite their fear, the Konoha ninja knew this was no time for cowardice.
"Heh heh!"
"Your opponent is me!"
A massive red scythe, attached to a long rope, blocked their path. Hidan, having shed his disguise, was eager to start his slaughter.
"Black Tiger! White Tanuki!"
"This area is yours to handle. The rest of you, follow me to assist the Hokage-sama!"
But before they could move, they were met with roaring flames.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
Kakuzu, also dropping his disguise, stood in their way, unleashing a wall of fire.
In addition to Hidan and Kakuzu, several of Orochimaru's experimental subjects—nameless figures from the original series—charged toward the rooftop.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A familiar barrier technique appeared, trapping Orochimaru and Hiruzen inside for a one-on-one battle.
Deidara and Sasori exchanged a glance. They couldn't openly expose themselves, so they could only cause subtle disruptions. If anyone discovered that the Rain Village was involved in this Konoha Collapse Plan, it would spell disaster.
"Kakuzu, Hidan."
Before leaving, Deidara glanced at the two who were fighting fiercely and decided to give them a warning. Losing them here would be a significant loss.
"Remember two things!"
"First, don't provoke a man wearing a green bodysuit who looks like a kappa."
"Second, under no circumstances should you take off your clothes!"
"Keep these two points in mind, and you'll stay safe."
"What the hell is he talking about?!" Hidan complained.
"He's even more cryptic than I am as a Jashinist."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
By the time Deidara and Sasori left the conference hall, Konoha was already in chaos. The destruction wasn't caused by Deidara's explosions but by Orochimaru's pre-arranged subordinates, who had summoned a massive snake from Ryūchi Cave to wreak havoc.
"Brother Sasori, what are you planning to do now?" Deidara asked as he turned to him.
"I'm going to collect ninja with Kekkei Genkai," Sasori replied.
"Alright, then we'll each do our own thing. Just don't get carried away," Deidara reminded him.
Sasori snorted disdainfully. "Deidara, if anyone's going to get carried away, it's you."
"I'm very thorough."
"True," Deidara admitted with a slight frown.
But he had a backup plan. "If I do mess up and get killed, just tell Orochimaru to use Edo Tensei on me. I've got some big secrets to share with him."
Sasori shot him an annoyed look. "Got it."
After parting ways, Deidara's first target was the Aburame clan's insect-controlling techniques. As for Naruto and Sasuke, he had no interest in them.
Besides, those two would undoubtedly be heavily guarded during such a crisis, making it impossible to act against them.
Now, how do I get to the Aburame clan's district?
Deidara was about to grab someone to ask for directions when a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Hiss!
Several snakes shot out from Anko Mitarashi's sleeves, lunging toward Deidara.
This level of attack was no threat to Deidara. Not to look down on Anko, but against someone of her caliber, he could win with just taijutsu.
"Oh, it's you, little girl!"
"I just gave you 700,000 ryo last night, and now you're turning against me? How heartless!" Deidara said with a grin.
"Shut up! You invaders!"
"I, Anko Mitarashi, will kill you!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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