Yakushi Kabuto stared blankly at the White Snake Sage before him. Before he could snap out of it, a wave of indescribable weakness washed over him; the color drained from his face.
The chakra in his body felt almost sucked dry, his young features showed a faint hint of age, and his consciousness turned hazy. He didn't even have time to answer the sage's first words before pitching straight forward to the ground.
"Forcing myself to respond to this youngster's summoning really was more than his frail body could bear, wasn't it…" The White Snake Sage looked down at the unconscious Kabuto.
Kabuto hadn't summoned the White Snake Sage by force or by chance. The sage had chosen to let himself be summoned. The result was an unprecedented drain on Kabuto's chakra. It was sheer luck he didn't die on the spot.
The White Snake Sage didn't leave. He waited a long time, until Kabuto gradually came to. By the time Kabuto opened his eyes, night had fallen.
He felt limp and powerless; every nerve burned with a prickling ache like ten thousand ants gnawing at him, making him suck in a sharp breath.
Realizing he was lying on the ground, he tried to prop himself up, but his arm gave out halfway and his face smacked into the dirt, a gush of nosebleed splattering out. In the end the White Snake Sage used his tail to flip Kabuto over.
"Huff… huff…" Pale as a sheet, Kabuto drew ragged breaths, forced his head to turn, and fixed a disbelieving stare on the White Snake Sage. In a dry, weak voice he asked, "You're… the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave? Why… why was I able to summon you?"
A predatory gleam flickered in the sage's eyes. Then he dropped a bombshell: "Because any other presence in Ryūchi Cave that might have answered you… is dead. They perished in magma and flame some time ago."
"What remains are milder-tempered serpents. They don't want trouble and won't answer anyone's summons—for fear they'll meet the same fate at that human's hands."
The weight of those few words made Kabuto's pupils contract. So his original suspicion had been right… and the situation was even worse than he'd imagined. The serpent sages of Ryūchi Cave were on the verge of extinction.
The one who wrought this catastrophe was Uchiha Chizumi, who had hunted Orochimaru-sama all the way to Ryūchi Cave. Was that Uchiha truly that strong?
"Don't tell me… even you, White Snake Sage…" Kabuto could hardly fathom power on that level.
"I cannot kill him," the sage said, producing a pipe from who-knew-where, curling his tail around it and lifting it to his mouth. His tone cooled. "That human's power is approaching the level of the First Hokage."
Maybe it was an illusion, but to Kabuto the words sounded almost like they were squeezed out between clenched teeth.
"Then… since you answered my summons, what do you want me to do?" Kabuto couldn't help asking.
The White Snake Sage gazed at the battered, too-weak-to-stand Kabuto and said slowly, "I see unprecedented potential in you. I also hear a voice from the future in you."
"The special qualities you possess are no weaker than any human in the shinobi world. Little one, I intend to grant you power that can stand against Uchiha Chizumi."
"!!!" Kabuto felt as if the sage planned to cultivate him into a tool for hunting Uchiha Chizumi. Either way, it wouldn't be the sage personally making the move—no downside to him, right?
Orochimaru had been right: beware the serpents of Ryūchi Cave. Not a single one of them is easy to deal with.
Even so… looking at the White Snake Sage, Kabuto also realized he had no right to refuse.
…
That night, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained at the Hokage Building instead of going home. He found fewer and fewer people in the village willing to support him. Even Mitokado Homura was noncommittal—and had even received Tsunade.
If a senior advisor like Homura sided with Tsunade, Hiruzen would have little chance. If Tsunade, who preached Absolute Justice, became the Fifth Hokage… Hiruzen didn't dare imagine what Konoha would become. Likely a village of one-man rule, with no fairness or equality to speak of.
The First Hokage had founded Konoha on the Will of Fire. The village wasn't even a century old yet; if the Will of Fire were replaced by Absolute Justice… every other shinobi village in the world would laugh at Konoha. That was what Hiruzen could least accept.
In the end, it all came down to Tsunade standing with the "wrong" camp in his eyes. If she still upheld the Will of Fire and wished to be the Fifth Hokage, Hiruzen would gladly step down and yield.
"Haa…"
"The key is that Koharu still hasn't returned. I don't know where she went, or what method she plans to use against Chizumi."
Hiruzen had often thought Utatane Koharu lacked the ability to manage Root when it was in her hands. Only now did he realize Koharu might be the only person he could truly trust, because she was unequivocally on his side.
He regretted not backing her when she clashed with Uchiha Chizumi earlier—she'd suffered defeat after defeat and even ended up in prison. Thinking of this filled Hiruzen with guilt.
He also realized that sometimes loyalty is more reliable than ability. At least the loyal won't stab you in the back when you're down—unlike Tsunade, and unlike Homura.
Turning it over and over, Hiruzen felt he couldn't just sit and wait to die. Even someone as freewheeling and blunt as Tsunade was taking the initiative. If he did nothing, the few who still supported him would be utterly disappointed.
"Guards!" He summoned several Anbu. Just as he was about to issue orders, one of them cut him off. "Hokage-sama, our squad's shift is over. If there's something you need, please tell us tomorrow in the daytime. It's time for us to head back."
"???" For a moment Hiruzen was at a loss. Then he remembered—most Anbu don't work 24/7. Even puppets need maintenance; people certainly do. He had grown used to making them work overtime—days without rest—because in the past they obeyed without complaint, out of absolute loyalty and respect.
But now… times had changed. He opened his mouth to scold them, but the words stuck in his throat. He could only wave them off helplessly. The Hokage's office soon fell empty again, leaving only Hiruzen. He slumped into his chair, sinking deep into the backrest.
"Sigh…" He didn't summon any other Anbu who might still be loyal. At this point it wasn't just that the Anbu were disappointed in him—he was disappointed in their loyalty, even beginning to distrust them. If the Hokage were attacked one day… would the Anbu lay down their lives to save him? Hiruzen doubted it.
…
The next day, the first news to shock Hiruzen upon waking was—Uchiha Chizumi had left the village!
Hiruzen frowned. "What's the meaning of this…" If Chizumi intended to back Tsunade to replace the Third Hokage, he should be making moves all over Konoha, often in person, to contend with a man who'd held office for years. He should take it seriously.
And yet… at such a critical moment, Chizumi vanished—simply left the village. Running away? Impossible. Chizumi was not the type to flee; that wasn't his nature.
"The only explanation is that, in his eyes, the Hokage's seat isn't even worth his attention. Handing everything in Konoha over to Tsunade means he believes she alone can push me aside."
Hiruzen's expression turned complicated. He racked his brains to figure out how to contend with Chizumi's overwhelming strength—only to realize Chizumi didn't even take him into account. A stifling sense of being belittled welled up in him. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, then looked up at Hatake Kakashi, who'd brought the news.
"Do we know where he went?"
Every time Chizumi left the village, he caused an earth-shaking incident—slaughtering many nobles of the Land of Fire, or even killing the daimyō himself. Hiruzen worried the same would happen again. He was old; he couldn't take another shock like that. Another one might shave ten years off his life.
Kakashi lowered his head and reported, "What we know for certain is this: Uchiha Chizumi left with Biwa Jūzō, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, with Uchiha Izumi of the Police Force, and with the ninja cat Jujirō. Their heading looks like the direction of the Land of Water."
"Biwa Jūzō?" Hiruzen blinked. "The Kirigakure defector—the envoy from the Land of Rain? Didn't he leave Konoha long ago?"
Kakashi shook his head. "We haven't yet learned why he's in Konoha, but we have confirmed that he joined the Konoha Police Force."
"???" Hiruzen's thoughts tangled. So Jūzō betrayed the Mist, then the Rain, and finally settled on Konoha as his refuge? And the Hokage himself didn't even know a shinobi of that caliber had joined the village? Did Chizumi authorize it on his own?
Hiruzen's face darkened. "What are they doing in the Land of Water?" He did not believe Chizumi would defect. Even if that man would kill the Third Hokage, he wouldn't betray Konoha.
Kakashi shook his head. "Unknown."
…
Meanwhile, a merchant ship had already pulled well away from one of Konoha's ports. Biwa Jūzō stared at the sun glittering on the rippling waves ahead, his unease and worry mounting. He stole a glance at Uchiha Chizumi not far away. Just as he was about to speak—
"Relax, meow! Chizumi-sama isn't some indiscriminate butcher. As long as there's hope for Kirigakure—even a sliver—he won't wipe everyone out." The oddly pitched voice came from behind him.
Jūzō looked back. No one. "Down here, meow!" He dropped his gaze and saw the speaker: a very fat ninja cat.
He remembered this orange-furred cat—it had tangled with that strange swirl-masked creature from Akatsuki. Not exactly a stalemate, but it had at least held the thing up. Impressive in its own right.
"I'm not worried," Jūzō said, unwilling to bare his soft underbelly to Chizumi.
The cat, Jujirō, rolled his eyes. "Meow. Word of advice—be careful. It'd be a shame if you were assassinated before we even reached the Land of Water, before you could lead Chizumi-sama to the Mist."
Jūzō scowled. Was this cat cursing him? Jujirō went on, "Haven't you noticed? The Kirigakure spies hidden on this merchant ship already have you in their sights. Has being near Chizumi-sama made you so comfortable you've let your guard down?"
"!!!" Jūzō stiffened in shock.