The Three Sannin had lost.
But their injuries were far lighter than expected.
In fact, once the two mysterious men in white haori released their abilities, it took less than ten minutes for the Sannin to return to peak condition.
It was almost as if the brutal, near-fatal battle just now had never happened.
If not for the forest around them still burning fiercely, Jiraiya would not have believed he had come so close to being killed without the enemy suffering so much as a scratch.
Yet the truth remained:
They had been defeated — easily.
And the intruders hadn't even shown their true strength.
Jiraiya did not believe that apocalyptic scene of "All things burn. Ash dances." was an illusion.
A power like that… Could overturn the flow of an entire battlefield.
But even so, why would they risk revealing themselves just to deliver a warning?
What were they trying to tell them?
As Jiraiya pondered, a low, gloomy voice sounded beside him.
"...We should be grateful that they were still Leaf shinobi."
Sitting up slowly, his long hair hanging loose and his skin pale from oxygen deprivation, Orochimaru rubbed his temples.
"It must be some technique similar to the Second Hokage's forbidden Reanimation Jutsu. But their willpower was strong enough that they still managed to warn us."
"Orochimaru? You're alright?"
"I'm fine. Tsunade… less so."
Orochimaru exhaled, sitting on the scorched ground as he looked at their teammate, who still lay motionless like a corpse.
Ordinarily, Tsunade would have sprung up and shouted back at any hint of pity.
But now she stared blankly at the ground, hollow-eyed, as if her soul had been ripped away.
Seeing Tsunade like this, even Jiraiya, who had wanted to lighten the mood, fell silent.
Yes — the Sannin were older now, more mature… But there was still no distance between them.
That was why they understood perfectly how important Katō Dan had been to her.
The Uchiha apparition outside was nothing — merely an appetizer.
It was Katō Dan splitting off their battlefield that had struck the killing blow to Tsunade's heart.
The gentle man who once saved her… Was now their enemy.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to comfort her, but what came out instead was:
"Still Blood Armor really saved my life. If not for that thing, that senior probably would've killed me right there."
"Yet you didn't notice you were being toyed with by his ability at all."
"Hahaha… don't say it like that, Orochimaru.
We did get plenty of intel out of this, didn't we?"
"Mhm."
Orochimaru nodded, expression returning to calm.
"…Let's exchange information."
Their bodies were fine, but regaining full composure before returning was the wiser choice.
Not to mention — one of them clearly needed time to recover.
Glancing at Tsunade, still unmoving, Orochimaru sat cross-legged on the heated earth, his voice composed as he began his analysis.
"Their Leaf forehead protectors had no scratch."
"They did not consider themselves traitors, and they held back throughout the battle.
It's possible they retain partial self-control."
"And they deliberately lured us out for this fight. Based on their behavior, our clash wasn't enough to stir the existence behind them. That's one piece of intel they gave us.
"But for now, we can't confirm whether their message was true."
"The only thing we can confirm is that behind Konoha — and behind the entire shinobi world — there may be an extremely dangerous organization plotting something.
And beyond that, we know nothing."
"Huh? Didn't they tell us to 'beware the ones closest to you'?"
Jiraiya scratched his head, confused.
"Didn't those seniors explain everything already? What more is there to analyze?"
"No — because they spoke clearly, we should be even more cautious."
"What does that even mean?"
"You can't guarantee they were in the right state of mind. What if they were meant to mislead us?
"Even if they're Leaf shinobi, if the most critical part of their intel is wrong, what then?"
Jiraiya froze, unable to answer.
Orochimaru sighed and shook his head.
This was his greatest concern.
If even the Reanimation Jutsu could manipulate souls and force them to act against their will, then this far more refined technique…
…what might it be capable of?
It was entirely possible that this whole thing was designed to cause turmoil within Konoha, allowing certain hidden factions to profit from the chaos.
Trusting the enemy's "help" was the greatest stupidity in war.
Even if they didn't try to kill the Sannin —
Even if they gave them "clues" —
Who could guarantee that these gifts wouldn't one day become blades plunging into Konoha's heart?
"And besides… their outfits and techniques were strange."
"How?"
"They looked extremely similar to Aizen Sōsuke's haori."
"The only difference is that his haori is plain white, while theirs had markings and numbers — possibly indicating rank."
"You mean Aizen did this??"
"No — more likely the opposite."
Orochimaru gave Jiraiya the kind of gentle, sympathetic look reserved for idiots.
"You know I research ninjutsu. I always keep track of Konoha's development reports.
Around five years ago, aside from Still Blood Armor, Aizen proposed a new concept."
"It was called the 'Soul-Shift Body.'
A technique inspired by ancient shrine maidens and spiritualists."
"He theorized that the Ghost Transformation Jutsu could manifest independently in certain conditions, allowing a soul to fight using forces outside chakra."
"But back then, all known users of Ghost Transformation were dead."
"And his theory involved natural energy, the will of chakra, and a bunch of complex mental elements. Because it seemed obscure, the report was archived instead of publicly released."
"Now it appears… someone has been secretly using that research."
Orochimaru's eyes glimmered with curiosity.
A soul existing independently, shaping its own technique—it was an idea almost too enticing.
And the abilities shown by those two mysterious men aligned disturbingly well with the theory.
Reflections of a soul's will.
Abilities manifesting directly from the spirit.
Natural energy responding to those manifestations.
It paralleled the Uchiha's Sharingan in its own twisted way.
The theory had been buried back then partly thanks to the Uchiha —
because the "Eye that reflects the heart" and "techniques born from the heart" felt uncomfortably similar.
At the time, Aizen wasn't influential, Still Blood Armor was promising, and no one pushed the idea further.
But now…
Someone had revived it.
"Then why couldn't this be Aizen's doing?"
"Dan died the same year Aizen proposed the theory."
"He developed that idea because he was inspired by Dan's ability and ideals. And since then, he's lived directly under the Hokage's supervision."
Orochimaru exhaled, looking at Jiraiya like he was impossibly dense.
"If Aizen Sōsuke were able to hide from the Hokage, Danzō, Lady Mito, and Koharu for years —Resurrect two Leaf shinobi —Create a new organization —And still be promoted to a village adviser…"
"Then Konoha wouldn't stand a chance.
We'd already be dead."
A woman's voice rose weakly from the ground.
Tsunade pushed herself up with trembling limbs, covering her face as she let out a long, exhausted sigh.
The two men exchanged faint smiles.
Ignoring them, Tsunade dropped back down onto the scorched earth with no dignity whatsoever, staring blankly at the burning trees before finally speaking.
"That person… Was definitely Dan."
Her voice was hoarse.
"Team Two Captain Katō Dan.
Team Six Captain Uchiha Kagami.
They serve an organization called 'Seireitei'—the Court of Pure Souls.
That's what Dan told me."
"And he was being controlled — but only lightly. Everything they told us is true.
But only in the way they understand truth.
Dan said that too, very specifically."
"This was a trial."
"A trial it has given us."
"It knows what we're doing. It knows how we think. It's waiting for us to react just like this."
"The one who defiled the souls of our seniors… is hiding inside Konoha."
Jiraiya abruptly interrupted her.
"Hold on. That still doesn't prove Dan's intel is real! What if he was manipulated into lying—?"
"…"
Tsunade shot him a complicated look, her expression dark and pained.
"Because Dan is the kind of man who would use every last breath…
Even if it killed him…
To make sure I'd live happily.
Even if he were controlled—that wouldn't change."
"…Oh."
Jiraiya's face twisted awkwardly.
Orochimaru coughed loudly, shattering the strange tension.
"Do we report this to the Hokage?"
"We find reliable ANBU and seal the message under the highest classification."
Tsunade nodded and stretched.
"Honestly… after this, Suna and Iwa barely even feel like threats anymore. Hey, Jiraiya. Time to head back."
"…Yeah. I know."
Taking one last look at the charred battlefield, the three Sannin each let out a quiet sigh before disappearing into the night, rushing back toward their base.
---
One day later.
Reading the report written in their scroll,
the Third Hokage's jaw dropped open.
His pipe slipped from his fingers, scattering ashes across the floor.