Fourth Kazekage Rasa sat and brooded.
The cancellation of the Konoha Crush plan had left him seething with resentment. Orochimaru had approached him first, had been the one to propose the alliance, to outline the benefits of a coordinated strike against Konoha while the village was distracted by the Chunin Exams. And then, without warning or explanation, that same snake had simply called it off.
Who does Orochimaru think I am? Rasa's hands clenched on the armrests of his chair. Someone he can summon and dismiss at will? Come when called, leave when ordered?
But no matter how much anger burned in his chest, it didn't change the fundamental reality: Sunagakure was not as strong as Konohagakure. That imbalance was precisely why he'd agreed to Orochimaru's plan in the first place.
Konoha's growing strength worried him. The village had recovered too well from the Nine-Tails attack twelve years ago, had bounced back with a resilience that spoke to deep reserves of power and talent. If that growth continued unchecked, Sunagakure would fall further and further behind, reduced to little more than a minor power playing at relevance.
Without Orochimaru's involvement, a direct confrontation with Konoha would be suicide. The kind of pyrrhic victory where you killed a thousand enemies but lost twelve hundred of your own people in the process. Unacceptable.
And that was before accounting for him.
Uzumaki Naruto.
A twelve-year-old boy with Kage-level strength. Possibly stronger than Kage-level, if the intelligence reports were accurate. The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, blessed with power that shouldn't exist in someone so young.
How does Konoha keep producing monsters? Rasa thought bitterly. Senju Hashirama. Senju Tobirama. Uchiha Madara. All of them from Konoha, all of them powerful enough to beat other Kage single-handedly.
Without the Naruto factor, Rasa might have risked an assault anyway. With him in the equation, the calculation changed completely. His own three children had been in Konoha for the Chunin Exams, had been meant to gather intelligence on the boy's true capabilities and loyalties.
He could only hope they'd learned something useful before that disaster with Gaara losing control.
This is Orochimaru's fault, Rasa thought, his jaw clenching. Every problem traces back to that snake.
A knock at the door interrupted his dark thoughts.
"Enter."
A chunin stepped inside, bowing respectfully. "Kazekage-sama, a secret letter has arrived for you."
Rasa took the sealed envelope, noting the particular way the wax had been marked. One of the agreed-upon signs for correspondence from Orochimaru.
He broke the seal and read quickly.
By the time he finished, a smile had spread across his face.
The letter was brief but clear. Orochimaru wanted to restart the Konoha Crush plan immediately. He'd reconsidered his earlier decision, had new intelligence that changed the strategic picture. He wanted to meet in person to coordinate, and he'd included an address not far from Sunagakure's borders.
"You," Rasa said to the waiting chunin, "go fetch Maki. Tell him I need to speak with him immediately."
"Hai, Kazekage-sama."
The chunin turned to leave, but Rasa's voice stopped him mid-stride.
"Wait. Never mind."
The chunin froze, clearly confused.
Rasa reconsidered. Maki had opposed the Konoha plan from the beginning, had argued against alliance with Orochimaru, had counseled caution and patience. If Rasa brought him into this meeting, Maki would only try to talk him out of it, would delay things with questions and concerns.
Better to move quickly, to seize this opportunity before circumstances changed again.
"Fetch Jonin Shisai and Jonin Bakura instead. Tell them to prepare for immediate departure on a classified mission."
"Hai, Kazekage-sama!"
This time, the chunin completed his exit without interruption.
An hour later, Rasa stood on an outcropping of rock in the barren borderlands between Wind and Fire Country. The terrain here was transitional, caught between desert and forest. Exposed stone formations dominated the landscape, with minimal sand and hard-packed earth.
Below, standing calmly in a small clearing, was Orochimaru. Two young men flanked him, both radiating the quiet confidence of skilled combatants.
Orochimaru had already sensed their arrival. Without looking up, he called out in that distinctive drawling voice, "Rasa, since you're here, come down. I don't enjoy craning my neck to have conversations."
Rasa jumped down from the rock formation, his two jonin bodyguards landing smoothly on either side of him. They took up positions slightly behind and to the sides, protective but not overtly aggressive.
"Orochimaru," Rasa said without preamble, "I want to know why you cancelled the Konoha Crush plan before. As your partner in this venture, I believe I have the right to an explanation."
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with amusement. "All you truly care about is whether we're going to move forward with the plan now. The reasons for the previous cancellation are irrelevant to your interests."
Rasa considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Fair enough. But I assume you're aware that Konoha has produced a particularly powerful ninja. Uzumaki Naruto."
His lips curved into a slight smirk. "Oh, that's right. I'd almost forgotten. You died at his hands once, didn't you?"
The jab was petty, but Rasa couldn't resist. Orochimaru's humiliation during the Chunin Exams had been witnessed by multiple observers. The legendary Sannin reduced to a sobbing mess, his body destroyed, forced to body-swap in desperation.
Orochimaru showed no reaction to the taunt. His expression remained serene, even slightly amused.
"Rasa, I know exactly what you're worried about. You're concerned that Uzumaki Naruto will fight on Konoha's behalf during our assault."
He gestured to the young man on his right, the one with silver hair and glasses. "Allow me to introduce Kabuto Yakushi, my spy embedded deep within Konoha's infrastructure. He was raised in that village, has lived there his entire life. No one knows Konoha's internal politics and dynamics better than he does."
Kabuto stepped forward and offered a respectful bow. "Kazekage-sama, it's an honor."
"Kazekage-sama," Kabuto continued, his voice smooth and professional, "please set your concerns about Uzumaki Naruto aside. We've investigated his situation thoroughly. The boy holds no loyalty to Konoha whatsoever."
Rasa's attention sharpened. "Explain."
"Since childhood, Naruto has been treated with cruelty and contempt by the villagers due to his status as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. He was isolated, rejected, subjected to abuse both casual and intentional. That kind of treatment doesn't inspire loyalty. When we strike at Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto will remain neutral. He has no reason to defend the people who've tormented him his entire life."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, the gesture adding weight to his next words. "Moreover, according to my investigation, Uzumaki Naruto has significant grievances with the current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen himself. There's bad blood there."
This last part was complete fabrication, a lie designed to lower Rasa's guard. But it was delivered with such confidence, such specificity, that it sounded entirely plausible.
Rasa's posture relaxed visibly. The tension that had been holding his shoulders tight eased, and something like relief flickered across his face.
So that was what had been worrying him most. The Naruto variable.
"I see," Rasa said slowly. "So, Orochimaru, you cancelled the plan earlier because you hadn't properly investigated Naruto's loyalties. Now that the intelligence is clear, you want to move forward?"
Orochimaru had no idea how Rasa had arrived at that particular conclusion, but for a man about to die, he could afford to be magnanimous. He nodded.
"That's correct."
"I knew it," Rasa muttered, satisfied that he'd deduced the truth.
"Now then," Orochimaru said, his tongue flicking out briefly to wet his lips, "Gaara is still in Konoha, correct? After you return to Sunagakure, follow the original plan for his role..."
The plan had always relied on Gaara as a key component. Once the invasion began, he would lose control of Shukaku, releasing the One-Tail to cause chaos and draw away Konoha's defenders. A tailed beast rampaging through the village would be impossible to ignore.
Rasa nodded. "Understood. I'll send the orders through our network."
The discussion seemed to be concluded. Rasa prepared to leave, his mind already turning to the logistics of coordinating Sunagakure's forces for the coming assault.
He glanced back at Orochimaru one last time. "I hope you won't disappoint me again, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's smile widened, revealing too many teeth. His tongue traced his lips in that characteristic serpentine gesture. "Don't worry, Rasa. You won't be disappointed."
"Let's go," Rasa said to his two jonin guards. He turned his back on Orochimaru and his companions, already taking his first step toward home.
And in that moment, when Rasa's attention was elsewhere and his guard was at its lowest, Orochimaru struck.
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes! (Senjasōja no Jutsu!)"
His arm extended, flesh splitting open to release a torrent of serpents. Dozens of massive snakes burst forth, their scales marked with phosphorescent patterns, their mouths open to reveal fangs dripping with venom. They surged toward Rasa's back like a living wave.
The technique was a B-rank jutsu, an advanced version of the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands (Senei Jashu). Where that technique summoned a few snakes, this one called forth dozens simultaneously. Each serpent had a specific purpose: some to intimidate, some to restrain, some to bite and inject poison. Together, they created an overwhelming assault that could bind an opponent before they even registered the attack.
The element of surprise was complete. Rasa, convinced by Kabuto's lies and focused on departure, had no defense prepared.
At the same instant, Kabuto and Kimimaro moved.
Kabuto's hands blurred through seals as he charged the jonin on the left, kunai appearing in his grip with practiced fluidity. His target barely had time to react before Kabuto was on him, forcing him into defensive combat.
Kimimaro ripped his shirt off in a single smooth motion, exposing pale skin that immediately erupted with protruding bone. The Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai activated, his skeletal structure becoming weaponized. Dozens of bone spikes burst from his body as he launched himself at the second jonin with inhuman speed.
The clearing exploded into violence.
The trap had been sprung.
And the Fourth Kazekage, leader of Sunagakure, found himself fighting for his life.
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