At noon, the sun hung high in the sky. The once-cool jungle had turned humid and stifling.
After half a day of continuous marching, Orochimaru and his group finally arrived at the border stronghold of the Land of Fire. Despite their superior physical strength as jonin, the relentless fighting and travel had worn them down.
As the communications ninja returned with updates, Shisui and the others entered the fortress to treat the wounded and rest. Exhausted, they wasted no time in finding rooms to recover.
But Orochimaru, as the leader, couldn't afford to rest. He had more pressing matters to attend to.
He pushed open the door to the meeting room. Seated behind the long table were two of the Hokage's advisors, who looked up in surprise at his sudden appearance.
"I need to speak with the old man immediately," Orochimaru said bluntly. "Activate the communications link with the village."
Koharu Utatane was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by his abrupt tone. She gave a faintly aggrieved nod and replied in a low voice, "Follow me."
Homura Mitokado rose silently as well, clearly curious about what Orochimaru needed to discuss.
Though they were responsible for overseeing peace talks with Kumogakure, the negotiations had been stalled for some time. There was little to do but wait.
Just as the three left the room, a flustered intelligence officer rushed over and bowed.
"My lords! Urgent news— Iwagakure has launched a surprise attack on Kumogakure. Thousands of shinobi have invaded the Land of Lightning!"
"What!?"
Mitokado grabbed the messenger by the shoulders so hard that the man winced. "Is this true? So suddenly?"
"It's confirmed," the ninja replied urgently. "Lord Hokage is already waiting for the two of you."
"Take us there. Now." Mitokado released him and motioned to follow.
But Orochimaru let out a low chuckle. "So Iwagakure finally made their move. That was faster than expected."
As the two advisors turned to him in surprise, Orochimaru licked his lips with a smirk.
"Perfect timing," he said. "Because what I planned to tell the old man… is directly related to this."
Without another word, the three hurried toward the intelligence command room.
---
Behind a screen, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat calmly, pipe in hand, smoke curling from the corner of his mouth.
"You've heard the situation," he said. "What are your thoughts?"
"This is a golden opportunity, Hiruzen."
Koharu's eyes gleamed as she recounted what Orochimaru had told her. With Kumogakure's forces fully committed to fighting Iwagakure, it was the perfect time to strike. No more cautious speculation or half-measures—this was their chance to deal a decisive blow to the Hidden Cloud.
Of course, her boldness was partly due to the confidence brought by having both Orochimaru and Tsunade present.
Hiruzen remained silent, his gaze drifting toward Orochimaru.
"I disagree," Orochimaru said with a smile. "Let Iwagakure and Kumogakure fight it out. Konoha should sit back and watch. There's no need to get involved."
He said nothing of his earlier conversation with Killer Bee—or the unspoken understanding they had reached.
It was hard to explain why Killer Bee had chosen to believe him. After all, Orochimaru couldn't just say he let the Fourth Raikage go. Besides, everyone involved in this war was playing dirty—no one would simply chalk it up to a misunderstanding.
Between villages, there were no morals—only timing and self-interest.
Koharu Utatane looked at Orochimaru in disbelief. She hadn't expected him to object. Given his usual aggressive nature, she assumed he would support the idea of a full assault.
That damned Orochimaru… she thought bitterly. Why does he always oppose me? Is he doing this on purpose?
But Orochimaru paid no mind to her glare. Instead, he smiled and spoke calmly. "Sure, if Tsunade and I launched an attack, we could probably destroy half of the Land of Lightning. But then what? Does the village really have the strength to occupy it right now?"
Mitokado Homura and Koharu both frowned.
After the Nine-Tails' rampage, Konoha's forces—especially its middle and upper ranks—had taken a heavy blow. They didn't even have enough manpower to secure their own borders, let alone occupy foreign land. Bandits, rogue ninja, and wild beasts were on the rise, and missions had been piling up unresolved.
In this situation, starting another war would bring little real benefit, and a lot of potential disaster.
And yet… could they really afford to let such an opportunity go?
"Don't push Kumogakure too far," Orochimaru warned. "Unless we can wipe them out completely, they still have two tailed beasts—both of which are under the control of their Jinchūriki. Are you ready for them to risk everything and drag Konoha down with them?"
His words hit hard. The two advisors couldn't help but recall the devastation the Nine-Tails had wrought.
"In any case," Orochimaru continued, "this battle will likely leave Iwagakure in ruins, and Kumogakure won't escape unscathed either. All we need to do is keep rebuilding. Konoha's long-term potential is far greater than theirs."
The room fell silent.
It wasn't that Orochimaru was wrong—quite the opposite. His logic was sound, and the dangers he pointed out were very real. But hearing them laid out so plainly made it harder to argue for war.
In truth, while Koharu and Homura often clashed with Orochimaru's methods, they still had immense faith in his abilities. His past achievements had proven that time and again.
Their suggestion to attack Kumogakure had assumed that Orochimaru would take charge and manage the details, ensuring the village reaped the greatest possible benefit.
But Orochimaru had come here with a different goal: to make absolutely certain they wouldn't send troops to the Land of Lightning at all.
He didn't mind using an opportunity to cripple Kumogakure or Iwagakure if it presented itself naturally—but he refused to let Konoha be dragged into another drawn-out conflict. He saw the village as a nursery full of young, growing seedlings. And if these two old advisors acted without thinking and plunged the village into war, he wouldn't just stand by and watch those seedlings burn.
"Orochimaru… you've really changed," said Hiruzen Sarutobi from behind the screen, removing his pipe with a conflicted look.
He wasn't entirely convinced by Orochimaru's argument. But in truth, if they had decided to attack, Orochimaru was still the most qualified commander for such a mission.
Ironically, the man most capable of leading the assault was also the one who most opposed it.
"I'm just not interested in war anymore," Orochimaru replied solemnly.
And he meant it.
But Koharu and Homura didn't buy it for a second. The corners of their mouths twitched—almost laughing at the idea.