Kai was still sprawled lazily in his rocking chair, muttering to himself, when a figure hurried over from the side.
Nara Shikaku.
Holding a message scroll in both hands, he bowed slightly and reported,
"Lord Kai, the Kazekage has agreed to form an alliance. He'll be arriving in Konoha in five days."
"Oh?" Kai stretched his arm and slowly rose from the chair, a sharp gleam flashing across his eyes. "Finally."
Because of him, the Kazekage's visit to Konoha had been moved forward.
Which also meant—
The Konoha Crush was coming earlier than expected.
"Now the real question is… will it be the Fourth Kazekage who shows up," Kai murmured with a faint smile, "or Orochimaru… or both?"
After thinking for a moment, he waved it off casually.
"No need to change anything. Business as usual. We're just Konoha's Finance Committee. Hosting foreign guests is the Hokage's responsibility… at least in name."
Hokage in name.
Shikaku's brow twitched slightly at the phrasing, but he simply nodded and stepped back.
Nearby, Yugito suddenly froze when she heard that.
Even the flames she'd been breathing into the kiln faltered.
Crackle.
Only when the collar at her neck pulsed with a sharp sting did she snap back to her senses. She looked into the distance, hesitation flickering in her eyes—something rarely seen from the proud kunoichi.
Three minutes later, she finally lowered her voice and said,
"Um… the Raikage and that old Tsuchikage… they seemed to be plotting something a few days ago."
"Oh?" Kai turned his head and glanced at her, mildly surprised.
Inside, he almost laughed.
So this proud little wildcat was actually turning over a new leaf—switching sides?
He nodded, completely unsurprised.
After all…
When those two had been secretly scheming, he'd been standing right beside them under his Low Presence trait, casually listening in.
In fact, the information leaking out had been intentional from the start.
If the Kazekage didn't get stirred up, how would Orochimaru get his chance?
If Orochimaru didn't get his chance, how would he come to Konoha?
And if he didn't come to Konoha… how was Kai supposed to get his hands on Hashirama?
Thinking of that, Kai grinned faintly and slid back down into his rocking chair.
Three days later, at Kikyo Mountain, the Fourth Kazekage advanced steadily with his three young companions.
Hidden in the shadows, countless elite ninja followed in secret.
When Rasa spotted Orochimaru in the distance—along with the many Sound ninja behind him—he let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Good. Looks like he didn't go back on his word."
His steps grew noticeably lighter.
Opposite him, Orochimaru's narrow eyes lingered on the group for a long moment before he finally suppressed the thoughts in his mind and stepped forward with a smile.
He already knew that Konoha's power structure had recently shifted. The Uchiha clan had produced a monster of a prodigy—someone even his former teacher couldn't handle.
Because of that, Orochimaru had abandoned his original plan of assassinating the Fourth Kazekage and impersonating him.
Instead, he had simply taken on a new face.
The group soon set off together toward Konoha.
Five days later, at the gates of Konoha, a tense silence hung in the air.
The visit of the Kazekage of Sunagakure—one of the Five Great Villages—was no small matter.
Even the Third Hokage, who hadn't appeared publicly for quite some time, had personally come out to receive them.
Before long, the visiting party appeared on the road outside the village.
The moment he saw them, the Third Hokage quietly exhaled in relief.
At the front stood the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, his ceremonial robes fluttering slightly in the breeze. His stern expression made him look like a stubborn old man carved from stone.
Half a step behind him stood three youths with very different auras.
Temari, blonde-haired, carrying her giant iron fan.
Kankuro, face painted in strange markings, looking like a kid who collected junk.
And Gaara—silent, solitary, standing apart from everyone else.
Before anyone could speak, a voice suddenly rang out from the Konoha crowd:
"Whoa, his dark circles are worse than mine! That guy definitely stays up all night!"
The exclamation shattered the silence—
And interrupted the Third Hokage's prepared welcome speech.
He frowned immediately and snapped,
"Naruto, don't be rude."
Then, with an apologetic smile, he invited the Sand delegation inside, smoothly brushing off the awkward moment.
The adults resumed their polite exchange of smiles and formalities.
But Gaara, upon hearing that voice, slowly turned his head.
His pale green eyes swept across the crowd without emotion.
Drip. Drip.
The air itself seemed to stiffen.
Just as Temari and Kankuro began to panic, Gaara spoke in a flat, indifferent tone:
"Oh. So that's the blond brat."
With that, he followed his father into the village.
Temari blinked in disbelief.
"…He actually spoke first? That blond kid must be interesting."
Behind her, Kankuro glanced at his sister's own blonde hair, pressed his lips together, and wisely said nothing as he followed along.
Up ahead, while chatting with Rasa, the Third Hokage's gaze occasionally drifted toward the group behind him.
"You seem interested in them," Rasa said with a smile. "They're from the Hidden Sound Village."
"The Sound Village?" the Third Hokage repeated, realization dawning.
A small village. Very small. Hardly any mission record to speak of.
Still…
He glanced at the leader of the Sound group—a tall, thin figure in loose robes, a straw hat pulled low enough to hide most of his face. Only half of a pale, gaunt cheek was visible.
…It looked strangely familiar.
The Third Hokage studied him for a moment, puzzled, but didn't dwell on it.
Beside him, however, Shikaku felt his scalp prickle.
Something about this lineup felt… wrong.
Especially that Sound leader.
The man gave off the same sensation as a venomous snake coiled in the grass—ready to strike at any moment.
As the procession moved along Konoha's main street, more and more villagers gathered on both sides, whispering and pointing curiously.
Worry or fear?
None.
After witnessing Kai's overwhelming strength, the villagers simply didn't feel threatened anymore.
"Hey, look! That gourd kid's eyes are scary…"
"And that guy in black carrying that junk bag… what if there are body parts inside?"
"And those Sound ninja… never even heard of them…"
The murmurs from the street were far more blunt than the polite silence at the gate.
Throb.
A vein twitched on Gaara's forehead.
Inside him, violent killing intent began to surge.
Kill. Kill them all. Silence every last one of these chattering insects.
The next moment, he snapped his eyes open and glared toward the crowd.
His gaze locked instantly onto the blond boy from earlier.
"Blond brat," Gaara barked coldly, "get out here and die."
Temari: ??
Naruto: !?!
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