156-160

*Chapter 156: Chika, This is Your Uncle Jiraiya*

"Of course, my daughter is already four," Tsunade raised the solid gold ring on her finger, not denying the fact.

Crack—suddenly, a heart-wrenching sound echoed through the air. Jiraiya's eyes filled with bloodshot veins as he frantically asked Tsunade, "Who is it... which bastard?"

Tsunade shot him a dangerous look, "Hmm? What did you say?"

Meeting her gaze, Jiraiya instantly changed his tone, laughing awkwardly. "I mean, who is the lucky guy who managed to marry you, the most beautiful woman in the ninja world?"

"I thought you were going to say 'which bastard married me.'" Tsunade sighed lightly and said, "But there's no need for you to know who my husband is. He's just an ordinary businessman who travels a lot. I don't want him caught up in the mess of the ninja world."

"You didn't come all this way just to catch up, did you? Come inside," Tsunade said as she walked into the courtyard.

"A businessman, huh? Never thought I'd lose to a regular guy," Jiraiya murmured with a self-mocking smile, sighing in defeat as he followed her inside, completely forgetting about Naruto, who had come along with him.

After a moment, Naruto, groggy and confused, crawled out from under the rubble, clueless about what had just happened.

Soon, Jiraiya followed Tsunade to the garden.

At that moment, on Shizune’s orders, Karin’s mother had already prepared tea, and they sat down in the pavilion. Shizune herself, accustomed to such situations, had gone out to deal with the damaged street.

"Red hair—is she from the Uzumaki clan?" Jiraiya asked in surprise, looking at Karin’s mother. Besides her hair and face, her figure was quite comparable to Tsunade's.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," Karin's mother responded respectfully as she served the tea and then returned inside.

Tsunade hugged her daughter close and introduced her, "Her name is Kazuki. She and her daughter, Karin, are Uzumaki clan members who fled to the Land of Grass. Those bastards from Grass Village used them as human blood packs, feeding off their chakra to heal their injuries. Not long ago, my husband, feeling sorry for them and knowing they were my distant relatives, used his connections to save them. Now, Karin is my student."

"Perhaps this is the cruelty of the ninja world. Once you lose your homeland and protection, this kind of fate is unavoidable," Jiraiya said, filled with emotion as he looked at Tsunade and her adorable daughter, Chika, who was nestled in her arms. His heart ached, and he couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet sadness. With a bitter smile, he asked, "But your daughter really does look just like you—just as cute as you were when you were young. What’s her name?"

"Of course," Tsunade gently stroked Chika head, her face glowing with happiness as she introduced her. "Her name is Chika. 'Chi' from Senju, and 'ka' for summer. Chika, this is the Jiraiya I’ve told you about. Say hello to Uncle Jiraiya."

"Hello, Uncle Jiraiya," Chika obediently greeted him, seeing that he was indeed a friend of her mother's.

Her soft, ethereal voice was so pleasant, it felt as though it was washing one's soul.

However, to Jiraiya, it was like a steel needle piercing his heart. The feeling was indescribably sharp and painful.

"Uh, hello, little one," Jiraiya forced a smile, struggling to speak.

"Chika, go back inside. I need to talk to Uncle Jiraiya," Tsunade said, sending her daughter away. She took a sip of her tea and directly asked, "Alright, tell me. What’s the real reason you came all this way? It can't just be for old times' sake."

"I’ll get straight to the point. Tsunade, the village wants you to return and take on the role of the Fifth Hokage," Jiraiya said, tightening his grip on his teacup.

"Why? Did the old man die or something?" Tsunade's expression became complicated. He was her teacher, after all. Even though she knew Hiruzen Sarutobi had made many poor decisions, hearing about his death would still stir complex emotions in her.

"No, it’s not that, but the situation is even more serious than that," Jiraiya's face grew grim. "Orochimaru has returned to the village. It seems he’s plotting something."

"Is that all?" Tsunade looked unconvinced. "With your strength, stopping him shouldn't be difficult. And that old man, though he's aged, wouldn't be so frightened by someone like Orochimaru that he’d step down."

"Of course, it's not just that," Jiraiya said, his expression even more serious. "You've heard of a man named Fujiwara Aizen, right?"

"The young man who wiped out both the Sarutobi clan and Danzo’s family?" Tsunade pretended not to know and averted her gaze from Jiraiya.

"Yes, him," Jiraiya confirmed. "He’s back, and he's joined a mysterious organization made up entirely of S-rank rogue ninjas. Orochimaru was once a member of this group."

"Though we don’t yet know the organization’s full purpose, Fujiwara Aizen himself harbors a deep grudge against the old man for some reason."

"Recently, during the joint Chunin Exams between Konoha and the Sand Village, he infiltrated Konoha as a participant, turning the village upside down."

"He not only severely injured Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, and several other elite jonin, but he also..." Jiraiya's face flushed as he recalled a particularly embarrassing scene from that day.

"And he also...?" Tsunade’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Although Aizen had promised not to harm Konoha, she was still curious to know what he'd done to force the Third Hokage into retirement.

"Uh, well, it’s a bit inconvenient to say," Jiraiya stammered, suddenly shy like a little girl, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Are you going to tell me or not? If you don’t, feel free to leave. And don't bother mentioning the Fifth Hokage to me again," Tsunade said impatiently.

"It’s really inconvenient," Jiraiya repeated, his face flushed.

Tsunade, ignoring him, stood up and began walking out of the pavilion. "Kazuki, show him out."

"Wait, I'll tell you," Jiraiya hurriedly called after her.

"See? That wasn’t so hard," Tsunade said as she sat back down, her face lighting up with mischievous glee.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and explained, "So, here's what happened..."

He then recounted the wild and embarrassing incident involving Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura.

Tsunade’s shoulders began to tremble. Then, with an uncontrollable burst of laughter, she collapsed onto the stone table, pounding it with her fist. "Haha! Those four old fools, and Danzo of all people—hahaha! What a bunch of idiots!"

*Chapter 157: The Forgotten Naruto*

Finally, Tsunade laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.

At the same time, she finally understood why Jiraiya had come to invite her to become Hokage so much earlier than she had expected.

It turns out those four old folks in Konoha had already been toyed with by her little man.

“So, what’s your answer, Tsunade?” Jiraiya’s mouth twitched, asking the question that concerned him the most.

“How interesting. Yes, quite interesting. I can’t wait to return to the village and watch those old fools make a mess of things. Fine, I’ll be the Hokage,” Tsunade wiped her tears, crossed her arms, and gave the answer she had already prepared.

“Tsunade, no need to rush into rejecting it. This time, I even brought along someone really interesting. I’m sure when you see him, you’ll— Wait, what did you just say?” Jiraiya was clearly caught off guard by her response. He thought after everything that happened with Nawaki and Dan, she would refuse.

“I said… I… ac-cept…ed,” Tsunade replied confidently, her lips slightly parted, speaking each word deliberately.

“Why did you suddenly agree so easily? And shouldn’t you discuss this with your husband first?” Jiraiya couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of disbelief and asked.

“What’s so strange about it? Konoha is the village my grandfather founded. Now that it’s been turned into this mess by those old geezers, as his granddaughter, isn’t it my responsibility to clean it up? As for my little man, having me, the future Fifth Hokage, as his wife, he’d be overjoyed,” Tsunade shrugged. Of course, she wasn’t going to admit that it was her little man who changed her mind.

“Little man, huh...” Jiraiya gave a bitter smile, thinking to himself, It seems Tsunade is robbing the cradle. I wonder which lucky guy she ended up with.

“Well then, there’s no time to waste. When do you plan to leave? Konoha is at its weakest right now, and we need to return as soon as possible.”

“I can leave anytime. I’ll just leave a note for my little man. By the way, you mentioned earlier that you brought someone interesting? Where is he?” Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with interest.

Hearing this, Jiraiya suddenly snapped back to reality and glanced around. But Naruto was nowhere to be found.

It turns out that after the two of them had been buried under the rubble, Jiraiya had completely forgotten about Naruto upon learning that Tsunade had gotten married.

---

*Konoha Village*

At this moment, the sun was setting.

However, the entire village had an unusual atmosphere.

Ever since Aizen and Orochimaru appeared about half a month ago, with Konoha’s F4 being manipulated, and Danzo’s right arm, implanted with a Sharingan and cells from the First Hokage, being exposed, the village had entered an unprecedented period of turmoil.

A crisis was inevitable.

Atop a certain large building, Orochimaru leaned against a stone pillar with his arms crossed.

Beside him, kneeling on one knee and wearing a Konoha headband, was Kabuto.

With a dangerous smile, Kabuto adjusted his glasses, gleaming in the fading light, and said with a smile, “Orochimaru-sama, Jiraiya has already found Tsunade in Tanzaku Town. They left four days ago, and they’re on their way to Konoha. At their current pace, they should arrive soon.”

“When that happens, your plan for the destruction of Konoha will be nearing its end.”

“How unexpected. After everything she’s been through, Tsunade actually agreed to come back and clean up this mess,” Orochimaru’s golden, snake-like eyes flickered as he spoke calmly.

Kabuto continued, “There’s another piece of information that might interest you. It seems Tsunade got married and even had a daughter.”

“Oh?” Orochimaru’s eyes showed a trace of surprise, and with a mischievous grin, he said, “Now that’s interesting. Someone actually managed to tame that woman. And Jiraiya... I bet that idiot is heartbroken.”

“Well, none of that matters now. In the end, the timeline has only moved forward by a week. It’s still just as boring,” Orochimaru said, his gaze shifting toward the opposite rooftop, where a tall pole supported a giant windmill.

A breeze blew, and the windmill slowly began to turn.

Orochimaru smirked to himself, Konoha’s windmill is finally about to start turning.

---

*Konoha Hospital*

Doctors were examining Might Guy, Ibiki Morino, and Hayate Gekkō’s conditions.

Of the five who had fought against Aizen, Kakashi was the least injured, while Asuma Sarutobi had suffered the most during the interrogation room torture. Although Ibiki had endured the same mental torment, his body was physically unharmed, so his recovery wasn’t as bad as expected.

He had only been in a coma for over half a month before waking up.

Asuma, however, still lay unconscious in bed, showing no signs of recovery.

“You’re healing well. Thankfully, none of your injuries were fatal, so consider yourselves lucky. I’ll have someone come to remove your stitches shortly. You can be discharged tomorrow, but be careful not to touch the wounds, or they’ll reopen,” the doctor warned the three before leaving the room.

“Looks like we made it in time, huh, Ibiki? Hayate?” Might Guy said.

“Cough,” Hayate responded with a light cough, “Yeah, and tomorrow’s the final round of the Chūnin Exams. Who would’ve thought that Hokage-sama would agree to Suna’s request to move it forward?”

Ibiki nodded in agreement, sighing, “Something feels off about these exams. First, Orochimaru shows up, then Aizen Fujiwara, and now Suna. It all smells like a conspiracy.”

“Well, I imagine it has something to do with the death of the special Jōnin who was tracking down the Sound ninja spy in place of Hayate,” a voice suddenly chimed in from outside the room.

The door opened, revealing Kakashi, dressed in his green Konoha Jōnin vest.

“Kakashi?” Might Guy, Ibiki, and Hayate all turned to look at him.

“Yo, looks like you’re all recovering well,” Kakashi greeted, waving.

“Aren’t you supposed to be teaching that Uchiha kid?” Might Guy asked, puzzled.

“I left a shadow clone to keep an eye on things. My arm just healed, so I came by for a follow-up checkup and to see how you guys were doing,” Kakashi said, flexing his fully recovered right hand.

Noticing Asuma’s absence, he asked, “So, Asuma’s still not back to full health?”

Chapter 158: The Beginning of Turning Hiruzen Sarutobi from a Hero to a Fool

Morio Ibiki shook his head, a deep sense of guilt flashing through his eyes. “At the time, I fell under Aizen Fujiwara's genjutsu, and mistakenly brought Asuma into the interrogation room.

I subjected Asuma to various forms of torture. Although both of us shared the pain, mine was only mental.

But for him, it was both mental and physical torment. His condition remains grim.”

Kakashi sighed softly, offering comfort, “You don’t need to blame yourself. No one could have predicted that Aizen Fujiwara’s genjutsu would be so intense that even physical pain couldn’t break it.”

A brief silence fell over the group.

After a moment, Hayate Gekkou was the first to break the stillness. “Kakashi, did you just say Santou is dead?”

He froze, recalling Aizen’s words before he fell unconscious.

“It seems you heard it too,” Kakashi nodded heavily. “Aizen said cutting you back then saved your life in some way, and it turns out he wasn’t bluffing. If you hadn’t been injured, it’s likely you would’ve been the one to die.”

“It seems he anticipated something like this would happen, or perhaps he reached some kind of agreement with Orochimaru.”

“I suspect that the reason Lord Hokage agreed to start the Chunin Exam early must have something to do with Aizen Fujiwara or Orochimaru,” Kakashi said, his tone serious.

As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, a light breeze drifted through the window, followed by a calm, pleasant voice. “As expected of Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. You pieced together most of it from just a few clues.”

Hearing the voice, Kakashi, Guy, Ibiki, and Hayate all stiffened, their expressions becoming tense as they turned toward the window.

Aizen Fujiwara appeared silently at the window, dressed in a black robe with red clouds, sitting casually with his legs resting on the table.

“Aizen Fujiwara,” Ibiki growled, glaring venomously at Aizen, almost spitting fire from his eyes.

Aizen remained unfazed, smiling lightly. “It seems you really hate me, huh? Is it because of Asuma Sarutobi? But it’s best not to shout. That only makes you look weak.”

“Bastard!” Ibiki roared and prepared to charge at Aizen. But Might Guy, learning from past mistakes, knew there was no chance of winning without opening the Eight Gates. He crossed his fists, striking a pose like a Super Saiyan powering up. “If that’s the case, then I’ll—Eight Gates…”

“Don’t act recklessly, Ibiki, and you too, Guy. You’re still recovering from your injuries. Opening the Eight Gates now would destroy your body,” Kakashi warned, stepping between them and Aizen.

“Aizen Fujiwara, you haven’t left the village, have you? You’re not here to fight, are you? Tell us, what do you want?” Kakashi asked, his gaze locked on Aizen.

Aizen smiled faintly. “I enjoy talking to smart people. Don’t worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it last time. In fact, I’m here to help you.”

“Help us? That doesn’t sound like something an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha would say,” Kakashi said, his eyes filled with suspicion, doubting Aizen’s intentions.

“What’s so strange about it? I don’t have any personal grudges against you. My real hatred lies with the higher-ups in Konoha. If it weren’t for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, we might still be comrades,” Aizen chuckled. “Aren’t you curious why Hiruzen suddenly agreed to start the Chunin Exam early at Suna’s request?”

“Let me explain.”

“Kakashi, your guess was correct. This matter is indeed related to both me and Orochimaru.”

Kakashi furrowed his brows. “So, should I understand this as you working with Orochimaru, or are you his subordinate?”

Aizen shot Kakashi a glare. “Even Sasuke, who's training on the cliff with his Chidori, can see that I’m far stronger than Orochimaru.

He wanted power from me to defeat his brother, the one who killed their parents.

I didn’t expect you to try and provoke me with such a crude trick to get information. That’s quite the bad taste.”

“Well, I’ll tell you. Orochimaru offered me one of Konoha’s forbidden techniques as a trade to ensure I wouldn’t interfere with his plans this time.”

“I agreed because of the forbidden technique, of course.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.”

Aizen paused, his eyes glinting mischievously. “Let’s start with what happened about 20 days ago when I put you all in the hospital.”

“You’ve probably heard that around that time, Lord Hokage summoned all the clan heads, including Jiraiya, to the Hokage office, right?”

“Shortly after that, rumors started spreading in the village that the Third Hokage was stepping down, and that Tsunade, one of the Sannin, would take over as the Fifth Hokage.”

Ibiki glared at Aizen. “What, are you saying the Hokage stepping down has something to do with you?”

Aizen grinned. “Of course. Hiruzen originally planned to stay Hokage until he died. A man who values power so highly wasn’t going to step down easily.

But he had no choice. Something happened that evening.”

Kakashi was puzzled. “Something?”

“Yes, something.” Aizen’s face twisted into a sinister smile. “Hiruzen’s reputation is the thing he values most. In some ways, he values it more than his own life.

Because of what happened in the Forest of Death that day, I exposed a lot of Hiruzen’s dirty secrets. It made him so anxious he couldn’t eat or sleep.”

“After finishing his damage control that day, he couldn’t wait to summon Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo, planning how to deal with me.”

“And I, well, I was planning how to deal with them too. Killing them would be satisfying, but it felt too easy for those old geezers.”

“So, I went ahead and gave them a little ‘gift.’ Then, disguised as an ANBU, I invited the heads of Konoha’s clans to watch the show.”

Guy swallowed hard, unable to hold back his curiosity. “What kind of gift?”

His instincts told him it was something big.

Because even his acorns were starting to react involuntarily.

*Chapter 159: The Twisted Bond Between Master and Disciple in the Naruto World*

“An aphrodisiac.” Aizen calmly uttered two words.

As soon as the words fell, Kakashi and the others felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand up, and a shiver ran through their spines. In their minds flashed images of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Danzo Shimura, and Koharu Utatane—four old people in their sixties and seventies in a scene of wild revelry.

It was as if several volcanoes erupted in their brains simultaneously, leaving them completely blank.

Immediately after, Kakashi, Guy, and Hayate Gekko quickly huddled in a corner and started vomiting on the spot.

Even Morino Ibiki, the head of Konoha's interrogation unit, though a bit stronger, felt his scalp tingle as he glanced at Aizen again, now viewing him like a demon. He stammered, “Fujiwara Aizen... you're truly vicious.”

“To receive recognition from Konoha's interrogation chief is quite the honor,” Aizen smiled without shame, but rather with pride.

After a while, Kakashi, having mostly finished vomiting, put his mask back on and voiced his doubt, “Even though he was framed, this alone would only embarrass the Hokage. It shouldn't be enough to force him to step down, right?”

“Of course not. The clan leaders of Konoha saw something that shocked them to their core,” Aizen's smile faded as he pulled out a very disturbing photo and flicked it towards Kakashi.

Kakashi took a look and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. “This... what is this...”

“How does it feel? Creepy, right? Imagine if Sasuke saw this. What do you think he'd do?” Aizen asked with a sinister smile.

“Kakashi, what did he show you?” Guy asked, walking over to Kakashi.

Hayate Gekko and Morino Ibiki also approached curiously.

But before they could see, Kakashi quickly put the photo away.

“No need to hide it. You can't keep it secret. The heads of Konoha's major clans have already seen it, and some of them have even leaked the information. This won't stay hidden,” Aizen said solemnly.

Hearing this, Kakashi hesitated briefly before handing over the photo.

Just like Kakashi, Guy, Hayate, and Ibiki all went pale and broke out in cold sweat.

“Kakashi, why are you telling us all this?” Kakashi asked, staring at Aizen.

“Relax. I’ll explain everything in time,” Aizen continued. “When such things are exposed in public, it’s obvious what it means, right?”

“All of this happened with Sarutobi Hiruzen’s tacit approval. While Danzo is selfish and vile, he’s just a scapegoat Sarutobi prepared for himself.”

“That’s why Sarutobi had no choice but to step down. After all, with this scandal, he can't escape responsibility. In a way, he's the real culprit.”

“The Uchiha situation was just a cover. His real aim was to strengthen the Sarutobi clan and secure his legacy as the ‘Strongest Hokage.’”

“But he didn’t expect someone like me to appear and destroy his decades of effort overnight.”

Guy hesitated, then asked, “But why did Lord Hokage agree to let the Sand Village hold the Chunin Exams early?”

Aizen smiled faintly. “He wants to die.”

“Wants to die?” Kakashi, Guy, Hayate, and Ibiki were all confused.

Aizen nodded. “I’ve mentioned before, Sarutobi Hiruzen values his reputation more than his own life.”

“He’s old now, with only a few years left. He’s made too many mistakes in his life. At this point, life isn’t as important to him as it once was.”

“What he cares about now is his legacy.”

“He originally planned to fight a final battle with his beloved disciple, Orochimaru, during the Chunin Exams, and die like a hero, just like the previous Hokages, sacrificing himself to protect Konoha. He wanted to take all his past misdeeds with him.”

“That’s why, even knowing Orochimaru had sinister plans, he didn’t stop the Chunin Exams.”

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? Your so-called ‘Strongest Hokage’ was willing to drag all of Konoha into war just to preserve his own legacy.”

At this point, the four of them exchanged uneasy glances, starting to doubt everything they believed in.

Aizen continued, “But now, I’ve exposed his dirty secret. Especially after that scandal, he’s been forced to step down.”

“He’s desperate. If Tsunade returns and becomes the Fifth Hokage, even if he dies as planned, he’ll no longer be the Hokage when he does. His death won’t hold the same value.”

“And Tsunade, once Hokage, would never let Sarutobi sacrifice Konoha for his own legacy. She’d likely stop the Chunin Exams and put the village on wartime alert.”

“That’s why he agreed to the Sand Village’s request to start the Chunin Exams early.”

Kakashi couldn’t help but ask, “And what does Orochimaru gain from this?”

“Orochimaru wants to give his teacher a dignified death,” Aizen replied with a smile.

“A dignified death?” the four of them asked, puzzled.

Aizen sighed and said seriously, “In this world, the most complicated relationship isn’t between parents and children, siblings, or lovers. It’s between a master and a disciple.”

“Even when they’re enemies, even when the disciple betrays the master, deep down, there's often still a small hint of reluctance to cause harm.”

“Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen are the perfect example of this. Both of them are rotten, but the bond between master and disciple still exists.”

“Most people think Orochimaru came back for Sasuke, but that’s only part of it.”

“The other reason is to give Sarutobi Hiruzen a dignified death. It’s something they both agreed on. That’s what led to this twisted Chunin Exam.”

*Chapter 160: Kakashi's Choice*

Hearing what Aizen said, Kakashi seemed to have thought of something. He frowned and suddenly asked, "Can I understand this to mean that the Sand Village initiated the Chunin Exam early because they’ve colluded with Orochimaru? Orochimaru is worried that Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade will return to the Leaf Village and interfere with their plans.

"Or as you mentioned, Orochimaru wants to give the Third Hokage a dignified death before Lady Tsunade comes back.

"So, they started the Chunin Exams early?"

"You’ve only guessed about half of half of it," Aizen replied with a light chuckle.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi became even more confused. Then Aizen continued, "Kakashi, you should be well aware of the complicated relationship between the Leaf and the Sand Villages. Because of their alliance, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has handed over more commissions to the Leaf Village, causing the economy of the Sand Village to collapse. They've had to reduce their military.

"It’s gotten so bad that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has even resorted to selling his own weaponized gold dust. So, it’s not surprising that he would ally with Orochimaru to attack the Leaf.

"But unfortunately, Rasa and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, are the same kind of person: great at internal power struggles but completely incompetent when it comes to external threats. They’re downright childish.

"Rasa actually believed Orochimaru’s nonsense and foolishly met him at the border of the Land of Fire with a few of his men.

"The result? Of course, he was killed before the Chunin Exam even started. The one issuing orders to the Sand Village now is just Orochimaru, using a special ninjutsu to wear Rasa’s skin and impersonate him.

"Even though Orochimaru is a rogue ninja who has no attachment to the Leaf Village, he’s not about to let the Sand Village benefit for free. All he wants is to get the Leaf’s windmill, which stopped spinning because of Hiruzen, turning again. He doesn't want to destroy the windmill itself.

"So, it wasn’t the Sand Village that requested the early start of the Chunin Exam. It was Orochimaru.

"Jiraiya and Tsunade are already on their way back to the Leaf. They’ll arrive by tomorrow night at the latest. Orochimaru has timed the exam to coincide with their return.

"This way, he can allow his teacher to die a hero, protecting the Leaf as Hokage, without completely destroying the village. At the same time, he can show Sasuke his strength, making it easier to entice him later.

"Three birds, one stone. That’s Orochimaru for you. Plus, he and the Third Hokage have a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s what you’d expect from a master and disciple.

"Jiraiya also understands this, which is why he won’t intervene before Orochimaru and the Third settle their score.

"So, this so-called crisis for the Leaf is less of a disaster and more of a farce between master and disciple. And the cost of this farce? Half the village in ruins, with countless Sand and Leaf ninja dead.

"This crisis you’re all about to face, though it looks dire, is nothing more than a show orchestrated by Sarutobi Hiruzen to give himself what he thinks is a fitting end to his 'glorious' life.

"In Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind, you so-called Leaf ninja mean nothing. After all, to that old man, including himself, the only ones worthy of being called heroes are the dead."

As Aizen’s words fell, the large medical ward fell silent. The room was deathly quiet.

Kakashi and the others turned pale, suddenly questioning everything.

If what Aizen said was true...

Then what would those Leaf ninjas who were about to die in the battle tomorrow be dying for? What were they truly protecting?

Were they just pawns in this farce between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Orochimaru?

After a long pause, Kakashi was the first to react. He looked at Aizen again, his eyes filled with complexity: "You say the Third Hokage’s goal is to leave a legacy. Orochimaru wants to give the Third a dignified death while showing his own power to lure Sasuke and get the Leaf’s wheels turning again. Then what’s your goal?"

Aizen smiled faintly and replied, "Probably just for fun. Every time I see that old man, the Third Hokage, get so angry, I can’t help but feel happy."

"Fun?" Kakashi frowned. "Then why are you telling us all this? Someone like you wouldn’t be so kind as to come warn us."

Aizen chuckled, "There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. I’ve told you before, haven’t I? I’m here to help. I can’t stand Sarutobi Hiruzen and don’t want him to die so easily. And since you’re all genuine Leaf ninjas who love the village, I thought we could work together. Is that a good enough reason?"

In truth, there were two reasons Aizen didn’t mention. One was that last night, Kurenai had used all her strength to please him in bed, and she had asked him for a favor.

The other was that he didn’t want his wife, Tsunade, to inherit a ruined Leaf Village, like in the original story.

After all, his precious daughter Chika would be living here in the future.

Kakashi took a deep breath. "How do we work together?"

Might Guy interjected, "Hey, Kakashi, do you really believe what this guy is saying? He’s—"

"Guy, let him finish," Kakashi interrupted, staring at Aizen. "Besides, it doesn’t seem like he’s here to negotiate."

"Talking to smart people is always refreshing," Aizen smiled, rubbing his chin. "To put it simply, I can give you proof that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, is already dead. This way, during tomorrow’s Chunin Exam finals, you can avoid unnecessary conflict with the Sand Village.

"Without their Fourth Kazekage, the Sand Village won’t pose any threat to the Leaf. They’ll likely renew their alliance with the Leaf to protect themselves."

Kakashi frowned. "What do you need us to do?"

"Nothing. I don’t need you to do anything. Just let Sarutobi Hiruzen die at Orochimaru’s hands like a clown. It’s that simple." Aizen shrugged, forming a symbolic hand sign as his body began to turn into cherry blossom petals.

Seeing that Aizen was about to disappear, Kakashi shouted urgently, "Hey, wait—"

"Don’t worry. I’ll personally attend tomorrow’s Chunin Exam and see what this so-called strongest Hokage can do. I’ll give you the evidence of Rasa’s death then. But if any of you try to warn the Third Hokage, I’ll leave you to fight the Sand Village to the death."

With those words, Aizen’s figure vanished completely from the hospital.