Deep in a forest, an explosion shattered the silence of the night.
The smoke from the blast had not yet dissipated when a figure fell heavily among the roots.
—Are you all right, Danzō?
Hiruzen appeared from within the gray cloud, holding him firmly.
Danzō frowned. He broke free with a rough shove and, with a leap, moved away to a nearby branch.
—Why have you come to bother me, Hiruzen?
—Don't be foolish —Hiruzen replied calmly—. I'm not going to let anything happen to my comrades.
Danzō clicked his tongue, visibly irritated. More because of the other's righteous tone than because of his words.
He averted his gaze forward, where two figures were advancing among the trees.
—Are you all right? Kagami? Tori?
—More or less… —Tori answered without stopping.
Kagami turned for an instant toward Hiruzen. His brow was furrowed and his chakra was unstable.
—There are too many enemies —he said—. What do we do?
Hiruzen slowed his pace. He observed the forest, listened to the distant echo of battle, and made a decision.
—You're right —he said finally—. We need to regroup with the Second Hokage.
Danzō snorted.
—Hmph.
Minutes later, after moving cautiously through the high treetops, they managed to reach the main squadron.
Tobirama stopped beneath a large tree.
He closed his eyes and pressed his palm against the ground. His chakra spread out silently, reading the circulating vibrations.
—We're surrounded —he said as he opened his eyes—. Twenty enemies.
—From the depth of the footprints… they're from Kumogakure. It's likely the Kinkaku Force.
The Kinkaku Force was made up of rogue ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village who would later go down in history for attempting to assassinate the leaders of the five great nations, including their own home village.
This force was led by the Gold and Silver Brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, two distant descendants of the Sage of Six Paths who possessed some of the relics he left behind.
Years ago, even before Hashirama captured and distributed the nine tailed beasts among the various villages, the brothers gained fame by trying to capture the Nine-Tailed Fox for their village. However, they were swallowed by the beast.
The brothers survived inside Kurama for two weeks by eating the beast's flesh; this eventually caused the fox to regurgitate them.
The meat they ingested left them with unusually large chakra reserves and abilities similar to those of a jinchūriki.
—This is no random ambush —Tobirama continued—. They were waiting for us.
The reason the Kinkaku Force attacked Konoha's team this time was that Tobirama was heading to Kumogakure in secret to negotiate a peace treaty with the Raikage—something the brothers did not want to happen.
Hamura swallowed.
—Sir… counting us, it's seven against twenty. —He paused uncomfortably—. This doesn't look good.
—Don't be so timid —Koharu retorted—. The enemy hasn't pinpointed our exact location yet. If we wait for the right moment, we can surprise them and withdraw.
Kagami shook his head.
—No. Not anymore. —He looked around and replied—. The only real option left is to create a diversion.
Tori was the one who finished the uncomfortable words Kagami didn't want to say out loud.
—Someone acts as a decoy… That person won't come back.
Danzo observed his comrades one by one. He tried to organize his thoughts and cling to his beliefs.
—I am a ninja. And a ninja dies on the battlefield.
He raised his eyes toward Hiruzen.
—What are you thinking right now, Hiruzen? Are you ready to sacrifice yourself?
He clenched his fist as his doubts grew.
—I'll say it. I'll say I'll do it.
But the words didn't come out.
The more he thought about it, the heavier the idea became.
—What's wrong with me…? —he murmured—. Why can't I say it?
The silence broke abruptly.
—I'll do it.
Danzo froze.
—Huh…?
Hiruzen stepped forward.
—I'll be the decoy.
Danzo lowered his gaze, startled by an unexpected sensation. His hands… were no longer trembling.
—Damn it… —he whispered—. I'm a coward.
And the worst part was not that.
There was a part of him that felt relieved.
Hiruzen placed a hand on his shoulder.
—Then take care of the team, Danzo. You…
—Shut up!
Danzo slapped his hand away.
—I was about to volunteer first! Don't act like you're better than me! —He gritted his teeth as his eyes reddened—. I'll be the decoy.
—Danzo…
—My father and grandfather died as ninjas. Sacrificing yourself is the duty of anyone who wears this forehead protector.
Until that moment, Tobirama had remained silent.
—Enough.
His voice was firm and authoritative.
—I will be the decoy.
Everyone turned toward him.
—You are the next generation —he continued—. The bearers of the Will of Fire. Those who will protect the village when we are no longer here.
—Impossible! —Danzo burst out—. You are the Hokage! There's no one stronger than you!
Tobirama looked at him calmly.
—Danzo. You and Hiruzen are always competing. But this isn't about rivalry. It's about protecting your comrades.
He straightened up completely.
—Hiruzen. You love the village more than anyone else. Protect it. Protect those who believe in you… and raise the next generation so that someday they may succeed you.
Suddenly everyone fell silent.
—Starting tomorrow —Tobirama said—, you will be the new Hokage.
—The village is in your hands.
Hiruzen bowed, solemn, his heart pounding in his chest.
Off to the side, Danzo gritted his teeth.
Envy tasted bitter.
---
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Noah observed the summoning scroll between his fingers.
It was one of the rewards for passing the chūnin exam.
Inside was recorded a summoning technique… more specifically, the contract with the snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
Noah exhaled slowly.
He left a brief note saying he would be away for a few days and then opened his secret tunnel.
The wall silently warped, and the entrance to the hidden chamber appeared before him. Noah stepped forward and walked into the darkness without looking back.
Once he reached his secret chamber, he unrolled the scroll and wasted no time, forming the necessary hand seals.
—Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram!
Biting his thumb, he smeared a bit of blood on his palm and struck the ground firmly.
A cloud of smoke spread through the underground chamber, and when it cleared, Noah had disappeared.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast limestone passageway.
—So this is Ryūchi Cave…
A shiver ran down his spine as he felt a cold breath on his neck.
—Sssssss…
Slowly turning his head, he found himself face to face with a massive green snake staring at him.
—Run!
Without hesitation, he bolted at full speed.
At the end of the passage, he came upon a dark, deep cliff. He hesitated for only a moment, but seeing the snake nearly upon him, he made a decision.
—What a welcome… —he muttered before leaping into the abyss.
As he fell, he formed hand seals.
—Wood Release: Wood Roots!
Thick roots burst from the walls of the cliff, catching him in midair and slowing his fall. Skillfully, he created wooden steps and began to descend.
Finally, he arrived at a massive circular chamber with a colossal throne at the far end.
In the center of the room, a hunched old woman was sweeping the floor indifferently, as if she hadn't noticed his arrival.
Noah approached cautiously. It wasn't until he was close enough that the old woman looked up and smiled.
—Oh… are you lost, little one? Unfortunately, I'm just an old woman and can't help you get out. Why don't you stay here with me?
Noah rolled his eyes in exasperation.
—Lady Wise Serpent, let's talk.
The old woman who had been absentmindedly sweeping suddenly stopped. Her lips curled into a twisted smile.
With a "poof," her human form vanished in a cloud of smoke, and in its place appeared a colossal, majestic white snake, its body coiled around a stone throne. Its eyes, like two deep wells, fixed on the small child before it.