While Diarmuid and his group were resting mid-journey to study their map, back in the Land of Fire, within the Hidden Leaf Village...
Inside the Hokage Residence, the symbolic heart of the village's power, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stared with a grim expression at the battle report in his hands.
"Impossible. Kagami is strong; how could he have fallen in battle? Search! Keep sending people to find him!" Hiruzen growled.
In front of his desk, a ninja wearing an Anbu mask knelt on one knee. Hearing Hiruzen's command, the ninja spoke with a hint of helplessness: "Lord Third... it has already been half a month."
At that simple mention of time, the fire in Hiruzen's eyes dimmed slightly. He calmed down, though his gaze was now heavy with sorrow.
Looking back at the Third Great Ninja War, although Konoha ultimately maintained its status as a victor, its losses were staggering. A vast number of elites had perished in this sudden conflict. The economy and military were affected across the board, and the victory did not bring the dividends many had imagined.
Internal conflicts within the village were also beginning to simmer. Under these circumstances, Hiruzen would eventually step down from his position as the Third Hokage. Behind this move, there were likely those pushing from the shadows, namely, the old man Danzo.
Half a month had passed since Kagami abruptly vanished from the battlefield, suspected to have been killed by Kumogakure. Although Hiruzen was loath to believe it, he had no choice but to accept the reality.
The disappearance of Kagami was no small matter. He was a member of the Uchiha clan, an exceptionally talented one at that, and a vital pillar of the clan. He was the kind of person who could very well have succeeded as Hokage.
Now that he was gone under such mysterious circumstances, Hiruzen didn't even know how to face the Uchiha clan. He even harbored a secret suspicion: Could Kagami have been eliminated by one of our own?
When he thought of "one of our own," the first person Hiruzen suspected was Danzo. But then he remembered that Kagami, himself, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo were all part of the same generation of students under the Second Hokage. There was bound to be some lingering camaraderie. No matter how ruthless Danzo was, surely he wouldn't commit such a despicable act?
It must be said that while Hiruzen had a dark and ruthless side when necessary, he was generally kind and merciful, and above all, a man who valued sentiment.
When Orochimaru caused so much trouble later on, a Hiruzen at his peak could have easily executed him on the spot. Yet, he ultimately hesitated and let his disciple go, only to be "killed by his own kindness" in the end.
It was the same with Danzo. After discovering Danzo's filth and various conspiracies, Hiruzen should have eliminated the man who undermined the village's stability from within. Instead, he merely stripped Danzo of some power, failing to finish him off. Consequently, Danzo would later bring immense darkness and loss to Konoha.
Even now, while Hiruzen felt he should investigate Danzo thoroughly, he also felt that since they were still at war, doing so might trigger an internal explosion or even affect the front lines. After much deliberation, he decided to let Danzo slide once more.
"Mobilize the Police Force. Tell Fugaku to lead the clan and join the battlefield," Hiruzen commanded after a long silence.
"Yes, Lord Third!" the Anbu ninja replied, vanishing in a flicker of movement.
At the Uchiha compound, a young Itachi was watching from a distance in the courtyard as his father, Fugaku, received orders. That mask... that must be a ninja from the village's Anbu, he thought.
Only after the Anbu ninja had delivered the orders and left did Fugaku turn around. With a trace of sorrow in his eyes, he looked at his son Itachi and forced a small smile. "It's cold outside. Go back inside."
"Father, has something happened?" Itachi asked curiously, sensing his father's emotional instability.
Fugaku remained silent for a moment, then sighed. "Kagami... your uncle... has fallen on the front lines."
"Kagami-jisan?" Itachi froze, asking in disbelief.
Fugaku nodded, his expression mournful, but he said no more.
In Itachi's memory, Kagami was a powerful elder who was exceptionally kind and had a very good relationship with him. Kagami had never married and had no children of his own, perhaps because he truly understood the essence of the Sharingan. It was power, yes, but it was also a tragedy. The path to awakening the Sharingan was undoubtedly cruel. By not leaving behind any blood descendants, perhaps he hoped to stop the curse from flowing through him?
However, Kagami did have a younger brother years ago, though that brother had died in an accident two years prior. That brother had a child whom Kagami had been caring for all these years, the very same Shisui who was currently distinguishing himself in this war!
The reason Itachi and Kagami were so close was partly because Itachi often visited, being best friends and surrogate brothers with Shisui. Kagami had always treated Itachi like his own nephew. Because of Kagami's guidance, as a direct disciple of the Second Hokage, neither Shisui nor Itachi had fallen into the narrow-minded "clan-first" ideology that plagued the Uchiha.
Now, suddenly hearing of Kagami's death, Itachi's young heart was deeply shaken. Itachi was only four years old this year. At such a tender age, he was already personally experiencing the pain and cruelty of war. The death of Kagami planted a seed in his heart that would one day grow into a towering tree.
Allowing his son to process the news for a moment, Fugaku forced a smile and rubbed Itachi's head. "Don't worry. We will surely win the victory."
"Father..." Itachi's eyes were filled with confusion and unanswered questions.
"Tomorrow, I will select some of the clan's elites to join the war. After I leave, you will be the pillar of this household, Itachi. You must take good care of your mother, do you understand?" Fugaku said.
In a state of dazed understanding, Itachi nodded. "I will, Father."
"Good. You are my pride and the pride of the Uchiha clan. I look forward to the day you spread your wings and fly, Itachi," Fugaku said with a smile. He then took his son's hand and walked into the house.
…
On the other side, deep within the Hidden Leaf, in an eerie underground structure...
There stood a man wearing a Japanese-style yukata with a shimenawa tied around his waist in a butterfly knot behind his back. He had smooth black hair and a feminine, almost delicate aura. His face and skin were deathly pale, and there were faint purple markings around his eyes.
Unlike a normal person, his pupils were vertical slits like a snake's, and tomoe earrings hung from his ears. Without a doubt, this man was a high-ranking figure among Konoha ninjas, one who had seized the title of the "Sannin" during the Second Great Ninja War — Orochimaru.
Currently, the famous Sannin were not participating in this particular Great Ninja War. Jiraiya had left the village after the Second Great Ninja War to travel the world, gathering material for his famous "Paradise Series" while searching for the legendary "Child of the Prophecy."
As for Tsunade, her younger brother and lover had both died horrific deaths during the Second Great Ninja War. How horrific? Dan Kato's internal organs had been gouged out, and as for her brother Nawaki... it was so gruesome that Orochimaru didn't even have the heart to let Tsunade see the remains. Because of their deaths, Tsunade grew to loathe war and developed hemophobia. Losing interest in the village, she left after the war ended to wander the nations, gradually becoming the legend known as the "Legendary Sucker" of the gambling world.
Thus, at this stage, the only member of the Sannin left in the Hidden Leaf was Orochimaru. However, he was not on the front lines; he hadn't even shown his face publicly during the Third Great Ninja War. During this time, Orochimaru was deep within the village conducting forbidden experiments.
On the operating table before him lay a corpse which he was busy dissecting. Along the walls of the laboratory stood rows of glass vats filled with solution, each containing a body. The entire environment was chilling and macabre, yet Orochimaru's expression was solemn and focused, as if he were performing a sacred rite.
Just then, the door behind him opened, and Danzo walked in. At this time, Danzo hadn't yet become the man covered in Sharingan eyes; he didn't need to disguise himself, and his body appeared healthy. However, his aura was intensely somber; he certainly didn't look like a good person.
"How is it?" Danzo asked directly upon entering.
Following the Second Great Ninja War, the Sannin had gone their separate ways. Although Orochimaru remained in Konoha, he had joined the mysterious Root organization, rarely appearing in public. Root was the darkness of Konoha. While its founding concept, that where there is light, there must be shadow, was a normal reality, Danzo's greed had eventually brainwashed the organization into his personal tool. In essence, he was using the village's funds to raise his own private army, a clear embezzlement of village assets.
"A failure. Over there..." Orochimaru said without looking up, pointing to a nearby table. On it lay a pile of mangled flesh that was actually squirming. Though it lacked form, it gave off a sensation of incredibly powerful vitality.
"Why did it fail again?" Danzo frowned after glancing at it.
"The cells of Lord First are too potent. Ordinary people simply cannot withstand the proliferation of these cells. Once transplanted, they rapidly erode the host, causing the entire body to collapse. To put it simply, they cannot handle the power," Orochimaru replied casually as he continued his dissection.
Indeed, Root was currently conducting Hashirama cell experiments. After Senju Hashirama died, the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai had vanished from Konoha. Yet, the strength of the God of Shinobi made the village elders long for it, especially since Wood Release was crucial for suppressing Tailed Beasts. From any perspective, the loss of Wood Release was a tragedy.
Thus, the elders conducted secret Wood Release research. However, the experiments were so cruel they were eventually halted, only for Danzo and Orochimaru to continue them in secret. Eventually, Orochimaru's departure from Konoha would be triggered by this very project being exposed. Otherwise, he would have been a legitimate contender for the position of Fourth Hokage.