Orochimaru, Running Away with a Bucket
Ōnoki found himself under attack from massive shurikens coming from every direction.
Each shuriken was enormous—far heavier than ordinary ninja weapons—yet their speed was terrifying, even faster than standard shurikens.
This defied common sense.
Was it wind manipulation?
Ōnoki immediately abandoned the idea of dodging.
Instead, five Iwagakure clones surged forward, their arms coated in hardened rock. They surrounded him from all directions, swinging stone fists to knock the incoming shurikens aside.
Sparks flew as metal met stone.
Under their protection, Ōnoki brought his hands together.
The moment he separated them, a flash of blinding white light burst forth. Between his palms, a conical barrier formed, vibrating violently.
The Iwagakure clones scattered.
The conical barrier spun once—then shot forward like a drill, tearing through the air toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just finished destroying the last of the giant shurikens.
Hiruzen had been watching Ōnoki closely from the beginning.
He sidestepped effortlessly.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Hand seals flashed.
Four shadow clones appeared beside him.
"Five-Style Sequential Barrage—Supreme Continuous Technique!"
Hiruzen and his four clones attacked simultaneously.
Fire, lightning, water, earth, and wind chakra erupted at once, forming a perfectly synchronized assault.
In truth, mastering even two chakra natures was considered exceptional.
Using five at the same time was monstrous.
For the first time, genuine surprise flashed across Ōnoki's eyes.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion erupted midair.
Blinding light swallowed the battlefield.
Everyone watching raised their arms instinctively to shield their eyes.
The Iwagakure ninja stared upward in dread.
The Konoha ninja looked on with anticipation.
The massive rock construct shattered completely.
Fragments rained down like meteors.
Ōnoki emerged from behind the wreckage, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face. The intense exchange had drained a terrifying amount of his chakra.
…Did he block it?
Hiruzen wiped sweat from his brow as his shadow clones dispersed into smoke.
He had never intended to kill Ōnoki.
If the Third Tsuchikage died here, Iwagakure would seek revenge at any cost. Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure would no longer remain neutral observers.
That would plunge the entire ninja world into chaos.
Still, Hiruzen had believed that this attack would at least force Ōnoki to retreat.
"Let's stop here, Third Tsuchikage," Hiruzen called out.
"The casualties are already too great. Haven't you experienced enough war to understand its pain?"
Ōnoki's expression hardened.
"I know exactly how painful war is," he replied coldly.
"That's why I must fight. Konoha's power is a threat to Iwagakure."
His beliefs would not be shaken by words alone.
He had never forgotten the humiliation inflicted upon him and Lord Mu by Uchiha Madara.
From that moment onward, Ōnoki had understood a brutal truth:
Peace could not be achieved through treaties alone.
Only absolute strength could enforce it.
Just as Senju Hashirama had done—forcing the Four Great Villages to accept his ideals through sheer power.
If Iwagakure possessed such strength, there would be no five Great Villages.
There would be only one.
"As stubborn as a rock," Hiruzen muttered angrily.
He extended his hand.
A staff, harder than diamond, slid into his palm.
"If words fail, then we continue!"
Hiruzen had decided.
Even if he could not kill Ōnoki, he would remove him from the battlefield.
At that instant—
A spray of blood burst from Ōnoki's chest.
A bullet dropped to the ground, leaving behind a deep crater.
"…!"
Ōnoki's eyes widened.
"Sorry," a calm voice said behind him.
"I couldn't hold back."
Orochimaru stood there, holding a small black pistol with a matte finish. Smoke drifted lazily from the barrel as a satisfied smile curved his lips.
"You tried to kill me with Dust Release earlier, Third Tsuchikage," Orochimaru continued.
"Did you really think I wouldn't return the favor?"
Orochimaru was a vengeful man.
And this weapon—one of his many trump cards—had been meticulously designed for assassination. Years of refinement had pushed its penetration power to terrifying levels.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen's movement had caused Ōnoki to rise instinctively at the last moment.
The bullet that should have pierced his skull struck his chest instead.
"I bloom amidst slaughter."
"Despicable!"
"Shameless!"
"Disgusting!"
The Iwagakure ninja exploded in rage, charging forward in an attempt to tear Orochimaru apart.
Even Jiraiya and Tsunade had not expected Orochimaru to act so suddenly.
"Orochimaru, you—"
Hiruzen stared at the unfamiliar weapon in Orochimaru's hand, shock written across his face. When he heard Orochimaru's explanation, the rebuke died on his lips.
Yes.
Orochimaru had nearly been killed by a sneak attack using Dust Release.
Why shouldn't he respond in kind?
"Despicable?" Konoha ninja shouted back furiously.
"Your Tsuchikage attacked Lord Orochimaru first!"
"That was clearly an ambush!"
"Iwagakure, you should be ashamed!"
"How dare you accuse Lord Orochimaru?!"
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Now was the chance.
Orochimaru raised the pistol again, fully prepared to finish Ōnoki.
If the Third Tsuchikage died, Iwagakure would be left leaderless.
What would the other villages do then?
Bang!
The bullet grazed Ōnoki's body.
Hiruzen's diamond staff struck Orochimaru's arm, deflecting the shot upward.
"Retreat!"
Clutching his wound, Ōnoki shot Orochimaru one final, chilling glance before rising into the sky.
He vanished, denying Hiruzen the chance to reconsider.
"Hiruzen-sensei," Orochimaru demanded coldly,
"Why did you stop me? Don't you know killing him here would benefit Konoha the most?"
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
"Because if he dies like that, what happens to your reputation?"
"And more importantly—what happens next?"
He still wanted Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage.
But if Ōnoki died from a dishonorable ambush, Iwagakure would retaliate with everything it had.
And then?
Would Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure join them—or seize the chaos for their own gain?
Too many uncertainties.
Konoha could fight two villages.
Three would be difficult.
Four would be catastrophic.
Recovery would take decades.
At that moment, Hiruzen truly felt surrounded by enemies.
"…You haven't given up on me yet," Orochimaru murmured, stunned.
He had believed his teacher had already abandoned the idea.
If I killed Ōnoki, wouldn't people call me a hero?
Wouldn't that force me to become Hokage?
…No.
They would say:
The man who assassinated the Third Tsuchikage through despicable means.
Hiruzen-sensei… you old fox.
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya.
"Why focus on me?" he said lazily.
"Jiraiya is suitable. If not him, Danzo. Koharu and Homura could barely manage."
"No! Absolutely not!" Jiraiya shouted, shaking his head violently.
He still had to find the Child of Prophecy.
Hokage?
That exhausting job?
Never.
Elsewhere, in Konoha's command center—
Danzo Shimura frowned at a report.
"Yangyan Village?"
Konoha and Yangyan had always coexisted peacefully.
Why now?
"I'll handle it," Danzo said coldly.
And vanished.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)