At seven in the morning, a crimson sun slowly erged from the clouds, illuminating the sky.
Under normal circumstances, the streets of Konohagakure would already be lively at this hour. Shops would be open, and villagers would be moving about their daily routines.
But today was different.
Not a single person could be seen anywhere in the village.
Every shop along the streets was tightly closed. The village looked desolate—and the air was filled with an unmistakable sense of tension.
The reason was simple.
Just yesterday, the Hokage Tower had issued an official notice to the civilians:
Because of the rumors spreading wildly through the village, ANBU had discovered that spies from other villages were involved. A large-scale purge operation would therefore be carried out today.
Villagers were advised to remain indoors to avoid accidental injury.
It had to be said that the Hokage's administration still held considerable credibility among Konoha's citizens.
Whenever the Hokage issued an order—whether it was organizing welco ceremonies or staying indoors—most villagers obeyed without question.
Inside the Hokage's Office, however, the atmosphere was suffocating.
The room was thick with smoke.
The concentration of secondhand smoke had practically reached lethal levels.
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally set down his pipe and stood up, stretching his stiff body.
The Uchiha clan eting had lasted the entire night.
And Hiruzen had spent that sa night sitting in his office, waiting.
Although the Radical Faction led by Uchiha Setsuna was only a minority within the Uchiha clan, there was always the possibility—however small—that they might seize control.
And until the final result was known, Hiruzen simply could not relax.
All the preparations he had made were for that single possibility.
After all, Uchiha Setsuna was not like Uchiha Ya or Uchiha Fugaku.
If Setsuna talked about launching a coup—
He would actually do it.
And he had done so before.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A heavy knocking sound suddenly echoed from the door.
"Co in."
Hiruzen imdiately looked toward the entrance.
The office door opened.
Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Orochimaru stepped inside.
Among them, only Orochimaru appeared energetic.
Koharu and Homura, already elderly, looked visibly exhausted after staying awake all night.
"Hiruzen, how much have you smoked this night?" Koharu complained, frowning. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
The suffocating smoke made all three of them instinctively wrinkle their noses.
Orochimaru casually waved his hand, creating a small gust of wind that blew the smoke out the window.
Hiruzen ignored the remark about smoking and asked directly,
"What brings you here so early?"
Homura answered in a deep voice.
"It's already getting late. The sun will be fully up soon. The villagers can't stay locked indoors all day."
"Has the situation with the Uchiha been resolved yet?"
As the director and deputy director of Konoha's administrative council, Homura and Koharu obviously could not allow the entire village to remain shut down indefinitely.
Once dawn arrived, they could no longer sit still.
They had co to ask about the situation—and whether the village lockdown should be lifted.
As for Orochimaru…
He had actually slept very well last night.
The fatigue he had accumulated over the past weeks had completely disappeared.
Now that he was refreshed, he had co for a simple reason:
To ask whether he could leave.
Recently, Orochimaru had been extrely busy.
Because of Uchiha Ren 's reminder, he had made a new breakthrough in his research on Hashirama Cells.
On top of that, Shimura Danzō had delivered another batch of experintal materials and equipnt.
Orochimaru had absolutely no interest in wasting ti on political matters.
"There's still no news from the Uchiha," Hiruzen said slowly.
Then his tone shifted.
"But under the current circumstances… no news is actually good news."
"The sun is already rising. Even if the Uchiha plan to act, it won't happen during the dayti."
"Lift the lockdown for now."
"But inform the villagers clearly—the situation isn't over yet."
"They must remain cautious and be prepared to head to the evacuation shelters at any ti."
Koharu and Homura nodded.
If the Uchiha intended to launch a coup, they would either strike suddenly with full force—or spend ti preparing carefully.
After an all-night clan eting, today's daylight hours clearly weren't the ideal mont.
"Then… does that an I can go back?"
Orochimaru seized the opportunity to ask.
Hiruzen frowned.
"What are you in such a hurry for?"
He looked at his once-prized student with visible dissatisfaction.
"Look at yourself. Ever since returning to the village, you've practically disappeared."
"You spend every day locked in the laboratory. What kind of behavior is that?"
"And don't think I'm unaware of the things you and Danzō have been doing behind my back."
"You'd better not go too far."
Hiruzen felt deeply troubled about Orochimaru's current state.
Among his three students—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—the one he once admired the most had been Orochimaru.
But ever since Orochimaru began experinting with Hashirama Cells, sothing had changed.
He had grown increasingly cold.
Increasingly devoid of humanity.
Sotis Hiruzen even felt that Orochimaru resembled a machine more than a person.
Because of this, Hiruzen had completely abandoned the idea of making Orochimaru the Fourth Hokage.
After all—
A man without emotions had no weaknesses.
Hiruzen could no longer understand Orochimaru's thoughts.
And if he couldn't understand them—
He certainly couldn't control them.
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
His long tongue slid out, licking the corner of his lips.
"Isn't that better, Sensei?"
"It saves you quite a lot of trouble."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"What kind of attitude is that?!"
"Do you still consider your teacher?"
Of course Hiruzen understood the aning behind Orochimaru's words.
At present, Orochimaru was still one of the most qualified candidates for the Fourth Hokage, and his reputation within the village remained extrely high.
If he chose to run for the position, even with Hiruzen's support behind Minato Namikaze, victory would not be guaranteed.
Yet ever since returning from the front lines, Orochimaru had remained hidden in his laboratory—rarely appearing in public.
In effect, he had removed himself from the political arena.
That alone had saved Hiruzen a great deal of trouble.
But the fact that Orochimaru had openly stated this in such a tone—
Right in front of him—
Was clearly an expression of dissatisfaction.
And for Hiruzen, who had already betrayed his own student's expectations, it made him feel both embarrassed and irritated.
Yet Orochimaru seed completely oblivious to Hiruzen's anger.
Still smiling, he asked softly,
"Sensei…"
"Tell honestly."
"Do I still have a chance?"
Seeing that there were no outsiders present, Hiruzen finally lost so of his restraint.
"If you truly still regard as your teacher," he snapped,
"Then imdiately end your cooperation with Shimura Danzō."
"And let this be my final warning."
"Otherwise…"
"Even I won't be able to protect you."
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