Powerful shinobi only needed a single glance to understand what the other was thinking.
When Sasuke told Naruto this, it carried multiple layers of aning.
But there was so truth to that statent.
Orochimaru licked his lips. Seeing him like this, Anko instinctively backed away.
That look... he's found sothing interesting again. Nothing good ever cos from this. She was all too familiar with this particular expression on her master's face.
Masashi activated his Sharingan, the three-tomoe red eyes locking onto Orochimaru.
A genjutsu was cast instantly. However, the illusion, which had rarely failed before, didn't work this ti.
Orochimaru wasn't affected.
Or rather, he was, but this level of genjutsu wasn't enough to incapacitate him. His body was unlike that of an ordinary person, and his chakra pathways were different, allowing him to endure this level of chakra disruption.
As expected, standard genjutsu won't work on his modified chakra network. Masashi wasn't bothered. This was just a test.
After all, his current proficiency in genjutsu was limited by the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"I'm your target, huh," Orochimaru chuckled, his tongue flicking out briefly. "The Uchiha clan is truly to my taste."
In the next instant, his hand darted toward Masashi, two fingers aid straight for his Sharingan.
Orochimaru lunged at the Uchiha, but his feet remained in their original position.
Squelch!
Effortlessly, his two fingers pierced into Masashi's eye socket. But the sensation transmitted through his fingers wasn't that of flesh and blood.
He withdrew imdiately, but it was already too late—Masashi's body burst into a spray of water.
"Fascinating...," Orochimaru mused as a freezing cold that could chill blood radiated from the water screen, instantly encasing his upper body in ice.
The frost continued to spread.
With a crunch, he stomped his feet, tearing his body in half to escape the icy grip. Two hands erged from the severed remains, clawing their way out as he regenerated his body.
Looking up, he saw a massive fireball descending toward him.
Boom—!!
A deafening explosion sent scorching waves tearing through the ground. Crimson flas blood like flowers, reducing nearby trees to ashes.
As the most intense flas subsided, he burst from the charred soil, his serpent-like eyes locking onto Masashi's position.
He moved like a snake, slithering around the burning areas. He quickly ford hand seals and unleashed a fierce gale from his mouth.
The howling winds kicked up debris, creating a barrier between him and the Sharingan.
To Masashi's eyes, the chakra in the storm was chaotic.
The storm's range was vast, but he avoided it with a Body Flicker, drawing his blade. He fought straightforwardly, careful not to reveal too much to the opponent opposite him.
Two glints of steel collided mid-air. Chips began to appear on his short blade. The blade, forged from chakra tal, was expensive but fell short against the Kusanagi.
Still, Masashi wasn't worried—he had just received a generous payout and could afford a replacent.
With superior speed, he closed in on Orochimaru multiple tis, striking from blind spots and leaving cuts on his opponent.
Both combatants' shadow clones were shattered several tis, their forms dissolving into smoke and water.
Eventually, quality won out, and Masashi's blade was severed by the Kusanagi.
Without hesitation, he discarded the broken weapon. His Sharingan predicted the sword's trajectory, and he dodged with a short-range Body Flicker, countering with a powerful punch to Orochimaru's arm.
The Kusanagi flew from Orochimaru's hand, impaling several thick trees before lodging in the ground.
His arm twisted grotesquely but didn't break. With a casual flick, it returned to normal. "Your taijutsu is quite... interesting," he noted, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
Masashi closed the distance again, employing taijutsu techniques from both the Senju and Uchiha clans.
The Senju style focused on swift, powerful strikes to overwhelm the opponent before they could react.
The Uchiha style emphasized precision, targeting an enemy's weakness with devastating blows, showcasing explosive power.
In his hands, these styles blended seamlessly.
Orochimaru, a skilled taijutsu user himself, quickly fell behind in close combat.
But his resilient body, capable of enduring blows that would kill anyone else a thousand tis over, allowed him to keep fighting without faltering.
Masashi attempted to mark him with Flying Thunder God seals several tis but found it futile. Orochimaru's unique substitution technique nullified each mark as he replaced his entire body.
"You and your modified body...," Masashi said, retreating from the exchange.
"Oh? That comnt makes it sound like you've done your howork on ," Orochimaru sneered, refusing to let up.
As Masashi retreated, he unleashed a swarm of snakes.
Striking Shadow Snakes.
The summoned serpents slithered nacingly toward Masashi. Unlike the lesser snakes summoned by Anko, these were far more intelligent and ferocious.
However, intelligence wasn't always an advantage.
He retreated calmly, and the snakes, sensing his chakra, hesitated before slowing down.
"Hm?" Orochimaru noticed the change in his serpent minions.
For these gluttonous beasts from Ryūchi Cave to act this way, there was only one explanation.
"You've mastered Sage Mode?" he canceled the summoning.
This scenario only occurred between true successors of Ryūchi Cave's teachings. His eyes grew even colder. Facing a challenger who turned out to be another Ryūchi Cave inheritor soured his mood.
"Snakes seem to like ," Masashi said as he seized the opportunity to increase the distance.
Both ninjas completed their hand seals simultaneously.
Massive chakra surged.
A water dragon rose to et a towering fire column. The clash created a dense mist, shrouding the entire forest in steam.
In the distance, Anko stared in disbelief.
Behind her, a man in the Hokage robe appeared silently, watching the battle unfold without a word.
"What a ss… Not a single peaceful day in this job!" Minato observed the mist-covered battlefield.
Being Hokage, he realized, was far less satisfying than leading a jonin team.
No matter what he did, soone was unhappy. No matter where he stood, he was caught in the middle.
Barely days into the job, and two of the village's most respected shinobi were already fighting.
Perhaps it was ti to stop worrying about Hiruzen's feelings and take so decisive action.
Ever since Minato beca the Hokage, he noticed sothing amiss within the village.
The current ANBU was under the control of Hiruzen and Danzō, but that didn't an he was blind or deaf.
Though he was no longer the leader of the jonin corps, he still had a firm grasp on this powerful tool. Years of building trust and proving his worth had ensured that.
Frankly, each ti a Hokage changed, the ANBU would essentially need to start from scratch—veterans stepping down, and new recruits stepping in.
However, the jonin corps was different.
Every jonin in this unit had their own network within Konoha's ninja forces. Its mbers changed very slowly, their bonds forged in blood and battle.
As a result, whoever gained the support of the jonin corps beca the most influential person in Konoha.
Conversely, even if soone was nominated and appointed Hokage by the daimyō, without the jonin corps' backing, they would only be a placeholder Hokage—not officially recognized.
After Minato took office, the jonin corps aligned themselves entirely with him, pledging their loyalty to the Hokage.
Many of them had grown weary of the old regi's ways.
Things hadn't always been this way. The shift began when Konoha's White Fang committed suicide.
That event drove a wedge between the jonin corps and the Third Hokage's faction.
Konoha's White Fang, the forr leader of the jonin corps, had his shortcomings but was a man of unquestionable character. Many in the jonin corps owed him favors, and hearts are not made of stone. After the incident, many sought justice for him, fearing sothing similar might happen to Kakashi.
They kept a close eye on him.
Whether it was a conspiracy or not didn't matter; what mattered was a shared sentint among them: Sakumo's actions might have caused losses to the village, but to refuse to guide public opinion or acknowledge his past contributions was uncalled for.
Did his prior rits an nothing?
This lack of compassion left them wondering—if one of them slipped up one day, would they face an even worse fate?
As a result, the jonin corps beca more united than ever in Konoha's history.
When both Minato and Orochimaru were nominated as candidates for the Fourth Hokage, the jonin corps overwhelmingly supported Minato.
He was Kakashi's teacher.
Had it been Jiraiya competing, they might have felt conflicted. Against Orochimaru? Not at all.
Ard with this support, Minato quickly gathered enough intelligence.
Human experints.
Conducting experints wasn't inherently wrong— the Second Hokage had done groundbreaking research—but he had experinted on enemies, not allies.
Yet these experints involved deceased ninja from their own village, both from ninja clans and common shinobi.
It was madness—practically an invitation to civil war.
From that mont, Minato grew vigilant. His first suspect was Danzō.
Danzō didn't exactly have a trustworthy reputation—it was easy to imagine him behind any sinister plot.
When Minato subtly probed, Danzō nearly backed him into a corner, deepening his suspicions.
He trusted the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, from the bottom of his heart. But Danzō? Not at all. Orochimaru, who worked closely with him, was also under suspicion.
Since then, he and the jonin corps had been biding their ti, waiting for the right opportunity.
And now, it seed that mont had co.
He split into two shadow clones—one used the Flying Thunder God to notify the jonin corps, while the other teleported back to the Hokage office to inform the Third Hokage and others.
His real body remained to monitor Masashi and Orochimaru.
After a mont's thought, he created a third shadow clone to notify the Police Force.
Directly approaching the Uchiha clan would be inappropriate, but involving the Police Force was reasonable. After all, a ninja skirmish fell under their jurisdiction.
If the Uchiha arrived, they would undoubtedly protect their own, and Danzō would surely show up too.
Once the ringleaders appeared, the jonin corps—already prepared—would launch a full-scale assault.
"Hokage-sama, the jonin corps is in position."
"Good. Tell them to wait for my signal."
Minato waited silently.
Soon, he sensed large amounts of chakra converging on the scene.
A smile appeared on his face. Today, Minato would rid the village of a cancerous tumor.
With such an accomplishnt, Kushina wouldn't refuse him a second child, right? He had always envied those with siblings. He wouldn't let Naruto grow up with the sa regret.
Behind him, the sound of movent.
Although his chakra sensing had already identified the newcors, he turned to greet them.
"Sandai-sama."
"Minato! What's going on here?" Hiruzen, clad in full battle attire, landed first, urgently questioning.
But I'll soon find out, Minato thought before answering simply, "I don't know."
Had his disciple lost his mind? Masashi was rely teaching Anko a private lesson. Was this about Nawaki again?
Behind him were Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Koharu and Homura remained at the Hokage building, ensuring soone stayed to oversee things.
The recent series of anomalies in the village left Hiruzen feeling increasingly weary.
His ho was desolate now, with only Konohamaru bringing him comfort. Watching his mischievous grandson was his only solace.
"What's Orochimaru doing fighting a kid?" Jiraiya frowned, his usual flippancy gone.
He might act carefree, but he wasn't oblivious—otherwise, he'd have been killed long ago. Over the years, the bond among the Sannin had frayed. He had done his best to restore their camaraderie, but with little success.
He had grown up relying on Tsunade and Orochimaru. No matter what, he didn't want either of them hurt.
"An Uchiha kid is no ordinary kid, Jiraiya," Tsunade interjected.
She hadn't wanted to co at all. She knew all too well how headstrong Uchiha ninja—especially those with Sharingan—could be.
Masashi might be considered different, but in her eyes, not by much. See? He was already fighting Orochimaru.
When she was younger, her uncle had once said, "It takes all kinds to make a world." Not every Uchiha was crazy, nor was every Senju a paragon of honesty.
But in Tsunade's view, the Uchiha were all maniacs. The Senju, well, had only her rogue uncle.
He had died because of his antics.
So what if he had lived a brilliant life? Dead was dead—nothing more, nothing less.
Thinking of this soured her mood.
"How long are they going to fight?" she asked irritably. "This isn't a tournant. With so many of us here, they should knock it off already!"
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