In the luxurious rooms reserved for the Kazekage and his entourage, the silence was absolute. It was an unnatural stillness, not of peace, but of deliberate absence. There was no murmur of guards in the hallways, no sound of hurried footsteps, no rustle of silk against polished wood. The quiet was so dense it felt tangible, afraid to disturb the figure standing by the window.
Orochimaru, wearing the face and robes of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, gazed out at Konoha. From that height, the village spread under the golden evening light like a detailed map on a table. He could see the Hokage Monument, a stone reminder of the faces he despised most, especially that of his old master, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He could distinguish the dark roofs of the Uchiha complex, a desolate area that would soon provide him with his most prized possession. And he watched the bustle of the streets, the ignorant, vibrant life of a population that would soon be decimated.
"Pathetic," he thought, a hint of his own serpentine smile threatening to break the Kazekage’s austere and severe expression. Rasa had been a fool from beginning to end. A weak leader, drowned in the paranoia of his own economic and military failures, desperate to cling to power. He genuinely believed this alliance, this invasion, was his idea. A masterstroke to restore Sunagakure’s supposed lost glory. He had been nothing more than a pawn, and a remarkably easy one to eliminate and replace. True power did not announce itself with grandiosity; it simply took.
A faint creak in the floorboards announced a newcomer.
"Lord Orochimaru," a calm, respectful voice said. "All preparations are complete. Our men are in their positions, disguised among the attendees and merchants."
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses as he approached, his face a mask of impassive efficiency. "The Suna teams are also ready. Baki has coordinated his genin exactly as instructed. They believe they are here for a simple pressure tactic."
"Ignorance is a useful tool," Orochimaru replied, his voice a perfect imitation of the Kazekage’s dry, authoritative tone. He turned slowly, the ceremonial robe brushing against the floor. "And the Suna council? Have any complications arisen with the elders?"
"None," Kabuto assured him. "They are too busy discussing the economic implications of a renewed alliance with Konoha. We have given them so many false documents and growth projections that they will be overwhelmed by bureaucracy for weeks. By the time they realize the deception, Sunagakure will have new leadership and a new direction."
A cold smile emerged. "Rasa never knew how to handle his own council. Always afraid of their influence, of their old glories. A leader who fears his subordinates has already lost. His village was crumbling from within, and he only saw external threats."
"He was a necessary, but predictable, obstacle," Kabuto agreed. "Any last minute instructions regarding the Sound Four? They are growing impatient."
"They will control their enthusiasm. Their role will come in due time. For now, they are to remain as a shadow, nothing more. Their only task is to erect the barrier at the precise moment. Not a second sooner, not a second later. Impulsiveness would ruin the synchronization of the entire plan." Orochimaru walked to the center of the room, his eyes scanning the space as if searching for a flaw. "Everything depends on the initial trigger. On the chaos our main weapon will unleash."
Just then, an almost imperceptible change in air pressure alerted them to a new presence. There was no sound of the door opening. Sand, fine as desert dust, had slipped under the threshold and now swirled gently on the tatami floor, materializing into a human figure.
Kabuto took a step back, an almost instinctive gesture of caution, then stopped by the wall, assuming the role of a simple subordinate.
Gaara stood in the middle of the room, motionless and rigid. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, and the gourd on his back cast an ominous shadow that stretched in the fading light. His sea green eyes, completely devoid of any recognizable emotion, were fixed on his supposed father’s back.
"Gaara," Orochimaru said, perfectly resuming the Kazekage’s role. His finely modulated voice effortlessly replicated every nuance of Rasa's personality. "Are you prepared for your match in the finals?"
The silence stretched for a moment. Gaara did not answer immediately, his gaze remained fixed, analytical, as if he were evaluating the figure before him.
"My purpose is to prove my existence," he finally answered, his voice a harsh whisper, like the sound of sand being dragged by a cutting wind. "I will kill him. And then I will kill the others."
Orochimaru turned slowly, arching an eyebrow with an expression of feigned paternal disapproval. Kabuto remained perfectly still, observing the interaction with clinical interest.
"Your bloodlust is a useful resource, Gaara. I don't deny it," Orochimaru said, his tone condescending. "But a resource must be managed with precision, not with blind fury. Anyone can kill. That is crude. Primitive. Killing the Uchiha is an acceptable, almost inevitable, outcome, but it is not your primary objective."
Gaara’s eyes narrowed a fraction of a millimeter, the only sign that the statement had registered. "Then what is?"
"Your mission is to destroy him," Orochimaru explained, and this time, a nuance of his own sadistic personality bled into the Kazekage's tone. He savored every word, aware that he was honing Suna's most powerful weapon for his own ends. He approached Gaara and circled him slowly, studying him. They were not a predator and prey; they were two predators of a different kind. "I don't want you to kill him quickly. That would be a waste. An anticlimactic end to such a promising story."
He paused, stopping directly in front of the young jinchuriki. "I want you to dismantle him. Piece by piece. I want you to get in that arena and show the world the abysmal difference that exists between the talent of a supposed elite and the absolute power of a true monster. I want you to make his precious Sharingan, the pride of his extinct clan, completely useless. Let him see your every move and be powerless to do anything to stop it."
Orochimaru’s voice lowered, becoming more intimate, more persuasive. "Break his bones, yes. Make him bleed. But that is secondary. The most important thing is that you break his spirit. Humiliate him. Humiliate him in front of his village, in front of all those fools who whisper about the return of the Uchiha prodigy. Make him understand, in the depths of his being, that all his effort, all his training, all his lineage… means absolutely nothing."
"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here."
The voice did not come from the door. It did not come from Kabuto. It was a woman’s voice, low and laced with a steel that allowed no argument. It came from the shadows of the balcony, a space that was supposed to be secure and empty.
Orochimaru did not startle, but his shoulders tensed a fraction of a millimeter. He set the teacup down on the table with deliberate slowness, the light clink of porcelain against wood the only sound in the room. Kabuto, for his part, went rigid, his hand instinctively moving toward the tool pouch at his waist before he stopped himself, awaiting his master’s command.
Orochimaru turned.
There, standing with her arms crossed, silhouetted against the orange twilight sky, was Tsunade Senju. She was not wearing her usual green jacket, and the evening light highlighted the outline of the violet diamond on her forehead. Her posture was not that of a diplomatic guest or a ninja on a surveillance mission. It was that of an executioner who had come to collect a very old debt.
Orochimaru maintained the Kazekage’s composure, his face instantly transforming into a mask of cold indignation. "Lady Tsunade? I was not aware that Konoha’s customs included entering the private quarters of a visiting Kage uninvited. It is a grave, a very grave, breach of protocol."
"Save the formalities, Rasa," Tsunade retorted, stepping from the balcony into the room. The light now fully illuminated her face, and her brown eyes scrutinized him with a piercing intensity. Her gaze flickered to Kabuto for a second, dismissing him like a piece of furniture, before fixing back on the Kazekage. "I am not here for tea or to argue about etiquette. I am here to deliver a message."
"Any official message from Konoha should go through the Hokage’s office," he said, his voice calm, but his senses were on high alert, analyzing every microexpression, every chakra fluctuation, and every subtle shift in Tsunade’s posture.
Tsunade let out a short, dry laugh completely devoid of joy. "Oh, this is not official. Not even close. Let’s just say it’s… personal." She stepped closer, the sound of her sandals a soft echo on the tatami, stopping just a few feet from him. The air between them crackled with tension. "You look pale, Lord Kazekage. The stress of leadership, no doubt. Or perhaps the Konoha air doesn’t agree with you. I have heard that happens to some pests."
The jab was direct. Orochimaru's disguise was perfect, but he could not change the fundamental nature of his host body. He could not hide the deathly pallor of his true skin, a pallor that sometimes, under stress, seemed to seep through the illusion.
"My health is my own concern, Lady Tsunade," he replied, his tone turning frigid, the indignation now tinged with a veiled threat. "And you should be very careful about the words you choose. ‘Pests’ sounds dangerously like an accusation. One that Sunagakure would not take lightly."
"Curious," Tsunade continued, ignoring his warning. She began to walk slowly around the room, her eyes scanning every detail. "I was speaking with my old sensei recently. Reminiscing about old times. We talked about many things. We even recalled another rogue ninja who liked to hide in the grass, waiting for the right moment to strike."
She stopped by the table and looked at the teacup Orochimaru had just set down. She did not touch it. "Snakes are fascinating creatures, don’t you think? They slip into places they shouldn't. They shed their skin to deceive their enemies… but in the end, no matter how many times they shed their skin, they are still the same snake underneath. And poison is still poison."
She was proving to him, point by point, that she was not fooled. She was playing with him.
Orochimaru remained impassive. "Konoha’s old war stories are certainly colorful, but I still fail to see what they have to do with me. I have come here in good faith to solidify the alliance between our villages."
"Bringing an unstable jinchuriki to what is supposed to be a ‘friendly exam’?" Tsunade stopped and turned to face him again, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Is that your idea of good faith? It is a very bold move, Kazekage. Or perhaps… desperate."
"My son's power is Sunagakure’s power," he retorted, using the defense the real Rasa would have used. "To demonstrate his strength is to demonstrate my village's strength. It is a simple display of power to secure our place at the negotiating table."
"I have seen your ‘son's’ power. I felt it the moment I entered this village," Tsunade said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. She took another step, closing the distance until she was right in front of him. "And I have seen yours, many years ago."
He stared at her, Rasa’s face a mask of impassivity.
"And I know one thing about snakes, Orochimaru."
The use of his real name hung in the air between them, a silent declaration of war.
"No matter how well they hide," she continued, her voice barely a murmur, "they always, always leave a trail of slime."
Orochimaru’s facade finally cracked. It was only for a split second, but Tsunade saw it. A frigid, murderous fury flashed in his eyes, the true reptilian nature peeking through the illusion, before it was suppressed again.
"You have lost your mind, woman," he hissed, Rasa’s voice now laced with a fury that seemed genuine. "That accusation is an act of war! To attack a Kage in his own room, without proof!"
"No," she replied, her voice calm and filled with a terrifying certainty that silenced his outburst. "An act of war would be me tearing your head off right now to see if the body you are wearing dissolves into mud. Believe me, the temptation is great." Her gaze hardened. "But that would be a diplomatic disaster, and Hiruzen wouldn't like it."
She stepped back, creating distance again. "So do not consider this an accusation. Consider it a friendly warning between old… acquaintances." Her smile was sharp. "I have returned to this village. It may only be for a while, but as long as I am here, it is under my protection. From any threat. Internal… or external."
Her gaze was hard as granite. "You can keep playing Kazekage. You can continue with your little farce. But be sure of this: any snake that tries to sink its fangs into Konoha will find its head cut off before it has a chance to inject its venom. Have I been clear enough?"
Without waiting for a reply, Tsunade turned around. She walked calmly to the balcony and, with an effortless leap that belied her power, disappeared into the night descending upon the village.
Orochimaru was left alone in the silent room. Kabuto had not moved an inch.
Slowly, the Kazekage’s mask melted away, revealing Orochimaru’s pale, androgynous face. His golden eyes with vertical pupils, now burning with a cold, calculating fury, swept the room. The tea on the table had gone cold.
"Tsunade," he thought, a serpentine tongue licking his pale lips. "That woman… always so impulsive, such a slave to her emotions. But never stupid."
He had underestimated the possibility of her return. A significant miscalculation. Her presence did not ruin the plan, as the pieces were already in motion, but it complicated it enormously. It added a powerful and unpredictable variable to the equation, just when victory seemed assured.
He walked to the table, picked up the cold teacup, and threw it against the wall. The porcelain shattered. Kabuto did not flinch at the rare display of anger.
Orochimaru took a deep breath, his fury fading as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a cold, renewed determination. Tsunade believed her warning would make him back down. How little she knew him. Her threat had only fanned the flames.
The invasion was no longer just a strategic move to destroy his former home and claim his future vessel. It was no longer solely about killing his old master.
Now, with the return of his former teammate, it had become infinitely more dangerous.
And therefore, infinitely more interesting.
Now it was personal.