Intermission 『2』 A plan.

Eight years after the Akatsuki invaded.

『Sunagakure』

Rasa was staring at the ceiling of his office. Seemingly without focus, his eyes stared blankly at the clay's texture.

Somehow, multiple faces grew out of the roof… Their features bore a striking resemblance to the council's members. Rasa watched with horror as they twisted and turned before stopping to look back at him. One of them opened its mouth, and the others soon followed. The ominous voices resonated through Rasa's mind, unhindered.

"You aren't worthy of being Kazekage… You shall never reach your predecessor's heights… You bring Shame to the desert. "

Rasa's head was spinning; These hallucinations had been haunting him for years now. At one point, it had gotten so bad that they started appearing in his dreams, affecting his sleep. The bags under his eyes were a strong indicator of this.

Suddenly, knocking sounds came from the door, bringing an end to the hallucinations. Rasa looked at the now-normal ceiling with furrowed brows before opening his mouth to speak.

"Enter."

As the door opened, a very tall man entered the office. He had two distinctive red markings on the right side of his face… It was the only visible part of his head. The rest was covered by his turban-like headgear and a sheet hanging from it on the left side of his face.

This man was Baki, a Jōnin and one of Rasa's most trusted aides. After closing the door behind him, he got on one knee and lowered his head before speaking in a respectful tone.

"Kazekage-dono, I, unfortunately, bring disastrous news. As per your request, eighty percent of the village's funds have been directed to our military… Although our power has undoubtedly increased, people are starving."

Before continuing, Baki slightly raised his head and peeked at Rasa. Seeing his somber expression, he took a deep breath and resumed the report.

"There is not much that we can do… I recommend that we allocate more funds towa-"

Before he could finish speaking, Baki felt the temperature of the room dropping by multiple degrees. Scalp tingling, his battle-hardened instinct told him to move away. Sadly, it was too late, and his body froze before he could even lift a foot.

To Rasa's surprise, a large snake had inadvertently locked his subordinate in place, restricting his movements. It quickly wrapped itself around Baki's body and reached his head. Once there, it opened its mouth and someone seemed to appear out of it.

The newcomer had very pale skin, golden eyes and slitted pupils with purple markings around its eyes. His pronounced cheekbones and straight, waist-length black hair only made him look weirder. If Gaara was here, he would've undoubtedly recognized this person as Orochimaru.

With his lips curling upwards, the pale man opened his mouth and spoke. His voice was soothing, yet unnerving at the same time. That only emboldened the sense of dread it carried with it.

"Fourth Kazekage… I am sure you recognize me, don't you?"

Rasa abruptly rose from his seat and moved his arms. His eyes gained black contours and golden sand crashed through the windows, encircling Orochimaru and Baki.

"What do you want… And how on earth did you manage to bypass all of my village's security before entering my office!?"

Listening to him, Orochimaru only smiled eerily before letting out a chuckle. This only served to infuriate Rasa and the sand started hardening, forming golden spikes. As they closed in, the intruder spoke once again.

"Kukuku… No need to get so worked up. After all, I am here with an offer that you can't refuse."

Rasa halted the spikes and looked interested. With furrowed brows and a stern expression, he lowered his arms, but still kept the spikes around, just in case. Seeing this, Orochimaru smiled and spoke once more.

"It seems that your village is once again in a crisis. Meanwhile, your neighbors, the hidden-leaf village, are basking in great prosperity… Their lands are fertile, the villagers are healthy, and everything is smooth. Even the missions that were meant for your village are re-routed to them. Isn't it unfair?"

Rasa's face remained the same, and he looked at Orochimaru with a stern expression. In his head, he couldn't help but agree with the former's points. Konoha was really in an enviable position; His village could only suffer in silence.

"Continue."

Seemingly having achieved his objective, Orochimaru smiled once more before licking his lips.

"Kukuku… I trust that you know of the upcoming Chūnin exams. I plan to use this event as a cover for an invasion… We shall infiltrate the leaf and destroy it from the inside. You would only have to hold-off the Hokage while our troops raze the village. Of course, I shall also partake in the destruction."

Rasa's mouth opened wide in shock, even he couldn't contain his surprise. An invasion? How would they be able to beat Konoha… Even he wasn't sure if he could beat the third Hokage one-on-one. Before he could voice his opinion, Orochilaru spoke once more.

"Before you say anything, let me ask you this. Doesn't your village currently own a Jinchūriki?"

At those words, Rasa's expression went from troubled to thoughtful, then to convinced. The sand retreated back outside and he sat on his chair once again. Seeing this, Orochimaru freed the barely-breathing Baki and crawled out of the snake. Not saying a word, Baki nodded and swiftly left the room.

"Now then, tell me the details. This sounds interesting."

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『Konohagakure』

In an unknown location near the village, a man sat inside a dimly lit room while drinking a cup of tea. This place was the head-quarters of Root, a secretive organization created by Danzō Shimura to do the village's dirty work.

As Danzō sipped on the beverage, he felt a slight disturbance in the air and looked towards its direction. In a nearby corner, Zetsu's carapace silently protruded out of the ground. His two-colored head was soon visible, showing an eerie smile.

"What is it… Can't you see I'm busy?"

Danzo's eyes shone with a cold glint as he looked at Zetsu. The later only smiled further spoke.

"It has finally started. Orochimaru has contacted the fourth Kazekage and they have reached an agreement… All according to our plans. If it goes well, both the Hokage and Kazekage will soon perish."

Hearing this, Danzo's bros slanted upwards in surprise, before he quickly regained his composure. Looking at the tea-kettle, he silently murmured to himself.

"Good… That is great news."

After leisurely taking another sip of his tea, Danzo smirked before returning to a stern expression. He placed the steaming cup back on the table and spoke up.

"Hiruzen, your time has finally come. You were never suited for the Hokage position… Don't worry, I shall take over from here. Konoha has no need for soft-hearted people like you."

While Danzo was rejoicing, Zetsu silently disappeared into the ground, not leaving a trace. Noticing this, Danzo got up and left the room.

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AN: TOX1N here.

Tomorrow will be a normal chapter. This was just to set the mood and give you a little fill-in. Here are some notable things that happened during the time skip (not in order):

-The Uchiha become an endangered species, with only three members alive. (Obito included)

-Orochimaru leaves the Akatsuki

-Obito and Danzō Shimura meet for unknown reasons. (well not really unknown for my readers now.)

-Deidara Joins the Akatsuki

-Temari and Kankuro become Genin

All right, that's about it. Stay tuned for tomorrow's chapter!