196

"Orochimaru-sama, it's about that man—you'll be very interested."

"Oh?"

Orochimaru extended his long tongue, licking his lips with interest.

"Are you talking about Nanaya-kun?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. It's him."

The subordinate proceeded to report on the war between Konohagakure and Kumogakure in the Land of Frost.

A War Won by One Man

In this battle, Konoha suffered minimal losses.

Meanwhile, Kumogakure had lost hundreds of its shinobi.

A one-sided victory, unlike anything recorded in Konoha's history.

And it was all because of one man—Uchiha Nanaya.

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Nanaya-kun… I didn't expect you to be so active on the battlefield!"

The candlelight flickered, reflecting off his glasses with an eerie gleam.

The Fall of Konoha's Elders

"Orochimaru-sama, that's not all. Something even bigger has happened—"

"Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—the three senior advisors of Konoha—have all been killed!"

"What?"

Orochimaru's golden snake-like eyes narrowed in surprise.

Danzo's Demise

Danzo's death was unexpected.

Orochimaru had once worked with him on experiments regarding Hashirama's cells.

The cells implanted in Danzo were still incomplete—experimental at best.

But Danzo had been impatient to gain the power of the Sharingan.

And now… he was dead.

No matter what the specifics were, one thing was certain—Danzo, Homura, and Koharu had truly perished.

A Konoha Civil War?

"Orochimaru-sama, it appears to have been an internal conflict within Konoha. No outside shinobi were involved. I believe it was Hokage-sama who did it."

"Tsunade?"

Orochimaru leaned back, his fingers steepled together.

Would Tsunade really have the resolve to kill those three?

Possibly… but not alone.

"If Tsunade managed to eliminate those three in such a short time, then Nanaya-kun must have been involved."

After all, Nanaya was now her trusted Hokage Advisor.

Orochimaru's knowledge of the shinobi world was vast.

He knew everything happening in each hidden village.

Even Itachi Uchiha had once praised him for his skill in intelligence gathering.

Orochimaru's Curiosity

A twisted smile curled on Orochimaru's lips.

"Tsk, tsk… The last time I saw Nanaya-kun in Konoha was quite a while ago… I wonder how much more 'perfect' his body has become now?"

Nearby, Kabuto adjusted his glasses.

"Orochimaru-sama… Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha—the boy Orochimaru had set his sights on.

At first, Orochimaru had wanted Itachi.

But when he faced Itachi, he had been powerless.

So instead, he had turned his focus to Sasuke.

And then, Nanaya appeared—a complete anomaly.

A wild card in Orochimaru's plans.

Nanaya was an Uchiha he could neither control nor manipulate.

And for that reason…

"He intrigues me."

Orochimaru's low, snake-like voice echoed in the dim candlelight.

"Nanaya-kun… you're making me more and more excited!"

Akatsuki's Secret Gathering

Elsewhere, in a dark underground lair, a group of shadowy figures stood upon ten massive stone fingers.

At the center—a man with Rinnegan eyes.

Pain, the Deva Path.

He spoke in a commanding tone—

"From this moment forward, the plan to capture the Tailed Beasts begins."

With that single sentence, the holographic figures flickered and vanished.

The time had come.

The Dawn of the End

On a towering rock formation, overlooking the Valley of the End, a masked figure stood.

It was Uchiha Obito, also known as Tobi.

His single eye gazed up at the sky.

A storm was coming.

7% discount code available in PATREON

7C9CE

patreon.com/Gho_

patreon.com/Gho_. 🎉🎉🎉🎉