At the same time, in the Hokage's Office of Konoha—
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat calmly, facing the enigmatic Kazekage, Rasa.
Despite his position, Rasa was never truly feared or respected by the other Kage. His strength alone wasn't enough to stabilize the world, nor did he possess the vision to influence its future. Not Onoki, not A, and certainly not Terumi Mei saw him as an equal. Under his rule, Sunagakure had steadily declined into the weakest of the Five Great Nations—much like Kirigakure had under the tyrannical Fourth Mizukage.
And now? Even Terumi Mei had surpassed him.
Rasa's dependence on Konoha had grown since the Third Shinobi World War—his village's crushing loss leaving them reliant on their former rivals.
Suddenly—
"Gold Dust Release: Gold Dust Prison!"
Rasa's hands wove a rapid string of seals. Slamming his palms together, golden sand erupted beneath him, rapidly engulfing the Hokage's Office in a shimmering vortex. Within seconds, the room was sealed in a dome of glittering, choking dust.
Hiruzen's gaze turned cold. He calmly set down the pipe he'd been smoking.
Due to the Akatsuki's recent emergence, Hiruzen had deployed Anbu to monitor the village's perimeter. That left him—alone—as the only combatant in the office.
From the outside, the dome showed nothing. No chakra leaks, no sound. The clerks downstairs were oblivious.
"Rasa… what do you think you're doing?"
"Planning to start a war between Sunagakure and Konoha?"
Rasa laughed, cold and bitter, as if the idea were absurd.
"War?"
His eyes narrowed, pulling a pure white snake from his robes.
Hiruzen's pupils shrank. That chakra…
"Orochimaru!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from Hiruzen's mouth, hurtling toward the snake—but the serpent opened its jaws and regurgitated another, larger snake… and then another… like a twisted nesting doll.
And from the final serpent's maw emerged a figure, drenched in mucus, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds.
Orochimaru.
He grinned, drawing the slender Kusanagi Sword.
The blade hummed unnaturally—and then turned pitch-black.
"Slash."
In one smooth motion, Orochimaru cut the fireball in half. The two halves detonated harmlessly behind him, sending golden sand billowing into the air.
Hiruzen's face twisted in disbelief.
To cut through pure chakra… without ninjutsu?
Outside of legends like Konoha's White Fang and Mifune of the Land of Iron, such feats were unheard of.
Even Hatake Kakashi's thunder blade techniques were still rooted in elemental ninjutsu—not raw blade work.
"No… that wasn't swordsmanship alone…"
His eyes narrowed.
"Is that… Armament Haki?"
He recalled Jiraiya's cryptic reports—of a strange power from across the sea. But none had mentioned it could cut ninjutsu itself.
Had Orochimaru… enhanced it?
Without a word, Orochimaru pulled out a summoning scroll. A tap—two wooden coffins marked 'One' and 'Two' rose from the sand-filled ground.
Rasa's sand barrier wasn't just soundproof—it also suppressed summoning techniques. Clearly, Orochimaru had planned every detail.
"Gold Dust Burial!"
Rasa raised his hands, and waves of glittering sand surged upward, aiming to crush Hiruzen from below.
But the old Hokage leapt, chakra latching him to the ceiling, evading the deadly trap.
Then—
Orochimaru's neck suddenly extended, snake-like, fangs bared. Before Hiruzen could react, his right ankle was bitten.
"Hehehe… Hiruzen-sensei…"
"Today, you die."
Rasa sneered. He slammed his palms into the golden dust.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Rain of Spears!"
Hundreds of needle-thin spikes erupted, swarming toward Hiruzen. In response, he slammed his hands together.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A barrier rose to intercept the projectiles, buying Hiruzen a breath. From behind, he flung a barrage of shuriken toward Rasa.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Dozens became hundreds, then thousands.
Rasa barely had time to react. A cyclone of golden dust wrapped him like a shield—but the dense volley buried the defense in blade tips. From the inside, the shield was pitch-black with embedded metal.
Rasa gasped.
"Orochimaru! Why haven't you moved!?"
He turned to curse—but froze.
Too late.
Orochimaru's head hovered behind him, tongue outstretched. A hidden shuriken laced with poison shot forward—
Shhk!
The blade pierced his heart.
"You… bastard…"
Blood spurted from his lips.
Orochimaru retracted his head, expression blank.
"Some people can only be killed by me."
"You weren't worthy."
Rasa staggered, sand spilling from his fingertips.
"Treacherous snake…"
He collapsed in a heap, golden dust dissolving into the air.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"The untrustworthy are always killed by someone even more untrustworthy."
He cast a final look at Rasa's corpse.
Then at Orochimaru.
The snake sannin was clearly prepared. His ambush, the sand seal, the coffins—all part of an elaborate trap.
But now that Rasa was dead—the suppression seal lifted.
"Summoning Jutsu: Enma!"
A puff of smoke, and the Monkey King Enma appeared, transforming instantly into the Adamantine Staff.
Orochimaru only smiled faintly.
"Teacher… do you like the funeral I prepared?"
He tapped the two coffins.
With a loud thud, they opened—and two robed figures stepped forward.
Hiruzen's breath caught.
No…
He recognized the faces.
The First and Second Hokage.
His hands trembled.
"Orochimaru… you went this far?"
"You desecrated the dead. Your own village's founders."
"Orochimaru—YOU MUST DIE!"
His chakra flared violently.
At first, he had hoped to escape. But now?
Now he couldn't let Orochimaru live.
Not because of Akatsuki. Not because of personal betrayal.
But because if this forbidden resurrection jutsu was allowed to spread… the Fourth Shinobi World War could become reality far earlier.
"This stops here."
Sarutobi's grip tightened on Enma.
"It was my mistake to teach you ninjutsu…"
"…but it's time I taught you the meaning of humanity."
"Come, Orochimaru. Let's settle this—once and for all."