Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
May 30, x788.
After She was freed from Orochimaru's [Curse Seal], Anko did not stay with Alfonzo for very long. Although she wanted to show her gratitude in a rather physical way, she was more interested in figuring out what her limits were now that she no longer had to spend magic power to suppress the [Curse Seal].
As for the rest of the Hidden Leaf Village, things went as they normally did, with the exception of the T&I Department trying, and failing, to get any information about what Orochimaru was planning by infiltrating the Hidden Leaf.
Another thing to take note of was the fact that Alfonzo stopped Laki and Saeko from capturing Kabuto. And his reason was because the Orochimaru he captured was definitely a clone. So, if the real Orochimaru stopped getting reports from his right hand man, it could cause issues in the future.
In actuality, Alfonzo only wanted the Konoha Crush Plan to happen. AS long as it did, he would be able to keep casualties and damage to the village to a minimum. But if Orochimaru pulled back and did something different, then he would not be able to help as much without his meta knowledge.
Despite all that, Alfonzo, Laki, Saeko, and even Wendy kept an eye on kabuto through their [Magic Power Detection]. And like that, three days passed within the blink of an eye. And over those three days, just as expected, the Orochimaru [Clone] did not let a single word slip about his plans.
On top of that, Anko still had yet to get her revenge, as she was still responsible for the second part of the Chunin Exam in the Forest of Death. However, Alfonzo thought keeping the Orochimaru [Clone] alive for too long might be dangerous. And he was currently in Hiruzen's office letting him know why.
"So, you're saying we should kill him right away?" Hiruzen asked in a solemn tone. "But we've yet to get any information out of him."
"I figured as much.' Alfonzo replied in just as solemn a tone. "But if you don't, Kabuto might start to think something went wrong."
Hearing that, Hiruzen fell silent in consideration. Then, after a few moments, he looked Alfonzo in the eye.
"And if Kabuto reports that he can't find Orochimaru's [Clone], you think Orochimaru might pull back whatever it is that he's planning." Hiruzen asked.
"More or less." Alfonzo replied.
"And what's the issue with that?" Hiruzen asked with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Normally, there wouldn't be any." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "But if he does, he'll definitely pull back to plan for any contingencies that he was unaware of. And that might happen when I'm not here."
Alfonzo suggestion that the Village Hidden in the Leaves might not be able to handle Orochimaru's scheme without him was a serious hit to Hiruzen's pride. The Leaf was the strongest of all the Hidden Villages, after all. However, when he remembered that Orochimaru and Kabuto had snuck into the village without anyone, other than the visitors from magnolia, knowing about it, he had to stop and rethink it.
And while Hiruzen stopped to think, the room fell into a tense silence. Though, it did not seem to affect Alfonzo. The Anbu hiding in the room, however, were quite unhappy about Alfonzo's insinuation. That said, it was not their place to object, so they kept their silence. There gazes towards Alfonzo did get a lot less friendly, though.
"*Sigh* I understand." Hiruzen replied in a heavy tone. "I suppose I should call Anko back to take her revenge then."
"Good." Alfonzo said with a nod. "And might I make another suggestion?"
"What is it?" Hiruzen asked without changing his tone.
"Announce that Orochimaru was the one who killed the Genin from the Grass." Alfonzo replied. "And tell everyone why he did it. Don't tell them who his target was, though. Also, let everyone know that you were the one who killed him. And to make it more believable, tell them you did it along with a squad of Anbu."
At first, Hiruzen was nodding along with Alfonzo's suggestion. However, when Alfonzo said that he should take credit for the kill, he could not help but shake his head.
"I agree with most of what you said." Hiruzen said while continuing to shake his head. "But Orochimaru would never believe that I was the one who killed him. Especially if I didn't know it was a clone. He knows me too well. And he knows that I'd never be able to kill one of my disciples."
Alfonzo had already considered that. But since he was not supposed to know Hiruzen's personality all that well, he made such a suggestion.
"I guess I should have seen that coming." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "I mean, you let Danzo run wild for so long. You even forgave him for that time he tried to assassinate you."
That caused Hiruzen's expression to darken. But Alfonzo did not really care. Instead, his eyes lit up because he had another idea.
"In that case, have Anko kill him, just like you planned." Alfonzo said with a bit more energy in his tone. "Then, announce it. Tell everyone that she swept in just as you defeated him with the Anbu. But because of fatigue, you were unable to stop her from taking the revenge she had been looking forward to for so long. And as long as you actually let Anko kill him, I'm sure she'd play along."
Like Alfonzo, Hiruzen's eyes lit up after hearing that plan, as well. And the reason was simple, he would be able to kill two birds with one stone if he implemented that plan. First, they would be able to get rid of Orochimaru's [Clone] without alerting Kabuto to the truth. And second, they could hopefully wipe away the stigma being Orochimaru's former disciple left on Anko. Though, it might make her a target in the future.
"We'll go with that." Hiruzen said with a strong nod. "I'll summon Anko immediately."
Nodding in response, Alfonzo stood up and bid Hiruzen goodbye. He did not want his name associated with this plan at all. Because if it leaked, it could make its way to Orochimaru. And if it did, there was no way he would come to the Village during the final round of the Chunin Exams.
'I don't remember how many people had those [Curse Marks] on them in the anime and manga, but I know that Kimimaro did. And he's already dead.' Alfonzo thought to himself while returning to his temporary residence. "I'm not sure if Guren had one either. But since she's dead, too, it doesn't really matter. So, the only ones I know that have one are the Sound 4. And putting them down or capturing them shouldn't be an issue.'
The rest of the day went by without anything happening. Or, that's how it should have been. At sunset, shocking news began circulating around the village. The news that Orochimaru had infiltrated the Chunin Exams and been killed when he was found out.
Even more surprising was the fact that Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru's former disciple, was the one who killed him, not before he was completely subdued by the Third Hokage and a squad of the most elite Anbu.
Naturally, with the information spreading around the Village in the Leaves so quickly, Kabuto was also made aware of this information. And at first, he did not believe it. For Orochimaru to be caught like that was near impossible in his opinion. However, when he thought about it further, he had not heard from Orochimaru since the day they entered the village five days ago.
"Could Lord Orochimaru's [Blood Clone] have really been captured and executed?" Kabuto asked himself in a disbelieving tone. He then continued while adjusting his glasses. "But it's true that I haven't been able to get in contact with him recently. I need to find out the truth."
With that, Kabuto started moving to confirm the truth of the news spreading around the village. However, after a few steps, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Actually, the death of Lord Orochimaru's [Blood Clone] might be a good thing." Kabuto muttered to himself. "Since that old fool saw it die with his own eyes, he would never be on guard for our true objective. Lord Orochimaru may be upset that he lost his [Blood Clone] but I'm sure he would relish the opportunity it presents."
After speaking that thought aloud, Kabuto picked up his pace. And it did not take long for him to confirm the information, as there were more than a few eye witnesses who saw Orochimaru's corpse being escorted from the Forest of Death.
Even so, Kabuto snuck into the village's morgue to see for himself. And when he finally confirmed the death of Orochimaru's [Blood Clone], he retreated to somewhere he deemed safe before contacting Orochimaru. And had Alfonzo been nearby, he would have been surprised that Kabuto actually used an lPhone to send the message. He was even careful enough to not use any words that would make his message suspicious. Yet, he managed to convey the message that the [Blood Clone] had been killed by Anko.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Desierto, the Village Hidden in the Sand.
"Cucucu… I already knew that my [Blood Clone] had been killed." Orochimaru, disguised as Raza, the Kazekage, said with a chuckle while reading Kabuto's message on his lPhone. "But to think it was my failed apprentice, Anko, who killed it. And Sensei… Oh, Sensei, I can't believe you were even able to find my [Clone]."
Reaching that point, Orochimaru put away his lPhone. Then he stopped to think for a while.
"But Kabuto is right." Orochimaru continued after thinking. "Now that they believe me to be dead, when the plan truly begins, no one, not even Sensei, will see it coming. And finally, you'll die at my hands, Sensei. And the Village Hidden in the Leaves will join you shortly afterwards. Cucucu!"
Orochimaru's self-satisfied laughter echoed through Raza's empty home,
Earth Land, Alakitasia, Alvarez Empire, Vistarion.
In the throne room of the Alvarez Empire's Imperial Castle, Emperor Spriggan, or rather Zeref, sat in silence with his eyes closed. However, that silence was broken when the large doors to the throne room were opened abruptly. Shortly afterwards, the Chief of Staff, Invel entered with a concerned expression on his face.
"Invel, what's the matter?" Zeref asked calmly as he slowly opened his eyes.
"It would seem I have bad news, Your Majesty." Invel said after approaching the throne to a respectful distance and bowing his head.
"Is there a problem with Jacob?" Zeref asked, still in the same calm tone.
"Unfortunately, that is the case." Invel replied in a solemn tone. "We have not received a report from him in nearly two months. Not since he landed on Ishgar. And I specifically told him to contact me once a month. I'm afraid he was captured, or even worse."
Hearing that, Zeref fell into thought. Though, his calm facial expression did not change in the slightest.
"I see." Zeref said after thinking for a while. "This is truly unexpected. To think that Jacob, even with his [Stealth Magic] was discovered."
"What should we do about this?" Invel asked. "Would you like me to send a force to recover him? And while they are there, they could even investigate the whereabouts of Irene and Brandish."
"No." Zeref replied while shaking his head. "Losing contact with not only Jacob, but Irene and Brandish as well, tells me there is something happening on Ishgar that we did not anticipate. So, rather than depleting our forces any further, it would be better to conserve our war potential for the invasion that is planned for the future."
Though Invel gritted his teeth in frustration at Zeref's words. It was not Zeref he was frustrated a. Instead, it was the people from Ishgar, more specifically, those from Fairy Tail, who was gaining his ire. To think they would do so much to hinder His Majesty's plans.
"I understand." Invel said as he bowed his head even lower. "I'll make sure all the preparations for the invasion are perfect."
"Good." Zeref said with a nod. Then, go. Remember, there is no room for any more mistakes, Invel."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Invel said as he retreated from the throne room.
As soon as he turned around, Invel's expression turned into one filled with rage.
'This is all that God Serena's fault.' Invel thought to himself. 'Had he reported clearly about that Alfonzo Marcus in his report, we would have never had to send Irene and Brandish to investigate. And Jacob would not have been lost trying to find them, either. As soon as he arrives on Alakitasia, he's got a lot of explaining to do.'
Meanwhile, Zeref remained sitting on his throne with his eyes closed. However, as soon as the doors to the throne room were closed behind Invel, he opened his eyes and began stroking his chin with his right hand.
"Something must have changed on Ishgar." Zeref said in a contemplative tone. "And it more than likely centers around that boy, Alfonzo Marcus. Perhaps I should take a trip to Ishgar to see the changes for myself."
With that said, Zeref simply disappeared from the throne room without telling anyone.