On the second floor of the orphanage
After watching the live feed from Root and the Uchiha Security Force, Kabuto's face was filled with confusion.
He couldn't understand why Danzo, the leader of Root, had chosen to station his troops at the Uchiha compound instead of heading directly to support the Third and Fourth Hokage against the rampaging Nine-Tails.
Both parties aimed to protect Konoha, so why were they stuck in internal strife due to suspicion and mistrust instead of joining forces to confront the Nine-Tails?
Was tonight's attack on Konoha really related to the Uchiha?
Kabuto's mind wandered with various theories, but he quickly dismissed them upon glancing at his mysterious senior, Byakuya.
Compared to the possibility of the Uchiha manipulating the Nine-Tails, Byakuya seemed to be a more immediate concern. However, Kabuto still did not understand Byakuya's presence in the village.
If Byakuya were an enemy of Konoha, he would have used this opportunity to cause massive destruction, not stay behind to watch the chaos unfold. If Byakuya were an ally, he should have already rushed to help.
Was Byakuya really just here to observe, indifferent to the risk of being mistaken as an enemy and getting into trouble with Konoha?
As Kabuto pondered, Byakuya ended the surveillance jutsu.
In the past few minutes, Byakuya had gathered a good understanding of Konoha's military disposition. It was time to set his plan into motion.
His plan was to use Obito's attack on Kushina as a diversion and seize the sealing techniques stored in the Hokage Building during the ensuing chaos. This would provide critical support for Akatsuki's future operations.
With the projection jutsu turned off, Kabuto, slightly disoriented, looked at Byakuya and asked, "Senior, what should we do next?"
Byakuya glanced at Kabuto and replied, "I plan to visit the Hokage Building. Would you like to come along? I don't mind taking a little one like you for a tour."
Kabuto was alarmed by Byakuya's offer and shook his head vigorously. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd prefer to stay here with the headmaster. The headmaster and the others still need my care."
"If you're not interested, then so be it," Byakuya said with a hint of regret. "I was hoping to use this opportunity to take you out of Konoha, but it seems you're still attached to it. Well, I hope you make good use of the books I left in the room. We'll meet again in the future."
Without giving Kabuto a chance to respond, Byakuya vanished into the shadows.
Kabuto watched in a daze as Byakuya's figure leaped away. Byakuya wasn't joking—he was indeed heading toward the Hokage Building.
It seemed Byakuya's strength was as formidable as he had imagined, comparable to that of the Five Kage.
If Kabuto had such power, the headmaster wouldn't have to worry about the troubles from Root. When would he be strong enough to protect the orphanage himself?
Kabuto's thoughts were filled with mixed emotions. Then he remembered Byakuya's final words.
Rushing back to his bed, Kabuto found a sealing scroll on his desk. When he opened it, a voice recording played, detailing several high-level jutsu scrolls and a sum of 500,000 ryo.
On the other hand, upon sensing that his scroll had been opened, Byakuya's lips curled into a faint smile.
He understood orphans like Kabuto very well. A little kindness could leave a lasting impression. The few months Byakuya had spent with Kabuto had surely left an indelible mark on him.
Once Kabuto grew stronger, Byakuya would gain a powerful ninja far surpassing the level of a Kage.
With the ability to perform the Impure World Reincarnation and having partially evolved into a snake sage in the Ryūchi Cave, Kabuto was nearly qualified to engage in battles between the Ōtsutsuki clan members.
These were beings capable of traversing the starry sky and achieving immortality.
Yet, with his efforts and plans, there might still be a chance to surpass them in the future.
Meanwhile, Byakuya arrived at the Hokage Building.
Due to the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, the Hokage Building was under strict lockdown. The guards were on high alert, their nerves as taut as a bowstring, vigilantly monitoring every movement around them.
However, the strongest ninjas in the Hokage Building were not these guards, but the Third and Fourth Hokage.
Byakuya easily bypassed the guards' patrols and arrived at the Hokage's office. He comfortably settled into the Hokage's chair and looked up at the portraits of the Hokage displayed in the room.
The First Hokage appeared somewhat bumbling, lacking the commanding presence one might expect from the founder of Konoha.
The Second Hokage had a sharp, suspicious gaze, as if everyone owed him money. His eyes were filled with doubt and vigilance.
In contrast, the Third Hokage's portrait depicted him as a mature and steady leader, which made sense considering his tenure was longer than the combined terms of the previous two Hokage. Even with the Fourth Hokage, his term still far surpassed theirs.
Byakuya showed little interest in the portrait of the Fourth Hokage. He would soon meet this short-lived Hokage and perhaps even have a chance to discuss past connections with him, and maybe even take care of the Death God mask in the process.
Standing up from the Hokage's chair, Byakuya casually took the key from the safe.
He went to the storage room where the Sealing Book was kept, used the key to open the door, and, sensing the sealing barrier inside, easily dispelled the Vortex Sealing Jutsu.
In the center of the room, the Sealing Book was displayed on a pedestal.
Byakuya grabbed the Sealing Book, casually flipped through a few pages to confirm the presence of the "Corpse-Hell Sealing Jutsu," and then summoned a wood clone to take the book and leave the Hokage Building.
After successfully securing the Sealing Book, Byakuya did not leave immediately. Instead, he changed into an Anbu uniform and donned an animal mask before heading to the rooftop of the Hokage Building.
The rooftop offered an excellent vantage point. From there, Byakuya could overlook a large portion of Konoha and observe the battle between the Konoha ninjas and the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails was the strongest of the tailed beasts, but Konoha was the strongest ninja village.
With the arrival of the Third Hokage, the two advisors, and top ninjas such as Jiraiya and Tsunade, the Nine-Tails began to show signs of weakening. Defeat was only a matter of time.
Realizing that further conflict was futile, Obito, controlling the Nine-Tails, shifted his gaze as if crossing space and time, focusing on the Hokage Rock above the Hokage Building.
If the so-called Hokage were merely a joke, then the Hokage Rock, symbolizing the Hokage's authority, was also unworthy of continuing to exist.
By destroying the Hokage Rock, even if this attack failed, it would still deliver a significant blow to Konoha's morale.
With this thought, Obito commanded the Nine-Tails to gather a Tailed Beast Bomb.
A dark sphere suddenly appeared in front of the Nine-Tails, rapidly absorbing the surrounding chakra. The sphere quickly expanded to the size of a building in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, the Nine-Tails unleashed the Tailed Beast Bomb, hurling it towards the Hokage Rock with unstoppable force.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage and others who were still fighting were momentarily stunned. They hadn't expected the Nine-Tails to abandon its fight with them and directly target the Hokage Rock with the Tailed Beast Bomb.
If the Tailed Beast Bomb were to hit the Hokage Rock, even if the village survived this disaster, it would suffer immense damage and take many years to recover.
At this moment, they had no time to stop it and could only hope for a miracle.
On the rooftop, Byakuya also noticed the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb but remained calm and showed no intention of avoiding it. Instead, he simply raised his middle finger at the approaching bomb.