Powerful shinobi only needed a single glance to understand what the other was thinking.
When Sasuke told Naruto this, it carried multiple layers of meaning.
But there was some truth to that statement.
Orochimaru licked his lips. Seeing him like this, Anko instinctively backed away.
That look... he's found something interesting again. Nothing good ever comes from this. She was all too familiar with this particular expression on her master's face.
Masashi activated his Sharingan, the three-tomoe red eyes locking onto Orochimaru.
A genjutsu was cast instantly. However, the illusion, which had rarely failed before, didn't work this time.
Orochimaru wasn't affected.
Or rather, he was, but this level of genjutsu wasn't enough to incapacitate him. His body was unlike that of an ordinary person, and his chakra pathways were different, allowing him to endure this level of chakra disruption.
As expected, standard genjutsu won't work on his modified chakra network. Masashi wasn't bothered. This was just a test.
After all, his current proficiency in genjutsu was limited by the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"I'm your target, huh," Orochimaru chuckled, his tongue flicking out briefly. "The Uchiha clan is truly to my taste."
In the next instant, his hand darted toward Masashi, two fingers aimed straight for his Sharingan.
Orochimaru lunged at the Uchiha, but his feet remained in their original position.
Squelch!
Effortlessly, his two fingers pierced into Masashi's eye socket. But the sensation transmitted through his fingers wasn't that of flesh and blood.
He withdrew immediately, but it was already too late—Masashi's body burst into a spray of water.
"Fascinating...," Orochimaru mused as a freezing cold that could chill blood radiated from the water screen, instantly encasing his upper body in ice.
The frost continued to spread.
With a crunch, he stomped his feet, tearing his body in half to escape the icy grip. Two hands emerged from the severed remains, clawing their way out as he regenerated his body.
Looking up, he saw a massive fireball descending toward him.
Boom—!!
A deafening explosion sent scorching waves tearing through the ground. Crimson flames bloomed like flowers, reducing nearby trees to ashes.
As the most intense flames subsided, he burst from the charred soil, his serpent-like eyes locking onto Masashi's position.
He moved like a snake, slithering around the burning areas. He quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a fierce gale from his mouth.
The howling winds kicked up debris, creating a barrier between him and the Sharingan.
To Masashi's eyes, the chakra in the storm was chaotic.
The storm's range was vast, but he avoided it with a Body Flicker, drawing his blade. He fought straightforwardly, careful not to reveal too much to the opponent opposite him.
Two glints of steel collided mid-air. Chips began to appear on his short blade. The blade, forged from chakra metal, was expensive but fell short against the Kusanagi.
Still, Masashi wasn't worried—he had just received a generous payout and could afford a replacement.
With superior speed, he closed in on Orochimaru multiple times, striking from blind spots and leaving cuts on his opponent.
Both combatants' shadow clones were shattered several times, their forms dissolving into smoke and water.
Eventually, quality won out, and Masashi's blade was severed by the Kusanagi.
Without hesitation, he discarded the broken weapon. His Sharingan predicted the sword's trajectory, and he dodged with a short-range Body Flicker, countering with a powerful punch to Orochimaru's arm.
The Kusanagi flew from Orochimaru's hand, impaling several thick trees before lodging in the ground.
His arm twisted grotesquely but didn't break. With a casual flick, it returned to normal. "Your taijutsu is quite... interesting," he noted, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
Masashi closed the distance again, employing taijutsu techniques from both the Senju and Uchiha clans.
The Senju style focused on swift, powerful strikes to overwhelm the opponent before they could react.
The Uchiha style emphasized precision, targeting an enemy's weakness with devastating blows, showcasing explosive power.
In his hands, these styles blended seamlessly.
Orochimaru, a skilled taijutsu user himself, quickly fell behind in close combat.
But his resilient body, capable of enduring blows that would kill anyone else a thousand times over, allowed him to keep fighting without faltering.
Masashi attempted to mark him with Flying Thunder God seals several times but found it futile. Orochimaru's unique substitution technique nullified each mark as he replaced his entire body.
"You and your modified body...," Masashi said, retreating from the exchange.
"Oh? That comment makes it sound like you've done your homework on me," Orochimaru sneered, refusing to let up.
As Masashi retreated, he unleashed a swarm of snakes.
Striking Shadow Snakes.
The summoned serpents slithered menacingly toward Masashi. Unlike the lesser snakes summoned by Anko, these were far more intelligent and ferocious.
However, intelligence wasn't always an advantage.
He retreated calmly, and the snakes, sensing his chakra, hesitated before slowing down.
"Hm?" Orochimaru noticed the change in his serpent minions.
For these gluttonous beasts from Ryūchi Cave to act this way, there was only one explanation.
"You've mastered Sage Mode?" he canceled the summoning.
This scenario only occurred between true successors of Ryūchi Cave's teachings. His eyes grew even colder. Facing a challenger who turned out to be another Ryūchi Cave inheritor soured his mood.
"Snakes seem to like me," Masashi said as he seized the opportunity to increase the distance.
Both ninjas completed their hand seals simultaneously.
Massive chakra surged.
A water dragon rose to meet a towering fire column. The clash created a dense mist, shrouding the entire forest in steam.
In the distance, Anko stared in disbelief.
Behind her, a man in the Hokage robe appeared silently, watching the battle unfold without a word.
"What a mess… Not a single peaceful day in this job!" Minato observed the mist-covered battlefield.
Being Hokage, he realized, was far less satisfying than leading a jonin team.
No matter what he did, someone was unhappy. No matter where he stood, he was caught in the middle.
Barely days into the job, and two of the village's most respected shinobi were already fighting.
Perhaps it was time to stop worrying about Hiruzen's feelings and take some decisive action.
Ever since Minato became the Hokage, he noticed something amiss within the village.
The current ANBU was under the control of Hiruzen and Danzō, but that didn't mean he was blind or deaf.
Though he was no longer the leader of the jonin corps, he still had a firm grasp on this powerful tool. Years of building trust and proving his worth had ensured that.
Frankly, each time a Hokage changed, the ANBU would essentially need to start from scratch—veterans stepping down, and new recruits stepping in.
However, the jonin corps was different.
Every jonin in this unit had their own network within Konoha's ninja forces. Its members changed very slowly, their bonds forged in blood and battle.
As a result, whoever gained the support of the jonin corps became the most influential person in Konoha.
Conversely, even if someone was nominated and appointed Hokage by the daimyō, without the jonin corps' backing, they would only be a placeholder Hokage—not officially recognized.
After Minato took office, the jonin corps aligned themselves entirely with him, pledging their loyalty to the Hokage.
Many of them had grown weary of the old regime's ways.
Things hadn't always been this way. The shift began when Konoha's White Fang committed suicide.
That event drove a wedge between the jonin corps and the Third Hokage's faction.
Konoha's White Fang, the former leader of the jonin corps, had his shortcomings but was a man of unquestionable character. Many in the jonin corps owed him favors, and hearts are not made of stone. After the incident, many sought justice for him, fearing something similar might happen to Kakashi.
They kept a close eye on him.
Whether it was a conspiracy or not didn't matter; what mattered was a shared sentiment among them: Sakumo's actions might have caused losses to the village, but to refuse to guide public opinion or acknowledge his past contributions was uncalled for.
Did his prior merits mean nothing?
This lack of compassion left them wondering—if one of them slipped up one day, would they face an even worse fate?
As a result, the jonin corps became more united than ever in Konoha's history.
When both Minato and Orochimaru were nominated as candidates for the Fourth Hokage, the jonin corps overwhelmingly supported Minato.
He was Kakashi's teacher.
Had it been Jiraiya competing, they might have felt conflicted. Against Orochimaru? Not at all.
Armed with this support, Minato quickly gathered enough intelligence.
Human experiments.
Conducting experiments wasn't inherently wrong— the Second Hokage had done groundbreaking research—but he had experimented on enemies, not allies.
Yet these experiments involved deceased ninja from their own village, both from ninja clans and common shinobi.
It was madness—practically an invitation to civil war.
From that moment, Minato grew vigilant. His first suspect was Danzō.
Danzō didn't exactly have a trustworthy reputation—it was easy to imagine him behind any sinister plot.
When Minato subtly probed, Danzō nearly backed him into a corner, deepening his suspicions.
He trusted the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, from the bottom of his heart. But Danzō? Not at all. Orochimaru, who worked closely with him, was also under suspicion.
Since then, he and the jonin corps had been biding their time, waiting for the right opportunity.
And now, it seemed that moment had come.
He split into two shadow clones—one used the Flying Thunder God to notify the jonin corps, while the other teleported back to the Hokage office to inform the Third Hokage and others.
His real body remained to monitor Masashi and Orochimaru.
After a moment's thought, he created a third shadow clone to notify the Police Force.
Directly approaching the Uchiha clan would be inappropriate, but involving the Police Force was reasonable. After all, a ninja skirmish fell under their jurisdiction.
If the Uchiha arrived, they would undoubtedly protect their own, and Danzō would surely show up too.
Once the ringleaders appeared, the jonin corps—already prepared—would launch a full-scale assault.
"Hokage-sama, the jonin corps is in position."
"Good. Tell them to wait for my signal."
Minato waited silently.
Soon, he sensed large amounts of chakra converging on the scene.
A smile appeared on his face. Today, Minato would rid the village of a cancerous tumor.
With such an accomplishment, Kushina wouldn't refuse him a second child, right? He had always envied those with siblings. He wouldn't let Naruto grow up with the same regret.
Behind him, the sound of movement.
Although his chakra sensing had already identified the newcomers, he turned to greet them.
"Sandaime-sama."
"Minato! What's going on here?" Hiruzen, clad in full battle attire, landed first, urgently questioning.
But I'll soon find out, Minato thought before answering simply, "I don't know."
Had his disciple lost his mind? Masashi was merely teaching Anko a private lesson. Was this about Nawaki again?
Behind him were Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Koharu and Homura remained at the Hokage building, ensuring someone stayed to oversee things.
The recent series of anomalies in the village left Hiruzen feeling increasingly weary.
His home was desolate now, with only Konohamaru bringing him comfort. Watching his mischievous grandson was his only solace.
"What's Orochimaru doing fighting a kid?" Jiraiya frowned, his usual flippancy gone.
He might act carefree, but he wasn't oblivious—otherwise, he'd have been killed long ago. Over the years, the bond among the Sannin had frayed. He had done his best to restore their camaraderie, but with little success.
He had grown up relying on Tsunade and Orochimaru. No matter what, he didn't want either of them hurt.
"An Uchiha kid is no ordinary kid, Jiraiya," Tsunade interjected.
She hadn't wanted to come at all. She knew all too well how headstrong Uchiha ninja—especially those with Sharingan—could be.
Masashi might be considered different, but in her eyes, not by much. See? He was already fighting Orochimaru.
When she was younger, her uncle had once said, "It takes all kinds to make a world." Not every Uchiha was crazy, nor was every Senju a paragon of honesty.
But in Tsunade's view, the Uchiha were all maniacs. The Senju, well, had only her rogue uncle.
He had died because of his antics.
So what if he had lived a brilliant life? Dead was dead—nothing more, nothing less.
Thinking of this soured her mood.
"How long are they going to fight?" she asked irritably. "This isn't a tournament. With so many of us here, they should knock it off already!"
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