The sheer destructive power of these summoned beasts was overwhelming. Just their arrival caused massive shifts in the sky, twisting the clouds and shaking the earth.
Now, after the chaos unleashed by Sakiya's monsters, the entire training ground was unrecognizable. Not a single spot was left untouched.
Even Kakashi and the others couldn't help but feel grateful to still be alive.
In the end, Sakiya calmly dismissed her summoned creatures one by one.
She turned to Kakashi and the rest, a smug grin on her face.
"Well? What do you think? Pretty strong, right?"
Kakashi, still a bit dazed, nodded vaguely.
Sakiya crossed her arms.
"A summoned beast should be like that. If it can't even destroy a world, it's not worthy of being my summon."
A heavy silence followed.
Kakashi and the others were completely speechless. And beneath their silence—
A quiet sense of fear.
What they had just witnessed… it was beyond belief. Too unreal.
…Unreal?
Suddenly, they realized something.
The training ground was back to normal.
No destruction. No massive craters. No collapsed landscape.
Everything was exactly as it was before.
That's when it hit them.
It was all an illusion.
Sakiya had tricked them.
Toad Bunta, who had been watching the whole time, snapped.
"You brat! You pulled us into some illusion just to mess with us?!"
Sakiya put on an innocent face.
"Huh? I never lied. I just showed you the kind of beasts I consider worthy. I never said I actually had them."
Everyone thought about it.
…Huh. When she put it like that—
It actually made sense.
Toad Bunta grumbled in frustration.
"Hmph! I hate you, kid!"
With that, he canceled the summoning and disappeared back to Mount Myoboku.
Kakashi and the others decided to just let it go.
After everything they had been through, they had developed some resistance to Sakiya's antics.
Still, Kakashi went ahead and summoned his ninja dogs.
In the end, though, Sakiya wasn't impressed.
When it came to choosing a summoning beast…
Tsuchiya ended up choosing a giant porcupine.
Surprisingly, Lord Sakuragi chose Chihiro's falcon.
This… actually moved Chihiro for a moment.
And with that, the strange little event came to an end.
…
Konoha had finally regained its peace.
For once, Sakiya was enjoying a relaxing time at home.
With no missions for a while, she had a few well-earned days off.
After all, being a ninja meant having flexible work hours.
Sakiya had planned to kick back and do nothing—
But of course, fate had other plans.
A new mission landed in her hands.
And just like before, the three teams would be working together.
Tsunade got straight to the point.
"Our intelligence team has located Oto Village, as well as several of their research facilities."
Her tone was serious.
"Your mission is to wipe out the village, destroy the labs, and recover any useful data."
This was a request from Danzo.
ROOT had already begun to move—
But Tsunade didn't trust them to handle it alone.
And so…
Another mission began.
Sakiya sighed, stretching.
"Here we go again!"
This time, the Kakashi team, the investigation team, and Chihiro's team were all deployed together.
With their combined strength, they could probably take on the whole world.
…So there wasn't much to worry about.
---
Oto Village – Research Facility
Inside a dimly lit lab, Kabuto was moving quickly, scribbling down data.
A familiar hoarse voice broke the silence.
"Kabuto. How is it going?"
He turned, adjusting his glasses.
"Lord Orochimaru, the results should be in soon. So far, everything appears stable."
Orochimaru nodded.
"Let me know when it's done."
"Understood, Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto watched as his master walked away, deep in thought.
[Something's… different about him.]
Orochimaru had been resurrected inside this very facility—
Inside a strange, secret experiment.
It all started when Kimimaro suddenly barged into the chamber.
And then, a bizarre phenomenon occurred.
His Curse Mark reacted—
Unleashing a strange light that merged with a ninja who wielded Swift Release.
And just like that—
Orochimaru returned.
But… something was off.
This wasn't the same Orochimaru from before.
His mind was fragmented.
His memories were full of holes.
He didn't even remember Kabuto.
He didn't know how he got here.
He had no recollection of this base.
Yet, thanks to his instincts and intelligence, he managed to act like nothing was wrong.
But deep inside, he was struggling.
The same three questions looped in his mind.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I supposed to do?
Kimimaro and the others had noticed the change.
Orochimaru felt… distant.
Like a shadow of who he once was.
…
The three Konoha teams were halfway to their destination.
Since the mission wasn't urgent, they traveled at a steady pace, taking their time.
Along the way, they crossed paths with a small caravan moving in the same direction.
The group escorting the caravan stood out.
They weren't regular guards—
They were wandering ninjas, tense and constantly on high alert.
Inside one of the carriages, a curtain shifted.
A young girl peeked out, followed closely by a little boy.
They whispered to each other.
"Are those Konoha ninjas?"
An older man sitting inside nodded.
"Yes. From the looks of it, they must be from Konoha."
He had spotted Kakashi's forehead protector long ago—
Which was the only reason they dared to pass by a group of ninja so openly.
After all, Konoha had a good reputation.
---
The Ambush
As the caravan moved further down the forest trail—
It happened.
A sudden volley of arrows rained down from the trees.
"Enemy attack!"
The wandering ninjas and hired guards scrambled to defend against the ambush.
But they weren't strong enough.
The first wave of arrows alone took out a third of their forces.
And before they could recover—
A large group of bandits charged from the shadows.
"Kill them all!"
The attack had been planned.
A sneak attack on a weakly guarded caravan.
In mere moments, most of the guards were dead.
Some of the wandering ninjas fled in panic.
Inside the carriage, the older man grabbed his sword from the wall and turned to the children.
His voice was firm.
"Shiro, hold your sister's hand! Never let go!"
The boy's eyes welled with tears—
But he nodded.
The girl clenched her jaw and held on tightly.
"Stay close!"
The man pulled them from the carriage, stepping out to face the oncoming bandits.
His blade flashed.
A bandit barely had time to register the strike before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
The man cut through the enemies, one after another, forcing a path open.
As they neared a crossroads, he turned to the children.
"Run! Find the Konoha ninjas—NOW!"
His voice left no room for argument.
Shiro and his sister hesitated for only a second.
Then, without looking back—
They ran.
They had been through this too many times before.
They had already lost too much.
All they could do now—
Was follow their father's orders.
And pray they weren't too late.
_________
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