Malphegor
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HTP: Ch. 24
🕑 Added 2025-05-27 18:00:49 +0000 UTCWhile Itachi was loyally serving Konoha in another world, Hiruzen had already succeeded in persuading his wayward disciple.
Orochimaru had a sudden change of heart. He turned over a new leaf and swore to dedicate his next life to serving Konoha.
He blamed it all on his youthful immaturity at the time, unable to suppress his petty jealousy toward his Minato's brilliance, and how he had been misled by Danzō. In the end, he betrayed the village's expectations of him.
When the news of Orochimaru's return to Konoha spread, the reaction from Suna could be described as akin to swallowing a fly, not really worth mentioning. But at the very least, Danzō cursed out loud again while reading the newspaper that day.
In truth, Orochimaru's decision wasn't hard to understand. He was already suffering in prison, wasting his limited life behind bars. The special prison's barriers were extremely strong, and escaping from the inside was practically impossible.
As for his subordinates on the outside, the only one who could be considered a talent was Kimimaro, and he was gravely ill. Orochimaru wasn't even sure if he was still alive.
There was no hope. No one would come to rescue him. He certainly couldn't count on Pain and Akatsuki to come storming in.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru's own body was in terrible condition. His rash decision to use the unrefined Living Corpse Reincarnation had been too impulsive, and the side effects were enormous. He was barely hanging on by switching hosts. Now… It felt like watching his health bar slowly shrink while being poisoned, and he was powerless to stop it.
So when Hiruzen came to persuade him to turn back, Orochimaru originally intended to play along, lie low, and do as he pleased again. He even planned to mock Hiruzen before fleeing. "Oh, teacher, how soft-hearted you are once more, so foolish."
But after several conversations, the information he received completely shattered his worldview, and made him suddenly understand why Hiruzen was in this state. The vastness of the universe, the infinitude of time and space, what a novelty and temptation for a scientific mind like Orochimaru's!
Everything about the otherworld, its knowledge and resources, was like a soft, fuzzy brush constantly stimulating his excitement. After much internal conflict, he wrote a repentance letter that very night.
He bitterly regretted not recognizing a wise leader earlier, being deceived by the traitor Danzō, and letting down his mentor's expectations. He only wished that his mentor would forgive his past and accept him once more.
Orochimaru bowed in apology.
Hiruzen replied simply. "No matter when you return, you will always be my student." At the same time, he assigned Orochimaru a research task, to develop a civilian-usable mobile phone system that could at least work within Konoha.
He wanted to accelerate Konoha citizens' access to a tech-enhanced lifestyle.
With the main offender Orochimaru moved from imprisonment to parole, the accomplice Kabuto was naturally granted the same treatment.
While this reconciliation act played out on one side, there was more good news on the other: the ANBU received a message from Jiraiya, Tsunade had agreed to return.
Konoha just had to pay off her gambling debts first. He had already used up his years of manuscript money to cover the costs.
That was a small matter. Ever since Hiruzen's last visit to the daimyō of the Land of Fire, Konoha's already rich finances had become even more plentiful.
But another matter was far more troubling.
He had discovered that Kumo was quietly sending elite ninjas into the Land of Fire and gathering them.
Jiraiya truly lived up to his reputation as a master of intelligence, he noticed something off just while sneaking around the red-light district. After multiple inquiries, he learned that many "merchants" from the Land of Lightning had arrived. But he sensed something strange and dug deeper, and sure enough, those merchants were a cover.
Many of them were actually ninjas. This was a very dangerous sign.
Hiruzen immediately ordered the ANBU to rendezvous with Jiraiya and began contemplating the next move.
Was this just a test from Kumo in response to Konoha's recent activities? Or was the Raikage really planning to launch a war?
He puffed on his pipe, eyes scanning the ANBU's intelligence reports, deep in thought.
"They can't be planning to ambush Jiraiya amd Tsunade, can they? Even if he leads the charge himself, there's no way that would succeed… Could he really have come to the Land of Fire himself?"
"Or is it about Naruto? But with both Jiraiya and Tsunade there, they'd still dare to come…?"
Even someone like A wouldn't be that reckless, right? …No, he would.
After serious thought, he had no choice but to acknowledge that the Fourth Raikage was truly the most reckless man alive. He once tried to catch Amaterasu with his bare hands, cut off his own arm without hesitation, and after the Fourth Great Ninja War, when both Naruto and Sasuke were still alive, he still built a chakra cannon. That was some next-level audacity.
This madman was crazy, there was nothing he wouldn't do.
So the possibility that he was trying to snatch the Nine-Tails and use that as a trigger for war? It existed, and it was very likely.
Currently in the shinobi world, only Kumo had both the power and the motive to start a war. Suna had practically become a vassal of Konoha. Kiri was in perpetual civil strife. Ōnoki was just another "decaying corpse" like Hiruzen, his village didn't even have a successor, and their Jinchūriki had all run away.
He recalled how years ago, Kumo tried to kidnap a Hyūga under cover of night, taking advantage of Konoha's internal and external troubles and his own declining health…
I had wanted to consider the greater good of the shinobi world, but this outrage is beyond all limits.
The more he thought, the angrier he got.
"I'll personally lead the campaign against the Raikage. Mobilize the troops! I said, mobilize the troops."
He immediately gave the order. He summoned Kakashi, Yamato, and Guy, each to lead one of five ANBU divisions. Kakashi would serve as the supreme commander, Yamato as deputy, and Guy as the vanguard.
Their mission: eliminate all Kumo ninjas within Konoha's borders.
And he issued an unrestricted combat directive, if necessary, the commander could decide whether to initiate full-scale war.
In other words, if A had truly entered the Land of Fire, then they were to keep him there, permanently.
When Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office and received his orders, he couldn't help but ask, "Hokage-sama… is war coming again?"
He understood war. He was one of Konoha's heroes of the previous conflict. During the Third Great Ninja War, he lost his closest friends. He lost Obito in the battle with Iwa, and Rin during the war with Kiri. He truly bore the fate of a cursed star.
If this turned into another war… who would he lose this time?
Naruto? Sasuke? Sakura?
Their smiles flashed through his mind.
Hiruzen's face was grim as he replied, "Perhaps. I hope the Raikage doesn't make the wrong move, doesn't actually appear in the Land of Fire. Otherwise… we might see the Fourth Ninja War begin ahead of schedule."
Had it really escalated this far? Kakashi didn't say it aloud, because he knew Hiruzen would never joke about something like this.
After receiving confirmation, he sighed. How could he not understand? He simply held onto a sliver of hope.
"Understood."
If a nation's top combat power secretly led a team into the Land of Fire to spy on the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, that was undeniably an act of war. Konoha had no other choice. And if war was inevitable, they would do everything in their power to eliminate the enemy's strongest force early.
"Kakashi, I'm counting on you this time. Show the brilliance of Minato's student." Hiruzen puffed on his pipe. His mind was made up. He tapped out the ashes from his pipe and continued, "And after this mission, I've decided to appoint you as one of the Five Generals of the Leaf!"
Kakashi's eyes filled with question marks as he stared at the Hokage in confusion.
"The Five Generals are a new rank I've created, five elite ninjas personally chosen by me. If something were to happen to me, the five of you will oversee Konoha's future and select the next Hokage from among yourselves."
Pre-war promotions were a tradition. Now that the Konoha Council had been disbanded, the Hokage needed a new cabinet.
"So who are the others?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask.
"For now: Jiraiya, Tsunade, you, Guy. One more… still undecided."
Orochimaru had only just returned, he still needed to be tested.
This time, there were no empty compliments like "you have the makings of a Hokage." Because Kakashi actually was a top candidate for the next Hokage.
As for future threats in the shinobi world? That was a problem for another day. So long as there was enough time to grow, even without Hiruzen's "cheat-mode" strength, Konoha had its own monsters. Once Naruto and Sasuke matured, what was there to fear?
Now suddenly promoted, Kakashi carefully reviewed the intel and personnel, then went off to gather his team.
With the Akatsuki threat and the looming shadow of war, he was truly weary and agitated. There was still much work ahead. In this climate of possible imminent conflict, Konoha might have to offer economic concessions to Suna. And as for Kisame, Hiruzen had tolerated him all this time out of respect for Itachi. But now… it was time for a "chat."
The original timeline had already been shattered by him, and Konoha's sun would have to work overtime again today.
