Orochimaru didn't lead the unit into the Land of Grass. Instead, he brought them to a halt just beyond the border.
"That thing—you summoned it, didn't you?" Orochimaru approached Ishiki Kujo again, a soft grin on his face. At his side stood a small girl.
Ishiki recognized her immediately: Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru's student.
"Yes. I summoned it to divert Iwa-nin attention," Ishiki explained. "Poured a massive amount of chakra into the summoning. But that damned turtle doesn't listen to me—it's fully bonded to Kumo. I can't summon it again."
"Well," Orochimaru mused, "since you've signed with the turtle clan, you won't be able to sign with the serpent clan. Not anymore." He stared at the massive shell cresting the horizon. "Let it crawl at its own pace. Though… are you sure Iwa doesn't know it was you who summoned it?"
"Not certain," Ishiki admitted. "I wore a mask to obscure my identity, but plenty of people still saw me."
Orochimaru's answer was simple: "Then just deny it. If Kumo finds out, things could get… complicated. Be careful."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." A pause. Then Ishiki's eyes glinted. "Do you know anything about the turtle clan?"
"A bit," Orochimaru replied. "There's supposedly a sacred place called Turtle Hermit Island. All turtles—land and sea—are said to originate there. It's the holy ground of their species. If you ever have a chance to go, there may be… opportunities."
Ishiki guessed those "opportunities" had to do with natural energy. He didn't press further.
Their conversation ended shortly after. Orochimaru returned him to his original squad.
Ze, Tokuma, and Muta looked at Ishiki with envy now. Orochimaru, at this point in history, was practically a legend. Among Konoha's shinobi, only Minato Namikaze could claim greater popularity.
Many had begun to grumble that the Third Hokage was unjustly holding onto the title. After all, Hiruzen had already retired once—shouldn't Orochimaru be next?
But the official excuse was the war. And during the Night of the Nine-Tails, the Third had proven his worth once again.
Even so, once the war ended, if Orochimaru hadn't been exposed for human experimentation, the Hokage seat might fall to him whether Hiruzen wanted it or not.
And that was the issue—Hiruzen didn't want Orochimaru to succeed him.
He'd never intended for Danzo to become Hokage either. Hiruzen had always envisioned Orochimaru as the next shadow, a role much like Danzo's—Konoha's darkness.
He didn't want Orochimaru in the light.
If it weren't for Minato's overwhelming popularity, Hiruzen might have been forced to pass the title to Orochimaru already. And now, among the Sannin, Jiraiya was seen as the last "suitable" choice.
But Jiraiya had no interest in politics. He wandered too far, cared too little for the job.
Ishiki himself didn't care much about being Hokage. In fact, he'd once thought it'd be amusing to help a Uchiha into the role. That'd shake the village up—especially since the Uchiha had been obsessed with the title for decades.
But now?
Maybe if he gave Orochimaru a nudge in the right direction… helped him ascend, he could settle into a quieter role.
Director of Konoha Hospital. An ordinary salaryman. Orochimaru would fund him. Ishiki could experiment in peace.
And to be honest? Orochimaru's pursuit of immortality—that was something Ishiki found genuinely fascinating.
Who wouldn't want more time?
With his goals clarified, Ishiki's attention turned back to Iwa.
Most of their forces were now fixated on Turtle Island. Only a few reconnaissance units lingered near the border, wary of a Konoha strike.
Orochimaru had pitched his camp right there—at the edge. No plans for offense. He was just… waiting.
Ishiki did a little digging. The four Root operatives had already been transferred to the tri-nation base between the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Grass.
According to Orochimaru, that was the only place with the specialists needed to break the Root Tongue Curse Seal and the Mind Seal.
"But don't get your hopes up," Orochimaru had warned him. "We don't even know if any of the four are real Root members. They could've been hired. Duped. Coerced. If that's the case, Danzo will bury the truth before you ever dig it out."
Orochimaru's plan was clear:
"I'll spin it this way—those four were manipulated. Misled. Forced into action. Beyond that? Let it go."
Ishiki hated it.
But he understood.
Still, Ze and the others wouldn't accept that. Their own investigation into Danzo and Root would begin the moment the story didn't add up.
And that… was exactly what Ishiki wanted.
Let them take the first step.
If the narrative followed his script, they'd become the hammer he wielded.
If it didn't?
He'd act alone anyway.
He was just waiting now—for the right Stand. The right power.
He had a few in mind. All he needed was the next month's draw to go his way.
He was waiting.
But so was Danzo.
And Danzo received the news first.
"It failed?" Danzo's voice was stone. His face dark as the shadows behind his eye.
The report lay flat on his desk. Cold. Final.
His Rain Country assassination plan had collapsed.
He'd coordinated with Hanzo of the Salamander himself. Once Ishiki's squad entered Rain, Hanzo was to crush them personally.
Danzo had paid dearly for that arrangement.
But it had been worth it—or so he thought.
Ishiki's strength had already surpassed what Root could quietly eliminate. This wasn't the time for slow tactics. Danzo had gone all in.
And yet…
Turtle Island?!
What the hell even was that!?
Summoning something like that—was Ishiki already on par with the Sannin!?
Danzo's heart clenched with a new, creeping fear.
Ishiki's power was accelerating too fast.
If given just a few more years…
Would he become untouchable?
No.
Kill the weed before it blooms.
Eliminate him now.