The Third Hokage breathed heavily, using the Adamantine Staff to cut down the white snakes lunging at him before dropping to one knee on the rocky terrain.
"Hey, Sarutobi, are you all right?"
The voice came from the Adamantine Staff, which had transformed back. He could clearly feel that the Third Hokage's strength had waned significantly.
"It seems I'm truly old after all..."
"It seems you at least have some self-awareness, Teacher."
Orochimaru appeared before him. The surrounding landscape was utterly devastated from their fierce battle.
The Third Hokage stood back up, resting the staff upon his shoulder, clad in black shinobi attire. Though old, as a Hokage, his presence remained razor-sharp.
"Though I am indeed old, I still have enough strength left to discipline my rebellious pupil!"
"Adamantine Prison Wall!"
Dozens of staffs split from the one in the Third Hokage's hand, encasing Orochimaru from all directions and trapping him firmly within.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Three fiery dragons assaulted Orochimaru from three separate angles, reducing him to ashes in an instant.
Yet the Third Hokage remained on high alert. Sure enough, a white snake crawled out from the pile of ashes. Its jaw unhinged to an unnatural degree as Orochimaru emerged from within.
"As expected of my teacher. To have just sealed the First and Second Hokage, and still have this much strength left."
Orochimaru opened his mouth, pulling the Kusanagi Sword: Sword of Nunoboko from inside.
"Still, this ends here."
"Worm Snake Wrist Explosion!"
Orochimaru summoned several giant snakes that lunged at the Third Hokage, who cleaved them in two with his staff.
"Bang!"
The severed corpses of the giant snakes suddenly detonated, and Orochimaru burst through the smoke, wielding the Kusanagi Sword.
*Clang! Clang!*
The Kusanagi Sword clashed against the Adamantine Staff, sending sparks flying. The Third Hokage was growing increasingly exhausted.
He knew that in his current state, he could not defeat Orochimaru. Orochimaru was far too dangerous; he must never be allowed to become an enemy of Konohagakure again!
"Enma!"
"Hmph, I know."
The Third Hokage released his grip on the staff, which suddenly extended its arms, wrapping them tightly around Orochimaru to immobilize him.
With Enma holding Orochimaru in place, the Third Hokage rapidly formed hand seals, preparing to end the battle once and for all.
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
A pale, ghostly apparition materialized behind the Third Hokage, holding a string of prayer beads in its right hand while a dagger rested between its teeth.
The apparition extended its left hand, plunging straight through the Third Hokage's abdomen to grasp Orochimaru's soul from within.
"Arghhh!"
The Third Hokage exerted every ounce of his remaining strength to pull Orochimaru's soul out, but Orochimaru resisted with ferocious intensity.
"Do I no longer even have the strength to pull out your soul..."
"Orochimaru, you drowned in Ninjutsu, arrogant in your mastery of it. This punishment suits you best—I will strip away every single jutsu you possess!"
Controlling the apparition, the Third Hokage slashed off the hands of Orochimaru's soul, collapsing as the apparition took his own soul in return.
Enma vanished along with his summoner. Across the roof of intertwined branches and rock, only Orochimaru remained, his arms hanging limp at his sides.
"Ha, are you planning to just keep watching, Ha?"
Orochimaru's cold voice echoed through the trees. Namikaze Ha walked over to the Third Hokage's corpse, lifting him up and propping his body against a nearby tree.
Orochimaru's slitted golden pupils stared at Ha. He knew that if Ha wanted to kill him now—stripped of his jutsu as he was—it would take zero effort.
"Go on, Orochimaru..."
"......"
Orochimaru hadn't expected Ha to let him go, yet he showed not a shred of surprise, as if he were entirely accustomed to Ha's unpredictable decisions.
*You truly remain an unfathomable existence, Namikaze Ha.*
Shortly after, Sound shinobi tracked down Orochimaru and carried the heavily injured man away. Meanwhile, inside Konohagakure, with Ha's assistance, the Sand shinobi had long since been suppressed, and Naruto had successfully defeated Gaara.
When Konohagakure's shinobi arrived, they found only the Third Hokage leaning against a tree, his body already stiff, while Ha stood quietly by his side...
Beneath a gray, drizzling sky, every shinobi and villager of Konohagakure wore gray mourning attire.
Before the Hokage's office, a long line of shinobi stood waiting. At the very front of the procession was Sarutobi Asuma.
Asuma was not smoking today; he simply stared in silence at the framed portrait of Sarutobi Hiruzen before him.
*Pitter-patter...*
The torrential rain began to fall, yet Asuma refused to move, while little Konohamaru wept bitterly beside him, mirroring the downpour itself...
Naruto walked through the streets of Konohagakure with his head lowered, heading toward his "home."
"I'm back."
As always, Naruto uttered the words he had repeated countless times upon entering his empty apartment.
In truth, the Third Hokage used to visit Naruto's home from time to time, but now that the Third was gone, the place felt even colder and more desolate.
*Wait, why is my apartment so clean? Well, someone must have helped tidy up, I suppose. Hold on, that smell is coming from the kitchen!*
Naruto rushed into his kitchen. He couldn't cook to save his life, and the people tasked with looking after him had never once prepared a meal inside his home!
"Hey, what are you doing?! Why are you breaking into someone else's place?"
Naruto demanded, glaring at Ha, who was busy cooking. A table laden with freshly prepared dishes stood nearby.
"Alright, Naruto, let's eat first."
"Huh? Don't go around calling people by their names like you own the place, you mysterious weirdo."
"......"
Ha genuinely hadn't expected to be called a "weirdo" or an old man, especially when he was only in his teens.
Naruto slowly approached the dining table. Remembering how Ha had helped him previously, he wasn't foolish enough to blindly attack someone who had aided him. Besides, the food smelled incredible...
"Delicious!"
Naruto had never tasted anything so good. Though he didn't live on instant ramen every single day anymore, he usually only ever got pre-made bento boxes, and the flavor never changed.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Naturally, stuffing his face in such a frenzy caused Naruto to choke.
"Here, Naruto, water."
Naruto took the cup handed to him by Ha and immediately went back to wolfing down his food.
Before long, he had devoured the massive pile of dishes, leaving behind only an empty, unwashed table.
Naruto hopped down from his stool, intending to clean up himself, but Ha swiftly snatched the bowls and took them to the sink to wash. Naruto's suspicion only grew stronger. This stranger had shown up out of nowhere to cook for him, treating him with such kindness—there had to be a catch...
Once Ha finished the dishes, Naruto waited for him in the living room.
"What do you want with me, you sneaky weirdo from the Chunin Exams?"
"......Naruto... No, my little brother, it has been a long time."
"......."
Naruto's brain flat-out stopped working. He clearly hadn't processed what Ha had just said.
"Hey, mister, don't talk nonsense! I don't have any..."
Before Naruto could finish, he caught sight of Ha's expression—an expression that unmistakably carried no trace of falsehood.
"You're lying..."
"......."
"You're lying!!"
"......."
"Take back what you just said! Or I'll beat you up!"
Naruto lunged at Ha, grabbing him by the collar, though a young boy had no hope of lifting a teenager off his feet.
Tears welled up in the corners of Naruto's eyes, his voice trembling with a sob.
"Why... Why do other people get parents, family... while I'm all alone?! Why does everyone in the village call me a fox demon?! Wahh~"
"......I'm sorry, Naruto. It took me all these years to finally come back to you..."
"Waaah~"
And so, Naruto cried in Ha's arms for who knows how long, only stopping when dusk painted the sky.
Looking down at Naruto's swollen, tear-stained eyes, Ha's heart ached.
"Hey, Naruto, pack your things. We're moving!"
"Huh? Oh, okay, I got it."
While Naruto packed his belongings, the two chatted about many things—mostly topics Naruto had kept bottled up for years with no one to confide in.
Standing outside their old front door, Naruto silently gazed back into the house where he had spent countless lonely days. Then, glancing up at Ha, who was holding his hand, he made up his mind and turned away for good.
Ha carried Naruto's luggage while Naruto walked beside him with his head bowed. As they walked through the streets of Konohagakure, Ha looked around, observing the changes; having been away for over a decade, the village had transformed quite a bit.
"Hey, look! Isn't that Lord Ha? I heard shinobi returning from missions outside the village saying he was coming back soon, but I didn't think it was true!"
"Wait, who's that kid with him...?"
"That... isn't that the fox demon?!"
"Ha, are you blind? Lord Ha's father was the Fourth Hokage..."
"It has to be him, look at that blond hair..."
Mentioning the blond hair, the two shinobi who had been chatting animatedly suddenly fell silent and plunged into deep thought.
"Hey... don't you think that fox demon looks a lot like Lord Ha...?"
"Huh?"
The questioned shinobi glanced at Naruto. Since Naruto was walking right beside Ha, comparing them was effortless.
"......."
"......."
Both shinobi fell silent. Those two looked precisely like brothers—or perhaps they actually were...
Without another word, the shinobi turned and left, feeling as though they had stumbled upon a monumental secret.
Standing before his own family's doorstep, a wave of profound emotion washed over Ha as he pushed the gate open.
"Hey, Big Brother, whose house is this?"
"…Naruto, this is yours, and our parents' home."
"Parents... Hey, Big Brother, who were my parents?"
"I'll answer that for you in a moment, Naruto. But first, I need to go greet some guests."
Itachi and Kisame emerged from the shadows of the house; clearly, they had been waiting here for some time.
"Itachi, you probably haven't eaten yet. I happen to have some instant ramen—wait a moment."
"......"
Ha pulled a few cups of instant ramen from Naruto's luggage and headed into the kitchen, leaving Naruto alone in the living room with Itachi and Kisame.
Moments later, Ha emerged with two bowls of ramen. Itachi sat down and began to eat quite naturally.
Kisame stared down at the bowl in front of him, feeling utterly bewildered. If Itachi weren't sitting right beside him, Kisame would have assumed he was trapped in an enemy genjutsu.
He and his partner were eating instant ramen prepared by their target's older brother, while their target stood right there, staring straight at them!
Realizing resistance was futile, Kisame decided to simply accept his reality. Without another word, he stopped thinking and dug into the noodles.
"Ha, it seems your cooking skills haven't slipped at all."
"The food you make is surprisingly good, you know."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Ha turned and headed back into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Naruto had been staring intently at Kisame's face the entire time.
"Hey, kid, staring at people like that is very impolite."
"Hmph, I was just wondering what kind of person grows up with a shark face."
"Ha! Who are you calling a shark face?!"
Naruto's words struck a nerve. Kisame instinctively reached behind his back for Samehada, but Itachi immediately intervened.
"Kisame, do not be rude."
"Tch!"
Grumbling in displeasure, Kisame remained in his seat. Itachi stood up and walked over to Naruto, studying him thoughtfully.
"Tell me, Itachi, what kind of mission brought Akatsuki to Konohagakure?"
"As if we'd tell you..."
Before Kisame could finish, Itachi cut him off once again.
"Our objective in Konohagakure this time is primarily to investigate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, and capture him if possible."
Kisame slapped a hand to his forehead and shut his mouth, convinced his partner had officially defected.
After a brief conversation, it was time for Itachi and Kisame to leave.
They all gathered in the backyard of Minato's old home, preparing for another impending parting with a friend.
"Well then, farewell, Itachi."
"Hn."
Kisame listened in numb silence. At this point, he had completely checked out of the conversation.
"Hey, Itachi, looks like we have a little pest."
"......"
Itachi said nothing. Both he and Ha had sensed the person trailing them all this time.
"As expected, if I follow you, I'll eventually find you again, Itachi!"
Sasuke vaulted over the backyard fence. It seemed he had been tailing Ha for quite a while, though he remained unaware that Ha and Itachi had allowed him to do so on purpose.
"Sasuke, why are you here?"
"Shut up, Naruto, this has nothing to do with you! Today, I'm going to settle things once and for all!"
"......"
Itachi's single-tomoe Sharingan locked gazes with Sasuke's two-tomoe eyes.
Seeing that Itachi made no move, and eager to stretch his limbs, Kisame stepped forward and reached behind his back...
"Wait, Kisame. Let me handle this myself."
Kisame stopped as Itachi stepped forward. Sasuke was already fully prepared.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The brothers unleashed the jutsu simultaneously, but Sasuke's flames were entirely outclassed. Itachi's giant fireball instantly swallowed Sasuke's whole.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Itachi's fire dragon consumed Sasuke's flames, forcing Sasuke to scramble out of the way once more.
"Chidori!"
Sasuke sprinted toward Itachi at high speed. Yet in Itachi's eyes, aside from a flicker of lingering regret, there was no tension whatsoever.
His right Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyou Sharingan in the blink of an eye.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No way—using *that* against his own brother..."
Kisame genuinely hadn't expected Itachi to use Amaterasu against his younger brother. It seemed Itachi truly intended to kill him...
Unfortunately, Kisame's assumption was impossible; Itachi could never bring himself to kill his brother.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Ha instantly exhaled several blades of wind chakra, obliterating the ground where Itachi and Kisame stood.
Standing atop a nearby wall, Kisame stared down at the spot they had just vacated, now a five-meter-deep crater.
"......"
Kisame was beginning to view Ha as a serious threat. To perform hand seals and execute a technique that quickly—not to mention using the Flying Thunder God technique...
"My foolish little brother, you disappoint me. I expected far more from you than this..."
"......"
Sasuke clenched his fists. He knew that had Ha not interrupted just then, he would already be dead. He was still far too weak.
"Ha, until we meet again. Let's go, Kisame."