Cautious Eyes: An Uchiha's Path

"Are they all here?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen surveyed the gathering shinobi, his eyes narrowing slightly. But his unease only deepened.

The Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze—was nowhere to be seen.

That alone spoke volumes.

Was Minato truly preoccupied with something... more important? The thought left a bitter taste in Hiruzen's mouth. His gaze drifted subtly toward Danzo Shimura, who stood in silence beside him, arms crossed.

Danzo, ever attuned to such looks, merely inclined his head and closed his eyes as though resting. But to Hiruzen, it was enough. A silent affirmation. A calculated reassurance.

Though troubled, Hiruzen pushed aside his concerns for now and returned his attention to the fire raging before them. The inferno's flickering glow cast harsh shadows across his face, hardening his expression.

With both Hiruzen and Danzo present, no other ninja dared assume command. Even though Hiruzen had stepped down as Hokage, the authority of the former Third still weighed heavily on everyone present.

Even Uchiha Fugaku, former head of the Konoha Military Police, stood silently on the sidelines. Though the area was technically under the jurisdiction of the Police Force, Fugaku showed no intention of taking control—not with Hiruzen and Danzo standing watch.

The only one who showed visible frustration was Jiraiya. The fire was spreading fast, and without anyone coordinating suppression efforts, even he hesitated to leap in alone.

"Sensei," Jiraiya called out, eyes flicking to the forest consumed in flame. "Shouldn't we put out the fire first?"

He frowned. Something was off. He thought he had sensed traces of chakra—chaotic, flaring chakra—within the blaze. And yet, Minato had yet to arrive.

Could something have happened to Kushina? he wondered for a split second.

But no—he shook the thought away. He knew how this fire had started.

It wasn't the work of an enemy.

And Minato... trusted that Uchiha kid—Kai, was it? If Minato believed in him, then Jiraiya had no choice but to trust in his student's judgment as well.

Still, with Minato absent, it fell to Hiruzen to take charge. But the man just stood there, impassive, watching the fire as if it were an idle spectacle.

"Let's wait," Hiruzen finally murmured, eyes reflecting the blaze. "The Fourth should arrive soon. This is his village now. He should be the one to decide."

Jiraiya grimaced. "This..." he began, unsure of how to object. At this rate, who knew what destruction would be left in the fire's wake?

Regret gnawed at him. He should have acted sooner. He should have followed Kai more closely—intervened before things escalated. But once the fire spread and forced him to retreat, it was already too late.

He opened his mouth to speak again—when suddenly, a surge of overwhelming chakra flooded the area.

Everyone felt it.

The ground trembled.

Jiraiya's expression twisted in shock. "That's... Orochimaru!"

And then, a second surge. Colder. More dreadful.

More inhuman.

The earth shook violently. Hiruzen's eyes widened in disbelief.

What is that chakra?!

Even before the first chakra surge faded—presumably from Manda, the great serpent—it vanished completely, swallowed by something far more terrifying.

"Everyone, listen closely!" Hiruzen barked, urgency creeping into his tone. "Anyone with Water Release—start suppressing the fire! Now!"

Elsewhere, in the sensory division, Yamanaka Masato paled.

"That chakra again," he muttered. "I felt it once before... We can't let it escape this time."

"Cough... cough..."

Orochimaru staggered, his pale form soaked in mucus. His breathing was ragged, his complexion even more ashen than usual.

But his grin?

Still manic. Still gleaming with madness.

Across from him stood Uchiha Kai, his Susanoo glowing faintly. Despite the scale of their clash, Kai seemed relatively unscathed.

Maintaining Susanoo consumed both Mangekyō chakra and stamina, but Kai understood now: the core energy sustaining the technique came from a deeper well—one unique to the Uchiha mind and soul. Still, the effort was taxing.

Kai had always been a fast-assault ninja, a precision striker. The immense size and power of Susanoo felt at odds with his natural combat rhythm. It demanded too much—too much focus, too much energy.

And its defenses, though formidable, had glaring weaknesses.

He remembered how Danzo once pierced Sasuke's incomplete Susanoo with Wind Release. At this stage, his own defense might not fare better.

"I'll need to push Susanoo further," Kai thought grimly. "Right now, it's more fortress than weapon. But agility and layered armor—those are key."

Still, his eyes stayed locked on Orochimaru.

This snake was central to Kai's long-term plans.

Orochimaru wasn't faring well. After using his Body Replacement Technique, his chakra had dropped significantly. He wasn't recovering quickly.

"I warned you, Orochimaru," Kai said coldly. "You toy with powers you don't understand... you die."

Orochimaru, still panting, licked his lips. "But such power... is fascinating, isn't it? Susanoo. The Sharingan's final form... Minister Kai, isn't your lower defense a little... vulnerable?"

"You mean your snakes?" Kai's expression didn't change. "Sure. This version of Susanoo has blind spots. But do you think I wouldn't prepare for that?"

The sword in Susanoo's hand flared with pitch-black chakra, but Kai paused mid-action.

The fire—it was fading. Fast.

Too fast.

They were attracting too much attention.

With a quiet breath, Kai dispelled his Susanoo, leaving only the skeletal frame.

"Looks like the fun's over," he muttered. "You understand what to do next, right, Orochimaru?"

"Of course," Orochimaru hissed, tongue flicking out. "You've shown me quite the display. The power of the Uchiha... truly terrifying."

"Don't be greedy," Kai said darkly. "Some things aren't meant for you."

He caught himself—those words. Too much like Itachi.

Shaking the thought, Kai's gaze sharpened. "You want to leave Konoha. Now's your chance. Or do you want to wait for the Third to show up and make this mess worse?"

Orochimaru's golden pupils narrowed, their usual light dimmed. He turned away.

"Truly decided?" Kai asked one last time. "Leaving will hurt him deeply."

Orochimaru paused. "Yes... but he's not the Sarutobi-sensei I once knew."

He smiled faintly, wistfully.

"Konoha's become a cage. A stifling one. I won't rot in it."

After a long glance around the desolate, flame-scorched forest, Orochimaru turned back.

"I've prepared a parting gift. For showing me your power."

He began to leave, but Kai's voice stopped him.

"Wait."

Orochimaru turned.

"Are you still interested in the Sharingan?" Kai asked.

The snake-nin's eyes gleamed. "Of course. But didn't you say such things were not to be coveted?"

"They aren't. But what if I offered someone else's eyes?"

A pause.

"What do you want in return?" Orochimaru asked.

"Your copy of the research on Senju Hashirama. Not the one you gave Hiruzen. The real one."

Back at the fireline, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the dying flames, dread tightening in his chest.

He couldn't sense chakra like the Yamanaka, but he could recognize the oppressive nature of Manda's presence.

And what came after it...

That other chakra was darker. Colder. More malevolent than anything he had ever known.

Then the tremor. The sudden silence.

Manda's chakra vanished without a trace.

The feeling in Hiruzen's gut worsened.

Had Orochimaru failed?

He couldn't bring himself to believe that a fourteen-year-old Uchiha could pose a true threat to someone like Orochimaru.

But that boy...

That Uchiha boy...

The Second Hokage hadn't feared them without reason.

And now, Hiruzen wasn't sure what scared him more—

Orochimaru's defeat... or Uchiha Kai's survival.