Konoha's response to the sudden incident during the Chunin Exams was swift. An ANBU team was already on site, meticulously examining the scant remains of the attacker.
"This one was… stuffed inside first, then burned afterwards? Rough way to go," one ANBU operative commented, looking at a charred face seemingly embedded within the trunk of an unusually large tree.
Even though it was an enemy, the gruesome state could evoke a semblance of pity in an observer. After all, these ANBU hadn't fought the individual, nor had they witnessed how rough the battle had been on Habara as well.
"This makes identifying the enemy's origin extremely difficult," the ANBU captain murmured, frowning as he surveyed the scorched surroundings.
Most traces of the battle had been obliterated by fire. The majority of the remaining corpse was fused into the massive tree, and the few discernible parts seemed heavily corroded. More importantly… based purely on intuition, the captain suspected this enemy might have originated from within Konoha itself.
But the stronger the suspicion pointed inwards, the harder it became to investigate the individual's identity and motives. The ANBU could very well face obstructions, situations where inquiries were difficult, or even forbidden.
The captain's gaze shifted to the enormous tree dominating the scene. In Konoha, trees held significant symbolic weight.
As the poisonous mist lingering in the forest began to slowly dissipate, the ANBU started expanding their investigation deeper into the affected area.
Meanwhile, after receiving emergency treatment from the medical-nin who had rushed to the scene, Habara's injuries were stabilized. Although his drastic self-surgery—cutting away his own flesh—meant a longer recovery period, this decisive action had also ensured he suffered almost no effects from the poison.
After treating Habara, the medical-nin moved on to assist Kakashi.
Habara observed Kakashi's shoulder wound and remarked pointedly, "Kakashi-senpai, you certainly got away fast. Getting injured without even fighting the enemy, though?"
"Don't joke around," Kakashi retorted dryly. "Unlike you, I can't exactly achieve high-speed, three-dimensional movement using conventional means. I should be thanking my lucky stars I managed to escape that widespread poison cloud at all."
When that cloud of poison had erupted, Habara had literally taken flight on the spot. Kakashi couldn't possibly know the sheer despair that had washed over him in that moment… facing continuous area-of-effect damage, only to see his teammate vanish into the sky.
"You were being overly cautious," Habara said lightly. "Three or five breaths of that poison wouldn't necessarily kill someone. At your speed, you definitely could have run out of it under normal circumstances."
He delivered the line casually. Whether three or five breaths were lethal or not didn't matter much to him—he wasn't the one who'd had to test it.
"..." Kakashi was momentarily speechless.
Fortunately, the nearby medical-nin interjected with a dose of grim reality. "Based on my experience, with poison clouds of this color, three to five breaths indeed won't kill you instantly. After inhaling that much, you'd still have about three to five minutes left to live."
"Heh… heheh…" Habara offered a few awkward, polite laughs. Was that supposed to be a joke?
Kakashi, however, broke into a cold sweat. While trapped in the poison, he had actually considered various escape methods. Luckily, he'd instinctively chosen the absolute fastest one.
Regarding the recent enemy, Kakashi suspected Habara, having fought them directly, must know something. Yet, judging by the reactions of the surrounding ANBU, Habara hadn't revealed anything significant.
"Will there be more enemies?" Kakashi asked after a moment's thought.
"Probably not," Habara replied. "Even if certain people are capable of stirring up trouble, they won't be able to continue doing so now." He believed the attacker was likely sent by Danzo Shimura specifically for revenge against him. Causing such a large disturbance must have made even Danzo wary. Launching another attack would be reckless and risk exposure.
As for why Habara hadn't disclosed the attacker's likely identity—even going so far as to burn the deactivated Kikaichu bugs—it was because such circumstantial evidence (the combination of an "Aburame + Wood Release experiment subject") was hardly enough to definitively implicate Danzo. Even if it made the Third Hokage suspicious, the Hokage probably wouldn't make a fair decision anyway. Habara decided it wasn't worth the extra effort.
Besides, at this stage, Habara didn't want a complete fallout with Danzo Shimura. It wasn't because he feared he couldn't handle Danzo, but rather… put simply, it wasn't easy finding a dedicated scapegoat willing to take the fall for any and all dirty deeds. Habara wasn't ready to discard such a 'valuable asset' just yet.
For a large military organization like Konoha, having someone designated to handle the filth—a 'shit pot carrier,' so to speak—was arguably a necessary part of the structure. While Danzo might fail to become the 'roots supporting Konoha from the darkness' as he claimed, he could at least serve as Konoha's sewer. The correct strategy was to wait until he shouldered a truly massive scandal, then throw him out for judgment and condemnation.
Getting rid of Danzo over a single attack felt like a waste to Habara. Even foul resources were resources, and villains deserved to meet their end meaningfully. It had to be said, if Habara consistently maintained this line of thinking, he was perhaps surprisingly well-suited for politics.
"Well, in that case," Kakashi said, "I suppose I can head to Konoha Hospital for more thorough treatment." This whole detour had been pointless; he should have gone straight there earlier.
"Same here," Habara agreed, pushing himself to his feet. "I might even apply for paid medical leave." He planned to use this opportunity to skip out on the rest of his Chunin Exam organizational duties. With that, he genuinely started walking towards the hospital.
When it came to clocking off, Kakashi was certainly not one to be left behind. He quickly fell into step behind Habara. Tenzo, however, could only watch them go with an envious expression, stuck remaining behind to complete his exam.
As the two jonin left the central area and reached the periphery, Habara, clutching his arm, glanced up at some of the lingering spectators in the trees. "Nothing for you to see here. Focus on your exams," he called out dismissively.
Kakashi followed Habara's gaze. He felt only resigned helplessness towards these overly curious genin from other villages. It was fortunate the wars were over; shinobi like this wouldn't last long on a real battlefield.
What Kakashi didn't know, however, was that this was precisely the moment he shouldn't have been looking around carelessly.
Among the onlookers was a jonin from Takigakure named Oboro. He had disguised himself as a genin and entered the Chunin Exams under false pretenses, seeking Konoha's aid. He was the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails, Chomei, and had come hoping Konoha could help reinforce the seal containing the Tailed Beast.
Controlling a Tailed Beast's power for use was a goal for major villages. For a ninja like Oboro, the priority was simply preventing the beast's chakra from constantly eroding him. Takigakure's sealing techniques were insufficient to prevent leakage.
Under normal circumstances, Konoha's help would be a godsend. The problem was, the 'help' he received hadn't truly come from Konoha… He had unfortunately 'fallen in with the wrong crowd,' trusting someone he shouldn't have.
In fact, after arriving in Konoha, the seal hadn't been strengthened at all. Instead, it had been subtly weakened, or perhaps modified with a hidden mechanism designed to instantly release it when necessary.
Using another village's Tailed Beast to attack the Hokage… it was a decent plan, in theory. However…
The trap was triggered prematurely.
As Kakashi looked up, his crimson Sharingan, tomoe spinning, met the eyes of the ninja named Oboro. For a Jinchuriki whose seal had already been compromised to a certain degree, the Sharingan was an intense stimulus to the Tailed Beast within.
In an instant, despite possessing insight sharp enough to pierce through deception, Kakashi felt as though he'd plunged into a genjutsu. His consciousness, amplified by the Sharingan, seemed to bypass the layers of the seal, arriving directly within an inner space where he perceived a colossal "insect."
An overwhelming pressure of immense chakra and negative psychic energy slammed into him. Almost instinctively, the tomoe in Kakashi's Sharingan began to shift and morph. Within moments, the distinct pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan blazed into existence.
If the three-tomoe Sharingan had merely been a minor irritation to the Tailed Beast… what then was the Mangekyo?
At that exact moment, every ninja within the Forest of Death felt a sudden, extraordinarily powerful eruption of chakra.
Looking back at the Takigakure ninja, Oboro was now completely engulfed in swirling, dark red chakra. With an unearthly, bloodcurdling howl, the crimson chakra rapidly expanded, surging outwards and upwards, growing wider and taller by the second. In less than ten seconds, the full form of the Seven-Tails manifested.
Now, even Habara was stunned into silence for a beat:
"A flying… cockroach?"