The entire village was in chaos.
The two senior advisors had been assassinated on the same night. Every clan in Konoha was shaken.
Lights flared on across the village as people roused from their beds, whispering, trying to learn what had happened.On the streets, squads of ANBU and Konoha Military Police patrolled with torches, hunting the killer.
The bodies of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were immediately sent to the Intelligence Division for memory extraction, searching for any clue left behind.
"Who could have done this? "
The Third Hokage rushed to the Intelligence Analysis Room, still in his night robes, his face grim. He waited for results with a heavy heart.
Rage burned inside him—yet beneath the anger was a chill of fear.
Homura and Koharu weren't as strong as him, true. But they were still elite jōnin—far from easy targets.
To kill them both, without leaving any sign of a struggle… the assassin's power was terrifying. Someone who could do this might even have a chance at killing a Kage.
And judging by the targets, the killer was clearly coming for his faction. Which meant… he himself might be next.
That thought sent an icy shiver through him.
Could it be… Fugaku Uchiha?
He couldn't help but recall the confrontation earlier that day. Fugaku had displayed power far beyond expectation. Yes, if anyone had the ability to kill Homura and Koharu, it was him.
Creak—
The door of the analysis room opened. Several operatives emerged, led by a tall, long-haired blond man—the head of the Yamanaka Clan, Inoichi Yamanaka, commander of the Intelligence Division.
"Hokage-sama," the Third Hokage strode forward, voice taut. "Have you identified the killer? "
Inoichi's expression was complicated as he answered:"It was the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi. Both advisors were killed by him."
Homura and Koharu's heads had been left intact, so Inoichi had used his clan's Mind Reading Technique to sift through their final memories.
He saw the image clearly: a man in a black cloak patterned with red clouds, wearing a spiral mask.
As the head of intelligence, he recognized that figure immediately—the mysterious Wood Release user.
But what unsettled Inoichi most was something else he discovered. In Koharu's thoughts, he had overheard her intent—to start a war just to eliminate Fugaku Uchiha.
As someone who had lived through the Third Great Ninja War, Inoichi knew the horrors of war all too well. To learn that Koharu was willing to plunge the world back into bloodshed for political gain… it left him cold.
"The Wood Release shinobi…" The Third Hokage's pupils contracted sharply, missing the flicker of emotion in Inoichi's gaze.
That man again. The one who had vanished for so long… now striking in the heart of Konoha, killing two of its top leaders.
But something didn't fit. Until now, the Wood Release shinobi's attacks had been aimed squarely at the Shimura clan. Why target Koharu and Homura?
If anyone had reason to kill those two, it was Fugaku.
Unless…
"Could it be someone disguising themselves? " the Hokage asked, voice low.
Inoichi shook his head."No. During the assassinations, the killer used both Wood Release and space–time ninjutsu. That combination… only one man in the entire shinobi world fits that description."
If it were just Wood Release, someone could fake it. After all, even Konoha's own ANBU had a member with Wood Release.But to combine it with space–time jutsu? No impostor could pull that off.
"Not a disguise…" The Hokage's brows drew tight.
His theory was wrong. The killer wasn't Fugaku—it really was the Wood Release shinobi.
But why target them? His enemy was supposed to be Danzo's faction. So why kill Koharu and Homura too?
"What's your assessment? " the Hokage asked grimly.
Inoichi hesitated, then said, "Hokage-sama, the Wood Release shinobi never stated that his target was only the Shimura clan. That was just our assumption. Judging by this attack, we were wrong. His enemies aren't limited to one family."
He paused, then glanced at the Hokage—carefully, almost too carefully."Based on the pattern… his true targets may include everyone tied to your faction."
The Third Hokage's face hardened, thoughts racing. My faction…?
Why would this man have a vendetta against him? What grudge could he hold?
"Hokage-sama," Inoichi said quietly, "the Wood Release shinobi is clearly connected to Orochimaru. Could this be his doing? "
The Hokage froze, eyes narrowing."Orochimaru…"
If that were true, everything would make sense.
Orochimaru, driven out of the village, humiliated. Of course he would hate them. Of course he would seek revenge.
And if the Wood Release shinobi was his creation—born from Hashirama's cells, loyal to Orochimaru—then these assassinations were nothing but Orochimaru's retribution.
Enemies within. Enemies without.
Inside Konoha, Fugaku Uchiha and the Uchiha clan loomed like a storm.Outside, Orochimaru and his monstrous Wood Release soldier stalked the shadows.
And worst of all—Danzo, Homura, and Koharu… his three most trusted allies were dead.
He had no one left to rely on.
Tsunade and Jiraiya? They were powerful, yes—but after everything between them, they would never fight for him.
Somewhere in the night, the Third Hokage realized just how far he had fallen.
He was surrounded. Outmatched. And utterly alone.