Time moved differently in Mount Myōboku. It was one of the fundamental truths about the realm—a quirk of existing in a dimension that operated by its own rules, separate from the normal flow of the shinobi world. Three weeks could pass within the toads' domain while only days elapsed outside, or vice versa depending on the Great Sage's whims and the natural fluctuations of a place saturated with sage chakra for millennia.
While Naruto had been training for three full weeks—struggling with chakra control, arguing with teenage toads, and slowly coming to terms with the dual demons sealed within him—only two days had passed in Konohagakure. Two days in which the village had continued functioning without its jinchūriki, without one of its legendary Sannin, and increasingly without the patience that had characterized Hiruzen Sarutobi's long reign.
Konohagakure - The Hokage's Office
The office that had once belonged to the Third Hokage felt different under Danzo Shimura's occupation. Where Hiruzen had surrounded himself with memories—photographs of past students, gifts from grateful villagers, books on philosophy and history—Danzo had stripped the space to functional minimalism. The desk was clear except for current documents requiring his attention. The walls bore maps marked with strategic positions and potential threats rather than sentimental decorations. Everything was organized for efficiency rather than comfort, for command rather than contemplation.
Danzo sat behind that desk now, his visible eye scanning a document that had taken his staff most of the morning to prepare. The formal declaration was written in the traditional language used for official village pronouncements, each phrase carefully constructed to convey authority while avoiding language that might later be used against the village in diplomatic negotiations.
"Read it back to me," Danzo commanded to the ANBU operative standing at attention before the desk. "I want to hear how it sounds before we make it official."
The masked operative cleared his throat and began reading in a flat, professional tone:
"By order of the Acting Hokage of Konohagakure, Danzo Shimura, the following declaration is made effective immediately: Jiraiya of the Sannin is hereby classified as a missing-nin of B-rank threat level, wanted for unauthorized removal of village strategic assets and failure to respond to direct summons from village leadership.
"The specific charges are as follows: First, the unauthorized removal of Naruto, designated jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails and strategic asset of Konohagakure, from village boundaries without proper authorization or oversight. Second, failure to provide location updates, status reports, or any communication regarding said asset's condition or training progress. Third, ignoring three separate summons to return to the village for official debriefing regarding recent security incidents.
"All shinobi villages are to be notified of this designation. Jiraiya is to be detained on sight if encountered, with the jinchūriki to be secured and returned to Konoha custody immediately. Use of non-lethal force is preferred but not required if the target resists capture. Any information leading to successful detention will be rewarded according to standard bounty protocols."
The ANBU finished reading and stood in silence, waiting for judgment.
Danzo was quiet for a long moment, his fingers steepled on the desk, his expression revealing nothing of whatever thoughts moved behind that calculating eye. "The wording is adequate," he finally said. "But change the threat level to A-rank. Jiraiya is one of the Legendary Sannin—classifying him as anything less undermines the seriousness of this declaration and insults the intelligence of anyone who might encounter him."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. And the bounty amount?"
"Fifty million ryō for information leading to capture. One hundred million for successful detention and return of both Jiraiya and the jinchūriki." Danzo's voice carried no emotion, discussing the bounty on his former teammate's head with the same tone he might use to discuss supply requisitions. "Make it clear that the jinchūriki must be returned unharmed. Any bounty hunter who damages village property will forfeit payment and face prosecution."
The ANBU hesitated fractionally. "Hokage-sama, with respect—declaring one of the Sannin a missing-nin will have significant political ramifications. Other villages will see it as evidence of internal instability. Our allies may question whether we can be trusted to maintain control of our own assets. And Jiraiya himself has extensive connections throughout the shinobi world who may not respond favorably to—"
"I'm aware of the ramifications," Danzo interrupted coldly. "I'm also aware that we cannot allow the precedent of a shinobi—even a legendary one—taking village assets without authorization and then ignoring direct orders from leadership. If we permit Jiraiya to act with complete autonomy, we send a message that loyalty is optional, that the village's needs are secondary to individual preference. That's a message we cannot afford to send, particularly in the aftermath of the Third Hokage's death when other nations are watching for any sign of weakness."
He stood, moving to the window that overlooked the village. "Hiruzen was too soft. Too willing to trust, too reluctant to enforce discipline among those he considered friends. That softness got him killed. I won't make the same mistake. Jiraiya will return, the jinchūriki will be secured under proper supervision, and anyone who thinks they can defy village authority will learn otherwise. Distribute the declaration by end of day."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU bowed and departed, leaving Danzo alone with his thoughts and his certainty that he was making the correct decision, that strength required hard choices, that the village's security justified any measure taken in its name.
Outside the window, Konohagakure continued its daily routines, most villagers completely unaware that one of their legendary protectors had just been declared a traitor, that the line between loyalty and betrayal had been redrawn according to new leadership's definitions.
Sound Village - Orochimaru's Laboratory
The hideout Orochimaru currently occupied was one of dozens scattered throughout the continent—this one hidden in a cave system beneath what appeared to be an abandoned mining town. The entrance was concealed by genjutsu layers sophisticated enough to fool even skilled sensor-nin, and the interior extended deep into stone that had never seen sunlight, creating chambers where experiments could be conducted without fear of discovery or ethical oversight.
In the largest of these chambers—one that had been converted into a laboratory that would have made most medical researchers feel a mixture of envy and horror—Orochimaru stood before a table covered in sealed containers. Each one held a different test subject, organisms ranging from simple insects to small mammals, all carefully selected for their chakra sensitivity and physiological resilience.
The research he was currently engaged in had consumed most of his attention for the past two days, ever since the tiny snake he'd planted on Jiraiya had transmitted its final report before dissolving. The information it had provided was fascinating in ways that went beyond mere intelligence gathering into realms of scientific curiosity that Orochimaru found far more compelling than simple political maneuvering.
Orochimaru stood before a single glass container—his current obsession. Inside, a small rodent crouched in the corner, whiskers trembling, eyes wide with an intelligence born not of nature, but of exposure.
"Let's begin," he murmured, adjusting the chakra control seals etched into the floor. A faint hum filled the chamber as a flow of his own chakra—pure, measured—passed into the containment array. The rat stiffened, then relaxed. Its heartbeat steadied. Normal. Adaptation within tolerance.
Orochimaru's pale fingers moved to a second control rune, this time infusing fire-nature chakra. Instantly, the creature's fur bristled, its movements erratic and defensive. The temperature within the tank rose slightly, faint wisps of smoke curling around the rat's tiny paws. It began pacing, agitated but alert—its instincts sharpened.
"Interesting," Orochimaru noted, voice smooth and low. "Increased aggression… but also heightened awareness."
Next came water-nature chakra, cold and steady. The reaction was almost opposite—the rat's movements slowed, its breathing shallow. Its fur dampened slightly with condensation forming against the glass. Passive. Submissive. As though the instinct to fight had been drowned out.
Then lightning chakra—sharp and violent. The moment it surged through the seal, the rodent convulsed, arcs of energy snapping across its small frame. For a heartbeat, it froze mid-motion, eyes glazed in momentary paralysis before collapsing to one side. Orochimaru dialed the flow down, watching with quiet fascination as the creature recovered, trembling but alive.
Finally, he introduced something else—a hybrid chakra signature, his own experiment born of multiple elemental blends and a fragment of something's essence. The result was immediate and chilling. The rat did not convulse, nor retreat. It simply turned its head and stared at him—unblinking, silent, too still for comfort.
A faint smile curved Orochimaru's lips. He leaned closer to the glass, golden eyes gleaming with both admiration and hunger.
"So… you recognize the source," he whispered. "How curious. Intelligence... born from pain."
The rat twitched once, then resumed its watchful stillness. Orochimaru's pen scratched across parchment as he recorded every detail—movement, pulse rate, the subtle change in the air. Around him, the hum of machines and chakra conduits blended into a symphony of quiet madness.
To him, it wasn't cruelty. It was progress.
A knock on the laboratory door interrupted his musings. "Enter," he called without looking up from his notes.
Kabuto Yakushi entered, his ever-present smile in place, carrying another stack of documents. "Orochimaru-sama, the intelligence network has confirmed that Jiraiya and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki have disappeared completely. No sightings, no reports, no traces. It's as if they've left the shinobi world entirely."
"Mount Myōboku," Orochimaru said with certainty, still not looking up from documenting the corrupted rat's latest behavior—it had just successfully solved a simple maze that should have been beyond rodent intelligence. "Jiraiya has taken the boy to the toad summoning realm. It's the only place in the world where they could disappear so completely. The toads' home dimension is inaccessible to anyone without their specific summoning contract."
"Can we reach them there?"
"No. But they'll have to emerge eventually. Mount Myōboku is useful for training, but the boy can't hide there forever. When they return..." Orochimaru's smile was thin and cold, "...we'll be waiting. And by then, I'll understand his condition properly."
Kabuto set down the documents and adjusted his glasses, his own smile never wavering. "There's also news from Konohagakure. Danzo has declared Jiraiya a missing-nin. Officially, for removing the Nine-Tails container without authorization. Unofficially, it seems he's consolidating power and eliminating potential opposition to his claim on the Hokage position."
"Predictable," Orochimaru said dismissively. "Danzo has always valued control over wisdom, force over subtlety. He'll turn Konoha into a military dictatorship if given the chance, all while claiming it's for the village's security. Still, it serves our purposes. The more unstable Konoha becomes internally, the easier it is for us to maneuver externally."
He finally looked up from his notes, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Continue monitoring the situation. I want to know the moment Jiraiya and the boy resurface."
Kabuto bowed and departed, leaving Orochimaru to return to his research with the focused intensity of someone who'd found a puzzle worthy of his considerable intellect.
Training Ground Seven - Kakashi's Team
While village politics churned and missing-nin conducted research in hidden laboratories, life continued for Konoha's newest generation of shinobi. Training Ground Seven, one of the many practice areas scattered throughout the village's extensive grounds, had been claimed by Kakashi Hatake for the afternoon to work with recently graduated Academy students.
They weren't officially his genin team yet—those assignments wouldn't be made until the formal team selection process—but Kakashi had been asked to provide supplementary training to help students transition from Academy exercises to actual field-ready techniques.
Eight students stood before him now, arranged in a loose semicircle, all wearing their new forehead protectors with varying degrees of pride and nervousness. Sasuke Uchiha stood slightly apart from the others as usual, his expression carrying bored superiority that barely masked genuine interest. Sakura and Ino stood close together despite their usual rivalry, both trying not to show how nervous they were. Rock Lee bounced on his toes with barely contained enthusiasm. Hinata maintained her characteristic quiet position at the edge of the group. Shikamaru looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but was present anyway out of obligation.
"Today," Kakashi said from his position leaning casually against a tree, his eternally present book tucked away for actual training, "we're going to work on tree walking."
Several students exchanged confused glances. They'd been walking since they were toddlers—what was there to teach?
Kakashi pushed off from the tree and walked toward another one nearby, one with a particularly tall trunk that stretched thirty feet up before branches began. Without breaking stride, he simply continued walking up the trunk as casually as if it were horizontal ground, defying gravity with such ease that it looked effortless. He stopped about twenty feet up, standing perpendicular to the ground, and looked down at his students.
"Tree walking," he continued from his vertical position, "is an exercise in advanced chakra control. You channel chakra to the soles of your feet, using it to adhere to surfaces that normally wouldn't support your weight. Too little chakra and you'll slip. Too much and you'll damage the tree and push yourself away. The goal is to maintain exactly the right amount while moving."
From his pouch, he produced several kunai and distributed them among the students. "Mark your progress as you go. This isn't about raw power. It's about control."
Sasuke immediately took off toward the nearest tree, determined to master this quickly. He made it perhaps five steps up the trunk before his feet slipped and he fell backward, landing in an undignified heap.
The clearing filled with the sounds of running feet, bodies hitting ground after failed attempts, and occasional exclamations of frustration or triumph as students slowly improved.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called during a break, "where's Naruto? Shouldn't he be here training with us?"
Several students paused, suddenly aware of their classmate's absence.
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in what might have been a smile behind his mask. "Naruto is receiving specialized training elsewhere. His situation requires approaches different from standard genin preparation. Don't worry about him—he's in good hands."
"But he's going to fall behind!" Ino protested.
"He's learning techniques appropriate to his needs," Kakashi replied calmly. "When he returns, you might be surprised by what he's accomplished. Now, less talking and more training."
The students returned to their attempts, unaware that their absent classmate was struggling with challenges far beyond tree walking, learning to control not one but two demons while training in a realm where time moved at its own pace.
The afternoon continued with the sounds of training, of progress made through repeated failure. Above them, clouds drifted across Konoha's sky, and somewhere far away in both distance and dimension, their classmate fought his own battles against internal enemies that none of them would ever have to face.
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