Chapter 393: The Hokage Building Surrounded
As Orochimaru finished speaking, the scene of his first meeting with Tendo Pain appeared vividly in his mind.
It was in a forest. Two figures in matching black cloaks with red clouds blocked his path, saying they wanted to recruit him.
Orochimaru immediately recognized Pain's eyes—Rinnegan. Greed took hold of him, and he struck without hesitation, faster than the blink of an eye.
But just as he was about to succeed, an invisible force threw him back.
That strange power was unlike Wind Release, and the chakra didn't resemble anything from the five basic nature transformations.
It was clearly a force unrelated to any known kekkei genkai.
Orochimaru knew at that moment he couldn't defeat Pain, so he feigned allegiance while secretly plotting.
However, Haneda's later appearance disrupted Orochimaru's schemes, forcing him to return to Konoha.
Orochimaru explained:
"The Rinnegan abilities I'm aware of include attraction and repulsion.
"Pain can use two techniques: Bansho Ten'in (Universal Pull) and Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push).
"The former controls gravitational pull, and the latter repels with incredible force—both offensive and defensive."
"Pain's abilities go far beyond this. The complete Pain consists of six individuals, collectively known as the Six Paths of Pain.
"I suspect each of them wields a unique ability, all derived from the Rinnegan.
"The power of the Rinnegan is exceedingly strange. Without intel, one could easily lose their life to it."
Spreading his hands, Orochimaru concluded:
"So, Haneda's victory is inevitable. But as for who the ultimate winner will be—that remains to be seen."
"The ultimate winner?" Jiraiya and Tsunade murmured to themselves.
Orochimaru didn't elaborate further.
He knew that the Akatsuki had factions—one loyal to the leader Pain, and another...
He chuckled silently to himself.
If some already refused to follow Pain's orders, was he truly still the Akatsuki's leader?
Orochimaru smiled. "You'll have to ask about those matters yourselves. I didn't come here to explain all this."
Jiraiya looked at him skeptically. "Then why are you here? You're not exactly someone who enjoys wasting time at gatherings."
Orochimaru chuckled and said,
"I've told you—people change. Those who failed to change are already dead. But I'm still alive."
As he spoke, Orochimaru pulled out the chair next to Jiraiya and sat down.
Watching this unfold, Jiraiya rubbed his eyes, feeling as if he were dreaming.
Orochimaru was serious?
It had been so long since they last sat together like this...
Jiraiya still remembered Orochimaru's ruthlessness when his human experiments were exposed.
At that time, Orochimaru hadn't hesitated to attack Jiraiya, even though he ultimately spared him.
"So... do people really change?"
Jiraiya didn't fully know the answer. But he relished the feeling of sharing a meal with his old friend again.
It was a joy beyond words.
It felt as if he had brought Orochimaru back.
---
That afternoon, Hokage Building.
Outside the Hokage Building, crowds of Konoha residents gathered, forming rings of people. Many clutched newspapers tightly in their hands.
The paper had been unexpectedly released that afternoon, without any prior notice.
Their beloved Hokage was said to have been stricken with a terminal illness and was now desperately seeking treatment.
Some people tried to slip inside, wanting to confront the Hokage directly for an explanation.
Others berated the Hokage's advisors and staff, accusing them of negligence for failing to care for the great Hokage.
The harshest scolding was reserved for Shikaku and Tsunade. Shikaku, as Haneda's right-hand man and de facto leader, bore the brunt. Tsunade, being the most skilled medic in Konoha, was also a prime target for the crowd's anger.
If not for the presence of on-duty personnel and the ANBU maintaining order, the crowd's respect for the Hokage might not have been enough to prevent them from storming the building.
Inside the Hokage's office, however, Haneda was leisurely reclining in the Hokage's chair, sipping tea.
Shikaku, standing nearby, was listening to a report from the ANBU.
Hearing that he was being cursed and blamed by the crowd outside, Shikaku instinctively glanced at Haneda, as if to say, This is all your doing.
Haneda smiled and reassured him:
"Shikaku, insults are of no concern to you, are they?
"The more you experience, the further those jeers and sneers will fade away, until they're nothing but a distant murmur."
"Let them curse if they want to. What does it change?"
"A shallow mind grows angry at insults; a broad mind sees them only as others' opinions of you."
"What matters most is yourself. A true man—a real man—knows exactly what he must do."
"What we're doing is great work, paving a path no one has walked before. It's natural for others to struggle to understand."
"After all, people's perceptions are limited by the realities they've experienced.
"So, when you're certain of success, follow your own path and let others talk."
Shikaku's eyes widened. He couldn't believe Haneda had just said something so profound.
Since when had the Hokage become so eloquent?
Hadn't Kakashi mentioned that Haneda rarely read books?
Meanwhile, Shisui, standing to the side, was filled with admiration, his awe flowing endlessly like a great river.
As expected of the Hokage—his reasoning was so insightful!
Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang.
A figure rushed in, panting heavily.
The man's eyes locked onto Haneda, sitting in the Hokage's chair, and he immediately ran over, tears streaming down his face as he cried out:
"Haneda-brother! You can't die!"
"Without you, how am I supposed to live? Haneda-brother!"
"Waaaahhhh!"
This dramatic scene left Haneda speechless.
"Who told you I'm going to die, Asuma? Don't I look perfectly fine?"
"The newspapers, Haneda-brother! You don't have to hide it from me—I already know! Shikaku can't hide it, Tsunade can't hide it, no one can hide it!"
"Waaaahhhh!"
Down below, Shikaku couldn't help but laugh. No, he was already laughing aloud.
Coughing a few times, he explained on Haneda's behalf:
"That was fake news we released, Asuma.
"The Hokage hasn't contracted any fatal illness—it's completely baseless."
With a hint of complaint in his tone, Shikaku added:
"This was something the Hokage and I discussed. You were away at the time, so it's normal that you weren't informed beforehand."
"Really?" Asuma glanced cautiously at Shikaku, then at Haneda.
"Really," Haneda and Shikaku replied in unison.
"Really!"
Hearing the confirmation, Asuma's tears turned into a bright smile.
He muttered under his breath:
"Haneda-brother, seriously, something this important, and you didn't tell me in advance."
Haneda said, "You weren't around then."
Asuma replied, "Even so, you should've sent an ANBU to inform me."
"At the time, you were overseeing the construction of my giant monument. I didn't want the ANBU to disturb you."
"..." Asuma was speechless. He vaguely remembered ANBU trying to contact him before, but he had brushed them off.
After all, attending meetings in the Hokage's office couldn't possibly be more important than recording Haneda-brother's glorious deeds!
By the time he returned, the news of Haneda's "illness" had already spread throughout Konoha.
Without verifying the truth, he had rushed straight to the office.