.

Everyone froze, their eyes fixed on a one-eyed old man in a gray kimono who was leaning against a tombstone not far away, a wine jug held loosely in his hand. In the moonlight, his messy white hair was particularly striking.

"Old man, this is not a place for you," Jirobo said impatiently. "Get out of here, or else…"

"Or else what?" the old man asked, taking a leisurely sip of his wine. "You little brats, awake in the dead of night, disturbing the peace of the dead. Don't you think you're being rather unreasonable?"

Orochimaru's golden, reptilian eyes flashed with a strange light. He asked cautiously, "Sir, who might you be?"

"Me?" The old man shook his wine jug, a wry smile on his lips. "I'm just a gardener. This cemetery is under my care. If you wish to dig up graves, you must first ask for my permission."

Tayuya sneered, "Old man, you're looking for death!" As she spoke, she began to form a hand seal.

"Wait." Orochimaru raised a hand, stopping her. He could sense that this old man was far from simple. "Old man, we are merely here to pay our respects to the deceased. We have no ill intentions."

"Pay your respects?" The old man scoffed. "This is the first time I've seen a memorial service that involves digging up a corpse. Are you planning to invite the deceased home for dinner?"

Kidomaru could no longer contain himself. "Lord Orochimaru, why waste your breath on this old fool! I'll take care of him!" As he spoke, all six of his arms moved at once, forming a complex series of hand seals. "Secret Art: Spider Binding Web!"

Countless strands of sticky spider silk shot toward the old man, but he simply waved a hand, and the intricate web disintegrated into ash before it even reached him.

"This…" The four Sound ninja were stunned into silence.

Orochimaru's pupils contracted violently. "Who are you, sir?"

"I've already told you," the old man said, putting down his wine jug. "I'm just a gardener. I've given you my verbal warnings. I had no intention of killing anyone tonight, but if you insist on touching my friend, then I don't mind getting some blood on my hands."

The air seemed to freeze. Orochimaru could feel it clearly—the aura emanating from this old man was no less powerful than that of a Kage. Little did he know, Madara was not even using a fraction of his true power, merely channeling the strength he used when sparring with Hashirama as a boy.

Friend? Orochimaru's mind raced. There is no one else alive here. Could it be… that a dead Hokage is his friend? His expression grew increasingly grim. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was terribly wrong. This old man was far too mysterious. The most unsettling thing was that he had never known such a powerful being existed within Konoha.

"Let's go!"

Upon hearing this, the Sound Four were stunned. Showing mercy was hardly their lord's usual style.

"Lord Orochimaru?" Jirobo asked. "Aren't we going to take the bodies?"

Tayuya angrily retorted, "Can't you understand what he said? Stop talking nonsense, you fat oaf! Lord Orochimaru said we're retreating!"

Watching the five of them flee in a panic, Madara shook his head. He turned and walked back to Hashirama's tombstone, gently wiping the dust from its surface.

"Hashirama," Madara sighed, "look at you. Even in death, someone is still trying to desecrate your grave. If you were still alive, you'd certainly be furious, wouldn't you?"

"You owe me a favor for this. If we meet again, hmph… I will make you repay it, and I will tell you the whole story of this embarrassing night."

With that, Madara tipped the wine jug back, draining the last of its contents in one gulp.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I have a son now. I am no longer alone. Don't worry about me in the afterlife; I have someone to keep me company."

"Also… Konoha is about to change. Don't blame me. I was forced to this path by your brother's ideals. If you have a problem with it, go find him. You two are close, after all, so it should be convenient."

"Alright, I'm really leaving this time. Take care of yourself."