"Lord Kazekage, you truly misunderstand me." Hiruzen's expression relaxed, his signature benevolent smile returning. "I am only doing this for the sake of world peace. The power of Wood Release is far too dangerous. If it were to be controlled by a warlike, malevolent nation, the hard-won stability between our countries would surely be broken."

"Kekeke…" The Fourth Kazekage stood up, his voice taking on a sinister tone. "You are truly magnanimous. Although I am your junior in terms of seniority, I, and the Hidden Sand Village, also intend to shoulder the responsibility of world peace. In that case… you should hand over the Uchiha clan to me."

"That would not be wise," Hiruzen replied, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "First of all, it is not that I refuse to give them to you. I naturally believe that the Hidden Sand's ideals are to uphold peace. But the Uchiha have always belonged to Konoha. If they were to suddenly join the Sand, and the other three great nations were to find out, how would Konoha look in front of them. We are not weak.?"

"Hahahahaha, very well. I will tease you no longer." The Fourth Kazekage's voice suddenly changed, becoming smooth and serpentine. "As expected, one's eyesight deteriorates with age. Have you still not recognized me, Master?"

"!!!"

Hearing that long-lost, yet chillingly familiar voice, Hiruzen was stunned, his eyes fixed on the "Kazekage."

"It's you? Orochimaru!"

"Yes, Master," Orochimaru said, taking off the Kazekage's hat. "I did not wish to reveal my identity so early, but I truly desire Shiro Uchiha. Since you will not give him to me, I have no choice but to take him by force. And, as a bonus… I will take your life as well!"

As he finished speaking, the two "Sand Jonin" standing behind him suddenly moved, rushing toward Hiruzen. The Anbu captain who had been guarding the Hokage immediately leaped in front of him, drawing kunai with both hands and slicing the two Sand-nin in half.

"Wait… this feels wrong!" The Anbu captain turned and saw that the two Sand-nin were, in fact, four Sound-nin in disguise.

At the same time, large, white feathers began to fall from the sky, blanketing the arena. "This is… a genjutsu!" The Jonin in the crowd were the first to notice, immediately forming hand seals. "Release!" The ordinary civilians in the audience, however, fell down one by one, succumbing to a deep sleep.

Kakashi Hatake turned and saw that the culprit was an Anbu, wearing a black robe and hiding in the shadows. "I didn't expect a traitor to be among the Anbu!"

BOOM!

Outside the arena, four or five giant pythons appeared out of nowhere, immediately beginning to wreak havoc on the village.

"Alert! The Hidden Sand and the Sound are attacking the village! All shinobi, resist with all your might and prioritize protecting the citizens!"

The alarm blared, and the Jonin and Anbu who had been hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush the Uchiha, were forced to reveal themselves and defend the village.

"Oh?" Seeing that his planned attacks were being so quickly dealt with, Orochimaru was a little surprised. "What? Master, surely you didn't know I was going to attack the village today? Did you recognize me from the beginning? Hmph, you truly are a good actor."

"Hehe…" Hiruzen laughed. "I can only say that you are unlucky, Orochimaru. This was originally my deployment to deal with the Uchiha. Stand down, my student. As long as you stop now, I can pretend none of this ever happened."

"Hmph!" Orochimaru tore off his disguised face, revealing his own pale, snakelike features. "The wheels of my plans are already in action. There is no reason for it to stop. No matter what, you will die here today, Third Hokage!"