"Lord Orochimaru, are we going to…?"

Orochimaru's serpentine eyes were filled with an insatiable greed. "Tsk tsk tsk, this Uchiha brat can use Wood Release. We must capture him. Remember, once you succeed, return directly to the base. Do not worry about me."

"Understood!"

At that moment, Shiro, Sasuke, and Izumi were surrounded by a large group of Konoha shinobi. A very large group. There were nearly fifty of them, including the imposters who had taken the forms of Shino and Shikamaru.

"Surrender, you defeated runts. Even with Wood Release, you have no chance of victory."

"The troops we had hidden in the shadows were originally meant to deal with you Uchiha. We didn't expect the rebellion from the Sand and Sound. But now that we've effectively suppressed them, it can be said that we have you to thank. Haha, it seems the gods truly do favor Konoha."

"Why waste time talking to them? Let's go! It's just three little brats. It won't take more than a few minutes!" an impatient Konoha Jonin snarled, already beginning to form hand seals when a loud shout suddenly came from above.

"Secret Technique: Spider War-Bow: Terrible Split!"

Kidomaru spat a stream of sticky spider silk from his mouth, using his six arms to weave it into a massive net, which he then threw down upon the Konoha shinobi below.

"Look out, above you!" a voice shouted, and everyone quickly looked up.

"Why are there still Sound-nin left? Everyone, be careful!" A special Jonin from the Hyuga clan, using his Byakugan, saw through the secret of the spider web. He leaped into the air, and with a series of precise Gentle Fist strikes, he shattered the net into pieces.

"Hahaha, not bad," came a mocking voice. The four Sound-nin landed beside Shiro, their eyes full of a playful malice as they looked at the Konoha crowd. "A group of adults bullying three children. Konoha's Jonin are becoming more and more corrupt."

"O… Orochimaru!" Seeing their former comrade appear, the Konoha ninjas' faces were filled with fear. One of the legendary Sannin, and the Third Hokage's prized student, his power was not to be underestimated.

"What's going on? Why is Orochimaru here? Shouldn't the Hokage be…?"

"Could it be that Lord Hokage was…?"

Everyone looked up at the highest rooftop.

"Huh? The Fourth is up there too!"

"What's the use of calling him the Fourth Hokage? He's already been stripped of his title. Just call him Minato!"

"Look, their opponents… they look so familiar. Wait, could those two men be…?!"

They had all seen those two faces before. Every single day, in fact. They were the first two faces on the Hokage Rock.

While the Konoha ninja were still reeling from the shock, Orochimaru turned to Shiro, a sinister look on his face, his eyes full of greed. "Boy, let us cooperate. I will get you out of Konoha safely. All you have to do is agree to one small request of mine."

Shiro sneered. "Sorry, but I have no need for your help."

"Hahaha, what a stubborn boy. So ungrateful," Orochimaru laughed. "Without my help, do you really think the three of you can leave Konoha alive? Don't be naive."

Shiro pulled a scroll from his pocket. "Three of us? Sorry, you miscounted. There are four." With that, he threw the scroll into the air. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof!

The scroll exploded in a cloud of smoke. A moment later, a white figure shot out from the smoke, landing heavily on the ground.

"Woof! Woof!"

"Woof woof woof woof!"