CHAPTER 175: CHAPTER 175

"So it was Sunagakure that betrayed us after all..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been dragged up to the rooftop by the Kazekage, a kunai pressed against his neck.

Sunagakure had been allies with them for a while, so Hiruzen still had some trust in them.

Honestly, he had been more suspicious of Kirigakure secretly pulling strings behind the scenes.

Mainly because he knew so little about them, and Hozuki Mangetsu seemed too young—he gave off the feeling of being someone’s puppet.

Kirigakure had a history of having a Mizukage that was being controlled.

And now, during the Chunin Exams hosted by Kirigakure, all kinds of chaos suddenly broke out—Orochimaru appeared out of nowhere, and Gekko Hayate was quietly killed in the shadows.

Anyone with a brain would be suspicious at that point.

"So-called peace treaties are nothing more than tricks to lower the enemy’s guard."

"These boring matches have gone on long enough. From now on, history is going to change."

Kazekage said coldly, holding Hiruzen captive.

"So you’re starting a war, huh?"

Hozuki Mangetsu spoke lightly from the side.

As another Kage, Mangetsu had followed them through the smoke alone, just to check out what was happening.

And he just happened to walk into a plot twist where an ally decided to switch sides.

It was Kirigakure’s first time taking part in the Chunin Exams and forming ties with Konohagakure.

Seeing this happen right away, Mangetsu couldn’t help but feel like maybe his village should’ve just stayed solo and skipped all this diplomacy stuff.

Also, whether it was on purpose or not, as soon as Mangetsu stepped onto the roof, a bunch of people suddenly showed up.

They instantly set up this strange purple barrier around them.

Now Mangetsu was stuck. He couldn’t leave, but staying wasn’t great either.

He was just awkwardly watching their supposed ally go full traitor.

"That’s right."

Kazekage glanced slightly at Mangetsu. For a split second, there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected Mangetsu to follow them up here too. He had already set up the barrier the moment he dragged the Hokage up. All the ANBU trying to rescue Hiruzen were blocked outside.

Mangetsu had probably squinted through the smoke and kept up.

Because of his young age, the enemy had underestimated him a bit. But this kid wasn’t totally useless.

Still, even if he made it into the barrier, it didn’t really change anything.

At best, it just meant one more body on the ground.

"We should try to avoid violence and settle this with diplomacy while we still can, Lord Kazekage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he spoke, looking toward the Kazekage next to him.

"Guess you’ve gotten old and let peace dull your mind, old man Sarutobi."

Kazekage slowly spoke each word, then Orochimaru suddenly ripped off the white cloth on his face—along with the fake skin underneath.

Underneath was pale, snake-like skin, narrow eyes, and golden pupils shaped like slits.

Even though he had a feeling this might happen, the moment Sarutobi Hiruzen actually saw Orochimaru—

His pupils shrank sharply, and his eyes flew wide open.

"?!"

Hozuki Mangetsu blinked. Even in a crowd, this was a wild way to spectate.

He might be young, but even he knew the messy history between Orochimaru and the Hidden Leaf.

After all, Orochimaru had control of some core tech and power strong enough to wipe out a small nation.

Every one of the Five Great Nations kept their guard up around him. They all wanted to work with Orochimaru, but they were also afraid of his ambition.

No way... Orochimaru disguised himself as the Kazekage? That’s not just a small issue anymore.

If he’s showing up to the exams as the Kazekage, then the real one must already be dead—probably nothing left but bones by now.

...

"What’s going on with that guy down there? Just now, something felt really off."

Hozuki Suigetsu had been kind of interested in Gaara, but the moment he sensed that weird, creepy feeling, a bad hunch hit him.

"He’s a Jinchuriki, and it feels like he’s about to lose control."

"That disturbance earlier at the Mizukage’s spot is probably related to this too."

Haku quickly moved along the railing above while keeping an eye on the arena below.

Naruto and Sasuke were still facing off with Gaara, who was in his partial transformation state. The ground was already full of massive craters.

The power of the Tailed Beast must’ve been too strong—even in that halfway form, the whole arena was subtly shaking.

Just as Suigetsu and Haku jumped up beneath the roof, Shisui stopped them.

In the Leaf Village, Shisui couldn’t just use his Sharingan freely, even though the current chaos might’ve been the perfect cover.

If anyone noticed something strange, cleaning it up afterward would be a nightmare.

So when Shisui tried to go up into the smoke with Mangetsu, Mangetsu held him down and told him to stay and guide Suigetsu and the others from the outside.

"Don’t go up. That barrier can only be broken from the inside. Even if you go, it’s useless."

"Your job is to handle things down below—"

"Are you kidding me? My brother’s up there!"

Suigetsu, unusually serious, cut Shisui off mid-sentence.

There were two Kage up there. Who knows if this was a coup or if they were targeting the Mist Village?

"Kimimaro’s already gone to help with the guy down here."

"Whether I can get into the barrier or not, I still have to go check it out myself."

Before the words were fully out of his mouth, Suigetsu dashed up to the rooftop. The ANBU surrounding the barrier naturally turned their attention to him.

Shisui grabbed the railing tightly, watching as Suigetsu got into it with the ANBU instantly. He let out a sigh.

"He’s not going to be able to handle that many ANBU by himself."

"Haku, go keep an eye on him. Until we figure out what’s going on, don’t start any serious fight with the Leaf’s ANBU."

Haku nodded in reply and quickly ran up to the roof.

Just as Haku got up there, the three Kage inside the barrier had already taken off their white robes.

They were facing off.

Haku glanced at the three figures inside, but his eyes paused for a moment when he looked at the Kazekage’s face.

It was the guy they’d seen back in the Forest of Death—the one who used snakes.

...

Things weren’t just going crazy inside the village. The chaos was spilling outside too.

Oto-nin, along with three giant snakes they had summoned, had started fighting with the guards posted outside the village.

At the same time, a bunch of Sand Ninja were sneaking into the Leaf through side paths.

Even though they tried to avoid the main Leaf forces, it was impossible not to run into any patrols.

"They’re Sand ninja! They’re sneaking in!"

A few Leaf guards shouted and blocked the Sand ninja, both sides staring each other down with tense expressions.

Then they all drew their weapons and faced off in the forest.

The giant snake tore through buildings as it rampaged through the village. Ninjutsu flew in every direction, and shouts and screams echoed all around.

In just a moment, the entire Hidden Leaf Village was caught in the chaos of battle.

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