Hiruzen persuaded me to die

Near the borders of Konoha.

A dense cluster of Mist Shinobi shinobi moved swiftly through the trees, their forms ghosting through the forest shadows like phantoms.

At their lead, muscles rippling and massive blade slung across his back, was the original wielder of the Great Blade Samehada—Kuriarare Kushimaru, the Watermelon Mountain Blowfish Ghost. His single eye peered at the Konoha walls looming in the distance, the faintest smirk forming on his face.

"Heh. Marching this close to Konoha without triggering a single alarm... I gotta admit, having a Hokage lead the way makes infiltration too easy."

Beside him, a familiar, shark-like face grinned under moonlight—Hoshigaki Kisame, his chakra sword Samehada humming at his back.

"I never thought I'd be attacking Konoha... with a Hokage."

Behind them, shrouded in his robes, was the defector—the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Their mocking words were a poison-laced jab at the man they now followed.

A Kage... attacking his own village.

Even to the Mist Shinobi, known for their bloodthirst and cruelty, it was madness.

But here they were, led by the defected Third Hokage, who had provided them a path through Fire Country, bypassing all patrols, outposts, and border seals.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was grim. He heard the subtle ridicule in their words but said nothing. He needed Mist's manpower—for now.

He would reclaim what was stolen from him.

"Nonsense. We're close to Konoha's sensory barrier now," he barked, motioning for silence. "Be cautious. We don't want to be detected before we breach."

The irony stabbed at him like a kunai to the gut.

To think... I, the former Hokage, have to sneak into my own village like a fugitive.

Suppressing the bitter taste in his mouth, Hiruzen formed a series of precise hand seals.

"The sensory barrier… as long as the correct pattern is used, we'll be able to pass through undetected."

He recalled the technique perfectly—after all, he designed it.

Just like Uchiha Itachi once did during his infiltration, knowledge of the barrier's bypass seals was power—and Hiruzen held that power.

Mist's swordsmen chuckled behind him.

"I'm really looking forward to the chaos," Kushimaru grinned, resting Samehada on his shoulder.

But Hiruzen spun sharply. "You're here to assist me in reclaiming the title of Hokage, not to slaughter at will. Do not kill those who will accept my rule."

"Sure, sure," Kisame sneered, his toothy grin sharp. "We'll only kill the ones you want dead."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, but he pressed on.

Finally, the last hand seal clicked into place.

"Prepare to enter!" he hissed.

But the moment his chakra touched the barrier—

BZZZZZZT!!!

A shrill alarm blared through the night, its wail rising like a banshee.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions lit the dark sky in waves of fire and smoke as dozens—no, hundreds—of exploding tags erupted around them.

"AMBUSH!!"

Shouts rang out from above.

Flaming flares soared over the trees.

On the Konoha walls, figures appeared—dozens of shinobi emerging from the shadows, weapons drawn.

"It's Sarutobi Hiruzen!"

"That old snake really showed his face again!"

"He brought Mist Shinobi with him!"

"You traitor! You dare attack your own village?!"

Hiruzen and the Mist Shinobi stared up at the Konoha defenders in disbelief.

"What the hell is this?! You said we'd pass through the barrier undetected!" Kushimaru roared, Samehada sparking with rage.

Hiruzen was already backing up, stunned by the sudden explosion of violence.

"It shouldn't have triggered the alarm—the hand signs were correct!"

But the shinobi on the wall were already jeering.

"You really thought we wouldn't change the entry pattern after you defected?"

Another spat in his direction.

"Lord Naraku warned us this might happen. The entire barrier has been restructured. Anyone using the old pattern automatically sets off the alarm."

The name echoed like thunder through the forest.

Hyuga Naraku.

Again, his name was a blade in Hiruzen's side.

His plans—foiled once again by that boy.

"Naraku!! You again!" Hiruzen snarled, his old face contorted with rage. "You ruin everything!"

But as he raged—

A sudden ripple in space distorted the air behind them.

FWUMP!

A swirling vortex of chakra opened—Kamui.

From within stepped a masked man—spiral orange mask, a single Sharingan eye peering out.

Uchiha Obito.

"Who the hell—?!" Kushimaru drew Samehada instantly.

Kisame tensed, chakra flaring.

Hiruzen raised a hand quickly.

"Relax. He's an ally I arranged for in advance."

His voice steadied.

"He has a space-time ninjutsu. He can get me inside Konoha. Once there, I'll contact the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and other loyal clans. Once we strike from the inside, you'll press from the outside."

Obito gave no response—only a small nod.

Kushimaru's eyes narrowed.

"Tch. You'd better hurry. That trap wiped out a third of our forward team already."

Hiruzen nodded, eager to escape the gaze of the Mist swordsmen and their growing suspicion.

"This won't take long."

"Make it quick," Kushimaru growled. "If I get bored waiting, I might start carving this forest down just to feel something."

With that, Hiruzen stepped into Obito's distortion.

In the next instant, both vanished from sight.

The Mist Shinobi stared forward, eyes glinting with a mixture of bloodlust and betrayal.

Konoha's walls blazed with flares.

The trap had been sprung.

The attack had begun.

And Sarutobi Hiruzen's path back to power—once believed to be unstoppable—had already begun to crumble.