Things had taken an unexpected turn.
Amemiya Kenichi had heard of the butterfly effect, but he never imagined he'd become the butterfly flapping its wings, triggering such a massive upheaval.
"The Fourth Hokage is dead. In that sense, he truly was a worthy Hokage," Orochimaru remarked, observing the grief-stricken villagers of Konoha and Namikaze Minato lying in his coffin.
Orochimaru had never considered Minato a worthy Hokage before. His strength was mediocre, and his achievements paled in comparison to Orochimaru's own. Yet last night, the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed everything.
For Konoha, Minato, who had only recently assumed the Hokage position, had given his all—his life and his wife's.
Konoha was plunged into profound sorrow. The names of the ninja and villagers who died during the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast were compiled into a list, the thin paper bearing the weight of countless lives.
But Konoha's leadership was also in disarray.
"Teacher, why... why is Lord Third missing an arm?" Amemiya Kenichi felt his pupils dilate so violently that no words could capture his shock.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stood in mourning for his wife, Sarutobi Biwako. But that wasn't the main issue—the Third Hokage was missing an arm.
His left hand was gone.
Something was wrong.
Amemiya Kenichi remembered that while the Third Hokage had lost his wife, he himself had been unharmed. He had resumed his duties as Hokage, embarking on a new chapter of his life.
But now, the Third Hokage had lost his left hand.
"Last night, the Fourth Hokage was injured in a battle with a mysterious figure," Orochimaru explained, recounting the events of the previous night. Amemiya Kenichi, lacking the strength to have been involved, naturally knew nothing about it.
He learned that the Fourth Hokage's injury had triggered the Nine-Tailed Beast to unleash a second Tailed Beast Ball. To prevent the blast from striking the heart of Konoha, the Third Hokage had rushed forward to intercept it.
Suddenly, the mysterious figure reappeared and severed the Third Hokage's left hand. The Third Hokage and Fourth Hokage then combined their attacks, forcing the figure to vanish.
Despite the loss, they had successfully neutralized the Tailed Beast Ball threat.
The rest of the story unfolded as Amemiya Kenichi already knew: the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal away the Nine-Tailed Beast.
"Teacher, what about the Hokage position now?" Amemiya Kenichi blinked. He felt like the world was conspiring against him. With Sarutobi Hiruzen missing a hand, could he possibly reclaim the title of Hokage?
"I don't know," Orochimaru replied, his eyes narrowed, his thoughts unreadable.
Amemiya Kenichi gave his teacher a strange look. Could his teacher be thinking of becoming Hokage? That was impossible, right?
But seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had lost an arm, Amemiya Kenichi wasn't so sure anymore.
After all, in Konoha right now, besides Teacher Orochimaru, there really didn't seem to be anyone else suitable to become the Fifth Hokage.
The Third Hokage's reputation had certainly recovered significantly, making up for the damage from the Third Great Ninja War. But the fact remained that he had lost an arm, which would undoubtedly affect his combat strength.
Jiraiya's absence from the village was particularly puzzling to Amemiya Kenichi. How could he not be here when his disciple's wife was giving birth? That was truly bizarre.
Still, Amemiya Kenichi remembered that the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast, a crucial plot point from his past life, had been riddled with plot holes. So maybe it wasn't entirely illogical.
"Teacher, where is Lord Jiraiya?" Amemiya Kenichi couldn't help but ask.
"He happens to be out of the village," Orochimaru replied, a hint of mockery in his tone. If Jiraiya had been in Konoha, perhaps Minato Namikaze wouldn't have died.
Amemiya Kenichi's lips twitched. This was truly...
So, the timeline is converging, huh? After all, Minato was destined to die on the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast, and Jiraiya's absence doesn't seem strange at all.
"Lord Orochimaru," Kakashi approached, Amemiya Kenichi's expression slightly unnatural.
Kakashi was still alive and didn't seem to realize his eye had been replaced, but Amemiya Kenichi still felt uneasy around him. He was constantly worried Kakashi might notice something was wrong.
"What is it?" Orochimaru glanced at his disciple from the corner of his eye, noticing the fleeting tension in his disciple's expression.
Could this have something to do with Kakashi? Orochimaru pondered.
"Lord Third has summoned you," Kakashi said, still respectful toward Orochimaru, though his bloodshot eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
Kakashi's luck was truly terrible. First, he lost his best friend, then he had to kill his teammate with his own hands. Now, his teacher and teacher's wife were gone too.
If Kakashi were a pure-blooded Uchiha, he'd probably have awakened the Mangekyō by now.
"Very well," Orochimaru smiled and left without a word to Amemiya Kenichi.
Amemiya Kenichi took a deep breath, then looked at Kakashi, who stood silently beside him. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Kakashi, my condolences," Amemiya Kenichi said, knowing this was his moment to put on an act.
He was certain Kakashi didn't know what had really happened yesterday—or rather, he didn't know the full story. After all, Amemiya had knocked Kakashi unconscious before he could turn around.
"Kenichi, are you okay? I think I was knocked out," Kakashi said, his eyes red and swollen. His words brought a wave of relief to Amemiya.
"I'm so sorry. I only saw a dark figure flash by, then I passed out. Luckily, Teacher Orochimaru came and saved me," Amemiya said, his face full of apology.
My strength is nothing compared to Kakashi's. If he couldn't see what happened, it's perfectly reasonable for a weakling like me to get knocked out instantly, right?
"I'm glad you're safe," Kakashi said, forcing his eyes open wider. Then he turned and walked away.
Amemiya saw Kakashi channeling Chakra, seemingly focusing it on his face.
Is he wiping away tears?
Amemiya didn't know.
Watching the villagers and ninja around him wail over their lost loved ones, Amemiya Kenichi took a deep breath and silently followed the Akimichi Clan leader ahead.
As a disciple of Orochimaru, one of the Three Great Sages, Amemiya Kenichi stood just behind Konoha's major clans, allowing him to pay his respects to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, early.
This was his last chance to see the Fourth Hokage's face.
Amemiya Kenichi ran his hand along the edge of the coffin. He glanced around, then quietly tucked a strand of yellow hair into his palm.