On the rooftops above, Hiruzen evaded the swinging arms of Rasa's sand golem. Rasa's sand was infused with metal particles, and dripping with chakra—it moved at high speeds, tearing the rooftops apart. Hiruzen dashed around another crashing wave of sand. He had thirty years on Rasa, and while this granted him the advantages of wisdom and experience, his physical abilities had begun dwindling in his old age, not to mention Rasa was drawing additional power from Orochimaru's curse.
Hiruzen mentally dissected the ongoing flute song as he avoided Rasa's attacks. He saw the battle raging below between Asuma, Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, Jirobo, Kidomaru, Sakon, Ukon and Kimimaro. He noticed a whirlwind of sand forming around Gaara at the opposite end of the arena—the boy was still paralyzed, but there seemed to be some power surging within him, growing stronger by the second. That boy is the one-tailed jinchuriki, host to Shukaku. And this flute song… it's a song of demon awakening. I have to stop the song!
Rasa's sand barriers prevented Hiruzen from approaching Tayuya as she played her flute. "Face me, Hiruzen!" said Rasa. "Or shall I bury this entire village in sand? I'll pull all of Konoha deep under the earth!" Rasa's form changed. He sprouted black horns and his eyes turned red as the curse mark evolved. He took on the cursed oni appearance, hovering at the center of a howling sandstorm, his swirling clouds of sand blotting out the sun. The entire village quaked as the ground shifted.
Doton: Dark Swamp! The section of arena wall that Tayuya was perched on began to crumble and sink into a quagmire of churning black mud. Tayuya leapt to safety, skipping between chunks of falling debris, but maintaining the flute song the entire time. Hiruzen and Rasa watched the corner of the arena collapse in surprise, searching for the responsible party. Hiruzen spotted a blur of white hair and a red haori dashing across the edge of the arena toward Tayuya.
Jiraiya!
Jiraiya moved swiftly, kama scythe in his grip, chakra coursing through his body. He had been keeping to himself at the corner of the stadium, remaining incognito as he observed the finals, quietly supporting Naruto during his fight against Neji. His instincts told him that something would go down during the finals, but he hadn't expected an attack orchestrated by Orochimaru and Sunagakure of this magnitude. Jiraiya had managed to break free of Tayuya's genjutsu after a few minutes of concentration and chakra manipulation, and with Tayuya's bodyguards distracted by Asuma, Kakashi, Guy and Kurenai, he took his chance to strike.
Before Jiraiya could reach Tayuya and stop her flute song, a terrible hissing sounded throughout the arena, and there was a dense burst of smoke around Tayuya. A giant black snake, large enough to swallow Jiraiya whole, lunged out of the smoke at him.
Katon: Giant Fireball! Jiraiya roasted the approaching snake to charred skin and bone. A green snake of similar size with Tayuya riding atop its head emerged from the other side of the smoke, slithering away from Jiraiya along the arena wall as the genjutsu song continued.
Orochimaru revealed himself. He stood on the deteriorating arena wall between Jiraiya and Tayuya, coarse sandstorm winds rising around them, blowing away the residual smoke. Orochimaru was tall and gaunt, with snake-like eyes and a devious smirk. His chakra was vile, and terrifyingly abundant, seeming to seep out of him into the surrounding area like an airborne poison. Orochimaru opened his mouth unnaturally wide, unhinging his jaw, and drew out a slimy katana. His long tongue ran across sharp teeth as he swished the katana blade through the air.
"Jiraiya, my old friend," said Orochimaru. "It's been too long."
Jiraiya extended his kama. "Orochimaru! Your absence could never be long enough. We are not friends."
Orochimaru gave an expression of mock offense. "You no longer consider us friends? What a shame. We need to stick together, as fellow students of Konoha's Third Hokage. We carry on his legacy."
"Don't you dare speak of Hiruzen-sensei," said Jiraiya. He gritted his teeth, his knuckles white around the kama's handle. "Why have you returned to Konoha? Blind destruction?"
"I'm ultimately here to lend aid to the Fourth Kazekage," said Orochimaru. "He was more than welcoming of the great power that I offered him, and his plans for Konoha were quite intriguing." Orochimaru surveyed the chaotic stadium. The audience was still trapped in the flute genjutsu, Hiruzen was occupied with Rasa, and down at the floor of the arena the few mobile Konoha jonin continued their bout with Orochimaru's minions. "So far, Konoha is having a relatively poor showing… and I fear it will only get worse."
"Orochimaru, you will die here today," said Jiraiya.
"Will you be the one to kill me?" said Orochimaru. "You've become so ambitious in old age."
"I failed when we were younger," said Jiraiya. "I won't fail again."
Jiraiya burst forward. Futon: Wind Scythe Slash! He swept his kama through the air, producing cutting currents of wind that sliced past Orochimaru—he sidestepped two sharp pockets of air before countering a third with his katana. Jiraiya's blade clashed with Orochimaru's as he closed the gap. The kama was infused with Jiraiya's chakra, and he threw brash strength into each swing. Orochimaru deflected Jiraiya's attacks with smooth agility, slipping past wild blade swings. Their blades connected, and Jiraiya angled the kama to hold Orochimaru's katana in place. Jiraiya revealed his hidden kusari-fundo, a metal chain and spiked weight. He flicked it up at Orochimaru's face. Orochimaru adjusted his grip on the katana and with one swing he tore through Jiraiya's kama, sliced open the front of Jiraiya's kimono, and struck the airborne fundo weight.
Jiraiya jumped back, touching his chest and feeling blood. His katana cut through my kama like it was nothing… Another drop rolled down from his brow into his eye, and Jiraiya noticed a third thin cut on his arm. He performed a fire-style ninjutsu to cauterize the lacerations. Damn it, I didn't even see him land these blows. He's toying with me.
"The Sword of Kusanagi," said Orochimaru, admiring his own blade amidst the growing sandstorm. "So sharp, you can hardly feel it cut you."
Jiraiya took a breath, blocking out the sandstorm, the growing rumble of an earthquake, and the piercing flute song. He thought back to his rookie days, and the missions that he and Orochimaru had completed together. He thought of their promotions to genin, chunin and jonin, and the recognition they had received as Sannin after the second great war. They had fought for each other, bled for each other, killed for each other.
But that was all in the past.
Jiraiya charged at Orochimaru, a spiraling orb of dense chakra forming in his palm. Rasengan! Orochimaru thrust his katana forward, and the blade extended in length to meet Jiraiya. The rasengan made contact with the point of the Sword of Kusanagi, repelling the katana and twisting it out of Orochimaru's grip. It spun through the air, Orochimaru staggered back, and Jiraiya continued on his path, maintaining the spiraling rasengan and preparing to shove it through Orochimaru at close range.
Jiraiya froze in place, all his momentum negated in an instant, less than one meter from Orochimaru. The rasengan in his palm fizzled into nothing. On the ground below him, an intricate ring of symbols glowed red and green, and Jiraiya realized that he had stumbled into the center of a fuinjutsu trap set by Orochimaru. He couldn't move a centimeter. He felt like his body had weights strapped to it, and his chakra was suppressed.
Orochimaru stuck his arm out to the side, and the Sword of Kusanagi stopped in the air. It floated back to Orochimaru, summoned telekinetically to his open hand. As the sword returned, Orochimaru's attention was on Jiraiya, straining against the sealing trap. "That technique… one of Lord Fourth's signature ninjutsu. I'm sure it was quite powerful when performed by him." He glanced down into the arena at Gaara and Sasuke, cracking a wicked grin. "The demon is waking. It hears the song."
Gaara's sand coiled around his body, slowly lifting him from his fallen position. The flute song had paralyzed him, trapping him in a dizzying illusion, but something deep in his subconscious was made stronger by the melody. Shukaku's black chakra dripped forth, and Gaara found himself standing in a partial trance. He let the demon's chakra guide him, acting as its vessel.
Sasuke was immobilized, ten meters away. Damn it! I can't move! Sasuke hadn't felt such a sense of helplessness since the massacre of his clan six year ago. Sand began slithering over his body.