"Hehe, Third Hokage, it seems you've made up your mind."
A hoarse, sinister laugh echoed in the dark forest. At this moment, Orochimaru, who was seriously injured in his waist, looked at the four people, his body gradually turning into mud.
Mud clone!
When did he? At the same time, the four people were shocked. Orochimaru's skill in ninjutsu must have allowed him to create the mud clone the moment he was seriously injured by the exploding tags, aided by the smoke.
"How could this happen! How could it turn out like this!" At this point, Uchiha Shisui could hardly believe what he was seeing as Orochimaru, injured, fled. The hero of the village had run away so disgracefully, completely overturning his understanding.
The Third Hokage and Orochimaru have turned against each other! And he even want to kill Lord Orochimaru!
All of this reverberated in Shisui's mind. Kakashi looked even paler, shocked by all of this. Just like White Fang! Is he talking about his father?
Might Guy, as a regular ninja, had witnessed all this. Although he was unclear about the specifics, he was also shocked because he had heard some information due to Kakashi.
Swoosh, swoosh~
Figures from the Anbu flickered into view, their crisp footsteps echoing in the dark tunnel. The Third Hokage, dressed in armor, slowly emerged from the darkness.
"Anbu, hunt down Orochimaru!"
The Third Hokage's hoarse voice echoed in the dark forest. Everyone was filled with disbelief, including the newly arrived Anbu. After all, Orochimaru was a hero of Konoha, second only to the Hokage himself.
Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, the Third Hokage roared: "By my Hokage decree, Anbu, hunt down Orochimaru!"
"No! I don't believe it!"
Uchiha Shisui stared in disbelief. However, the Anbu, seeing the furious Hokage, had no choice but to accept the command.
And Uchiha Yoru's face turned completely pale at this moment. The Third Hokage looked at the four of them coldly and yelled, "By my order, Anbu, hunt down Orochimaru, one of the Three Legendary Sannin!"
Swoosh, swoosh!
The Third Hokage and the Anbu disappeared. At this moment, Uchiha Yoru turned deathly pale. "No! There's still a chance!"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru seemed to grab onto the last straw, turning his head to look at Shisui, Might Guy, and Kakashi, shouting: "Quick! The three of you go to the prison! Protect those children and deploy all members of the Police Force Seventh Department! Drop all other tasks and assemble at the prison!"
"As long as these children are fine, there is still a chance for a turnaround! I order this in my capacity as the captain of the Department! Guard the prison at all costs! These children absolutely cannot come to harm!"
At this moment, the three snapped back to reality, with Kakashi being the quickest to react: "Quick! Guy, you go to Seventh Department and relay the orders. Everyone abandon their current tasks and gather at the prison!"
And then, Uchiha Shisui, as if grabbing the last straw, nodded frantically when he heard Kakashi's words: "Yes, yes, let's go protect the children in the prison quickly, this is our last chance."
At this moment, the darkness of Konoha had completely driven him to despair. Even the village hero Orochimaru could be treated this way, what about those children? If word gets out, someone will definitely take action.
…
The cry of an eagle suddenly echoed in the sky above the Leaf Village. At this moment, every ninja in their homes, training grounds, or preparing for missions abruptly looked up. They saw a black hawk circling above and their faces instantly changed, filled with fear and shock.
Something big has happened!
This situation reminded them of the last time it was this dire—on the night of the Nine-Tails attack. Many were struck with the memories of that frightful night, as it wasn't too long ago.
Under the bright sunlight, dark spots flashed on the roofs throughout the Leaf Village—these were ninjas quickly dashing about.
With the village signaling, every Leaf ninja swiftly entered into first-level alert status, all of them quickly taking their posts.
"Hunt down one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru!"
This was a direct order from the Anbu. Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was just about to return, saw this and was instantly enraged, shouting, "Who gave them the audacity!"
If it was just his order to have the Anbu hunt Orochimaru, it would have been kept secret; at least the public wouldn't know, and there might still be a chance for Orochimaru.
But now! The entire village has been notified, and the Third Hokage was furious. Someone was pushing Orochimaru into a corner.
Sarutobi Clan.
"Sarutobi Hizuki, your ties with Orochimaru are deeply entangled. You should know what your surname means."
Returning to the clan, the daughter-in-law of the Third Hokage did not ease up but looked coldly at the elite ninjas within her family.
Upon hearing these words, Sarutobi Hizuki gritted her teeth and said solemnly, "Yes! I know what to do!"
Meanwhile, sitting inside the room were many elders of the Sarutobi Clan, all of whom revealed ambitious eyes.
"Go ahead and do it boldly."
"Since we've already taken action, we can't hold back. If Orochimaru isn't thoroughly defeated and takes that position, you should know, the Sarutobi Clan will be targeted by future Hokages."
"Exactly! The Sarutobi Clan has completely offended Orochimaru. To put it harshly, even if someone else becomes Hokage, Orochimaru cannot ascend."
"I've already spread the word about Orochimaru conducting human experiments on fellow villagers. This time, if Orochimaru doesn't die, he'll at least lose a layer of skin."
One by one, the leaders and elders of the Sarutobi Clan spoke about the current situation. They had no choice; the moment their ambition grew to produce another Hokage from the Sarutobi Clan, they had already embarked on a road of no return.
Furthermore, their direct disobedience in spreading messages, along with the suspended daughter-in-law of the Third Hokage who actually broadcasted information to all the ninjas in the village as the head of the Anbu, left them with no way back.
Turn back? Will Orochimaru spare them if he ascends? Even if he does, the Sarutobi Clan will definitely be targeted.
So they can only grit their teeth and move forward, and it's clear this time that Orochimaru has been nailed to the pillar of shame. If he's nailed down this time, there will be no chance of turning things around.
…
Hokage's Office.
"Danzo! What's going on? How did things get this out of hand?"
Koharu, furious at the commotion that suddenly erupted in the village, barged into the office and yelled at Danzo, who had also just arrived.
At that moment, Shimura Danzo was already dealing with Mitokado's questioning. Another complaint was the last thing he needed.
"I! I've been following the plan, this isn't my doing!"
"If it's not you, then who? The whole village is going crazy, just look outside!"
Through the window, they could see black fleas everywhere in the Leaf Village. No! It was actually hordes of ninjas leaping across rooftops, causing chaos.
"I!" Shimura Danzo was also stunned by the scene outside the window, "Impossible! Who did this?"
"Damn it! Weren't we supposed to keep the news under wraps? You've made it public knowledge, are you trying to push Orochimaru to his death? Are you trying to make him follow in the footsteps of White Fang?"
Koharu was enraged, not holding back in her tirade. Shimura Danzo was speechless, looking at his two old friends, one angry and the other discontented, he was dumbfounded. But then he seemed to think of something.
"No! No! This is a messenger hawk from the Anbu, not my doing! Even if I were reckless, Hiruzen wouldn't let me interfere."
Danzo seemed to have grasped something and angrily retorted. He wasn't going to take the blame for this one.
"Good! Hiruzen, you're ruthless. I thought I was harsh, but you're even worse. Are you trying to push Orochimaru to his death?"
Danzo was furious, thinking that Hiruzen was planning to kick Orochimaru out to pave the way for his son.
Koharu and Mitokado were stunned by this revelation. Looking at the messenger hawk circling the village, their faces turned grim.
"This time Hiruzen has gone too far!"
Both were inwardly cursing Hiruzen for losing his sense of propriety. Had he forgotten the lessons from White Fang?
Just then, the door burst open, and an enraged Hiruzen appeared. Danzo was about to angrily confront him when Hiruzen took the initiative.
"Danzo! I'm the Hokage! Who allowed you to mess things up like this?"
An enraged Hiruzen burst into the office, and his shout echoed throughout the building.
Danzo was taken aback; he had never seen Hiruzen this angry. The piercing gaze was terrifying, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"Danzo! I warned you! You've been too reckless this time! Have you forgotten White Fang? Are you trying to destabilize the Leaf Village?"
Hiruzen, clad in armor, grabbed Danzo's collar in a fit of anger, spitting as he spoke.
Danzo was bewildered at first, but then he erupted with fury.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! I'm not taking the blame for this!"
Danzo was extremely wronged. "You knew what I was doing! My Root organization even reported to you! You agreed to it! And now you want me to take the fall?"
"Danzo! I told you to restrain yourselves! And this is how you do it?"
Hiruzen, eyes bulging, was yelling while clutching Danzo's collar. Koharu and Mitokado rushed forward to break up the fight.
Although it had been many years since they had seen such a scene, it even evoked a sense of nostalgia for both of them, but they knew this was not the time. They hastily pulled apart the furious Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At this moment, Shimura Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen's ferocious eyes and said resentfully, "Fine! Fine, Sarutobi, you enjoy the sunshine of Konoha, while I rot underground, is that it? But you don't have to bully people like this."
"Danzo, you have the nerve to talk!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at Danzo angrily, while Mitokado and Koharu quickly restrained the Third Hokage, yelling at Danzo, "Both of you shut up! Think about how to remedy the situation now."
Outside the office, Anbu had nearly sealed off the Hokage's workspace and even set up a soundproof barrier.
Although they had been pacified, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still furious, and Danzo had never felt so wronged in many years. He was extremely aggrieved.
"Sarutobi! We're all on the same side here, what are you acting so high and mighty for? Didn't I send you the report about dealing with Orochimaru? You agreed, and now you blame me when things go wrong?"
Danzo was incredibly angry at this moment, pointing at Mitokado and Koharu, "They both were involved, they both knew everything. Why aren't you blaming them? You just point your finger at me? The Root may be the dark side of the village, but that doesn't mean you can mistreat it like this."
"Also, what does this big fuss have to do with us?" As Shimura Danzo spoke, he became even angrier. Orochimaru was a formidable shinobi of the village, a tailed-beast level threat, who would be foolish enough to force him to defect?
"It's your Sarutobi clan! Your clan wants to monopolize the Hokage position and make it a family affair. Now you're blaming me and the Root? Would the Root dare to do anything without your consent?"
"Without your tacit approval, could your Sarutobi clan act so recklessly? Now that your clan has made a mess of things and it's out of control, it's my fault?"
Shimura Danzo had never felt so exhilarated, venting his anger so freely. Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was even more enraged, "When did you ever send me a report?"
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's clueless expression, Shimura Danzo's face turned green with rage, almost fainting from fury.
"Fine! Sarutobi Hiruzen, you truly are the shining leaf in the sun, while I'm the rotten root. If it weren't for the last time when Koharu and Mitokado and even your daughter-in-law were present, I would've really been beyond redemption this time."
~~~
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