Hokage's Office.
Under a tense atmosphere, the Third Hokage's powerful chakra swirled around him in anger. Unlike the frail elder he appeared to be during the Chunin Exams, his overwhelming chakra put immense pressure on the Anbu hidden around the room.
"From today, your position as Anbu Director is suspended! The Deputy Director will take over, effective immediately!"
The Third Hokage's roar echoed through the office. In a fit of anger, he flipped his Hokage robe, revealing a black, tight-fitting combat uniform underneath.
For the first time, the enraged Third Hokage threw his Hokage hat onto the table and donned his own battle helmet, featuring green accents and two extra-long protective bands.
Silver guards connected his uniform's shoulders to the back, with the character for "Fire" written on the back guard. He had two vertical ninja tool pouches on his back, secured by a purple belt, with netted guards on his arms and lower legs.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, donned his armor for the first time since the Nine-Tails attack. The person he had loudly reprimanded was his own daughter-in-law, the Anbu Director.
At that moment, his daughter-in-law's face was filled with indignation, "Lord Third Hokage, I've done all this for Konoha!"
"Silence!"
Furious, Hiruzen yelled and pointed directly at his daughter-in-law, "Your ambitions are too great! Collaborating with Danzo of Root, I must have misjudged you."
"Both of you, come with me!"
This time, Hiruzen, in his rage, gave his daughter-in-law no face. He turned to his two guards and shouted, and the three vanished from the Hokage's office.
Watching the disappearing figures, the Hokage's daughter-in-law, still masked, was filled with resentment. "Old man! Do you care more for your disciple than your own son? I'll ruin your disciple this time and see if you continue to be biased!"
Jealousy drove her mad. The Third Hokage's favoritism towards Orochimaru filled her with envy. She not only chose not to back down but also turned to her trusted subordinates, "Go! Expose Orochimaru's secret human experiments on village ninjas. Also, Orochimaru's base is located at…"
As the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, left, he probably didn't realize that this matter had escalated beyond his expectations, and even beyond anyone's control.
…
In a dim underground base, looking at the wooden door, three shadows appeared outside the secret chamber.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, clad in armor, had a gloomy expression. Through the wooden door, one could clearly hear the sounds of operations inside.
Sarutobi Hiruzen crouched solemnly outside the door, gesturing twice with his fingers. Two Anbu guards nodded seriously, ready to rush in.
Inside the lab, a small snake slithered over, slowly spelling out a code on the table. Seeing this, Orochimaru revealed a hoarse smile.
"Hehe, it seems, Master, you're ready to close the net."
Just then, with a loud bang, the wooden door behind was kicked open. Two Anbu guards rushed in like lightning, followed by the footsteps of the Third Hokage.
At this moment, master and disciple met. Sarutobi Hiruzen stared grimly at the vials and jars in the lab, and at Orochimaru, who was turned away from him.
On the operating table lay figures that had lost their lives, creating a visually shocking scene.
"I've finally been discovered."
Orochimaru's raspy voice echoed in the lab. He wasn't flustered at all; instead, he turned his head slowly to look at his master with a calm smile.
"How unfortunate."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked incredulously at Orochimaru's eerie smile. "Orochimaru, what is going on?"
The lab's contents had nothing to do with the Wood Release plan that Danzo and the others had asked Orochimaru to restart. Instead, it frightened him.
"Recently, from genin to chunin, even Anbu have gone missing. Plus, there's news that your actions have been very suspicious."
One Anbu guard slowly stated a fact, while the other expressed disbelief: "Lord Orochimaru, why would a ninja like you do such a thing?"
"Hehe, I might as well kill you too." Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely, his golden snake eyes staring coldly at the two, as if speaking casually.
However, the two Anbu were shaken by his words and icy snake eyes.
"Orochimaru! Was it really you? What are you doing here?"
Despite his certainty, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but question Orochimaru. Everything had spiraled out of his control.
At this moment, Orochimaru answered his master's questions with a relaxed smile, as if dropping all pretenses.
"Since I've been discovered, there's no point in pretending. I'm developing jutsu!"
The words "developing jutsu" echoed in the dim space. The Third Hokage and the Anbu guards were shocked and angry. Did he really harm their comrades just for jutsu development?
"Orochimaru, what are you trying to do?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked angrily at Orochimaru. It was as if he was seeing his disciple for the first time, researching such dangerous forbidden techniques.
"Everything!" Orochimaru revealed a fanatical and deranged smile. "I want to master all jutsu and understand all the truths in this world. Just like the first person to mix yellow and blue to create green, I want to do the same. If blue is chakra, then yellow is seals, and green is jutsu. To master all jutsu and truths, one must spend a long time and many years. Only a person who understands everything is worthy of being called the ultimate individual."
"For me, the lifespan of the body is too short, too insignificant."
At this moment, Orochimaru seemed to be speaking about his own philosophy of ninjutsu, his face filled with a strange smile that no one could understand. He excitedly opened his arms wide.
"Even if you are called the Hokage, everything ends when you die."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils contracted as he watched Orochimaru's ecstatic and crazed expression. Shocked, he knew that Orochimaru had truly gone astray this time.
"Haha, you guessed right, it is the jutsu of immortality!" Orochimaru roared out even louder this time, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Isn't this what you wanted to see? Isn't it for peace in the village that you people find excuses to destroy reputations, just like what happened to White Fang, thus losing the qualification to compete for the title of Hokage?"
Watching Orochimaru heading towards madness, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt endless rage. How could there be such delusions!
"Orochimaru! You've stepped into darkness. This is a jutsu that can never be completed!"
Sarutobi shouted as his hands rapidly formed seals. A white, ethereal smoke flashed, and Monkey King Enma appeared.
In Sarutobi's mind, any talk of immortal jutsu was nonsense, impossible things, just dark jutsu that seduced people. Even the Rikudō Sennin disappeared; not to mention the God of Shinobi, whom he had witnessed.
Though Sarutobi was the Hokage of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, his understanding was always limited to what was known. Just as Orochimaru said, people only accept new colors, new jutsu, when they appear.
Orochimaru's philosophy had gone beyond what the conventional ninja world could accept.
"Master Sarutobi! Will you stop me?"
Amid Orochimaru's crazed laughter, his hands rapidly formed seals. An invisible blade of wind wreaked havoc in the laboratory, shattering all kinds of bottles and jars, and blood splattered on the walls.
In the dim lab, Sarutobi's struggling face showed his regret for indulging Orochimaru and Danzo. He painfully watched as Orochimaru cruelly killed two Anbu members.
Orochimaru appeared behind Sarutobi, back to back, neither looking at the other. His golden snake-like pupils turned and he wickedly glanced at his old master, an unidentified tear falling, "Master Sarutobi, you accepted all of this, didn't you?"
At that moment, Orochimaru seemed to sever his last bit of attachment to Konoha. Dressed in Konoha's jōnin flak jacket and headband, he disappeared into the dark tunnel without looking back.
Sarutobi painfully closed his eyes. Monkey King Enma roared, "Sarutobi, you'll regret letting Orochimaru go."
Sarutobi opened his trembling eyes, took a deep breath, and murmured, "Orochimaru, you've stepped into darkness. It's unforgivable to attack a fellow villager."
From the moment Orochimaru used his jutsu to kill two Anbu members in front of him, he knew that Orochimaru could never return. Their master-disciple relationship was severed.
This whole ordeal had gone beyond his control. It was his indulgence that led to all of this, Danzo and the others were all meddling behind his back.
At this moment, Sarutobi screamed out in sorrow, "Danzo!"
Everything was due to his indulgence; Danzo and others were completely out of his control.
…
In a large pit in the forest, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed as Orochimaru quickly escaped from the tunnel. He was now wearing a green shinobi vest and a forehead protector, his face splattered with a few drops of fresh blood.
However, Orochimaru, who had just escaped from the tunnel, suddenly stopped. Facing four shadowy figures that appeared in the dark forest ahead, he revealed an evil smile.
"Ma—Master Orochimaru!"
It was Uchiha Yoru, Uchiha Shisui, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy who had rushed over. At this moment, all four were stunned to see Orochimaru fleeing in a panic, which completely overturned their understanding.
"Heh heh, so it's my students and my subordinates. Are you all planning to kill me too?"
Beneath Orochimaru's evil smile, his snake-like eyes gleamed with a touch of madness. At this moment, his emotions had reached a peak.
The word 'subordinates' was accurate. Shizumizu, Kakashi, and Might Guy all served in the Seventh Squad and were naturally Orochimaru's subordinates.
"Master! How—How could this happen!"
Uchiha Yoru, who arrived late, showed an expression of disbelief. Orochimaru responded with a hoarse, evil laugh, "How could this happen? Isn't it natural? People like White Fang who are beyond control yet possess great power are naturally restricted."
White Fang!
When this name echoed in the ears of Kakashi and Might Guy, both were shocked and equally incredulous. Why!
They knew very well that Lord Orochimaru's research, although cruel, was also carried out under orders. How could this happen?
Holding his kunai, Orochimaru looked down at the four with his mad snake eyes, emitting an even more dangerous aura. A python, which had been patrolling around the secret base, slowly descended from the tree branches, flicking its tongue.
The snake slowly crawled onto Orochimaru, who was unaware. He chuckled evilly, "As you can see, my evil research has been discovered. Justice is about to prevail, and naturally evil must retreat. Hasn't it always been this way?"
However, at that moment, the python suddenly opened its mouth to reveal an explosive tag. Orochimaru's pupils contracted; he had no time to react. With a loud explosion, blood splattered onto the faces of the four.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
The smoke from the explosion dispersed. Orochimaru's waist was now drenched in red, but he laughed again, this time even more coldly.
"The Third Hokage, huh!"
Clearly, this was a trap set by the Third Hokage, who had infiltrated the base earlier with genjutsu to bewitch this snake. It was a true kill shot, laid at his most unguarded moment.
~~~
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