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Under the gloomy drizzle, Jiraiya left. At the same time, his actions brought a sigh of relief to many in the 7th Police Division. This time, they had the backing of another of the Three Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, although it was merely to protect them. Nevertheless, they managed to avoid danger.
Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village).
[One of the Three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, was discovered by the Third Hokage conducting forbidden human experiments in secret. After escaping from the Hidden Leaf, the decision was made to classify Orochimaru as an S-rank dangerous ninja, and he was expelled from the Hidden Leaf Village, forbidden to return. Any ninja from the Hidden Leaf encountering him can abandon their mission and flee without facing any penalties.]
The knowledge, techniques, and ninjutsu possessed by Orochimaru were treasures of the Hidden Leaf. The Third Hokage initially let him go, then sent Anbu to assassinate him. Perhaps it was this hesitation that made the decision firm.
However, this time was different. The ninjas in the village were not subjected to experiments and were all still alive and well. Additionally, the matter involved the foundation, the Sarutobi clan, and the senior advisors of the Hidden Leaf. Even the Third Hokage was culpable for oversight. Therefore, to prevent instability, the matter was downplayed.
Since the establishment of the Hidden Leaf Village, this was the first announcement of someone being labeled an S-rank dangerous ninja without openly acknowledging them as a rogue ninja.
There was also a gag order on this matter. Most of the elite ninjas were aware of some details and chose to remain silent. Orochimaru's situation was peculiar. He could be seen as a rogue ninja, but not officially, as there was no formal warrant for his arrest.
Of the Three Legendary Sannin, both Jiraiya and Tsunade were outliers, already special cases. However, Orochimaru had clearly crossed a line. His banishment from the Hidden Leaf and potential classification as a rogue ninja were evident.
If Orochimaru were to commit a terror act in the ninja world or cause some harm to the Hidden Leaf, he would be immediately added to the official S-rank rogue ninja wanted list.
…
On the tall prison walls, Uchiha Yoru closed his eyes, standing in the rain as if allowing it to wash away his emotions.
"Brother Yoru."
"Yoru!"
The once proud figure now seemed to exude an aura of loneliness and desolation. At that moment, Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi approached him.
"Master Yoru! This is what my father asked me to bring." A young figure, Uchiha Itachi, appeared and respectfully presented a scroll.
Under the drizzling rain, Yoru looked at the scroll, and with a flicker of electric arcs in his hand, turned it to ashes. Looking up at the gloomy sky with one eye squinted, Uchiha Itachi hoarsely asked, "Master Yoru, why does the village treat Orochimaru-sama this way?"
"Even though Orochimaru-sama was commissioned to conduct research, why was he suddenly charged with a crime, losing everything, and forbidden from ever entering Konoha?"
With anger evident on his face, Uchiha Itachi continued, "Did Orochimaru betray the village? Or was he abandoned by the village?"
Seeing Itachi awaken his Sharingan, Kakashi remained silent, reflecting on the events.
Under the oppressive atmosphere, Yoru murmured, "This is the best outcome. Orochimaru almost became Konoha's S-class rogue ninja."
Rogue ninja!
The words weighed heavily on everyone's heart. Hatake Kakashi, seeing the mood, hoarsely said, "Yoru, your eye!"
In the rain, blood started flowing from Yoru's right eye injury, forcing him to close it. He looked at Kakashi with a sense of loss.
"Kakashi, White Fang gave up the mission for his comrades and became a pariah. Orochimaru, to complete the mission, chose to conceal certain things to protect his comrades. Are they both failures?"
The names White Fang and Orochimaru weighed heavily on the atmosphere. Kakashi looked at the dejected Yoru, recalling similar events from when he was seven. However, Orochimaru had chosen a safer path and still failed.
Is sacrificing comrades for the mission the right thing? Then what is the 'Will of Fire'? Is it a joke?
Two heroes of Konoha, both infamous for mission issues. Kakashi now understood that these incidents were influenced by public opinion, clearly manipulated by someone in the shadows, intent on ensuring Orochimaru's downfall.
Uchiha Shisui, seemingly calm, had emotions raging in his eyes. Seeing children and ninjas who could vouch for Orochimaru's innocence being taken away, his face showed an extreme and crazed emotion.
"Big brother Yoru, tell me, what is the 'Will of Fire'? Why did Orochimaru, who inherited the 'Will of Fire', end up being exiled with a tarnished reputation, while those who betray the 'Will of Fire' and the village's regulations remain unscathed?"
The agitated Uchiha Shisui shouted, "It's a top-secret mission from the Anbu Root! Where's the leader of Root? And what about the influential Sarutobi clan and the trio clans of Ino-Shika-Cho who stirred the pot? Why are they safe, while Orochimaru, who carried the 'Will of Fire', had to leave his home?"
"I don't understand! Did Orochimaru betray the 'Will of Fire'? Or was he the one who was abandoned?"
The rain curtain fell on the face, and now it is unclear whether the water on the cheeks is tears or rainwater. In this way, he vented his hoarse voice. At this moment, he began to doubt when the leaf he protected started rotting! Rotten to the extreme!
At the same time, the two three-tomoe Sharingan in Uchiha Shisui's eyes spun crazily, faintly seeing a hint of connected black lines.
Beside him, Hatake Kakashi, dispatched from both the Anbu and the Root, had completed his mission. Everything had come to light, but it left him feeling bitter and sad.
"Shisui, perhaps all this is because the Third Hokage wanted to stay in power."
At this moment, Kakashi truly believed what Danzo had said, that the Third Hokage allowed the Fourth Hokage to die in battle and then returned to power.
Kakashi's words stunned everyone. Even the young Uchiha Itachi looked incredulous. Under Kakashi's bewildered look, a hoarse voice emerged.
"I wish it were all false, but as Danzo said, the endless years have worn away the will of the great shinobi. The current Third may be power-hungry!"
However, before Kakashi could finish, Uchiha Yoru's fist had already landed heavily. With a thud, Kakashi kneeled with one hand on his abdomen, and even the forehead protector fell off.
Under the rain, Uchiha Yoru's injured eye corner bled, revealing a spinning Sharingan, staring fiercely at Kakashi and saying coldly, "Hatake Kakashi! I hope this is the last time! Don't speculate about the village's Kage based on your wild guesses. You're not qualified!"
"Cut off all the dirty thoughts in your heart! If you do it again, I will end you personally!"
The cold voice echoed, and at this moment, Kakashi, kneeling in the rain, looked up with pain in his eyes. The Third Hokage had always been suspicious of the Uchiha, but the Uchiha did not allow anyone to tarnish the sacred title of the Hokage. How ironic.
"Brother Yoru! What if what Kakashi said is true?" At this moment, Shisui lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse voice.
They had witnessed and experienced everything, not just heard about it. They had seen the darkness and decay of the village.
"You doubt the Hokage!" With a spinning three-tomoe Sharingan that began to change, Uchiha Yoru looked coldly at Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi. Yet both seemed determined even after witnessing such darkness.
Influenced by certain factors, as Danzo had said, they began to suspect that the Third Hokage wanted power, unwilling to step down, even wanting to make the Hokage position exclusive to the Sarutobi clan.
"If such a day comes! I will do my best to become the new Hokage of Konoha and change everything!"
With those firm words echoing in the rain, tears could be seen in Shisui's eyes.
"Brother Yoru! Lord Orochimaru, who truly inherited the Will of Fire, was abandoned, while the corrupt high-ranking officials who abandoned the Will of Fire are still in power!"
In the rain, as Shisui's eyes revealed a hint of desperation, his three black tomoe completely melted into a four-corner windmill shape.
Simultaneously, the three-tomoe in Yoru's exposed eye also connected, resembling a spinning dart.
Kakashi, who had taken a hit to the abdomen and was kneeling, lifted his head. His forehead protector had fallen off, revealing his unsealed three-tomoe Sharingan. It began to slowly spin, turning into a black boomerang shape.
Under the rainy night, Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan was activated, as were the eyes of Yoruichi and Kakashi. The sight of three people with Mangekyo Sharingan eyes shocked the watching Uchiha Itachi.
His one-tomoe Sharingan seemed pressured under the gaze of such high-level eyes. Perhaps stimulated by the betrayal of the Will of Fire, his one-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, hinting at evolving into a two-tomoe.
…
In this evolution, a sharp pain in their eyes made them close their eyes. Kakashi even felt the rapid depletion of chakra and was deeply shocked. His eyes seemed to have evolved.
Uchiha Shisui closed his eyes in pain. Being a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, he knew the cost of these eyes more than anyone else. It made his pain even more profound, even hating himself.
"Why! Why didn't these eyes come earlier? Just a little earlier, and I could have changed everything!"
Tears mixed with rain slid down his cheeks. Orochimaru's fate made Uchiha Shisui utterly disappointed with the current leadership of Konoha.
Kakashi was panting heavily. He had experienced more and had his own political opinions. He felt that the previous generations who fought for Konoha had decayed, driving away many heroes for the sake of power.
Uchiha Itachi, although the youngest among the four, felt deep disdain for the current Hokage leadership because of his mature mindset.
"Beyond the regular Sharingan evolution, there's another form called 'Mangekyō'..."
As the rain grew heavier, a dazed Uchiha Shisui explained the origins of the Mangekyō to the three.
After understanding its origin, Uchiha Yoru covered one of his eyes, feeling a bit regretful. For now, he could only evolve one eye, especially if he wanted to inherit Orochimaru's legacy, which required a lot of funds.
Suddenly, a hawk's signal echoed across the Konoha sky.
"Shisui, go and tell the members of Team 7. Those who want to leave are free to, but those who want to stay, I, Uchiha Yoru, will stand before them."
Orochimaru's downfall meant the collapse of his power. However, some direct followers had already been marked by Orochimaru, waiting for the end under political failure.
The one most affected was him, Orochimaru's direct disciple, the famous Uchiha Yoru after his fight with the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, backed by the Uchiha clan.
"Brother Yoru! You!"
Uchiha Shisui, who had lost Orochimaru, showed panic. Uchiha Yoru looked at the three and smiled freely, "Shisui, please take care of the Uchiha in the future."
"Kakashi, I hope you can take care of the Uchiha in the future. And Itachi, just learn ninjutsu from Shisui, but don't learn his personality."
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru seemed to be preparing for the worst. After all, with Orochimaru's departure, he was the primary target.
The hawk's signal was a summons for the Konoha elite ninja to attend a high-level meeting.