An extra chapter for reach 30 Power Stones!!
Orochimaru observed Hiruzen's dazed expression, his cold eyes flickering momentarily.
"Third Hokage," the two ANBU glanced at Hiruzen, awaiting orders.
Hiruzen's daze slowly faded, and with resolve, he bit his thumb, performing the hand signs for a summoning jutsu. A puff of smoke appeared, and when it cleared, standing there was a humanoid ape, as tall as a grown man, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a tiger-skin vest, with long white hair.
This was Hiruzen's summoning beast, Enma the Monkey King.
Knowing he was facing Orochimaru, Hiruzen summoned Enma immediately.
"Hmm?" Enma took one look at the scene and immediately understood the situation. His expression darkened. He glanced at Hiruzen but didn't say anything. Enma had never liked Orochimaru, and he had always known that Hiruzen had been aware of Orochimaru's dark nature but hesitated to act. Now it had escalated to this.
Seeing Hiruzen summon Enma, Orochimaru realized Hiruzen was serious, yet still hesitant.
As expected, he's grown soft... indecisive! Orochimaru thought.
"Can you actually go through with it, Hiruzen-sensei?" Orochimaru's gaze was cold as he clasped his hands into a seal.
"Sensei," Enma and the ANBU quickly glanced at the motionless Hiruzen, then refocused their intense stares on Orochimaru, preparing for anything.
"The incident with Ye Zi, and now this... The once mighty Hiruzen, now so pitiful." Orochimaru sneered.
As he completed the hand signs, chakra surged, and a sudden gust of wind erupted from beneath Orochimaru's feet, creating a vortex that raged through the room. Enma and the others tensed, preparing for an attack, but the windstorm was non-lethal, merely a strong gust.
The cloth covering the bodies scattered, revealing their gruesome state. The corpses hanging from hooks swayed violently, while several jars in the corner toppled over, spilling a vile green liquid.
It was only wind, with no intention to harm.
Orochimaru lowered his hands and stepped forward, a glint of something unrecognizable flashing briefly in his eyes.
"Goodbye, Hiruzen-sensei," Orochimaru said coldly as he approached.
The outcome had always been inevitable—village, comrades, morals, even humanity itself were mere stepping stones on his path to eternity.
"Why are you hesitating?!" Enma shouted, seeing Orochimaru walk past without resistance.
At that moment, something became clear to them.
"What...?" Hiruzen muttered in shock as he found his body immobilized.
They watched, helpless, as Orochimaru calmly passed between them. Only when Orochimaru was gone did Hiruzen, Enma, and the ANBU collapse to the ground.
"Orochimaru..." Hiruzen gasped, struggling to lift his head.
"You..." Enma growled in frustration, disappointed in Hiruzen.
Orochimaru stopped and glanced back at Hiruzen lying on the ground. He paused for a brief moment, then turned away and ran off without another word.
From this moment, Orochimaru ceased to be one of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
As Orochimaru vanished from sight, Hiruzen's head fell limply.
"Why did you let him go? He's a dangerous person!" Enma growled, frustrated that they had been caught off guard by Orochimaru's trick.
The two ANBU were equally confused. In their eyes, the Third Hokage shouldn't have acted this way.
Hiruzen remained silent.
He couldn't bring himself to kill Orochimaru, but at the same time, Orochimaru hadn't killed them either.
Perhaps their feelings were mutual in some twisted way.
However, from now on, Hiruzen could no longer hesitate.
Orochimaru had multiple bases outside the village, and each one had several exits. Hiruzen's direct attack had forced him to take a less obvious escape route.
Emerging from an ordinary-looking hole in the ground, Orochimaru scanned the surroundings. Finding the coast clear, he quickly headed in the direction of his main base near the border of the Land of Fire.
Hiruzen's forces were skilled and few in number, but enough to form a powerful perimeter.
As fate would have it, the direction Orochimaru chose led him straight into Jiraiya's sector, where Yan Ye was also observing from the outskirts, trying to gather first-hand information.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru's paths crossed unexpectedly.
One stood on a tree, the other on the ground, their gazes locked—Jiraiya's filled with complexity, Orochimaru's with cold indifference.
"If you're here, what about the old man?" Jiraiya asked, his emotions conflicted as he looked down at Orochimaru.
"Who knows? Maybe he's dead," Orochimaru replied with a chilling smile.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe Hiruzen would fall so easily to Orochimaru.
"If you don't want the same fate as that old man, get out of my way," Orochimaru said, his eyes cold and dangerous like a snake about to strike.
Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, then spoke seriously, "I won't move, and I won't let you leave. Even if I have to break your arms and legs, I'll keep you here."
Orochimaru's expression didn't change. "Just you?"
"I won't keep trailing behind you, Orochimaru. Why did you have to go this far?" Jiraiya's voice was filled with a mix of frustration and anger.
"Enough talk," Orochimaru said, raising his arms without warning. Thick, yellow-striped pythons shot out from his wide sleeves, lunging toward Jiraiya.
Needle Hell.
Jiraiya clasped his hands, forming the Serpent Seal. His long white hair hardened and extended, slicing through the snakes and wrapping around Orochimaru.
As the hair ensnared Orochimaru, Jiraiya felt a solid grip. "Got you!"
But in the next instant, his expression shifted, and he leapt forward. Orochimaru had somehow appeared where Jiraiya had just stood, a kunai in hand, missing his target.
Orochimaru coldly watched Jiraiya leap away, then turned to flee.
Gritting his teeth, Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, the giant toad appearing in a cloud of smoke, with Jiraiya standing atop his head.
Summoning Gamabunta was both a means to alert the others and to put pressure on Orochimaru.
Seeing the giant toad, Orochimaru responded by summoning Manda, the massive serpent. He intended to use Manda to stall Jiraiya and Gamabunta while he escaped. If he stayed longer, he risked being cornered once reinforcements arrived.
As Gamabunta and Manda squared off, their towering forms drew the attention of nearby ninjas, including Yan Ye.
"Is this a standoff between Jiraiya and Orochimaru's summoning beasts?" Kotoe observed the clash of the two giants from afar. She activated a spore clone technique taught by White Zetsu, and a clone of White Zetsu emerged from her body.
"Go inform Ye Zi that Konoha's target in this operation is Orochimaru."
The White Zetsu clone disappeared into the ground, heading off to relay the message.
With the clone gone, Kotoe watched the ongoing battle between the two massive beasts, unsure whether to retreat.
Initially, she had followed this large Konoha operation because Jiraiya had returned, suspecting it might involve Ye Zi. She had notified Ye Zi and followed them without hesitation.
Now that she knew the target was Orochimaru, she felt somewhat relieved.
She hesitated, considering whether she should leave now that she had the information. What she didn't know was that Ye Zi was already on his way to the scene.
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Currently on Chapter 284: The Incoming Information