Orochimaru's own decision?
Hearing this, Tsunade frowned deeply, her mind unable to reconcile what she'd just heard.
Orochimaru voluntarily gave up his life? How could that be possible?
If Orochimaru had truly decided to sacrifice himself, he wouldn't have said what he did to her last night.
The Third Hokage exhaled heavily, his expression weary as he began to explain.
"I considered this matter for a long time," Hiruzen admitted. "There were two options for dealing with Orochimaru. The first was to handle it ourselves, to hand over his body directly."
Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, her jaw tightening as she bit back her frustration.
Ignoring her reaction, Hiruzen continued, "The second option was to assign him a secret mission, one that would send him directly into their ambush."
The Hokage took a long puff from his pipe, his shoulders slumping slightly. "But Orochimaru is not just my disciple; he's also a hero of Konoha. Naturally, I couldn't bring myself to choose the first option. That would cross a line for both me and the village."
"In other words, you chose the second method," Tsunade said coldly, her voice tinged with anger.
"Yes," Hiruzen replied, his tone heavy. "Normally, such a plan would be carried out without the target's knowledge. But Orochimaru..."
He hesitated before continuing, "I didn't want him to die without understanding why. Before he left the village, I told him everything. I even thought that, after learning the truth, he would rebel against the village. In his position, defecting would have been the logical choice."
"But instead, he agreed to go and die," Tsunade finished for him, her voice trembling slightly.
Orochimaru had no family, no parents, no children, no attachments to hold him back. Knowing that he had been abandoned by the village he had served so loyally, it would have been easy for him to defect.
And yet, he hadn't.
As Orochimaru's wife, Tsunade could imagine the betrayal and disappointment he must have felt at that moment.
The village he had dedicated his life to had turned its back on him when he needed it most. Nothing could have hurt him more than that.
But why had he chosen to go through with the mission instead of rebelling? Tsunade had her suspicions, but they only added to the ache in her heart.
Before she could voice her thoughts, an urgent voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Hokage-sama! It's an emergency!"
A patrol ninja stumbled into the office, his breathing ragged.
"What's wrong?" Hiruzen asked, his frown deepening.
"The elite Jonin Kato Dan… he's dead!"
"What?!"
"Kato Dan?"
Both Hiruzen and Tsunade were stunned by the sudden news.
"Take me there immediately!" Hiruzen barked, rising from his chair.
Tsunade, already filled with unease, followed close behind without hesitation.
When the Hokage and Tsunade arrived at Kato Dan's house, accompanied by several ANBU, they were greeted by a grim scene.
A lifeless body lay sprawled on the ground, one arm severed. The surrounding floor was slick with dried, congealed blood.
Hiruzen's expression darkened as he stared at the corpse.
"How did this happen…" he murmured, letting out a weary sigh. "Prepare his body for burial."
To him, the death of Dan was a tragedy, but it paled in comparison to the larger crisis at hand. He could sacrifice Orochimaru, so Dan's death was little more than a footnote in the chaos. Still, appearances had to be maintained.
"Investigate thoroughly," Hiruzen ordered the ANBU.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the ANBU responded before dispersing to begin their work.
Tsunade, however, remained rooted in place, her gaze fixed on Dan's body.
"I'm going to find Orochimaru," she said suddenly, her voice resolute.
"You can't," Hiruzen said firmly. "There are enemies waiting for him."
"Even if I die, I'll die with him!" Tsunade shouted, her voice filled with determination.
She didn't care about the dangers or the consequences. She had forgotten all of Orochimaru's instructions to stay in Konoha. All she could think about now was finding him.
"Tsunade, you—"
Hiruzen tried to stop her but ultimately gave up, letting out a long sigh.
"Fine," he muttered, his voice laced with resignation. "Do whatever you want."
As far as Hiruzen was concerned, whether Tsunade or Orochimaru lived or died no longer had anything to do with him.
But what else could he do?
---
Three days passed since Orochimaru left the village.
In the Land of Frost, Orochimaru wandered through a mountainous region, dressed in a simple robe from the Land of Grass.
The jagged peaks and lush greenery reminded him somewhat of the Land of Fire, but there was an unfamiliar crispness to the air.
For the first time in years, Orochimaru felt a strange sense of peace.
He had no home, no organization, and no allies to worry about. And yet, he felt freer than he ever had before.
"So this is what freedom feels like," he murmured to himself, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
For most ninjas, Konoha was a sanctuary—a place of safety and stability.
For Orochimaru, it had always been a cage.
The Third Hokage's betrayal had severed his last connection to the village, and with it, all the obligations and restraints that had held him back.
From now on, he owed Konoha nothing.
No longer did he have to conceal his power or tiptoe around the complex relationships of master and disciple.
Konoha had sold him out, and in doing so, had freed him from its grasp.
Even though Hiruzen had not been completely ruthless, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel the injustice of it all.
A shinobi who had contributed so much to the village—so much technology, so many victories—was discarded like a pawn on a chessboard.
Who could endure such betrayal without retaliating?
The fact that Orochimaru hadn't immediately turned against Konoha was, perhaps, his final act of mercy.
Originally, Orochimaru's defection was to occur years later. But now, thanks to Hiruzen's actions, he had left more than a decade earlier.
Whether this would make things better or worse for him, Orochimaru didn't know.
Boom!
The sudden tremor of the ground snapped him out of his thoughts.
Before he could react, the sound of kunai cutting through the air reached his ears.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three kunai streaked toward him, their metallic gleam reflecting the sunlight.
"I see… You couldn't wait, could you?" Orochimaru muttered, a mocking smile forming on his lips.
With a slight movement, he sidestepped the kunai with ease.
But the assault didn't stop there.
Kunai and shuriken rained down from all directions, each one rigged with explosive tags.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions rocked the valley, the shockwaves echoing off the cliffs.
"Is it over?"
"Not a chance," a voice replied. "This is Orochimaru we're talking about, one of the legendary Sannin!"
"Even so, there's no way he survived that unscathed."
As the smoke and debris began to clear, Orochimaru's surroundings came into view.
The valley was now completely enclosed. The entrance behind him had been sealed with massive boulders, cutting off any escape route.
To his left, atop a ridge, stood the Third Raikage and a group of Kumo ninjas. To his right, Onoki the Tsuchikage and his Iwa shinobi stood ready.
Directly ahead, at the valley's only remaining exit, stood a young man with brown hair, surrounded by Sunagakure shinobi.
"Hahaha," Orochimaru chuckled, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "Three great ninja villages, working together? I must say, I'm flattered."
***
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