In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo Shimura in shock. Mito Menma and Tenzō awkwardly nodded. Hiruzen almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Danzo, you!"
This time, Danzo felt somewhat vindicated. He angrily took out a scroll from his robe and threw it directly at Hiruzen.
"Open your eyes and look at this scroll. Wasn't it I who sent it to you, only for you to have it returned to me untouched?"
"When did I ever make my plans known to everyone? Do you think I don't regret what happened to White Fang? Don't I know how great a loss it is for the village to lose a shadow-level ninja? Now the Sarutobi clan is all over the village. Oh yes, including your ambitious and arrogant daughter-in-law who only wants to become the Hokage's wife."
Danzo didn't hold back this time. His original plan was to win over Orochimaru after Hiruzen abandoned him again, making Orochimaru a weapon in his hands. Now it seemed things had gone too far; the weapon had become too dangerous, injuring people everywhere.
At that moment, Hiruzen opened the scroll thrown by Danzo and his face turned red. He had been too careless!
Tenzō and Mito Menma also realized that now was not the time for infighting and spoke solemnly, "Now is not the time to shirk responsibility. It's about how to deal with Orochimaru."
When it came to Orochimaru, Danzo, Menma, and Tenzō all looked at Hiruzen.
Faced with their stares, Hiruzen's face turned pale and he slumped into his chair, "It's too late! Orochimaru has already fallen into darkness. He's researching the forbidden jutsus you've provided! He wants to develop an immortality jutsu! He's even acted against my Anbu."
"What!" The three were shocked. Seeing Hiruzen's despair, they knew the matter was serious this time.
All three felt a tingling in their scalps. Danzo cursed, "Damn it! Orochimaru defected? A Hokage candidate has defected? The village is in trouble, find Orochimaru now."
"How do we find him?" Tenzō stomped his foot in anger, "This is pushing him too far. If Orochimaru defects, it's no small matter. It will disturb the entire Land of Fire and may even cause a chain reaction."
"Hiruzen! This time you need to sort out your Sarutobi clan!"
All three spoke out. Originally, they planned to suppress Orochimaru and manipulate public opinion. Hiruzen himself was in great pain, regretting his carelessness. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to actually delve so deep into such dark jutsu.
After all, in the minds of most ninjas, immortality jutsu doesn't exist. If it did, that would be god-like.
Even the whole ninja world agreed, but Orochimaru, with his incredible talent, had exceeded all their expectations. He had dived in and couldn't get out.
Combined with a woman's ambitions, the whole matter had been blown up, leaving no way for Orochimaru to turn back.
Once he had a clear understanding of the situation, the Third Hokage quickly calmed down. The current situation indicated that the entire village was about to undergo a change.
"Send the order, deploy two squads from the Anbu to hunt down Orochimaru!"
"The Root Division must cooperate unconditionally. Although Orochimaru is injured, he's not easy to deal with. Danzo, you can't escape responsibility this time!"
After glaring fiercely at Danzo, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, suppressed all his emotions and spoke solemnly: "We can't afford the consequences if a candidate for Hokage defects. The entire village can't afford it. Issue an order within the Land of Fire to hunt down Orochimaru with all our might!"
It was now beyond the point of no return, and he had to make a tough decision. Capturing Orochimaru or keeping him within the borders of the Land of Fire would minimize the damage.
The impact of Orochimaru, a defector hiding in the shinobi world, would be severe for the Leaf Village.
Hearing this, Danzo snorted coldly. He had his own schemes. This was clearly your doing, Sarutobi. If Orochimaru successfully defects, it would damage your reputation, giving me an opportunity.
As for Hiruzen's successor? Hmph, such shortsightedness. Hiruzen would never tolerate someone who causes this much harm to the village while vying for the position of Hokage.
Danzo suddenly felt this was advantageous for him, smirking internally. Sarutobi, this failure is on you, don't blame me.
Orochimaru was caught performing human experiments by the Third Hokage and escaped!
The news swept through the Leaf Village like a hurricane, shocking countless ninjas. Many couldn't believe it. How could this be?
However, once the manhunt order was officially issued, everyone went silent. Although he hasn't been labeled a rogue ninja, it's a fact.
Rumors about Orochimaru conducting experiments on villagers and losing his humanity began to spread like wildfire.
All of this seemed to be pushed by a hidden hand. Though the higher-ups in the Leaf Village tried to suppress it, too many interests were involved. Many sensed that the walls were about to collapse and began to fan the flames in secret.
The Sarutobi clan was doing everything they could to ensure another Hokage came from their family.
Next were the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. Though they usually kept a low profile, they also understood the dangers of letting Orochimaru off. They too were part of the Hokage lineage, and clearly, the Hokage had abandoned Orochimaru.
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans also wanted stability and started to contribute to the spread of the news.
Orochimaru's downfall means that now there would be no other challengers to the next likely Hokage, a member of the Sarutobi clan. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans would continue to maintain their stable political interests.
As things escalated, the interests tied to the position of Hokage were too significant. Over the years, under Hiruzen's rule, a vast network had formed that was suffocating.
The Leaf Village's higher-ups found themselves losing control. The power of public opinion was terrifying, and they were experiencing it once again.
Back in the day, during the White Fang incident, they had first utilized the power of public opinion. Without expending much resources, they had shattered White Fang's reputation. They felt ecstatic, having paid almost no cost.
However, when White Fang committed suicide, the higher-ups of the Leaf Village began to fear this power. To think it could force a powerful shinobi to end his life.
This time, Orochimaru had his reasons, but the higher-ups' negligence was also a cause. He had completely lost hope in the village, diving into forbidden jutsu, and severing ties with the village.
It truly was a twist of fate, no one saw this coming.
Even within the Sarutobi clan, fear surfaced on the face of the Third Hokage's daughter-in-law. She found herself losing control; public opinion had gone out of hand. She had wanted to ruin Orochimaru's reputation, but never thought he'd defect!
Her initial plan was simple: utterly destroy Orochimaru's reputation, leaving him no chance of recovery, then let her husband ascend to power. Wouldn't it be great if Orochimaru were then sent to guard the border?
…
The vibrations occurring in the Leaf Village were now unknown to Uchiha Yoru, who had chased out of the village and was in a massive forest.
Orochimaru, who was seriously injured and clutching his waist, showed a unique smile on his pale face. "Hehe, Yoru, it seems that this time you want your teacher to demonstrate your strength."
It was clear that Orochimaru had misunderstood. At this time, his emotions were extremely sensitive. He had severed all ties without any resistance, feeling abandoned by his teacher and the village, and certainly held resentment.
Despite knowing the horror of forbidden techniques, they still gave it to him for their calculations. He couldn't help but resent this. Now, as they wished, he had found a new world, but no one recognized it.
"Master Orochimaru, Jiraiya is coming after us," Uchiha Yoru said, looking at his disheveled teacher. Orochimaru showed a smile, but this time his smile was a bit more hurried.
Jiraiya! Plus himself, this student, it seemed that the situation was now dire for him.
"Hehe, Yoru, you're even more like a snake than I am, lurking for so long and only striking when you're sure you'll win," Orochimaru said, aware of his student's ambitions. He believed Yoru was trying to gain fame at his expense and claim his legacy in the village.
"Orochimaru!"
Just then, a loud, angry shout came down from the sky, and Jiraiya landed. Wearing battle armor, he looked at Orochimaru's sorry state with fury.
"Won't you reconsider, Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya's raging anger instantly extinguished at the sight of the injured Orochimaru, replaced by endless sorrow. He unwillingly made a final inquiry, asking why Orochimaru had defected.
Orochimaru turned his head with a malicious grin, gripping the kunai in his hand tightly.
"Foolish, even joking has its limits. I'm just one step away! My research is almost complete. My ambitions cannot be contained by this Leaf Village. I'll use whatever or whoever I can for my goals!"
Orochimaru was extremely frantic at this moment. He had found his direction but was unwilling to give up now!
Jiraiya showed a sad expression. His companion Orochimaru had actually reached this point, gripping his fists tightly.
However, at this moment, in Jiraiya's eyes, this stern Uchiha boy, Orochimaru's new disciple, stood in front of him.
"Master Orochimaru! You go first, take this jutsu and don't trust Root during your escape, also—"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru was holding the Kusanagi sword, his body flickering with electric arcs. He looked indifferently at Jiraiya, tossed a scroll to Orochimaru, and hoarsely said, "I'll do my best to hold off Jiraiya. You must escape to prove yourself!"
Shocked! Astonished!
Jiraiya was surprised that Orochimaru's disciple, the Uchiha kid, was actually trying to stop him. Orochimaru was shocked that his student had given him a sense of trust similar to that among the Legendary Three Ninja.
Orochimaru grinned as he looked at the scroll in his hand with the word 'substitute' on it.
"Hehe, Jiraiya, it looks like I've also taken a good disciple this time."
Orochimaru understood the jutsu, which was based on an idea his student had brought up. It was like a snake shedding its skin to transfer injuries perfectly. Orochimaru had been excited about the feasibility of the jutsu concept but had no time to develop it himself.
"Jiraiya, it seems you can't keep me here this time."
Orochimaru was never the type to wear his emotions on his face. Instead, he turned around, shook the scroll in his hand at Jiraiya, and showed a malicious smile.
However, upon seeing this, Jiraiya became furious and chuckled, "Orochimaru, you're letting this kid hold me back. Aren't you afraid I'll make you lose this disciple?"
As he spoke, Jiraiya's powerful chakra surged even more, visibly flowing around him. This was a sight only possible for a ninja with a huge amount of chakra.
A suffocating sense of chakra oppression came, and a strong wind made their long hair flutter. Orochimaru glanced meaningfully at his student, disappointment flickering in his golden snake eyes.
"Unfortunately, Yoru, this time I don't have time to see how strong you are. But to deal with Jiraiya, let me give you a helping hand."
Orochimaru suddenly began to form hand seals, and seeing this, Jiraiya reflexively began to do the same.
They both rapidly formed the same seals, and finally slapped the ground heavily..
~~~
Thank you for the New Patrons! You guys are awesome!
— Hinami lovely
— Zaid Mohamed (sponsored)
— Miguel Razo (sponsored)
— Dorian Daniels
— Andrew
— Kloud Paradizo
— JWolf (sponsored)
— Tidalais (sponsored)
— jose vega
Free Members will not be included! but nonetheless, thank you very much!
If you guys also want to support me and read more chapters! head to my Patrèon Page: Patrèon.com/Bleam.
Also if you guys wondering why there's so many sponsored Members ($20) but no sponsored chapters, because I don't know what FF they want to Sponsored... Spread the words!!!
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo Shimura in shock. Mito Menma and Tenzō awkwardly nodded. Hiruzen almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Danzo, you!"
This time, Danzo felt somewhat vindicated. He angrily took out a scroll from his robe and threw it directly at Hiruzen.
"Open your eyes and look at this scroll. Wasn't it I who sent it to you, only for you to have it returned to me untouched?"
"When did I ever make my plans known to everyone? Do you think I don't regret what happened to White Fang? Don't I know how great a loss it is for the village to lose a shadow-level ninja? Now the Sarutobi clan is all over the village. Oh yes, including your ambitious and arrogant daughter-in-law who only wants to become the Hokage's wife."
Danzo didn't hold back this time. His original plan was to win over Orochimaru after Hiruzen abandoned him again, making Orochimaru a weapon in his hands. Now it seemed things had gone too far; the weapon had become too dangerous, injuring people everywhere.
At that moment, Hiruzen opened the scroll thrown by Danzo and his face turned red. He had been too careless!
Tenzō and Mito Menma also realized that now was not the time for infighting and spoke solemnly, "Now is not the time to shirk responsibility. It's about how to deal with Orochimaru."
When it came to Orochimaru, Danzo, Menma, and Tenzō all looked at Hiruzen.
Faced with their stares, Hiruzen's face turned pale and he slumped into his chair, "It's too late! Orochimaru has already fallen into darkness. He's researching the forbidden jutsus you've provided! He wants to develop an immortality jutsu! He's even acted against my Anbu."
"What!" The three were shocked. Seeing Hiruzen's despair, they knew the matter was serious this time.
All three felt a tingling in their scalps. Danzo cursed, "Damn it! Orochimaru defected? A Hokage candidate has defected? The village is in trouble, find Orochimaru now."
"How do we find him?" Tenzō stomped his foot in anger, "This is pushing him too far. If Orochimaru defects, it's no small matter. It will disturb the entire Land of Fire and may even cause a chain reaction."
"Hiruzen! This time you need to sort out your Sarutobi clan!"
All three spoke out. Originally, they planned to suppress Orochimaru and manipulate public opinion. Hiruzen himself was in great pain, regretting his carelessness. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to actually delve so deep into such dark jutsu.
After all, in the minds of most ninjas, immortality jutsu doesn't exist. If it did, that would be god-like.
Even the whole ninja world agreed, but Orochimaru, with his incredible talent, had exceeded all their expectations. He had dived in and couldn't get out.
Combined with a woman's ambitions, the whole matter had been blown up, leaving no way for Orochimaru to turn back.
Once he had a clear understanding of the situation, the Third Hokage quickly calmed down. The current situation indicated that the entire village was about to undergo a change.
"Send the order, deploy two squads from the Anbu to hunt down Orochimaru!"
"The Root Division must cooperate unconditionally. Although Orochimaru is injured, he's not easy to deal with. Danzo, you can't escape responsibility this time!"
After glaring fiercely at Danzo, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, suppressed all his emotions and spoke solemnly: "We can't afford the consequences if a candidate for Hokage defects. The entire village can't afford it. Issue an order within the Land of Fire to hunt down Orochimaru with all our might!"
It was now beyond the point of no return, and he had to make a tough decision. Capturing Orochimaru or keeping him within the borders of the Land of Fire would minimize the damage.
The impact of Orochimaru, a defector hiding in the shinobi world, would be severe for the Leaf Village.
Hearing this, Danzo snorted coldly. He had his own schemes. This was clearly your doing, Sarutobi. If Orochimaru successfully defects, it would damage your reputation, giving me an opportunity.
As for Hiruzen's successor? Hmph, such shortsightedness. Hiruzen would never tolerate someone who causes this much harm to the village while vying for the position of Hokage.
Danzo suddenly felt this was advantageous for him, smirking internally. Sarutobi, this failure is on you, don't blame me.
Orochimaru was caught performing human experiments by the Third Hokage and escaped!
The news swept through the Leaf Village like a hurricane, shocking countless ninjas. Many couldn't believe it. How could this be?
However, once the manhunt order was officially issued, everyone went silent. Although he hasn't been labeled a rogue ninja, it's a fact.
Rumors about Orochimaru conducting experiments on villagers and losing his humanity began to spread like wildfire.
All of this seemed to be pushed by a hidden hand. Though the higher-ups in the Leaf Village tried to suppress it, too many interests were involved. Many sensed that the walls were about to collapse and began to fan the flames in secret.
The Sarutobi clan was doing everything they could to ensure another Hokage came from their family.
Next were the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. Though they usually kept a low profile, they also understood the dangers of letting Orochimaru off. They too were part of the Hokage lineage, and clearly, the Hokage had abandoned Orochimaru.
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans also wanted stability and started to contribute to the spread of the news.
Orochimaru's downfall means that now there would be no other challengers to the next likely Hokage, a member of the Sarutobi clan. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans would continue to maintain their stable political interests.
As things escalated, the interests tied to the position of Hokage were too significant. Over the years, under Hiruzen's rule, a vast network had formed that was suffocating.
The Leaf Village's higher-ups found themselves losing control. The power of public opinion was terrifying, and they were experiencing it once again.
Back in the day, during the White Fang incident, they had first utilized the power of public opinion. Without expending much resources, they had shattered White Fang's reputation. They felt ecstatic, having paid almost no cost.
However, when White Fang committed suicide, the higher-ups of the Leaf Village began to fear this power. To think it could force a powerful shinobi to end his life.
This time, Orochimaru had his reasons, but the higher-ups' negligence was also a cause. He had completely lost hope in the village, diving into forbidden jutsu, and severing ties with the village.
It truly was a twist of fate, no one saw this coming.
Even within the Sarutobi clan, fear surfaced on the face of the Third Hokage's daughter-in-law. She found herself losing control; public opinion had gone out of hand. She had wanted to ruin Orochimaru's reputation, but never thought he'd defect!
Her initial plan was simple: utterly destroy Orochimaru's reputation, leaving him no chance of recovery, then let her husband ascend to power. Wouldn't it be great if Orochimaru were then sent to guard the border?
…
The vibrations occurring in the Leaf Village were now unknown to Uchiha Yoru, who had chased out of the village and was in a massive forest.
Orochimaru, who was seriously injured and clutching his waist, showed a unique smile on his pale face. "Hehe, Yoru, it seems that this time you want your teacher to demonstrate your strength."
It was clear that Orochimaru had misunderstood. At this time, his emotions were extremely sensitive. He had severed all ties without any resistance, feeling abandoned by his teacher and the village, and certainly held resentment.
Despite knowing the horror of forbidden techniques, they still gave it to him for their calculations. He couldn't help but resent this. Now, as they wished, he had found a new world, but no one recognized it.
"Master Orochimaru, Jiraiya is coming after us," Uchiha Yoru said, looking at his disheveled teacher. Orochimaru showed a smile, but this time his smile was a bit more hurried.
Jiraiya! Plus himself, this student, it seemed that the situation was now dire for him.
"Hehe, Yoru, you're even more like a snake than I am, lurking for so long and only striking when you're sure you'll win," Orochimaru said, aware of his student's ambitions. He believed Yoru was trying to gain fame at his expense and claim his legacy in the village.
"Orochimaru!"
Just then, a loud, angry shout came down from the sky, and Jiraiya landed. Wearing battle armor, he looked at Orochimaru's sorry state with fury.
"Won't you reconsider, Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya's raging anger instantly extinguished at the sight of the injured Orochimaru, replaced by endless sorrow. He unwillingly made a final inquiry, asking why Orochimaru had defected.
Orochimaru turned his head with a malicious grin, gripping the kunai in his hand tightly.
"Foolish, even joking has its limits. I'm just one step away! My research is almost complete. My ambitions cannot be contained by this Leaf Village. I'll use whatever or whoever I can for my goals!"
Orochimaru was extremely frantic at this moment. He had found his direction but was unwilling to give up now!
Jiraiya showed a sad expression. His companion Orochimaru had actually reached this point, gripping his fists tightly.
However, at this moment, in Jiraiya's eyes, this stern Uchiha boy, Orochimaru's new disciple, stood in front of him.
"Master Orochimaru! You go first, take this jutsu and don't trust Root during your escape, also—"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru was holding the Kusanagi sword, his body flickering with electric arcs. He looked indifferently at Jiraiya, tossed a scroll to Orochimaru, and hoarsely said, "I'll do my best to hold off Jiraiya. You must escape to prove yourself!"
Shocked! Astonished!
Jiraiya was surprised that Orochimaru's disciple, the Uchiha kid, was actually trying to stop him. Orochimaru was shocked that his student had given him a sense of trust similar to that among the Legendary Three Ninja.
Orochimaru grinned as he looked at the scroll in his hand with the word 'substitute' on it.
"Hehe, Jiraiya, it looks like I've also taken a good disciple this time."
Orochimaru understood the jutsu, which was based on an idea his student had brought up. It was like a snake shedding its skin to transfer injuries perfectly. Orochimaru had been excited about the feasibility of the jutsu concept but had no time to develop it himself.
"Jiraiya, it seems you can't keep me here this time."
Orochimaru was never the type to wear his emotions on his face. Instead, he turned around, shook the scroll in his hand at Jiraiya, and showed a malicious smile.
However, upon seeing this, Jiraiya became furious and chuckled, "Orochimaru, you're letting this kid hold me back. Aren't you afraid I'll make you lose this disciple?"
As he spoke, Jiraiya's powerful chakra surged even more, visibly flowing around him. This was a sight only possible for a ninja with a huge amount of chakra.
A suffocating sense of chakra oppression came, and a strong wind made their long hair flutter. Orochimaru glanced meaningfully at his student, disappointment flickering in his golden snake eyes.
"Unfortunately, Yoru, this time I don't have time to see how strong you are. But to deal with Jiraiya, let me give you a helping hand."
Orochimaru suddenly began to form hand seals, and seeing this, Jiraiya reflexively began to do the same.
They both rapidly formed the same seals, and finally slapped the ground heavily..
~~~
Thank you for the New Patrons! You guys are awesome!
— Hinami lovely
— Zaid Mohamed (sponsored)
— Miguel Razo (sponsored)
— Dorian Daniels
— Andrew
— Kloud Paradizo
— JWolf (sponsored)
— Tidalais (sponsored)
— jose vega
Free Members will not be included! but nonetheless, thank you very much!
If you guys also want to support me and read more chapters! head to my Patrèon Page: Patrèon.com/Bleam.
Also if you guys wondering why there's so many sponsored Members ($20) but no sponsored chapters, because I don't know what FF they want to Sponsored... Spread the words!!!
