Sarutobi Hiruzen stared blankly at his arm, lost in thought as memories of his time with Shimura Danzō resurfaced.
After a long silence, he sighed.
"Danzo, you were right... I regret not siding with you."
Back when Danzo first suggested eliminating the Uchiha, Hiruzen had strongly opposed him. He believed that such an act would drastically weaken Konoha's fighting power, and so he refused to take part.
But after Danzo rose to the position of Hokage, he acted against the Uchiha regardless.
Hiruzen had still opposed him then, thinking Danzo lacked the popularity and political support to suppress a clan as powerful as the Uchiha. And he was right—Danzo was ultimately killed when the Uchiha clan successfully launched a coup.
Everything Danzo had feared had come to pass.
Hiruzen thought the chaos would end once Uchiha Fugaku took the Hokage seat. But he had been too naive.
Fugaku had no intention of letting him go.
Even the Sarutobi clan had noticed the shift. They began distancing themselves from him, and he was soon pressured into stepping down as clan head. The newly elected patriarch wasted no time in exiling him from the clan entirely, fearing Uchiha retaliation.
The loss of his Hokage title, the death of an old friend, Fugaku's merciless suppression, being disowned by his own clan, and the disdain of the villagers—all of it left Hiruzen utterly defeated. So, he chose to leave the village behind.
But Uchiha Fugaku still wasn't done with him.
Not long after he left Konoha, Hiruzen sensed dozens of shadows tailing him. He knew immediately: they were assassins sent by Fugaku.
After scattering Danzo's ashes, Hiruzen resolved to face them head-on.
But then, from the shadows, Jiraiya appeared.
Seeing his former student brought him some comfort. His bitter mood lightened a little.
But to his shock, Jiraiya attacked.
Caught off guard, Hiruzen was fatally stabbed.
As he lay dying, memories of his life flashed before him. His final thought was one of deep regret—that he hadn't listened to Danzo and destroyed the Uchiha when he had the chance.
But it was too late. There was no cure for regret.
And yet, he didn't die.
Moments later, his eyes flew open. He was alive.
Only then did he realize what had happened—the transplanted arm from Shimura Danzo had saved him.
The Sharingan embedded in the arm had activated the Uchiha clan's forbidden technique: Izanagi—rewriting death itself, it had brought him back to life.
Back in the present, Hiruzen remembered hearing a voice just before he lost consciousness—it was unmistakably Uchiha Shisui's.
Only now did he understand: Shisui hadn't died at all. He had faked his death to incite the Uchiha rebellion and justify the coup.
Gritting his teeth, Hiruzen growled, "Danzo was right. The Uchiha are a clan born of evil."
He had shown them mercy, tried to coexist. But the Uchiha refused to forgive or forget—they had tried to kill him anyway.
Uchiha Fugaku's actions had pushed him over the edge.
"Danzo, Sensei... I swear I'll carry on your will. I'll destroy the Uchiha clan," Hiruzen whispered to the sky.
He glanced at the Sharingan on his arm. "I still have nine uses of Izanagi left. I'll kill as many as I can."
Suddenly, his ears twitched. He quickly hid behind a tree.
Moments later, Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Shisui strolled by.
Shisui's face was swollen and bruised.
"I didn't expect the clan leader to be so strong..." he muttered, wincing.
Obito laughed, revealing a few missing teeth.
"So what? He still gave us the money in the end."
Shisui fell silent, clearly humiliated.
Neither of them had anticipated Uchiha Fugaku's strength. Despite their combined efforts, they had barely managed to overpower him. In the end, it had come down to numbers—two fists were no match for four hands. Fugaku had no choice but to hand over the money while begging for mercy.
Behind the tree, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched with seething rage. His fists clenched as he glared at Shisui.
He wanted nothing more than to strike now, but he knew better. Shisui was formidable, and Obito was there too.
If he were discovered, Fugaku would surely arrive with an entire army of Uchiha. No matter how many lives he had left, it wouldn't be enough to survive that.
So he could only watch as the two walked away.
"One day... Thirty years in the east, thirty in the west. I'll repay everything the Uchiha have done to me a hundredfold," he whispered through clenched teeth.
But before that—he needed time. Time to grow stronger.
---
NINJA MEDICAL LIMITED
Inside Orochimaru's Laboratory
Orochimaru sat cross-legged, silently cultivating. The spiritual energy in the room surged toward him, coiling around his body like smoke.
He opened his eyes slowly, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"So this is the Foundation Establishment stage," he muttered, clenching his fists and feeling the raw, coursing power inside him.
Standing up, his bones cracked loudly. He walked to the steel laboratory door.
"I wonder how much my strength has increased..." he murmured.
With a sudden punch, he struck the metal door.
BOOM.
A deep, clean fist mark appeared on the steel.
Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"This might be close to Tsunade's strength."
Not only had his physical power increased, but he could also feel his lifespan stretching.
According to the ancient texts, one who reached the Foundation Establishment stage could live up to 200 years. And this was just the beginning. There were still greater realms ahead: Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Fusion, Mahayana, and Tribulation Transcendence.
If he continued cultivating, eternal life was within reach.
"Now that I've reached the Foundation stage... it's time to send my teacher off. I didn't expect this day to come so soon," Orochimaru whispered with a chilling smile.
Just then, 007 pushed the laboratory door open.
"Mr. Orochimaru, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"Oh?" Orochimaru raised a brow. "Let's hear the good news first."
"Congratulations, sir—you're eligible for paid vacation."
"Why's that?"
"That's the bad news. Your teacher died this morning."
Orochimaru: "???"
Ãdvåñçé 60 çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)