Inside a dark corridor, the Third led two Anbu members forward swiftly. As they drew closer to their destination, the Third's heart sank—he was witnessing the one scenario he feared most.
At the end of the corridor stood a lone figure—the Third's most promising disciple, Orochimaru.
Though he had anticipated this, seeing Orochimaru in person still pained the Third deeply. "Orochimaru… I truly hoped I wouldn't find you here. Tell me why."
In contrast to the Third's sorrow, Orochimaru remained calm. "Sensei, why pretend with such false concern? You should've figured it out already, haven't you?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru held up a shed skin of a white serpent.
Upon seeing it, the Third immediately understood. "So it's immortality you seek? That is both forbidden and an illusion."
At these words, Orochimaru's serpentine pupils sharply narrowed, though a smile remained on his face. "Sensei, although your power remains, your heart has grown old. Indeed, once someone gets old, they tend to settle for the ordinary. Aging… is such a hollow thing."
The Third fell silent for a moment before biting his thumb and forming hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu—Enma, come forth!"
Enma appeared and, glaring fiercely at Orochimaru, scolded the Third, "Sarutobi, I told you long ago—this disciple's eyes burn with endless ambition. You should've kept watch over him. But it's not too late now. Kill him."
Seeing Enma appear, Orochimaru realized battle was inevitable. Without hesitation, he launched his attack first. [Wind Release – Great Breakthrough!]
The powerful Wind Release technique unleashed devastating effects within the confined space. All experimental materials within the room shattered into pieces. The two unprepared Anbu members behind the Third bled instantly and fell. Even the Third himself staggered backward, leaning against a wall, momentarily immobilized.
Realizing what had happened, Orochimaru quickly recovered, smirking slightly before using Shunshin to reach behind the Third. Glancing complexly at his teacher's back, he then fled down the corridor's exit.
Enma shouted angrily at the Third, "Sarutobi! What are you doing? You'll regret this!"
Hearing this, the Third simply sighed and shut his eyes. In his mind, he recalled how adorable Orochimaru had been as a child. A deep sorrow welled up inside him. Though they were known as master and student, Sarutobi had always seen Orochimaru as a son. He'd even considered passing on the mantle of Hokage to him someday.
Such emotions ultimately softened his resolve.
Meanwhile, far away in Takigakure, Anya knew nothing of the turmoil erupting in Konoha. Swamped with one task after another, he barely had time for cultivation anymore. Now he finally understood why the Third aged so fast—handling even a hundred or so people was already this tiring. As Hokage, Sarutobi was responsible for an entire village, and that came with infinitely more worries.
Of the remaining Akatsuki members under Zero Organization, Sasori focused only on his puppets while Kakuzu cared only for money—neither possessed administrative capability. Anya had no choice but to handle everything himself. Fortunately, the poison worked well; no one dared to rebel yet. Otherwise, things would've gotten a lot messier.
After assigning the members into groups, Anya was about to head back. Thinking about how long he had been away, it had already been far too long. Given Tsunade's personality, she was probably about to blow her lid.
Before returning, Anya paid one last visit to Sasori.
Sasori had already guessed: "Big Brother Kurotsuchi, are you heading back to Konoha?"
Anya nodded: "Yes, it's time to go back. Sasori, remember what I told you: don't transform yourself into a puppet. Believe in your own potential. Also, don't tag along with Kakuzu on missions. If you run into danger, prioritize survival above all."
In the past few days, Sasori had come to fully understand Kakuzu's personality, so naturally, he understood Big Brother Kurotsuchi's concern: "I know. Big Brother Kurotsuchi, I'll help you earn money and expand the Organization. Hope you return soon."
"Haha." Anya laughed: "Alright then, I'm leaving the Organization in your hands. I'm off."
After finishing his words, Anya rode away on the Eagle Puppet. At this early stage, he didn't need to pour too much energy into this newly established Organization—as long as Sasori and Kakuzu didn't get into trouble, the rest were merely pawns.
Once the Organization officially recruited more members in the future, Kakuzu's issues would truly need to be addressed. The only suitable partner for him, aside from Hidan from the original storyline, was really no one else.
However, Anya had no clue where Hidan had come from, nor whether he had already acquired immortality. These matters could only be dealt with later.
Right now, the Organization only needed to focus on two things: first, make money; second, recruit special talents.
After clarifying everything in his mind, Anya started heading back to Konoha at full speed.
At this moment, outside Konoha's forest, Orochimaru casually dropped a bloodstained kunai and turned to leave. Behind him, more than ten Anbu agents had already fallen to the ground.
"Orochimaru, you're not leaving."
A furious voice rang out. Jiraiya came rushing from a distance, and upon seeing the corpses of the Anbu agents on the ground, he couldn't help but shout: "Look at what you've done. Come back to the village with me and accept your punishment."
Orochimaru glanced at his former comrade and continued walking forward without looking back.
"Stop right there!"
Right in front of Orochimaru's path, Tsunade smashed the ground with a punch. The surrounding earth cracked open, then rose into the air, forming an earthen wall that blocked Orochimaru's escape.
Orochimaru was trapped, with no way out as the other two Sannin stood between him and escape.
Jiraiya stepped forward, his voice trembling with intense emotion as he demanded, "Why did you betray the village, Orochimaru? Speak up—I'm asking you!"
Orochimaru sighed, then gave a cold, sinister smile: "Jiraiya, even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Rational people will always clash with those who aren't. Like darkness and light entwined, we pursue different things—we'll never see eye to eye."
Tsunade coldly snorted: "Don't talk nonsense, Orochimaru. Not only did you secretly conduct forbidden human experiments, but you also handed these half-finished test subjects to a village boy, cutting his life short tragically. Your heart is far too dark."
After hearing Tsunade's words, Orochimaru finally understood how he had been exposed. "I see. You were present when that little brat took revenge."
Tsunade spoke slowly and clearly: "Of course. I witnessed everything."
How reckless to seek revenge while Tsunade was present—clearly that child inherited none of his father's calmness or patience. And as for Anya—she was utterly incompetent not to have disposed of the body right away. Did she even consider the consequences? Or perhaps she no longer wished to repay the debt of those two and a half years?
Orochimaru fell into deep thought momentarily.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>