The flames licked the serpent's body, and in the space of a breath, the half-meter-thick giant snake abruptly vanished. The flames, having lost their target, surged forward, threatening to spread towards the laboratory space the snake had just wrecked... Uchiha Fugaku halted the fire at the last possible moment.
At that moment, the flames were a hair's breadth away from the suddenly exposed wooden frames and the wreckage of the lab tables. Some areas had already been scorched by the intense heat, causing the wood to sweat resin and the paper to blacken.
But the scene remained largely intact... All the data, experimental equipment, and test subjects had only suffered the initial damage from the snake. The Fire Release, with the artistic precision characteristic of the Uchiha, had not caused any secondary destruction. In one corner of the laboratory was a collapsed hole, now mostly blocked by rubble and fallen stones created by the snake's passage.
"Hokage-sama!" Everyone's attention turned to the Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi acted decisively: "Leave a team behind to clean up this mess. The rest of the pursuit and reconnaissance squad, track down Orochimaru's trail!"
Soon, the reconnaissance team reported their findings. "Hokage-sama, our investigation shows the hole is a dead end, about three meters deep, leading nowhere. There are no traces in the surrounding area either... We can confirm Orochimaru is still here and has not left..."
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi came to a completely different conclusion—
"No, he's already gone."
No one in this world understood his student better than he did. Combining the Anbu's reconnaissance, he had already pieced together the choices Orochimaru must have made in that split second:
First, use the Summoning Jutsu to summon a python from Ryūchi Cave, using its massive body to block the view while simultaneously wrecking the lab. The purpose of destroying the lab wasn't to eliminate evidence, but to buy time—time for them to clean up the lab, sort through, and recover the data intact. This time-consuming task would divert their focus, giving Orochimaru a sufficient window to calmly escape Konoha.
Then, perform his unique Snake Stream Substitution Jutsu, spitting out a small snake to slip away unnoticed... The remaining shed skin would soon turn to mud.
Orochimaru's jutsu were always meticulous when it came to 'cleaning up,' never leaving any unnecessary evidence behind!
"Assemble all of Konoha's reconnaissance and assassination squads!"
The Sandaime issued the order.
After giving the command, the Sandaime left using the Body Flicker Jutsu. After several flickers, he reappeared in the Anbu's main training hall.
One by one, members of the assassination and reconnaissance squads arrived fully equipped and masked. The 'flashes' created by the Body Flicker Jutsu flickered continuously in the gloomy, solemn hall, like stars blinking incessantly in a deep autumn night sky.
Finally, the flashes ceased.
The Sandaime briefly explained the purpose of the assembly, emphasizing the need to capture Orochimaru alive if at all possible—the absolute bottom line was to prevent him from leaving Konoha. Orochimaru was a multi-talented individual, a walking library and mobile laboratory with his grasp of scientific techniques, Ninjutsu knowledge, and vast reserves of information. Losing such a person would be a devastating blow to Konoha!
The Sandaime speculated that Orochimaru must already be very weak. The Snake Stream Substitution Jutsu was different from other substitution techniques—
Each use of the Snake Stream Substitution Jutsu left the user in a state of weakness.
To escape, Orochimaru had abandoned his body, transforming into a small snake. That meant he had discarded over ninety-nine percent of his mass—or perhaps his substitution wasn't into a single snake, but dozens, scattering in all directions... Each one could potentially be Orochimaru.
"Move out!"
The hall flickered once more, and in an instant, the Anbu vanished without a trace.
Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled a long stream of smoke before speaking. "Uchiha Fug Take... That move truly caught this old man off guard. Their target was actually Orochimaru. With this matter exposed to the light, Orochimaru's fate is sealed—this forces me to mobilize the assassination squads, weakening the forces around me..."
It was only then that Danzo, who had been standing silently in the shadows behind him, finally spoke up. "Next, they will likely stage a coup!"
"So, what do you suggest?"
"Make up your mind, Hiruzen! There's no time for hesitation now—we must resolve this before the coup. Otherwise..."
Otherwise... Konoha would experience unprecedented turmoil. coups are never gentle—
They are the tyranny of one group over another, a process inevitably stained with the blood of many.
And those who die would undoubtedly be capable Ninjas... This would mean Konoha would fall into a state of unprecedented weakness. As a 'center,' once it shows excessive vulnerability, its downfall is not far off. The Land of Wind would be the first to try and destroy it, to possess it, and the other three great nations would follow suit... "Konoha cannot withstand such upheaval..."
Danzo's voice was cold and detached.
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally relented. "Danzo! I hope your words truly come from a heart dedicated to Konoha!"
...As night fell, Inoichi Yamanaka returned home, dragging a body full of exhaustion. He took Ino's hand and led her to the study, casually sending Nobuko away—not out of distrust, but because he needed to ask Ino some things that, due to confidentiality requirements, Nobuko could not know about. Inoichi said, "My dear, I haven't had a proper bath in days. Could you prepare some hot water for me?"
Once inside the study, Inoichi placed Ino on the desk, sat down in the chair himself, and faced her directly.
"Today... the Uchiha Clan made their move. They presented the Hokage with dossiers and investigative reports on Konoha's missing persons, directly implicating Orochimaru."
"Now, Orochimaru has defected..."
A wave of astonishment washed over Ino: she truly hadn't imagined that the Uchiha's coup would be connected to Orochimaru's defection.
The reality was that the Uchiha had forced the Sandaime to personally brand Orochimaru a rogue ninja.
She thought to herself, "No wonder. When I read some fanfics and online analyses, I was always confused—how did Danzo end up being the mastermind behind it all? No matter how you look at it, it never made much sense. After all, why would you push away such a useful scientific talent, someone who could be used sustainably, continuously creating value and benefits?"
Danzo wasn't'stupid' enough for that—in the original story, his targeting of Yakushi Nono wasn't because she lacked talent, but because she wanted to quit, to retire at such a young age.
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