Jiraiya Pursues Orochimaru

The Hokage Office.

The Third Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared in shock at Shimura Danzō, while Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu nodded awkwardly. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Danzo, you!

This time, Shimura Danzō finally got his revenge. He gritted his teeth, took out a scroll from his pocket, and threw it directly at the Third Hokage.

"Open your eyes and take a good look at this scroll. Did I send it to you from my Root, and then you had Root people bring it back to me intact?"

"Take a good look at when I ever planned something that everyone knew about. Don't I regret what happened to White Fang? Don't I know how much damage it would do for the village to lose a Kage Level fighter? Now the village is full of your Sarutobi Clan. Oh, and you, that ambitious and arrogant eldest daughter-in-law who only wants to be the Hokage's Wife, did it too."

This time, Shimura Danzō showed no mercy. He had planned to win Orochimaru over after Sarutobi abandoned him again, making him an Orochimaru in his hands. But now, things have gone awry. The weapon has lost its hilt and is now all blades, hurting people everywhere.

At that moment, Danzo saw the scroll Hiruzen Sarutobi threw at him. After opening it, his face turned red. He had been careless! He had been far too careless!

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura knew at this moment that this was not the time for infighting, and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to shirk responsibility, but to figure out how to deal with Orochimaru's matter."

When the topic of Orochimaru came up, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, the Sannin ninja, all looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, faced the gazes of the three, he turned pale and even seemed somewhat lost, slumping into a chair.

"Too late! Orochimaru has already fallen into darkness. He's researching the Forbidden Technique you gave him! He wants to develop Immortality Ninjutsu! He's even attacked my Anbu."

"What!" The three were shocked, but seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's dejected state, they knew that this time things were really going to get serious.

The three of them felt a chill run down their spines. Shimura Danzō cursed, "Damn it! Orochimaru has defected? The Hokage candidate has defected? It would be a miracle if nothing happened to the village. We need to bring Orochimaru back right now!"

"How are we going to find him?" Upon hearing this, Utatane Koharu stomped her foot in anger. "This is pushing us too far! If Orochimaru defectes, it will be a huge disaster. The entire Land of Fire will be thrown into turmoil, and it could even trigger a chain reaction."

"Sarutobi! This time you need to really clean up your Sarutobi Clan!"

All three spoke up. Originally, according to their plan, they wanted to suppress Orochimaru and Prestige his reputation. The Third Hokage himself was in great pain, realizing that he had been careless and had never expected that Orochimaru would actually become so deeply entangled in this dark Ninjutsu.

After all, Immortality Ninjutsu is impossible in the minds of ordinary ninjas; if one could truly be immortal, then one would be a god.

Even the entire Shinobi World acknowledged that Orochimaru, with his extraordinary talent, had exceeded everyone's expectations, plunging headfirst into the abyss and never being able to get out.

Furthermore, driven by ambition, a woman made the matter even more public, spreading it throughout the city and leaving Orochimaru with no way out.

Once the ins and outs became clear, the Third Hokage quickly calmed down; the current situation was about to change for the entire village.

"Pass down the order: two squads from the Anbu are to be dispatched to pursue Orochimaru!"

"The Root organization will cooperate unconditionally. Orochimaru may be injured, but he's definitely not easy to deal with. Danzo, you can't escape responsibility this time either!"

After glaring fiercely at Danzo, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, temporarily suppressed all his emotions and looked at the three of them, saying in a deep voice, "We cannot bear the consequences of Hokage candidate defecting, nor can the entire Konoha bear them. Issue an order to pursue Orochimaru with all our might throughout the Land of Fire!"

At this point, there was no way to salvage the situation, so he had no choice but to make a painful decision: either capture Orochimaru or keep him within the Land of Fire to minimize the damage.

The blow to Konoha was truly devastating when Orochimaru, a defector who had hidden himself in the Shinobi World, emerged.

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzō snorted coldly. He secretly made a plan in his mind. This was clearly the work of the Sarutobi Clan. If Orochimaru succeeded in his defection, it would be a good opportunity to damage the reputation of the Sarutobi clan. At that time, it seemed that he would also have a chance.

As for Shin'nosuke Sarutobi? Hmph, what a woman's perspective. He's made such a big fuss about this. But he knows the Third. The Third Hokage would never tolerate someone who caused so much damage to the village just for the Hokage Position and still holds a high position.

Suddenly, Danzo realized that this was actually to his advantage, and he sneered inwardly, "Sarutobi! This time it's your fault, don't blame me."

Orochimaru was caught red-handed by the Third Hokage while conducting Human Experimentation, but he escaped!

This news swept through Konoha like a hurricane, shocking countless ninjas. Many couldn't believe it—how could this be!

However, everyone fell silent after the official arrest warrant was issued. Although he had not yet been labeled Rogue Ninja, it was already a fact.

Orochimaru's experiments on the village's ninjas, and the news of his inhumanity, began to spread like wildfire.

It seemed as if a huge force was secretly pushing all of this forward. Although the Konoha High Command had noticed and hurriedly tried to stop it, too many interests were involved. Many people saw that the wall was about to collapse and began to secretly add fuel to the fire.

The Sarutobi Clan spared no effort in their pursuit of their own interests and the hope that another Hokage would emerge from their clan.

Next came the Ino-Shika-Cho. Although the three clans usually kept a low profile, they knew the principle of "if you don't kill the snake, you'll suffer the consequences." They were from the Hokage Faction, which had clearly Orochimaru Hokage Faction.

The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans also desire the current stability, and many have begun to secretly work to continue spreading this news.

With Orochimaru gone, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi will no longer have any rivals in Konoha. The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans will continue to maintain stable political interests.

As things escalated, the interests involved in the Hokage's rebellion became too vast. Over the years, with the Third Hokage in power, this had almost formed a huge network of relationships, so intimidating that it was suffocating.

With the covert manipulation of the situation, Konoha's higher-ups were horrified to discover that things were out of control. They experienced firsthand the terrifying power of public opinion.

The White Fang Incident was the first time they utilized the power of public opinion. They didn't need to expend much resources to generate public opinion. At that time, they didn't know how to control it; they just felt a sense of fervor. They were excited and satisfied, and they completely destroyed White Fang's reputation with almost no cost.

However, it was only when White Fang committed seppuku that the higher-ups of Konoha began to fear this power—it had actually driven a powerful Kage Level shinobi to his death!

While Orochimaru had his own reasons this time, wasn't it also due to the tacit acceptance of the Hokage's higher-ups? Orochimaru was utterly desperate about the village and plunged headlong into the pursuit of immortality Ninjutsu, choosing to sever all ties with the village.

It's truly a cruel twist of fate; no one could have predicted such an ending.

Even within the Sarutobi Clan Grounds, fear was palpable on the face of the Third Hokage's Eldest Daughter-in-law. She realized they had lost control; public opinion was out of control, completely spiraling out of control. She wanted to condemn Orochimaru, but only in terms of reputation; she had never considered his Orochimaru defection!

Her plan from the beginning was simple: completely destroy Orochimaru's reputation, ensuring he had no chance of recovery, then have her husband take over, and send Orochimaru to guard the border—wouldn't that be better?

Uchiha Yoru was unaware of the tremors that had occurred in Konoha. He had already pursued the enemy out of the village and was now in a vast forest.

Despite clutching his severely injured waist, Orochimaru wore a unique smile on his pale face. "Heh, Lord Yoru, it seems you want your teacher to prove your strength this time."

It's obvious that Orochimaru misunderstood. At this time, his emotions were extremely sensitive. He had been abandoned by his teacher and the village, and he had cut off everything without any resistance. But it would be a lie to say that he didn't resent it.

Knowing full well the terror of Forbidden Technique, they still gave it to him, all to scheme against him. How could he not resent it? Now, as you wished, he has discovered a new world, but no one recognizes his talent.

"Teacher Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya is here!"

Uchiha Yoru looked at his disheveled teacher and said these words. Orochimaru immediately smiled upon hearing this, but this time his smile contained a hint of urgency.

Jiraiya! With his student added to the mix, it seems he's really in grave danger this time.

"Hehe, Lord Yoru is indeed more like a snake than I am, lying in wait for so long, only preparing to strike when victory is assured."

It was clear that Orochimaru was aware of his student's ambitions. He believed that Uchiha Yoru wanted to use his name to gain fame and at the same time seize his inheritance in the village.

Orochimaru!

Just then, with a loud, angry roar, Jiraiya descended from the sky. He Jiraiya wearing combat metal plate armor and was filled with rage as he looked at Orochimaru's disheveled appearance.

"Aren't you going to reconsider, Orochimaru?!"

Despite his initial rage, Jiraiya's anger vanished upon seeing Orochimaru's severely injured state, replaced by endless sorrow in his eyes. He uttered his final, unwilling question: Why! Why did you betray the village!

Orochimaru turned his head and revealed an evil smile. I looked at Jiraiya chasing after me, my hand already clenched tightly on the Kunai.

"Ridiculous! Even jokes have their limits! We're just one step away! The research has reached its final stage, and I'm about to obtain everything. My capacity is beyond the reach of Konoha! For this purpose, from now on, I will utilize any village or entity!"

At this moment, Orochimaru was extremely frantic. He had clearly found his direction, but he was unwilling to give up!

Jiraiya's face showed grief; his comrade Orochimaru had actually come to this, and his hands clenched tightly involuntarily.

However, at that moment, in Jiraiya's eyes, this aloof Uchiha boy, who was also the first time he had seen Orochimaru's newly recruited disciple, stood in front of him.

"Teacher Orochimaru! You go first. Take this Ninjutsu with you. Don't trust Root on your escape! And also!"

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru, gripping the Kusanagi Sword and crackling with electricity, coldly stared at Jiraiya. He casually tossed a scroll to Orochimaru, saying hoarsely, "I will do everything in my power to stop Lord Jiraiya! And escape! Only if you, Sensei, escape will you have a chance to prove yourself!"

Stunned! Shocked!

Jiraiya was shocked that Orochimaru's disciple, this Uchiha brat, was actually trying to stop him. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was astonished that his student seemed to give him a sense of trust similar to that between Jiraiya and the Sannin.

He had always known about his student's ambition. He had thought that the student would try to hold him back for personal gain, but unexpectedly, the student ended up holding off his pursuers at the last moment.

Upon seeing the word 'substitute' on the scroll in his hand, Orochimaru's pupils shrank, and his shocked expression gradually transformed into a sickly smile.

"Heh, Jiraiya, it seems I've taken on a decent disciple this time."

Great Snake Substitute Technique!

Orochimaru knew about this Ninjutsu; it was an idea proposed by his student some time ago. It was Ninjutsu that perfectly transferred injuries, like a snake shedding its skin. At that time, he excitedly agreed that the concept of this Ninjutsu was feasible, but he simply didn't have the time. He never expected that his student would actually develop it on his own.

In the original story, Orochimaru spent a lot of effort escaping Konoha's pursuit after being injured during his defection. From this, we can infer that Orochimaru had not yet developed this Ninjutsu at that time.

This is a real world, and he couldn't guarantee that things wouldn't change. Besides, he also needed this Ninjutsu, so he exchanged for it in advance.

This would be a perfect opportunity to give to Orochimaru as a favor, as Orochimaru, who had severed all ties with the world, was at his most emotionally sensitive at this time.

"Jiraiya, it seems you can't stop me this time."

Orochimaru was never the type to show his emotions on his face. Instead, he turned to Jiraiya, shook the scroll in his hand, and revealed an evil smile.

However, upon Jiraiya burst into laughter, exasperated. "Orochimaru, you send this brat to hold me back? Aren't you afraid I'll make you lose this disciple?!"

As Jiraiya said this, his powerful Chakra aura surged forth, and blue Chakra could even be seen flowing across his body—a sight only a ninja with a vast amount of Chakra could create.

An overwhelming sense of Chakra pressure swept over them, and a powerful gust of wind whipped their long hair wildly. Orochimaru glanced meaningfully at his student, a hint of disappointment in his golden snake eyes.

"It's a pity, Lord Yoru. This time, your teacher probably won't have time to see how strong you are. However, I'll lend you one last helping hand in dealing with Jiraiya."

Orochimaru instantly began Hand Seals, and Jiraiya, seeing this, reflexively began Hand Seals Jiraiya well.

Hai-Xu-You-Shen-Wei!

Orochimaru and Jiraiya quickly formed the same hand seals, and finally slammed their hands heavily onto the ground.