On the evening of October 10th, Konoha Year 48.
"Teacher, it seems like you really like coming here?"
Two figures, one large and one small, stood on the Hokage Rock. Anko was also a little puzzled as to why Orochimaru would bring her to such a place.
Moreover, Orochimaru's behavior has been somewhat strange these past few days; he's stopped doing research and stopped cooking.
It wasn't that Orochimaru was being lazy; it was just that this was the first time a mission had been assigned to Orochimaru since the Fourth Hokage took office.
Even with the entire village on high alert, he was no exception. Fortunately, it was said that it would only last a few days. Although Anko was puzzled, she didn't ask any further questions.
"You can see the whole village from here, so of course you come here to see the scenery!"
Upon hearing Orochimaru's answer, Anko also looked down at the village. The village was under curfew long ago, and the scattered lights were faintly visible.
Except for the absence of pedestrians on the street, it was no different from usual, still a peaceful and warm scene.
"Do you remember the last lesson I taught my students at the Ninja Academy?"
Orochimaru gently patted Anko Orochimaru's head, a doting smile appearing on his face.
Anko was naturally deeply impressed by the few classes Orochimaru taught at the Ninja Academy; the content he taught was enough for many ninjas to learn for a lifetime.
"I remember! Was it about facing your fears?"
Anko didn't know why Orochimaru would bring this up. Although she had passed the test, she was still quite frightened.
"I'm giving you a task. Tonight, you'll stay here and watch the entire time. No matter what happens, you can't leave the Hokage Rock! Can you do it?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru squatted down and looked at Anko with a serious expression, puzzled.
Here you can watch the entire Nine-Tails' Attack unfold, and as expected, a Tailed Beast Bomb was also launched towards this location.
Such an opportunity to experience death up close is rare, and Orochimaru went to great lengths to teach his disciple.
Although it has a somewhat morbid sense of humor and goes against the grain, Anko will never grow up without experiencing certain things and will always remain under Orochimaru's wing.
Besides, she hasn't even participated in the Third Great Ninja War yet; she's only experienced the destructive power of the Tailed Beasts up close. This is nothing!
Seeing Orochimaru's serious face, Anko also became serious. It was the first time she had ever seen her teacher with such a stern expression.
"I'll listen to the teacher!"
Orochimaru nodded as always, his expression softening as he pinched her soft, smooth cheek.
"Don't worry, your teacher is here. Just trust your teacher!"
Just as the master and apprentice were talking, a patrolling ninja from the Anbu discovered them near the Hokage Rock.
Upon seeing that it was Orochimaru, they did not approach him for questioning. Although Konoha had imposed a curfew, the Jonin were still on standby at any time.
Besides the Konoha Military Police Force, there are also quite a few ninjas responsible for patrolling in the open.
Orochimaru, as one of the Legendary Three Ninjas, wouldn't raise any suspicion if he appeared here.
As for Anko, he didn't take a Chunin girl seriously at all.
The patrolling ninja quickly forgot about the place, and Orochimaru didn't care. Instead, he felt a little bored and took out a bottle of sake from behind him and started drinking it by himself.
Seeing her teacher's expression, Anko sat down as well. Although she didn't know why Orochimaru had brought her here, her greatest strength was that she was obedient.
The two quietly gazed at the village below, the evening breeze caressing their faces, their hair fluttering in the wind—it was indeed a pleasant night.
"Teacher, where is Sister Shizune now?"
After a long while, Anko suddenly said something that made Orochimaru, who was thinking about how to deal with what was to come, pause for a moment.
"What? Missing your Shizune sister?"
When Orochimaru asked her question, Anko didn't say anything, but just smiled sweetly at him.
For a fleeting moment, Orochimaru's eyes glazed over, as if the person sitting before him was still that fierce, unattainable White Moonlight.
Before he could sink deeper into his memories, an explosion sounded from afar.
The distance was quite far, and the sound was rather faint; an ordinary person would probably think it was a hallucination.
However, Orochimaru's five senses are not what they used to be, and his Mind Net also detected an unusual fluctuation.
"It's going to get windy!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru stood up abruptly, and Anko followed suit, her gaze fixed on Orochimaru.
However, after looking for a while, he found nothing unusual and his eyes became even more puzzled.
She felt that Orochimaru was acting a bit mysteriously tonight. Just as she was about to ask Orochimaru what he was looking at, a violent explosion came from the village.
"They're here!"
Orochimaru's Mind Net had already sensed the point of explosion; the faint Chakra fluctuations seemed familiar.
"What happened?"
Anko stared intently, but before she could get a good look, a colossal object appeared before her.
"Awooo...!"
The hundred-meter-tall behemoth appeared directly in the village without disturbing the village's barrier; it was none other than the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Residential buildings are like toys to it; it destroys them wantonly as soon as they appear.
"The fully evolved Nine-Tails is truly astonishing!"
Looking at the Nine-Tails in front of me, its head is almost as tall as the Hokage Rock. No wonder the Tailed Beast Bomb came at me horizontally.
"This... this..."
Anko, who was standing to the side, was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt down on the ground, unable to utter a single word.
The appearance of the Nine-Tails caused great panic. At this time, many villagers were already asleep, thinking that as usual, they would just close their eyes and open them again for another day.
But the sudden disaster jolted them awake, and when they saw the horrific scene, they instantly lost the will to resist.
Many people were so terrified they wet themselves on the spot, completely stunned. Even more tragic were the civilians who lost their lives while still asleep.
"Monster...!"
"Run! What are you standing there for!"
"Help... Ah..."
Under natural disasters, all living beings are equal, and no one is more noble than anyone else. The entire Konoha was thrown into chaos in an instant, and fear filled everyone's hearts like a plague.
Even from this Orochimaru could hear the residents' wails and screams.
"Non-combatants, immediately cover the villagers' evacuation! Combatants, follow me!"
The Konoha frontline Military Police Force took the lead, and the village's Anbu Ninja also rushed to the scene, Jonin who had been waiting for orders reacted just as quickly.
But no matter how many ninjas there are, they are like ants in front of the Nine-Tails; a single slap can kill several of them.
This also resulted in heavy casualties among Konoha's ninjas. Despite the devastation of their country, these ninjas remained highly conscious, even risking their lives to throw themselves into the flames. Perhaps this is what the Third Hokage Will of Fire!
"Teacher! Should we go down and help?"
Although Anko's eyes were filled with fear after she regained her senses, as Orochimaru's disciple, her mentality was not as fragile as one might imagine.
"Wait a minute, it's not time yet!"
Seeing Orochimaru still slowly and deliberately drinking alcohol, even though Anko was very anxious, she could only obey his orders.
Now is not the time for him to make his appearance, let alone for little Anko. One more of her won't make a difference. Going over now would be like walking into the line of fire, wouldn't it?
It would be good to treat the wounded afterward. Since Nawaki's death, Orochimaru's disciples have never suffered such a tragedy again. There's a reason why they survived to the end.