Spitting Snakes

When Shuichi visited the Land of Iron, several wounded ninjas were receiving treatment in the Medical Unit of the Anbu Base in Konoha.

"Uh... Ahh..."

Amidst the soft groans, the Third Hokage, clad in his Hokage Robe, rushed over and immediately asked, "How is it?"

"They've all been Snake Venom, supposedly attacked by Orochimaru," the Medical Unit Captain quickly replied. "One of the team members will regain consciousness soon, please wait a moment."

With the medical staff's best efforts, a brown-haired youth quickly opened his eyes and, seeing the Third Hokage beside him, struggled to say, "Third Lord..."

"Don't rush, tell me everything." The Third Hokage spoke calmly, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"... Yes, we were on a mission at the border and planned to return as soon as possible after we finished, but Orochimaru suddenly appeared halfway there and attacked us without saying a word..."

He had several powerful henchmen beside him, but for some reason they didn't kill them. Only the Two Captains were taken away by him, who said they were going to...

The Third Hokage pressed, "What did he say? Don't hide anything."

"They wanted them involved in their experiments, and even specifically said... if the Lord Hokage hadn't gone to save them soon, who knows what would have happened!"

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened. Orochimaru had specifically kidnapped two Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan and even sent the other team members back to report, clearly targeting him, his teacher. He wondered what this traitorous disciple was plotting.

"I understand." The Third Hokage turned and instructed, "Xiang, immediately gather a squad of Anbu and follow me. The village's affairs are temporarily in the hands of the two advisors."

"Wait, Hiruzen!" A somewhat aged voice rang out as Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu arrived side-by-side at the Anbu Base. "This matter involves the Sarutobi Clan. I know you want to handle it alone, without using the village's resources, but one Anbu is simply too few."

"Orochimaru has become very dangerous. He's already made moves against the village's ninjas, and it's not uncommon for him to collude with outsiders to frame you, after all, back then..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen a deep breath, "Orochimaru, he..."

"Then I'll go with you!"

Ding ding--

A figure emerged from the darkness, a wooden cane tapping slowly and rhythmically on the ground. A dark robe covered the right half of his body; it was none other than Shimura Danzō, the leader of Root.

"Add to that a team of elite Root cultivators, and a perception expert skilled in reconnaissance, and we can handle any situation."

The two advisors exchanged a glance and felt that the Third Hokage and Danzo should be able to handle the situation together. With their years of experience in the Shinobi World, they could safely escape even if the enemy country sent a large number of ninjas to attack them.

"Alright then, if the situation turns unfavorable, we can retreat first."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh--

After quickly completing preparations, the Third Hokage Danzo changed into their combat suits and, along with two other teams of eight, rushed out of the village. The reason for not carrying out a large-scale operation was because...

"Orochimaru left a message specifying a location within the Land of Fire, near the border of the Land of Grass."

The Third Hokage informed those around them. "The personnel stationed there recently sent back intelligence that no foreign invasion has been detected, but regardless, please be on high alert."

"Yes!"

Swish!

Having spent a day and a half traveling, the Third Hokage and his group, still in peak physical condition, were approaching the location Orochimaru had described, and their actions became quite cautious.

"Dog, track them down."

Sniff, sniff...

The nose beneath the Anbu mask twitched slightly. "That's right, the scent of the two Jonin is ahead, and they haven't shown any signs of moving."

"Okay, let's move on!"

A while later, another member of the Anbu raised his hand, formed a hand Hand Seals, and activated his Byakugan!

"I see it!" After careful observation, he immediately reported to the leader, "About 650 meters to the northwest, there's a huge underground space right there."

"Are there any other ninjas around?" Danzo asked promptly.

"... No, within a kilometer radius, there are only two people standing still. Judging from their figures, one of them is Orochimaru."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly. "What's Orochimaru up to? This overconfidence isn't like him..."

Although something felt off, they continued onward.

With overwhelming overall strength and no other enemies nearby, there's no reason for them to be timid and hesitant.

The Third Hokage has decided to personally educate his disciples and bring Orochimaru, this dangerous individual, back to Konoha and imprison him.

Ahead, there were some dark Underground cave. The stone walls on the ceiling didn't look very thick, and some sunlight shone through the cracks, which was enough for a ninja to see things clearly.

Orochimaru, having removed his Konoha vest and Forehead Protector, stood with one hand on his hip; his loose-fitting white and black outfit looked somewhat dowdy.

The purple shimenawa (sacred rope) on his back, symbolizing good fortune, actually accentuates his sinister aura.

Judging from his facial expression, he must be living quite happily after being away from the village for many years.

"The people are coming. Among them are the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and two other teams of Anbu," the mysterious man beside him said.

Upon closer inspection, this person was actually staring with a pair of Byakugan, yet his tone of voice was extremely familiar to Orochimaru, "Experiencing the Byakugan like this is truly a strange feeling, but their power is very strong, are you sure you can handle it?"

"Danzo came along too..." Orochimaru chuckled lightly, saying nonchalantly, "It seems he thinks dealing with me isn't too difficult and wants to take this opportunity to seize the experimental results."

Hmph, you don't need to worry about anything else, Kabuto. Just focus on maintaining the Barrier.

"My strength is no match for yours. Controlling four Jonin is already my limit. If I were to participate in the battle, I would be overwhelmed." Kabuto's voice came from the Byakugan ninja. "Moreover, the strength of the Four Violet Flames Formation may not be enough to withstand the combined attack of the Hokage and Danzo."

"It's alright, we still have two Sarutobi ninjas at our disposal. I suppose my beloved teacher is planning to deal with me alone..."

Swish Swish Swish--

Without giving them more time to talk, numerous figures rushed out of the underground passage and confronted Orochimaru and his companion a few dozen meters away.

"Senior Eishi! How could this be? Didn't he sacrifice himself in the last great battle?" The Byakugan Anbu exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing the branch family elder opposite them.

"It's the Impure World Reincarnation..." Sarutobi Hiruzen stared intently at Hyuga Eishi's face, his expression extremely grim. "Orochimaru, you really did research this Forbidden Jutsu, and you're shamelessly toying with the dead. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Hehe, long time no see, Teacher Sarutobi." Orochimaru licked his long, scarlet tongue, slightly excited, and said, "Today I've prepared a special gift for you to celebrate our long-awaited reunion."

Boom boom--

The ground began to shake violently. The Third Hokage was the first to react, shouting, "Watch your step! Spread out!"

Thud... The enormous snake head slammed upwards, its gaping maw ready to devour its prey, but the Konoha Ninja dodged with lightning speed, leaving only pebbles inside its belly.

The giant snake quickly shut its mouth and smashed its head against the top of the stone wall, making the scene even more chaotic.

Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!

The Edo Tensei Body Hyuga Eishi cast the spell first, and three figures emerged from the coffin. The four of them, along with Orochimaru, rushed into the rubble and took their positions.

Before the smoke had even cleared, a dark figure swiftly attacked Sarutobi Hiruzen, and upon breaking through, it was... Orochimaru's head!

Its neck stretched out like a long white whip, looking extremely terrifying.

He spat out a snake's head, which then unleashed a sharp sword blade, gleaming with a cold light, aimed straight at the Third Hokage's chest.