"What?!"
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire body suddenly turned to mud. It surged toward the attacker's right hand and pinned it firmly in place.
A moment later, Hiruzen emerged from the wall, holding a one-handed seal. "Who are you?" he demanded coldly.
The mud churned, wrapping tightly around the attacker's body. He couldn't even make a fist, let alone form hand seals.
Seeing Hiruzen subdue the attacker in an instant, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, their spirits lifting. As expected of Lord Hokage, they thought.
Hiruzen, however, didn't let his guard down. The attacker gave him a very dangerous feeling, and the Binding Technique formed from an Earth Clone might not be enough to hold him.
So as he approached, Hiruzen secretly gathered chakra and tensed every muscle, ready to spring into action at any moment.
Just then, an unbelievable sight unfolded.
The attacker's neck twisted a full three hundred and sixty degrees. His dark golden eyes fixed on Hiruzen, and he let out a mocking laugh.
"Teacher Sarutobi, it's been many years. You haven't lost your touch!"
At the sound of that hoarse voice, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. He blurted, "Orochimaru? Is it really you?"
The moment he saw the attacker's dark golden, slit-pupiled eyes, Hiruzen had already begun to suspect who it was.
But he hadn't expected it really to be Orochimaru.
Master and student hadn't seen each other in nearly ten years.
He hadn't imagined they would reunite like this.
Clearly, Orochimaru had returned to Konoha this time to settle the score with him!
Did he resent Hiruzen for choosing Minato?
Or for driving him out of the village?
Or did he resent Hiruzen for treating them differently—exiling him from the village while leaving Danzo unpunished?
As Hiruzen pondered, the