Graphic Scene, Those with Shortened Limbs Should Not Enter!

This day was also the last day of rest for the ninja forces.

Tōka, who was training in the forest, suddenly felt his heart tighten as three killing auras appeared around him.

"Anbu?" Tōka's eyes flickered with confusion as he saw the animal masks on the faces of the newcomers.

Those returning from the battlefield would need at least a week to recover. The Anbu showing up so quickly must mean trouble!

As expected!

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, one of them raised their hand and threw a transfer order.

"Operation Snake Capture?" Tōka opened the scroll, his eyes falling on the four large characters written in crimson cinnabar.

"Gather at the designated location at midnight tonight."

As the hawk-faced Anbu member finished speaking, he gestured and the three of them vanished without giving Tōka a chance to react.

The three came and went like the wind, their speed astonishing.

"Tonight..." Tōka silently memorized the location on the scroll and then casually destroyed it.

A dark and windy night, the forest was exceptionally quiet.

Birds returned to their nests, and insects and snakes retreated into their holes.

A strange aura permeated the air, chilling but not biting, instead slowly seeping into the skin.

Tōka donned a fox mask and arrived at the designated spot, where three Anbu members were already waiting.

"I thought you were afraid to die and wouldn't come."

"You made us wait for half an hour?!"

"Brat, don't you know it's rude to keep your seniors waiting?"

The two Anbu members glared at Tōka, approaching him step by step, using their height advantage of half a head to look down on him.

They were trying to intimidate Tōka into submission!

Tōka checked the time; it was exactly midnight, meaning he was not late.

The three Anbu members arriving early was clearly intentional.

"A show of force?" Tōka raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes rippling with unfathomable depth.

A strange energy silently spread out. The two Anbu members, standing right beside him, didn't notice Tōka's actions at all.

"It's getting late, let's get down to business. I still want to go back to sleep!" Tōka's lips curved slightly, his tone laced with undisguised contempt.

"You..."

"Bastard!"

The two Anbu members' faces darkened, and they were about to charge forward when the team leader stopped them.

Through the two dark holes of the hawk-faced mask, the Anbu captain inexplicably glanced at Tōka.

A flicker of vigilance flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself, "A fox mask? Just like the rumors say."

"Captain?!" the two Anbu members called out indignantly.

"Today's mission is unusual. Anyone who makes a mistake will be punished... you know the consequences!" the Anbu captain's voice turned cold as he reprimanded them.

The thought of the Anbu's punishments sent a shiver down their spines, and they immediately fell silent.

"Release!" The Anbu captain cursed the two idiots under his breath, placing his hands on their shoulders and shouting to break Tōka's Genjutsu.

"What?! How is this possible!"

"When did it happen?"

The two Anbu members stared at their captain in shock, having no idea they had been subjected to Genjutsu!

Moreover...

They hadn't even seen Tōka make any hand seals!

For a moment, the two looked at Tōka with terrified eyes, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Then they looked back at the hawk-faced Anbu captain, secretly relieved, their expressions seeming to say that even the strongest brat couldn't compare to their captain!

Seeing this, the hawk-faced Anbu captain nodded with satisfaction. He then glanced at Tōka, realizing that his attempt to intimidate him had failed.

However, there would be plenty of time for that in the future!

"Captain, can we start the mission now?" Tōka didn't even spare the other two Anbu members a glance, only looking slightly up at the hawk-faced Anbu captain.

Being able to see through his Genjutsu at a glance proved his strength; he was at least a Jonin, perhaps even an elite Jonin level!

The hawk-faced Anbu captain didn't dwell on Tōka's tone. Strong individuals were respected everywhere.

He took out a map of the nearby forest and roughly outlined an area with his hand, stating in a deep voice, "In this area, Tanuki will guard the northeast, Wolf the northwest, Fox the north, and I will provide support in the center."

After a moment, the hawk-faced Anbu captain asked again.

"Do you have any questions?"

After a brief silence, seeing that no one intended to speak, the hawk-faced Anbu captain raised his hand.

"Disperse!"

Swish, swish, swish!!

The four scattered, turning into four dark shadows that quickly vanished into the night.

Weaving through the forest in the dark, a cold wind blew, rustling Tōka's robes.

"If the snake in the snake-catching plan is the 'snake' I'm thinking of, tonight is destined to be another sleepless night."

Tōka arrived at the designated location and lay down in the shade of a large tree.

He didn't deliberately hide himself, because if it was the "snake" he suspected, hiding would be useless.

If it wasn't the "snake" he imagined, he wouldn't be discovered even if he lay there.

In a dim, narrow corridor, the air was filled with a stench of decay, and the dark, damp passage was full of sewage.

The Third Hokage, clad in battle armor, led two Anbu members, splashing through the sewage as they ran.

At the end of the corridor was an old wooden door, not large, just big enough for an adult to pass through.

The Third Hokage's tense face was full of seriousness. He made a gesture with his left hand.

Swish, swish, swish!!

The three used Body Flicker Technique to flash to the doorway, crouching or pressing against the wall, carefully concealing their presence.

With everything ready, the Third Hokage gave a signal.

The two Anbu members directly broke down the door and rushed into the dimly lit room, quickly spreading out and dashing to the sides.

Only then did the Third Hokage slowly walk in with heavy, hoarse steps.

His vision was filled with rows of round glass jars, and large, iron coffin-like experimental equipment.

The iron coffin experimental equipment was sealed, making it impossible to see what was inside, while the glass jars were transparent...

"Human organs?"

"All of them!"

The three looked in shock at the rows of glass instruments, seemingly unable to believe what they were seeing, and pinched their thighs.

The stinging pain jolted their nerves, and they snapped back to reality.

This... was all real!

"This shape... and this size... I'm afraid it's..."

"A baby's heart!!"

Standing by the experimental table not far away was Orochimaru. He had his back to the Third Hokage, head bowed as he fiddled with a corpse on the table.

It seemed to be moving?

Not quite dead?!

Clink! Orochimaru threw down the small knife in his hand, which hit the experimental table with a crisp sound.

He turned half his face and sneered, "You actually found me here? Teacher Sarutobi."

Even though he had guessed the general situation, even though everything before him had become a reality...

The Third Hokage still refused to believe it. He would have believed it even if Orochimaru had told him it was all fake.

More than seeing it with his own eyes, the Third Hokage...

He had to hear it from Orochimaru's own mouth!

"Orochimaru! What are you doing here?"

"As you can see, Teacher Sarutobi." Orochimaru's lips curved slightly, a fanatical glint in his eyes.

The human body on the experimental table said it all.

Poor Teacher Sarutobi still thought... so naively...

Was he still the cute disciple of the past?

"Why are you doing this!" The Third Hokage, enraged, used Body Flicker Technique to approach and threw a punch at Orochimaru.

Bang!

Orochimaru's body disintegrated like a pile of mud, instantly blown to pieces.

Anger flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes. He scanned the corner of the wall and roared, "Tell me, Orochimaru!"

"Hehehe..." Orochimaru lowered his head, his flowing long hair obscuring his face. He trembled as he emerged from the ground.

Earth Release: Earth-Style Rock Camouflage

An advanced Earth Release Ninjutsu that allowed him to move freely through rock and soil. Orochimaru, a Sannin whose strength had reached the Kage level, naturally used it with ease.

"This is all to seek the truth of the world!" Orochimaru said with a look of crazed obsession. "This kind of miraculous power is truly captivating!"

"Orochimaru, you..."

Snap!

Suddenly, a light sound interrupted their conversation.

Following the sound, they saw the human body on the experimental table visibly begin to collapse, soon turning into a pile of scrap paper.

Both of them were slightly stunned. Unlike the shock in the Third Hokage's eyes, Orochimaru showed a look of regret.

"Tsk, failed again," he said, disappointment in his tone.

"This is Tōka's?..." the Third Hokage asked uncertainly. This ability, filled with a decaying aura, was undoubtedly Tōka's All-Killing Ash Bones!

Orochimaru did not deny it, saying with a sigh, "Tōka's ability is truly special."

Despite using a large number of test subjects, Orochimaru still couldn't fully comprehend the ability of All-Killing Ash Bones.

The only thing he could confirm was that any living being it touched would disintegrate, turning into scrap paper in an extremely short period.

He hadn't even figured out why it possessed the characteristic of being instantly fatal.

"Tōka? You about him..." The Third Hokage's heart skipped a beat. Tōka's power was immense, not dependent on the opponent's strength; as long as one was hit, death was certain!

The Third Hokage had even rejected Danzo with a firm stance, insisting on forcibly recruiting Tōka into the Anbu, which showed how highly the Third Hokage valued Tōka!

"Teacher Sarutobi, don't worry. Tōka is a very interesting person. I won't make a move on him," Orochimaru said, licking his lips, his serpentine eyes flashing with a hidden light.

Since he had already been discovered, there was no need to stay here any longer. It was time to leave.

The reluctance in Orochimaru's eyes flashed and disappeared, almost making him think it was an illusion.

The Third Hokage bit his thumb, his gaze slightly narrowing.

Slap! He placed one hand on the floor.

"Ninjutsu: Summoning Jutsu!"

A massive amount of Chakra raged wildly, clearly visible to the naked eye.

"Come forth!"

"Monkey King: Enma!!"

Bang!

A burst of white smoke flashed, and a fierce-looking monkey appeared before them.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Teacher Sarutobi is getting serious!" A hint of vigilance flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He thought to himself, A troublesome fellow has appeared!

"Sarutobi? Orochimaru... What is this...?" Enma saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru confronting each other, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

His gaze was then drawn to the rows of glass instruments on the cabinet...

"Orochimaru did all this? Sarutobi?!" Enma's pupils constricted sharply, and he asked almost roaring, "Do I need to say more? Enma, transform!"

"Transform into the Wishing Golden Cudgel!" A killing intent surged in the Third Hokage's eyes, yet it was mixed with three parts reluctance and three parts pity.

"Understood, transform!"

Poof!

Enma spun rapidly, transforming into a large rod that could be big or small, long or short, thick or thin, hard or soft!!

The Wishing Golden Cudgel, as if with a will of its own, was tossed into the Third Hokage's hand.

When it came to Taijutsu, even Orochimaru couldn't compare to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Heh heh... Teacher Sarutobi is really angry. Looks like I have to escape now!~" Orochimaru chuckled strangely, his serpentine eyes flashing with an unreadable light...

In the forest north of Konohagakure, a black shadow streaked rapidly through the trees.

Any Anbu who tried to block him were instantly killed. Orochimaru licked the blood on his face, a look of pain flashing in his eyes.

"Teacher Sarutobi really went hard on me!" He glanced down at his tattered clothes, his gaze turning cold.

Except for his fight with Hanzō, Orochimaru had never been so dishevelled!

But, he had finally escaped!

Suddenly!!

As he passed through a patch of trees, an intoxicating yet extremely threatening aura permeated the air.

Whoosh!!

A black shadow shot towards him. Orochimaru's pupils constricted sharply, and he quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.

Bang! The black shadow embedded itself into a large tree behind Orochimaru. Within a few breaths, the tree disintegrated, turning into pieces of paper that fluttered down.

"It's you!" Upon clearly seeing the figure, a greedy glint appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Snake Uncle has defected, and it's a bit earlier than I thought," Tōka said, leaning against a tree stump with a smile, seemingly happy that his previous guess was correct.

"Tōka, what do you mean by that?" Orochimaru's gaze turned cold, killing intent surfacing, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze under the chilling murderous aura.

Tōka seemed to know everything he had done. From beginning to end, Tōka had shown no surprise at anything he had done!

Orochimaru's heart couldn't help but surge with a fleeting sense of panic!

"Well, it doesn't really mean anything special," Tōka tilted his head, his small face hidden by a fox mask, revealing only a pair of obsidian eyes that were unfathomably deep.

Having calmed himself slightly, Orochimaru also regained his composure.

Although Tōka's abilities were terrifying, his actual strength was only at the Chunin level. As for his Chakra, it might still be a bit short of reaching Chunin.

And Orochimaru knew Tōka's mission during the battle of Kikyo Mountain.

Survive, and become a Chunin!

"Tōka-kun, I forgot to congratulate you the last time we met!" Orochimaru's expression shifted. Sensing no other presences nearby, he decided to probe Tōka's limits.

"Congratulate me? Oh! For becoming a Chunin!" Tōka blinked slightly before reacting.

"Heh heh... I suddenly thought of a gift." A sinister smile crept onto Orochimaru's lips, and his aura instantly turned chilling.

Tōka felt the air around him thicken and sprang to his feet with a carp flip.

His obsidian eyes grew serious. While he didn't dislike Orochimaru, the guy gave him a rather neurotic impression.

Who knew what trick Orochimaru would pull next.

As expected!!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Tōka saw Orochimaru's hands blur into afterimages as he rapidly formed hand seals...

Tiger-Snake-Dog-Dragon!

With a snap, Orochimaru clapped his hands together!

Furious Chakra surged, and the ground near the forest churned as if something was trying to break free from within.

Immediately after, withered hands broke through the soil, confirming Tōka's suspicions.

Crackle, crackle...

A putrid stench filled the air, and Tōka's expression darkened as he quickly leaped onto a treetop.

Looking down, he indeed saw corpses with pockmarked faces, some even with half their bodies eaten by worms, crawling out of the soil.

"Zombies?!" Tōka swallowed, his eyes wide with shock.

Seeing such things for the first time was indeed unnerving.

These were...

Real Zombies!! (To be continued)