Gory Scenes-Those Who Are Short Should Enter with Caution!

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

Tōka, who was training in the forest, suddenly felt his heart tighten. Three murderous auras abruptly appeared around him.

"Anbu?" Seeing the animal masks on their faces, a trace of confusion flashed through Tōka's eyes.

Those who had returned from the battlefield needed at least a week of rest. The Anbu coming to find him so soon could not mean anything good!

Sure enough!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when one of them raised a hand and tossed over a deployment order.

"Snake-Catching Plan?" Tōka opened the scroll and saw four large characters written in crimson cinnabar.

"Gather at the designated location at midnight tonight."

After the Hawk Mask Anbu spoke, he gave a hand signal without allowing Tōka time to react. The three of them blurred and vanished.

The three came without a trace and left without a trace, moving at incredible speed.

"Tonight..." Tōka silently memorized the location on the scroll, then raised his hand and destroyed it.

It was a dark, windy night, and the forest was especially quiet.

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

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

Wearing a fox mask, Tōka arrived at the designated location. The three Anbu were already waiting there.

"I thought you were too scared to come."

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

"Kid, don't you know it's very rude to make your seniors wait?"

The two Anbu stared at Tōka with unfriendly gazes and approached him step by step. Taking advantage of being half a head taller, they looked down at him from above.

They were trying to make Tōka yield through sheer presence!

Tōka checked the time. It was exactly midnight, meaning he had not been late.

The three Anbu had arrived early, clearly having arranged it beforehand on purpose.

"A show of force?" Tōka raised an eyebrow, faint ripples stirring in his deep black eyes.

A strange energy silently spread outward. The two Anbu stood right beside him, yet neither noticed Tōka's move at all.

"It's getting late. Hurry up and get to work, I still want to go back and sleep!" Tōka curled his lips slightly, his disdain impossible to miss.

"You..."

"Bastard!"

The two Anbu's faces darkened, and they were about to rush forward when their captain raised a hand to stop them.

Through the two dark holes of the hawk-faced mask, the Anbu captain gave Tōka an unreadable look.

A trace of vigilance flashed in his eyes as he thought, A fox mask? Just like the rumors said.

"Captain?!" the two Anbu called out unhappily.

"Today's mission is no ordinary one. If anyone makes a mistake, you know what the punishment will be!" the Anbu captain snapped coldly.

At the thought of Anbu punishment, both of them shuddered and immediately fell silent.

"Release!" The Anbu captain cursed the fools under his breath. At the same time, he placed both hands on the shoulders of the two Anbu members and shouted low, dispelling Tōka's genjutsu.

"What?! How is that possible!"

"When did it happen?"

The two Anbu members stared at their captain in shock. They had not even known they were under genjutsu!

And...

They had not seen Tōka form any hand seals at all!

For a moment, the two looked at Tōka in terror, as though they had seen a ghost.

Then they looked back at the Hawk Mask Anbu captain and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Their expressions seemed to say that no matter how strong the kid was, he could not compare to their captain!

Seeing this, the Hawk Mask Anbu captain nodded in satisfaction. He then glanced at Tōka. He had wanted to give him a show of force, but it seemed that would not work now.

Still, there would be plenty of time in the future!

"Captain, can we begin the mission?" Tōka did not even spare the two Anbu members a proper glance. He merely regarded the Hawk Mask Anbu captain a little more highly.

Being able to see through his genjutsu at a glance meant the man was indeed powerful, at least jonin-level, perhaps even elite jonin-level!

The Hawk Mask Anbu captain did not take issue with Tōka's tone. The strong were respected everywhere.

He took out a map of the nearby forest and roughly traced out an area with one hand before saying in a deep voice, "Tanuki will guard the northeast, Wolf the northwest, Fox the north. I'll provide support from the center."

After a moment, the Hawk Mask Anbu captain asked again.

"Do any of you have questions?"

After waiting in silence for a moment and seeing that no one intended to speak, the Hawk Mask Anbu captain raised a hand.

"Dismissed!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

The four scattered in different directions, becoming four shadows that swiftly vanished into the night.

As Tōka moved through the nighttime forest, gusts of cold wind blew straight at him, making his robe snap loudly.

"If the snake in this Snake-Catching Plan is the 'snake' I'm thinking of, then tonight is destined to be another sleepless night."

Tōka reached his designated position and found a shaded spot behind a large tree to lie down.

He did not deliberately hide himself, because if it was the "snake" he suspected, hiding would be useless.

If it was not that "snake," then even lying here, he would not be discovered.

Inside a narrow, dimly yellow passageway, the air was thick with the stench of rot, and filthy water had accumulated along the dark, damp corridor.

The Third Hokage, dressed in battle armor, led two Anbu members as they splashed through the water, racing ahead.

At the end of the passage stood an old wooden door, not large but wide enough for an adult to pass through.

Sternness filled the Third Hokage's tightly drawn face as he raised his left hand and made a signal.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

The three used the Body Flicker Technique to appear at the doorway. Some crouched halfway, while others pressed themselves against the walls, carefully concealing their presence.

Once everything was ready, the Third Hokage gave a signal.

The two Anbu immediately broke down the door and charged into the dimly yellow room. After entering, they swiftly split apart and dashed to both sides.

Only then did the Third Hokage walk in slowly, his footsteps heavy and hoarse.

Before him stood rows upon rows of filled round glass jars, as well as massive iron experimental apparatus resembling coffins.

The coffin-like iron apparatus were sealed, making it impossible to see what was inside, but the glass jars were transparent...

"Human organs?"

"All of them are!"

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

The pain jolted their nerves, bringing them back to their senses in horror.

All of this... was real!

"This shape... only this big... could it be..."

"An infant's heart!!"

A figure stood beside an experimental table in the distance. It was none other than Orochimaru. With his back to the Third Hokage, he lowered his head and fiddled with a corpse on the table.

It seemed to still be moving?

It was not completely dead?!

Clink! Orochimaru tossed away the small knife in his hand. It struck the experimental table with a crisp sound.

He turned half his face and sneered. "You actually found this place, Teacher Sarutobi."

Though he had roughly guessed it, though everything before his eyes had become fact...

The Third Hokage still did not want to believe it. Even if Orochimaru told him it was all fake, he would have been willing to believe him.

Rather than what he had witnessed with his own eyes, the Third Hokage...

Needed to hear Orochimaru say it himself!

"Orochimaru! What are you doing here?"

"As you can see, Teacher Sarutobi." Orochimaru's lips curled upward slightly, and a fervent light appeared in his eyes.

The human body on the experiment table already explained everything.

Poor Teacher Sarutobi still thought so... innocently...

Did he still believe Orochimaru was his adorable disciple from back then?

"Why would you do this?!" The Third Hokage flew into a rage and used the Body Flicker Technique to close in. His five fingers clenched into a fist as he slammed it into Orochimaru.

Bang!

Orochimaru's body became like a pile of rotten flesh, instantly blasted into scraps.

Anger filled the Third Hokage's eyes. He swept his gaze toward the corner and roared, "Tell me, Orochimaru!"

"Hehehe..." Orochimaru lowered his head, his flowing long hair concealing his face. His entire body trembled as he emerged from the ground.

Earth Release: Rock Hiding Technique.

A high-level Earth Release ninjutsu that allowed one to travel freely through rock and soil. Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin whose strength had reached Kage level, naturally wielded it with ease.

"All of this is in pursuit of the truth of this world!" Orochimaru said with crazed eyes. "Such miraculous power is truly fascinating!"

"Orochimaru, you..."

Crack!

Suddenly, a soft sound interrupted their conversation.

They followed the sound and saw that the body on the experiment table was visibly beginning to collapse. Before long, it turned into a pile of discarded paper scraps.

Both of them froze slightly. Unlike the shock in the Third Hokage's eyes, Orochimaru revealed a look of regret.

"Tch, it failed again." His tone was filled with disappointment.

"This is Tōka's...?" the Third Hokage asked uncertainly. This power filled with an aura of decay was undoubtedly Tōka's All-Killing Ash Bones!

Orochimaru did not deny it and said with a sigh, "Tōka-kun's ability is truly special."

Even after using a great number of test subjects, Orochimaru still had not seen through the nature of All-Killing Ash Bones.

Apart from the one thing he could confirm: any living being that touched it would collapse, turning into a pile of wastepaper scraps in an extremely short time.

He had not even figured out why it possessed the trait of an instant kill.

"Tōka? What did you do to him..." The Third Hokage's heart jolted. Tōka's power was extremely formidable and did not depend on the enemy's strength. As long as one was hit, death was certain!

The Third Hokage had even firmly rejected Danzo's proposal to forcibly recruit Tōka into the Anbu, showing just how highly he valued Tōka!

"Teacher Sarutobi, rest assured. Tōka-kun is a very interesting person, so I will not make a move against him." Orochimaru licked his lips, and light flickered subtly in his snake-like eyes.

Since he had already been discovered, there was no reason to remain here. It was time to leave.

The reluctance in Orochimaru's eyes vanished in an instant, so quickly it seemed like an illusion.

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

With a smack, he pressed one hand against the floor.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"

A massive surge of chakra erupted wildly, clearly visible to the naked eye.

"Come forth!"

"Monkey King: Enma!!"

Bang!

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

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Teacher Sarutobi is getting serious." A trace of vigilance flashed through Orochimaru's eyes as he thought, A troublesome fellow has appeared!

"Sarutobi? Orochimaru... what is this..." Enma saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru confronting each other, and confusion flickered in his eyes.

Then his gaze was drawn to the rows of glass instruments on the shelves...

"Orochimaru did all this? Sarutobi?!" Enma's pupils abruptly shrank as he nearly roared the question.

"There is no need to say more, Enma. Transform!"

"Turn into the Adamantine Staff!" Killing intent surged in the Third Hokage's eyes, though it carried three parts reluctance and three parts compassion.

"Understood, transform!"

Poof!

Enma spun rapidly, transforming into a massive staff that could grow or shrink, lengthen or shorten, thicken or thin, harden or soften!!

As if it possessed a will of its own, the Adamantine Staff flew into the Third Hokage's hand.

In taijutsu, even Orochimaru could not compare to the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Hehe... Teacher Sarutobi is so angry. Looks like I need to run away!~" Orochimaru laughed strangely, an unclear gleam flashing through his snake-like eyes...

In the forest north of Konoha, a shadow darted swiftly through the trees.

Any Anbu who tried to block his path were instantly killed in a single move. Orochimaru licked the blood from his face, pain flashing in his eyes.

"Teacher Sarutobi really hits hard!" He lowered his head and glanced at his tattered clothes, his gaze turning cold.

Other than when he had fought Hanzo, Orochimaru had never been in such a sorry state!

Still, he had escaped at last!

Suddenly!!

As he passed through a patch of woods, an alluring yet intensely threatening aura spread through the air.

Whoosh!!

A black shadow shot toward him head-on. Orochimaru's pupils shrank sharply, and he hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.

Bang! The black shadow embedded itself in a tree behind Orochimaru. Within a few breaths, the tree crumbled apart and turned into fluttering scraps of paper.

"It's you!" After seeing the figure clearly, greed appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Uncle Snake has defected. It happened a little early." Leaning against a tree stump, Tōka spoke with a smile, seemingly pleased that his earlier guess had been correct.

"Tōka-kun, what do you mean by that?" Orochimaru's gaze turned cold as killing intent emerged. The surrounding air stagnated, as if frozen by his icy murderous aura.

Tōka's words made it sound as though he knew everything Orochimaru had done. From beginning to end, Tōka had shown no surprise at anything Orochimaru revealed!

A fleeting surge of fear inevitably rose in Orochimaru's heart!

"Well, I didn't mean anything in particular." Tōka tilted his head. His small face was hidden behind a fox mask, leaving only a pair of deep, bottomless black eyes visible.

Having steadied himself slightly, Orochimaru calmed down as well.

Although Tōka's abilities were terrifying, his strength was only at the level of a Chunin. As for his chakra, it was perhaps still just short of reaching Chunin level.

Orochimaru also knew about Tōka's mission during the battle at Kikyo Mountain.

Survive, and become a Chunin!

"Tōka-kun, I forgot to congratulate you when we met last time!" A gleam flashed through Orochimaru's eyes. Sensing no presence nearby, he decided to probe Tōka's limits.

"Congratulate me? Oh! For becoming a Chunin!" Tōka froze slightly before understanding.

"Heh heh... I suddenly thought of a gift." The corners of Orochimaru's mouth lifted into a strange smile, and his aura abruptly turned cold and sinister.

Tōka immediately felt the air around him stiffen. With a swift kip-up, he sprang to his feet.

His black eyes grew solemn. He did not dislike Orochimaru, but the man gave him the impression of being somewhat unhinged.

Who knew what Orochimaru would come up with next.

Sure enough!!

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

Tiger—Snake—Dog—Dragon!

With a clap, Orochimaru pressed his palms together!

Violent chakra surged, and the ground near the forest churned as though something were about to burrow out from beneath it.

Then, one shriveled hand after another broke through the soil, confirming Tōka's suspicions.

Crack, crack, crack...

The stench of rot filled his nostrils. Tōka's face darkened, and he quickly leaped onto a treetop.

Looking down, he indeed saw corpses crawling out of the earth, their faces pitted and scarred, with many of them having insects wriggling out from half-exposed bodies.

"Zombies?!" Tōka swallowed, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.

Seeing something like this for the first time truly made one's skin crawl.

These were...

Real zombies!! (To be continued)