A New Video Arrives: Kakashi vs. Orochimaru

And what exactly did Kitahara Kaede mean when he kept mentioning that the times were different? How could one era be any different from another?

For a moment, the questions in Hatake Kakashi's mind only grew more numerous, and he simply could not make sense of them.

But what concerned him most was still the Konoha Crush Plan.

[It had to be said, Orochimaru's oppressive presence as the ultimate BOSS in the early stages was incredibly strong. Even an Elite Jonin as powerful as Hatake Kakashi could not possibly take him down with him.

Still, I leaned toward this being the result of retconning. After all, they were still ninjas in the early stages, but later on there were those Aliens. Could they even be considered human? Let alone ninjas.

Orochimaru's oppressive presence in the early stages was seriously overwhelming, tsk tsk!]

Take him down with me? Me?

Hatake Kakashi thought about it. In his view, now that he was known as Konoha's Number One Technician, he should at least possess the ability to perish alongside Orochimaru.

But what did Aliens mean?

Suddenly, at that moment, he saw a video icon appear in the Diary. The video's cover showed a figure dressed in an Anbu uniform, wearing a mask, with a head of silver hair and a short blade strapped to his back.

His eyes widened at once, because that outfit was far too familiar. Wasn't that exactly how he had dressed back when he was in the Anbu?

Hatake Kakashi almost instinctively tapped it, and the image immediately began to move.

Movies existed in this strange world of Naruto, so he was not surprised.

Another figure appeared on the screen. The moment Hatake Kakashi saw him, his pupils contracted slightly.

Although he had only fought Orochimaru once, that battle had thoroughly taught him what it meant to know the vastness of heaven and earth.

He had made a name for himself at a young age. By the time ordinary people had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, he had already been promoted to jonin. Yet before Orochimaru, he had still been utterly powerless and completely outmatched.

On the screen, his younger self charged at Orochimaru with Chidori in hand, only for Orochimaru to evade it in an instant and effortlessly slash open Hatake Kakashi's mask.

Even though Orochimaru had already been seriously wounded at the time, his terrifying aura still suppressed Hatake Kakashi so thoroughly that he could not even move.

Orochimaru then simply walked straight past Hatake Kakashi, and he could not even react.

By the time he finally broke free from that terrifying pressure, Orochimaru had already vanished without a trace.

Hatake Kakashi outside the screen immediately looked somewhat grim. This had happened in his past, but only he and Orochimaru should have been present at the time. How could anyone have recorded that scene?

The image awakened that terrifying experience buried deep within his memories.

At the same time, before he could think any further, the scene changed again. Inside a dark hall, Hatake Kakashi performed a technique on Sasuke's neck.

"Sealing Evil Technique!"

Accompanied by Sasuke's scream, the power of the Cursed Seal on his body was sealed away.

Hatake Kakashi let out a breath of relief and said to the panting Sasuke, "If this Cursed Seal acts up again next time, the power of this Sealing Evil Technique should be able to suppress it. But Sasuke, this Fuinjutsu relies primarily on the strength of your will. If you doubt your own will and waver, the Cursed Seal will erupt again."

Watching Sasuke collapse unconscious onto the ground, Hatake Kakashi sighed. "This really isn't like you, getting so exhausted."

But accompanied by a disdainful laugh, Orochimaru slowly approached, dressed in the uniform of a jonin from another ninja village.

"So, you've learned to use Fuinjutsu. You've grown a lot, Kakashi!"

The Kakashi in the video faced him as though confronting a great enemy, every hair on his body standing on end.

"Long time no see, Kakashi," Orochimaru said with a smile.

At that moment, Hatake Kakashi outside the screen instantly recognized the Headband on Orochimaru's forehead. It was Otogakure's Headband.

It was a newly risen Small Ninja Village with some reputation, but it was not considered a powerful ninja village.

There were quite a few such villages across the entire shinobi continent. Although this world was dominated by the Five Great Ninja Villages of the Five Great Nations, there were still many small nations and Small Ninja Villages.

Based on the intelligence reports, Otogakure was merely an ordinary ninja village. But now, he understood at once—it was Orochimaru's village.

Judging by when Orochimaru had defected from the village, the timing really did line up.

Everything was now plainly obvious. After all, a legendary Sannin as powerful as Orochimaru could not possibly be someone else's underling in a Small Ninja Village.

The scene shifted again. Kakashi faced Orochimaru as he approached step by step and shouted, "Don't go near Sasuke!"

Then, to Orochimaru's surprise, he immediately unleashed Chidori.

"Even if you're one of the legendary Sannin, with my current strength, I can still take you down with me."

Hatake Kakashi declared threateningly.

But Orochimaru could only laugh at Hatake Kakashi's threat. "No matter how evil a power may be, there are those who will pursue it. He possesses that aptitude, because he is an avenger."

"Even if you have seized upon that, Sasuke..." Hatake Kakashi stared fixedly at Orochimaru before continuing.

"One day, he will surely come looking for me." After saying that, Orochimaru turned and left. "And you just said you wanted to kill me? Go ahead and try, if you can do it."

The instant his words fell, Hatake Kakashi seemed to recall something utterly terrifying. His entire body trembled violently as he panted heavily, thinking, Taking him down with me... I really am foolish.

The video ended, and Hatake Kakashi outside the screen was likewise drenched in cold sweat.

"What's with this footage? How is it so sinister? It actually let me feel Orochimaru's overwhelming presence through the screen," Hatake Kakashi said, gasping for breath.

It felt as though he had just gone through an unimaginably brutal battle.

This was the hierarchy of power among ninjas. Just as he himself could easily render those Genin unable to move with nothing but his presence.

That terrifying aura, forged only through killing countless people, was not something one could develop in a greenhouse.

No matter how strong he was, he was still limited to the jonin level. Orochimaru, however, had already reached the level of the Kage of every village.

One of the legendary Sannin who had become famous throughout the world decades ago.

Although, to Orochimaru, the title of Sannin was a humiliating one—the mark of a loser—to everyone else, the legendary Sannin were beings akin to myths of the martial world.

In the Shinobi World, there were at most a dozen or so people with such strength openly known to exist.