What exactly did Kitahara Kaede mean when he kept saying that the times were different? How could one era differ so much from another?
For a moment, more and more questions filled Hatake Kakashi's mind, and he simply could not make sense of them.
But what concerned him most was the Konoha Crush Plan.
[It had to be said that Orochimaru's oppressive presence as the ultimate BOSS in the early stages was incredibly powerful. Even an Elite Jonin as strong as Hatake Kakashi could not possibly take him down with him.
Still, I was inclined to think that was the result of the author retconning things. After all, they were still ninja in the beginning, but later on there were those Aliens. Could those even be considered human? Let alone ninja.
Orochimaru's oppressive presence in the early stages was seriously strong. Sheesh!]
Take him down with him? Me?
Hatake Kakashi thought about it. In his view, now that he was known as Konoha's Number One Technician, he should at least have the ability to perish together with Orochimaru.
But what did Aliens mean?
Then, all of a sudden, an icon for a video appeared in the Diary. On the cover was a figure wearing an Anbu uniform and 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 during his time 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 particularly surprised.
Another figure appeared on the screen. The moment Hatake Kakashi saw him, his pupils constricted slightly.
Although he had only fought Orochimaru once, that battle had thoroughly taught him what it meant to know one's place.
He had become famous at a young age. By the time most people had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, he had already been promoted to Jonin. Yet before Orochimaru, he had still been so powerless and utterly outmatched.
On the screen, his younger self charged at Orochimaru with Chidori in hand. Yet in a single instant, Orochimaru dodged it and effortlessly sliced open Hatake Kakashi's mask.
Even though Orochimaru had already been severely wounded at the time, his terrifying aura still suppressed Hatake Kakashi so completely that he could not even move.
Orochimaru then walked straight past Hatake Kakashi, and he had not even been able to 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 grew solemn. This was something from his past, but only he and Orochimaru should have been present then. How could anyone have recorded that scene?
The footage awakened that terrifying experience buried deep in his memories.
At the same time, before he could think any further, the scene shifted again. In a dark hall, Hatake Kakashi cast 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, 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 lose faith in your own will and waver, the Cursed Seal will erupt again."
Watching Sasuke collapse unconscious onto the ground, Hatake Kakashi sighed. "You're not like yourself at all, collapsing from exhaustion like this."
But with a contemptuous 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 great deal, Kakashi."
Kakashi in the footage looked as though he were facing a formidable 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.
This was a newly risen small ninja village. It had gained some reputation, but it was far from a powerful ninja village.
There were quite a few such villages throughout the Shinobi World. Although the Five Great Nations and their five great hidden villages dominated this world, there were still plenty of small countries and Small Ninja Villages.
According to the intelligence reports, Otogakure was merely an ordinary ninja village. But now he understood at once—it was Orochimaru's village.
Judging by the time when Orochimaru had defected from the village, it really did line up.
Everything was already obvious, because a legendary Sannin as powerful as Orochimaru could not possibly be someone else's lackey in a small ninja village.
The scene shifted, showing Kakashi facing Orochimaru as he approached step by step. Kakashi immediately shouted, "Don't go near Sasuke!"
Then, to Orochimaru's surprise, he directly 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 threatened him.
But Orochimaru could not help laughing at Hatake Kakashi's threat. "He is someone who will pursue power no matter how evil it is. He possesses that aptitude because he is an avenger."
"Even if you've seen through that, Sasuke..." Hatake Kakashi stared fixedly at Orochimaru before speaking.
"One day, he will definitely 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 think you can do it."
The instant his words fell, Hatake Kakashi seemed to recall something unimaginably terrifying. His entire body trembled as he gasped for breath. Take him down with me? I really am an idiot.
The video ended, and Hatake Kakashi outside the screen was likewise drenched in cold sweat.
"What's with this footage? How can it be so sinister that I could actually feel Orochimaru's presence through the screen?" Hatake Kakashi said, gasping for breath.
It felt as though he had just endured an unimaginably brutal battle.
This was the hierarchy of strength among ninja. Just as he could easily render those Genin unable to move with nothing more than his presence.
That terrifying aura, forged only through countless killings, was not something one could develop in a sheltered environment.
No matter how strong he was, he was still confined to the level of Jonin. Orochimaru, however, already stood among the powerful figures on the level of the Kage of each village.
He was one of the legendary Sannin who had shaken the world decades ago.
Although Orochimaru considered the title of Sannin a humiliating one, a mark of defeat, to everyone else, the legendary Sannin were figures akin to martial legends.
In the open Shinobi World, there were at most a dozen or so people with that level of strength.
Before you continue