Orochimaru

Tsunade sent someone to keep an eye on Sasuke Uchiha.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"Lord Orochimaru, it seems the Fifth Hokage has discovered us."

"Heh heh, and what if she has? I never thought much of those Sharingan. They're all inferior to Itachi's eyes—nothing but junk. Besides, I was the one who implanted them in Danzo."

"Then what do you intend to do? Do you want that child?"

"Hahaha, Kabuto, you keep seeing right through me. It's starting to annoy me.

"That child shares Itachi's bloodline. I'm sure he won't disappoint.

"He could become my next vessel.

"Let's watch him for now. Then I'll personally influence him and mold him into the perfect vessel."

Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto followed Sasuke Uchiha.

Kabuto created a Shadow Clone and used the Transformation Technique to show himself on purpose, luring away the Anbu guarding Sasuke.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru appeared before Sasuke, looking amused.

"Who are you? What do you want? Ah!"

Sasuke warily drew a kunai, but one look from Orochimaru left him sprawled on the ground in terror.

Once he hit the ground, he started retching.

"My, my. You're pitifully weak, aren't you? Let me give you a hand."

As he spoke, Orochimaru extended his snake-like tongue, intending to place a Cursed Seal on Sasuke.

Several kunai flew at him from the side. Orochimaru dodged them with ease.

"Tsunade?"

"Orochimaru! You actually dared to come back?"

"Haha! If even you can become Hokage, Tsunade, why can't I come back?"

Orochimaru mocked Tsunade for becoming Hokage, then dodged one of her attacks.

More and more Anbu arrived.

"Lord Orochimaru, we should retreat."

"Damn it. Let's go!"

Orochimaru shot Tsunade a resentful look, then he and Kabuto threw smoke bombs and fled.

"Hah!"

Tsunade reacted at once and scattered the smoke with a Heavenly Pain Kick.

But it was too late. They were already gone.

"Damn it! Those two bastards! What do they think Konoha is, a place they can come and go as they please? Search for them with everything you've got. If you spot them, raise the alarm immediately. I'll be there at once!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The central district of Konoha was soon crawling with Anbu, all searching for Orochimaru and Kabuto.

The two fugitives were driven to the outskirts, where they planned to slip away.

Then they noticed something strange.

At an outlying pig farm,

a group of Anbu medical ninja were treating a sow. Once they had finished, they grabbed her and locked her in a pen.

The sow struggled desperately to escape,

but her legs had been injured, and her vocal cords had been removed, leaving her unable to make a sound.

Next, the medical ninja fed the boars in the pen an aphrodisiac.

Then they watched as the boars raped the sow until she passed out.

They revived her and tossed her into another pen.

"Damn it, what kind of medical ninja would do something this twisted?"

Kabuto stared in bewilderment. When he first spotted the Anbu, he had assumed they were pursuers and had been about to ambush them.

But then he saw them lead a sow into the pig farm—and what followed was the scene before his eyes.

"No, that's not it."

"What?"

"That isn't a pig. This is interesting! Hahaha, what a wicked genius. That's a person! Someone turned into a sow!"

"What? A person?"

"Right. Look at that pig's eyes—they're human. What a genius, to be able to do something like this. How did he keep that person alive?"

The two stood on a rooftop, talking. Kabuto kept his voice low.

Orochimaru, however, laughed heartily at the sight below, not caring in the slightest if anyone noticed.

The members of the Spark Society below immediately spotted Orochimaru on the roof.

"Who's there?"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Their kunai missed. They were about to go up and capture him,

but Kabuto had already come down while Orochimaru distracted them.

With a flurry of slashing strikes from his Chakra Scalpel, he knocked everyone present to the ground.

Orochimaru appeared in the pig pen and stunned all the rutting boars with a single look.

Then he had Kabuto use Medical Ninjutsu to treat the sow, who had endured yet another round of torment. He even restored her vocal cords.

When the sow woke from the Medical Ninjutsu, her eyes still held a strange, rosy flush.

Kabuto was even more at a loss for words. Someone had tampered with the sow's nervous system, too, greatly amplifying the sensations her body felt!

Even Kabuto's Medical Ninjutsu made her squeal.

Kabuto was speechless. As he adjusted the sow's sensory system, he grumbled to Orochimaru.

"Damn it, what a pervert! This is too much! What did this pig-person do to deserve this? Someone made his senses at least ten times more sensitive. Even getting treated with Medical Ninjutsu feels like that. Ugh!"

"Hahaha! A wicked genius. I like that person!"

At last, Kabuto finished treating the sow.

The moment the pig was healed, it charged at the wall, trying to kill itself by smashing its head against it.

Orochimaru caught it before it could.

"Orochimaru? Let go of me! Let me die. Just let me die!"

"Danzo???"

At the familiar voice, Orochimaru froze in utter shock.

He had seen Danzo die in the Hokage's office with his own eyes.

Who was this person?

His voice was so similar, and he even recognized Orochimaru.

"Are you Danzo? Then who was the person who died in the Hokage's office?"

Under Orochimaru's questioning,

Danzo bitterly recounted what Kimura Takuya had done, telling Orochimaru everything he had witnessed in Root.

"A resurrection technique? A technique that can revive a person by consuming flesh and blood—and he could use it just after graduating. What a genius! Hahaha, a talent like that is simply irresistible."

After hearing Danzo's story, Orochimaru couldn't help licking his lips with his long tongue.

"I wonder if a genius like that could withstand the power of the Cursed Seal. I'd love to find out."

Suddenly, Orochimaru went on guard and looked around.

"Well, when did you get here? We're surrounded."

Orochimaru surveyed the area. At some point, Anbu had surrounded them. They all had unusual physiques.

They were exceptionally muscular, and the skin showing on their arms looked like tiger stripes.

The people Kabuto had just taken down were among them too. Somehow, they had all recovered, and their bodies had grown stronger.

They had only had the aura of Chunin before, but after transforming, they all gave off the aura of Jonin.

The only person in the crowd who hadn't transformed spoke up.

"Orochimaru, let go of that pig, or I'll have snake soup for dinner tonight!"

"Hahaha, cocky junior. I hope you're strong enough to back up those words."

Orochimaru raised his hand and launched a surprise attack with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.

But Kimura Takuya had been on guard against him all along, so he didn't fall for it.

He blurred out of sight, his speed erupting in a burst.

He was every bit as fast as the Spark Society members in Beastman Form.

Dodging Orochimaru's ambush, Kimura Takuya struck back with a Long-range Spiral Cannon!

"Boom!"