White Zetsu Rock Ninja: "Only one of Orochimaru and Minato can live today."

"Has it arrived?"

Before a steep cliff, Orochimaru and Minato were suspended by ropes.

Minato struggled to decipher the technique sealing his chakra, yet the seal was so rigorous that he could not undo it himself.

"Senior Orochimaru..." Minato had already guessed who was responsible.

It seemed there was no need to guess; both sides had already laid their cards on the table.

"Minato, who do you think the teacher will choose?" Orochimaru's snake-like eyes were filled with madness; it was merely the final test of a student starved for affection.

How about it?

Would the teacher, just like in that novel, choose this suddenly appearing Minato? Or would he choose him?

"I don't understand why you would do this." Minato looked at the abyss beneath his feet and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Is it because of the Hokage position?

Did his rapid promotion cause Orochimaru to feel a sense of crisis?

But that didn't make sense.

He and Orochimaru were not of the same generation; he was still young and in no rush to become Hokage.

"Hasn't he arrived yet?"

The White Zetsu disguised as a Rock Ninja yawned, while the other Iwagakure ninja were on edge—when exactly would the Tsuchikage arrive?

Their captain had made a shocking decision: to force Hiruzen Sarutobi to choose between Orochimaru and Minato in front of the collective Konoha forces, with the one not chosen to be dropped off the cliff to their death.

Good grief.

Regardless of who fell, an enraged Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely vent his fury on them.

Having been in Iwagakure for forty-six years, well, he was feeling quite panicked.

"He's here."

The White Zetsu Rock Ninja listened to the approaching footsteps, picked up a kunai, and walked over to Orochimaru and Minato.

This choice was very unfair.

Because Orochimaru could use chakra, while Minato could not.

The White Zetsu Rock Ninja had no idea who Hiruzen Sarutobi would choose.

As for Madara, upon learning of Orochimaru's move, he was somewhat speechless, yet he was also quite curious about whom Hiruzen Sarutobi would save.

Thus, for once, Madara rose early to watch the show in its entirety.

After the Konoha forces arrived in unison.

"Minato?!"

"Orochimaru?!"

"Minato-kun?!"

"Lord Orochimaru?!"

"Teacher!" X3

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others also saw the two hanging from the edge of the cliff.

It really was them.

Shikaku Nara clenched his fists tightly; with Minato's Flying Thunder God, how could he possibly be captured alive by mere Rock Ninja? There had to be something fishy going on.

His gaze shifted quietly to glare at Zhengyi, whose heart was also gripped with anxiety.

Zhengyi stood with Danzo and several of Orochimaru's supporters, keeping a clear distance from Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. Someone like Orochimaru could actually be captured." Danzo frowned; if Orochimaru died, how would he be able to transplant the Hashirama Cells?

"You've arrived?" The White Zetsu Rock Ninja smiled at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Release them." Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know how long Jiraiya could hold out; in any case, he had to resolve the issue before Ōnoki arrived.

"Release them?" The White Zetsu Rock Ninja looked over, confused.

Hiruzen Sarutobi expected him to say it was wishful thinking, but unexpectedly, a nonchalant "Sure" drifted over.

The hearts of the Konoha men surged with joy.

"What are your conditions?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked hurriedly.

"Third, whatever conditions they propose later, we will agree to them; let's just save the people first and talk later," Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu said from his side.

"Naturally." He nodded.

But the White Zetsu Rock Ninja's demand was cruel: "Hokage, we can release them, but we will only release one."

"What do you mean?" Shikaku Nara stepped forward and shouted.

"That is naturally for your Hokage to choose one; the one remaining will be thrown off the cliff by us to fall to their death."

"Impossible!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.

"Both of these men have rendered meritorious service to Konoha; we cannot abandon either one of them."

"In that case, there is no other way." The White Zetsu Rock Ninja held a kunai directly against Orochimaru's rope, while another Rock Ninja, his legs trembling like a sieve, crouched down to hold a kunai against Minato's rope.

The entire group was terrified that a single twitch of his hand would send Minato plummeting to his death.

The White Zetsu Rock Ninja gestured for the nameless Rock Ninja to prepare to cut.

Minato closed his eyes and reviewed his life; was he really going to die here? If he died, what would happen to Kushina? This was a truly terrible ending.

"Wait!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.

"Oh? Has the Hokage made a decision?"

"How can we get you to release both of them?"

Everyone from Konoha was so nervous they dared not even breathe, waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi to negotiate.

Zhengyi, however, waited with full confidence, as if expecting something.

"Da! Me! Da! Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi," the White Zetsu Rock Ninja said mockingly.

If he had been any closer to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he likely would have been smashed into pulp by the enraged Third Hokage's staff.

Unfortunately, there was some distance between them.

"Can you give me a moment to think?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's scalp itched from the sheer anxiety; he wanted to devise a countermeasure, but how could he possibly succeed in such a short amount of time?

The White Zetsu Rock Ninja's blades were already pressed against the ropes holding both men.

Damn it!!

Whether it was right or wrong, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer had the heart to distinguish; he only wanted to save them both.

Both men were his right and left hands! Neither could die! They both had to live!!!

"Fine," the White Zetsu Rock Ninja agreed.

"Whose summoning animal can fly..." Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently pondering who in Konoha possessed one.

The Uchiha who had signed the Ninja Hawk contract were on the front lines in Kirigakure.

Hm?!

That's right! The insects of the Aburame clan could carry people.

Aburame Shibi had also thought of this tactic; he began to disperse the insects within his body bit by bit, sending them down to the bottom of the cliff to wait and catch them.

As if seeing through Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts, the White Zetsu Rock Ninja aimed his kunai at Orochimaru's temple.

"Didn't you say you would only cut the ropes?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared again.

"Oh, I changed my mind," the White Zetsu Rock Ninja said, picking his nose with his free hand.

"Bastard!" Choza Akimichi stomped his feet on the ground in fury.

A sense of despair haunted everyone's hearts; could it be that, just as this demon said, either Minato or Orochimaru had to die?

What if, after the Hokage made his choice, this bastard was just toying with them and killed them both anyway?

"Choose quickly!" Before he finished speaking, the two sharp kunai were pushed forward.

"Ah~" Minato felt a sharp pain as his head was poked.

Beneath Orochimaru's cold, icy expression hid a trace of anticipation he himself did not even realize.

"Stop!"

"Can't you just let me die in their place?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, almost begging.

"I am the Hokage, how about that? Trading my life for their survival—that's not a bad deal, is it?"

"Third Hokage!!" Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu knew that the Third would truly do such a thing.

"Rock Ninja!!"

"Come and fight me one-on-one!!"

The rest of the Konoha ninja glared at the White Zetsu Rock Ninja with eyes full of blood, wishing they could tear them into a thousand pieces.

"Lord Third!" Minato was moved.

"Teacher." Orochimaru's eyes were also filled with emotion.

"No! No! No!"

"What would we want with the life of an old thing like you? How much longer can your old bones last? If we're going to kill, we'll kill the young ones of your Konoha."

"Enough talk!"

"Do you want Minato or do you want Orochimaru! I don't want to repeat myself again."