Orochimaru, Who Died Once

"I want both!"

"Delusional!!"

As the person involved, Minato remained silent. He feared that speaking would provoke them; these Rock Ninja had eccentric personalities and were temperamental.

"Who are you saving?!"

The White Zetsu Rock Ninja spoke while pushing the kunai forward.

The other Rock Ninja also pushed inward with trembling hands.

The tip of the kunai pierced Minato's temple, drawing blood, and he let out a muffled groan of pain.

"Don't you dare touch them!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was distraught. How could he possibly choose?

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Can't make a choice? Then both of them can die!"

"Dai..."

"Minato!"

"I choose Minato!!!"

"Monkey!! Why did you choose Minato? What use is he?"

Those who supported Minato breathed a sigh of relief.

They had bet correctly!

The Third Hokage was indeed biased toward Minato.

But as for Orochimaru...

Zhengyi and Danzo exchanged a look. Surely Orochimaru would join them in opposing the Monkey now, right? Neither of them believed Orochimaru would actually die.

Furthermore, Zhengyi had already arranged for a rescue; counting the time, it was time.

It was happening.

Orochimaru smiled indifferently. He should have expected this, shouldn't he?

When did it start?

There were no more topics of conversation between him and his teacher.

Everything revolved only around interests—only "I speak, you do."

How he had hoped his teacher would notice something was wrong with him and pull him back in time.

Why?!

Teacher Hiruzen!!!

After the words left his mouth, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not face Orochimaru's icy gaze.

Mitokado Homura slapped his forehead. How could he have actually chosen?! Couldn't he see that the enemy wouldn't let either of them go?

The fewer strong individuals in the ninja world, the easier it would be to execute the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Whether Orochimaru became Hokage or Minato became Hokage, Madara felt it would be troublesome. He felt that, given Obito's intellect, he might not be able to outmaneuver these two under normal circumstances.

So, with such a golden opportunity right in front of them, why wait to kill?

"Kill them, then proceed to the next plan."

Madara had just issued the order.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Chidori!!"

Obito and Kakashi, who had been arranged by Zhengyi to go to the bottom of the cliff and climb up to provide support, burst out.

The scorching Great Fireball and the screeching Chidori came from the left and right, each targeting one enemy.

However, the Rock Ninja beside Minato reacted extremely quickly. At the very last moment before the Fire Style jutsu hit, he narrowly avoided it using the Substitution Technique, leaving only a charred log in his place.

The White Zetsu Rock Ninja felt the fragility of life. He was about to die!

To complete Lord Madara's mission, he chose to trade his life for another. He had to take at least one, Orochimaru, with him. He thrust the kunai forward, stabbing it directly into Orochimaru's temple, just as he was pierced through the chest by Kakashi's Chidori and killed on the spot.

The battle lasted only an instant.

The two had already swept past like ghosts, using their hands to snap the ropes and catching the freed hostages firmly.

"Go!"

Without any hesitation, Obito and Kakashi, having rescued the people, did not linger in the fight. Utilizing the cover of the cliff terrain, they returned to the Konoha ranks in a few flashes of movement.

The remaining Rock Ninja were left dumbfounded; what had been the point of all their unnecessary trouble?

Wouldn't it have been better to just hand the two over to the Tsuchikage and earn a promotion?

Our captain has ruined us!!

Before they could even react, the Konoha ninjas, already seething with rage, rushed forward and tore them to shreds.

"Sensei, are you hurt?" Minato was still in Obito's arms.

Feeling the solid chest and arms of his student, Minato felt the wonder of life for the first time; back when Obito had just become his student, he was as scrawny as a chick, but now he could stand on his own and save him.

"Arigato, Obito."

Obito raised an eyebrow at Minato, looking incredibly smug.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was busy fretting over Minato's temple, "Where are the medical ninjas?"

The sight of the blood seeping from the wound made his lungs feel like they were about to explode; Minato had rarely been injured in all his years as a ninja, yet today he was wounded because of this piece of trash who couldn't even hold a kunai without his hands shaking.

"I'm here!" Rin hurried over to apply the Mystical Palm Technique to her teacher's wound.

"Saving your teacher just in time, truly impressive, Obito!"

"Hahaha, it was nothing, nothing at all."

Minato was surrounded by many people: the Hyuuga brothers, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Mitokado Homura...

In contrast, over at Orochimaru's side, no one even noticed he had died.

Orochimaru was being held by Kakashi, a kunai still embedded in his head, blood flowing freely.

"My condolences." Kakashi placed Orochimaru on the ground with weary eyes.

He thought of his own father.

Orochimaru must have been very important to Zhengyi, right? A presence no less significant than a biological father.

When he graduated from the Ninja Academy, it was Orochimaru who personally took Zhengyi away; otherwise, according to what Obito had heard, the Third Hokage would have assigned Zhengyi to a desk job.

A desk job would have meant his strength would remain stagnant for the rest of his life.

The moment Orochimaru died, Zhengyi felt a burning sensation in his eyes.

His relationship with Orochimaru was complicated—a relationship of mutual exploitation. Orochimaru felt he was convenient to use, and he felt Orochimaru could provide him with the technology to enhance his strength.

But the deeper the interests were intertwined, the deeper the bond between them naturally became.

He recalled the days gone by.

Every time Orochimaru conducted experiments, he would find time to satisfy his requests and craft the things he wanted.

What a good man, Teacher Orochimaru!!

Thinking this, Zhengyi knelt on the ground, picked up Orochimaru, and began to wail, "Teacher Orochimaru!!"

Who was the most filial student?

Who was the one who would weep for Orochimaru after his death?

Sob!

All that could be heard on the scene was Zhengyi's loud, wailing cry, desperate and helpless.

He cried even harder than Trunks did when Gohan died.

"Teacher!!!"

With this cry, he would become the only bond in Orochimaru's heart; Anko, Nawaki, and whoever else could just step aside.

Who was lying on the ground? Orochimaru!!

The man Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't kill, Sasuke couldn't kill, Four-Tails Naruto couldn't kill, Itachi couldn't kill... a man who stubbornly survived all the way to Boruto.

There was no limit to Orochimaru's survival skills; there was nothing he couldn't do.

So, it was his turn to put on a show.

"Is this fake?" Anko stood frozen, unable to believe her teacher could die.

"You can only blame your bad luck." Danzo shook his head with a sigh; with a kunai driven into his brain, how could he not be dead?

Even the First Hokage would have become a vegetable after a blow like that.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to transplant his Hashirama Cells, but! His Root organization had secretly hidden away a successful experiment subject infused with Hashirama Cells behind Orochimaru's back.

Although a bit weak, it truly possessed the Wood Release that only the First Hokage could wield!

Orochimaru was definitely not dead.

Through the perspective of his own faked death, he watched the reactions of the various people of Konoha.

There were his subordinates who wavered upon seeing his death, hesitating on the spot about whether to defect to Minato.

There was his teacher, who had medical ninjas treating the minor, self-healing scratch on Minato's temple; the teacher he had once respected most was now fussing over that blond brat.

A profound sense of loneliness washed over Orochimaru's entire being.

No!

There are still people who would cry for him.

But...

His teacher was not blind; could he not tell the difference between real tears and fake ones?

Heh.

The next instant, a small snake wriggled out from the temple of the Orochimaru that Zhengyi was holding, and then the wound healed over without a trace.

"Ah!!! Teacher!!!!"

He looked at the still-sobbing Zhengyi with annoyance; he wanted to see just how long this act could be kept up.

"Orochimaru-sensei..." Beside them was Anko, who was crying one moment and sniffing back snot the next.

Orochimaru cast a glance at her; these were real tears, and she was truly a fool.