The four of them chatted as they walked. After another ten minutes or so, they finally reached the edge of the forest.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze stood at the tree line, as if they had been waiting for them. Sunlight filtered through the trees, stretching their shadows across the ground.
Lin Zi noticed at once that Hiruzen wasn't wearing his usual loose kimono. Instead, he wore the dark gray combat uniform he'd supposedly donned only during his days as the "Shinobi Hero"—old gear he brought out only when he was preparing for a fight.
Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't seem to think much of it.
When she saw Hiruzen, Tsunade slowed for a moment, a trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes. Then she continued forward with her usual carefree stride.
Jiraiya was even more exuberant. He hurried over, cheerfully dragging the Cloud Village prisoner along with him.
"Yo! Old man! How've you been?"
Jiraiya grinned as he came up to him.
"Not bad."
Hiruzen glanced at him.
"Though you never let me rest easy. I told you to stay in Konoha, but you wouldn't listen."
"Haha! You've still got Konoha covered!"
Jiraiya thumped his chest with a hearty laugh.
"A hero like me is meant to roam the world!"
As he spoke, he turned to Minato, his grin growing even wider.
"Yo, Minato! Long time no see! How've you been?"
"Well..."
Minato gave him a helpless smile. His blue eyes were gentle in the sunlight, like a tranquil pool.
"There have been plenty of times when I didn't know what to say, but I've managed to hang in there."
Jiraiya burst out laughing and clapped Minato on the shoulder, visibly putting some force into it. Minato could only manage a wry smile.
"Haha! I'd say you've done pretty well, Minato!"
Tsunade stepped forward too, looking Minato up and down before the corners of her mouth lifted.
"I heard you stopped the Nine-Tails? Not bad, kid."
Then she glanced at Hiruzen, her tone casual.
"So, old man, why'd you rush me back to the village this time?"
Hiruzen smiled gently, his voice softening.
"It's Kushina. She needs some treatment."
"Is that so? Then let's get back."
Tsunade waved dismissively and started forward. Jiraiya quickly followed, then turned and called to Lin Zi, who was still standing where he was.
"Orochimaru! What are you standing around for? Wasn't your mission to bring Tsunade back to the village? Come on!"
Lin Zi didn't move.
He stood at the tree line, his golden slit pupils fixed on Hiruzen.
Hiruzen finally raised his eyes, meeting his gaze. His expression was complicated: regret, resentment, and something else—an almost shattered disbelief that defied explanation.
"Old man," Lin Zi suddenly said, his voice calm. "This should be the first time we've met. You seem... all right."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the taut sleeves of Hiruzen's combat uniform.
"On the way here, I got a pretty good idea of my situation. Jiraiya, don't overthink it. I'll go no farther than this. I've done what I promised."
"You're not coming back to Konoha with us?!" Jiraiya blurted, stunned.
"The one who should be going back with you," Lin Zi tilted his head, his snake-like pupils calm, "isn't me. I'm not that Orochimaru."
"But we'd be happy to have you, too!" Tsunade frowned.
"Would you?" Lin Zi scoffed, tipping his chin toward Hiruzen. "But the old man's wearing a combat uniform."
The air fell abruptly silent.
Jiraiya and Tsunade seemed to have been struck by something. Only then did they turn and look at Hiruzen.
The dark gray combat uniform and tightly fastened belt—that was what Hiruzen, the so-called "Shinobi Hero," wore only when he was ready to fight.
Jiraiya opened his mouth. The Cloud Village prisoner slipped from his grasp and hit the ground with a thud.
Tsunade slowly clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking softly.
Minato stood beside them without a word. He lowered his eyes and sighed.
"And the old man and Minato aren't the only ones who came here."
Lin Zi's golden slit pupils suddenly flared. He clapped his hands together, and chakra erupted around him with a roar. Horns sprouted from his head.
Sage Mode—activated in an instant!
"Orochimaru, don't do it!" Jiraiya shouted.
Before the words had even left his mouth, Lin Zi had already slammed his palm against the ground.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Rumble!
The ground in the nearby forest seemed to come alive. Soil churned, stones sprouted wildly, and countless pale stone hands burst from beneath the earth!
At the same time, seven or eight shadows leaped out of the forest. The Root shinobi at their head was already yelling at the top of his lungs while still in midair.
"The Sannin have rebelled! Kill Orochimaru!"
Several Kunai gleamed as they hurtled toward Lin Zi's back.
But Lin Zi didn't even turn around.
The stone hands were faster, snapping around the Root shinobi's ankles, waists, and wrists like traps that had been lying in wait. With a series of muffled thuds, they pinned the attackers to the ground, leaving them unable to move.
The Root shinobi at the head was still struggling when a white snake darted from Lin Zi's sleeve. It wound around the man's neck like lightning, yanked his jaw out of place, then slipped its head into his mouth and pulled out a black poison pouch. It tossed the pouch at Hiruzen's feet.
The whole thing took less than three seconds. Not a drop of blood was spilled.
Lin Zi stood up, brushed the dust from his knees, and looked at Hiruzen, his tone breezy.
"Old man, I know you didn't arrange this, but your village's hospitality... leaves a lot to be desired."
"What..."
Tsunade's eyes widened. Her mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an egg. She seemed unable to process what had just happened.
Everyone else was stunned too.
The Root shinobi pinned to the ground, Minato, Hiruzen—they all stood frozen.
They had never seen Orochimaru use Sage Mode. They had never imagined that, with this Orochimaru, there could be a moment when no blood was spilled.
"That Sage Mode is incredible..."
Minato murmured, staring at the horns on Lin Zi's head.
"He seems even more proficient than Jiraiya-sensei..."
"What do you mean, more proficient than me?!"
Jiraiya protested, jumping up and down.
"We're not even using the same kind of Sage Mode! Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myoboku aren't the same thing!"
Tsunade suddenly spoke, her voice steady.
"I need the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave."
Hiruzen slowly turned to her and asked,
"Jiraiya's Senjutsu from Mount Myoboku... won't work?"
"Not for now."
Tsunade shook her head, her gaze settling on Lin Zi.
"Mount Myoboku's Senjutsu mainly enhances Taijutsu and the ability to sense genjutsu. But the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave can bring the surrounding environment to life and use Natural Energy to suppress the Nine-Tails' malice. The Yin chakra inside Kushina is still unstable. She needs his power to balance it."
Hiruzen fell silent.
He looked down at the poison pouch pierced by the snake's fangs, then up at the terrified Root shinobi pinned to the ground by the stone hands. Finally, his gaze fell on Lin Zi's face, pale as paper.
He clenched his combat uniform's sleeve so tightly that the fabric creaked.
"Then..."
The Third Hokage's voice was hoarse, as though something were caught in his throat.
"Would you be willing to enter the village? Consider it a request from an old man."
Lin Zi tilted his head, a flicker of amusement passing through his golden slit pupils.
He glanced around. Root, the Sannin, two Hokage, and even the Anbu in the distance were all holding their breath as they watched him.
"Sure." He licked his lips, his forked tongue quivering in the air. "But I want to live next door to Minato. And..."
He raised a hand and pointed at the Root shinobi on the ground, his voice turning abruptly cold.
"If I catch you giving me this kind of welcome again, next time I'll do more than dislocate someone's jaw."
Before you continue