Orochimaru's Death

Seeing this scene, Sasori of the Red Sands, hovering in the air, couldn't help exclaiming, "It's practically the end of the world. What terrifying destructive power."

"Ye has grown so quickly. He's truly reached the pinnacle of the shinobi world!"

"Cough, cough..."

Standing in the middle of the field, Uchiha Ye suddenly dropped to one knee and began coughing. His face was rather pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Seeing this, Sasori of the Red Sands landed at once, put away the Third Kazekage Puppet, and asked, "Are you all right?"

Uchiha Ye stood up and deactivated Observation Haki. He shook his head. "I'm just a little drained, and it aggravated the wound in my chest."

Sasori nodded and handed Uchiha Ye a Military Ration Pill to restore his strength.

Uchiha Ye thanked him, swallowed the pill, then let out a breath and said, "With that, the mission is complete!"

"Orochimaru of the Sannin has officially been erased from the shinobi world!"

Hearing this, Sasori of the Red Sands said wistfully, "Life can be snuffed out so easily. As expected, eternity is the true art!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help looking up, his expression tinged with surprise.

The sky looked as if it had been set ablaze, stretching red to the very edge of sight.

Then, slowly, it darkened.

Dark clouds gathered, eventually turning into a gentle drizzle that soothed the ravaged land and cooled the scorching earth.

"Could even the heavens... be mourning Orochimaru's passing?"

Seeing this, Sasori of the Red Sands gave a scoff and returned to Hiruko, lest the rain rust the puppet's joints and interfere with his use of it.

Uchiha Ye gazed up at the somber sky and falling rain, took a deep breath, then went straight into Orochimaru's research base.

Even a powerful shinobi like Orochimaru could fall just like that.

The importance of strength was self-evident!

As for having killed Orochimaru himself, would that really prevent him from working with Orochimaru in the future to solve the problems of his Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power and prolonged use?

"Who can guarantee that Orochimaru is really dead?"

Uchiha Ye glanced at the small clump of flesh in his hand. After placing it in a special solution, he resumed searching the area.

Officially, he was looking for research materials and broadening his horizons.

In truth, he was searching for a certain jutsu that might come in handy one day.

A jutsu that could bring Orochimaru back to life when he needed him!

The strange phenomena in the Land of Whirlpools naturally attracted a great deal of attention.

News of the battle soon spread as well.

"What is this...? Why does it feel so oppressive, yet somehow tinged with sadness?"

Konoha, the Hokage Office!

The Third Hokage suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and couldn't help frowning.

He just suddenly felt unwell!

Somewhere in the Land of Fire!

"Why does my chest suddenly feel tight? And yet, I feel so empty inside?"

A voluptuous blonde beauty with long, wavy hair suddenly clutched her chest and furrowed her brow.

She left countless men nearby dazzled and drooling!

The Land of Grass!

"Crack!"

A white-haired man wearing a Forehead Protector marked with the character for "oil" looked at the pen that had suddenly snapped in his hand and frowned. "Why this sudden, ominous feeling? Could I be in danger soon?"

"But..."

He put away the scroll resting on his lap and narrowed his eyes. "I've heard a mysterious organization recently appeared in the Land of Rain. It took control of Amegakure from that 'Salamander' Hanzo, and has forbidden outsiders from entering. I'll have to be on my guard!"

Could this mysterious organization bring a new crisis to the shinobi world?

Could it drag the entire shinobi world back into the quagmire of war?

This was something they had to be wary of!

In a cave somewhere in the Land of Whirlpools.

Using the Magic Lantern Body Technique, Uchiha Ye and Sasori of the Red Sands reported on their mission.

They had successfully killed Orochimaru and cleared out his research base.

As for the Impure World Reincarnation, Uchiha Ye had asked Sasori of the Red Sands to keep it secret, so no one else knew about it.

"Excellent!"

None of the members present found the pair's achievement surprising.

After all, Uchiha Ye and Sasori of the Red Sands made a formidable team.

Even though Orochimaru was one of the Sannin, he couldn't fight off four hands with only two fists!

His death was only to be expected!

The next day!

A major piece of news suddenly spread, stirring up a huge uproar throughout the shinobi world.

[Orochimaru of the Sannin confirmed dead in the Land of Whirlpools]

It didn't say who had killed Orochimaru.

But even so!

The news of Orochimaru's death was enough to leave people stunned!

Even terrified!

Who was Orochimaru?

One of the Sannin!

A top-tier shinobi!

His reputation alone had been enough to make some minor clans serve him and offer him everything they had, just to secure their own survival.

No one had ever imagined that a powerful shinobi like him could die!

How powerful must the person who killed him be?

And who could possibly have that kind of ability?

As a result, the incident immediately attracted enormous attention across the shinobi world.

Everyone was speculating about the powerful figure behind Orochimaru's death!

Some said it was one of the Five Kage!

Orochimaru must have threatened their interests.

Others said it was Hanzo, the former "Demi-God" of Amegakure. He hadn't died at all; he had been hiding in the Land of Whirlpools, recovering.

This time, Orochimaru had disturbed his retreat, so he had killed him.

Still others claimed a mysterious organization existed in the shinobi world. Orochimaru had joined it at first, then later left, and was hunted down because he knew its secrets.

Whatever the truth!

Orochimaru's death added another layer of fear to a shinobi world that was peaceful on the surface but strange beneath it.

Whether the one who killed Orochimaru was an individual or an organization, they were sure to be formidable!

They were certainly powerful enough to warrant the vigilance of every faction, including the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

"I never expected that the unease I felt that day would come from this."

The Third Hokage was naturally the one most saddened by Orochimaru's death.

Orochimaru had been his most gifted student!

Though he had strayed down the wrong path, they had still been master and student, and their bond remained.

How could he not grieve?

"Could this matter... have something to do with that Akatsuki organization?"

Amid his grief, the Third Hokage couldn't help thinking of the intelligence Uchiha Itachi had sent back some time ago.

There was an organization called Akatsuki operating in secret in Amegakure, and Orochimaru had once been one of its members.

Not long ago, Orochimaru had left the organization.

And now, news of his death had arrived.

How could people not draw a connection?

"Whether it's involved or not, we'll know when Uchiha Itachi sends in his next report!"

The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened, turning fierce. "But Uchiha Ye... I never expected that he'd joined Akatsuki too. What exactly is he trying to do?"

He had hidden his strength while living among the Uchiha Clan, then fled during the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night, and now he had joined Akatsuki.

No one could guess what he was thinking or what he wanted.

How could anyone not be wary of such an unpredictable factor?