Meeting the Teacher Openly

He exhausted the last of his strength to engage Orochimaru.

"Clang, clang."

The sound of weapons colliding rang out.

However, the two men had completely different objectives.

Orochimaru's goal was victory.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's goal was to take Orochimaru down with him at any cost.

At first, Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that this price would be paid by the civilians and ordinary ninja of Konoha.

But now, he had no choice; the price Konoha had to pay this time could only be himself.

Sarutobi Hiruzen struck Orochimaru's sword-wielding hand with his staff.

Orochimaru felt a sudden jolt of pain and was forced to release the sword.

Sarutobi Hiruzen leaped onto a tree, his staff extending once more, while Enma's hands prepared to grab Orochimaru for the final blow.

In this critical moment, Orochimaru relied on instinct to make the most correct decision.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" Orochimaru reached out, and countless venomous snakes emerged from his sleeves to entangle the staff in Sarutobi Hiruzen's grip.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen discarded the staff and used the Body Flicker Technique to seize Orochimaru by the shoulders instantly.

"It's over."

At this moment, the Death God had already begun its work.

Feeling the tugging sensation on his soul, Orochimaru could only tremble as he controlled the Kusanagi Sword to pierce directly toward Sarutobi Hiruzen's back.

Enma voluntarily released his transformation, grabbing the Kusanagi Sword at the very last second.

However, the blade still pierced through Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.

The severe puncture wound caused Sarutobi Hiruzen to cough up a mouthful of blood.

As his soul was being partially dragged out, Orochimaru finally saw the purple-faced, fanged Death God behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Even Orochimaru, who viewed human life as mere grass, could not help but break into a cold sweat upon seeing the true face of the Death God.

His golden snake-like pupils widened.

This was the instinctive fear humans felt toward the unknown.

Especially since this entity had come to collect him.

Orochimaru, who had always been in control, spoke with a hint of terror: "Are you kidding me, you old fossil?"

His expression was twisted, completely devoid of his previous composure.

As the words fell, he exerted all his strength to control the Kusanagi Sword, attempting to end Sarutobi Hiruzen's life.

The Third Hokage, feeling his chakra and stamina draining away, knew he no longer had the ability to kill Orochimaru completely.

Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only grit his teeth and use the very last of his chakra and physical strength.

Both men were now at the end of their rope, relying entirely on willpower to persist.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth and said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Just die already, you old man."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him and replied, "I already said, if we die, we die together."

Outside the barrier, the others watched this bizarre scene, all somewhat bewildered.

Might Guy spoke up, "Why is the Hokage allowing Orochimaru to attack him without letting him break free?"

Uchiha Yan pushed his Sharingan to the limit; he understood exactly what Sarutobi Hiruzen was doing.

He was simply using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to take Orochimaru with him, but due to his advanced age and frailty, his chakra and stamina were nearly depleted.

Thus, the two sides had reached a stalemate.

Inside the barrier, Orochimaru was still making his final struggle.

The Kusanagi Sword had completely pierced through Sarutobi Hiruzen's back.

Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen persisted, driven by terrifying willpower.

However, the large amount of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth proved that he was currently at his limit.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the twisted-faced Orochimaru, gritted his teeth, and said firmly, "Orochimaru, you are proficient in ninjutsu and waste it, so I will give you the punishment that suits you best: I will cripple your hands and take away every ninjutsu you have mastered."

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a final roar, and the Death God behind him took the dagger from its mouth, raised it high, and severed a portion of Orochimaru's soul.

Orochimaru could only let out a terrified wail, "Yamero! (Stop it!)"

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared, "Seal!"

Unwilling, Orochimaru used his last bit of strength to raise his hands.

A deep purple hue began to spread across them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Orochimaru and said righteously, "Since you cannot use your hands, you cannot weave signs, and you will never be able to perform ninjutsu again."

Orochimaru's hands hung limply at his sides; he had completely broken down.

He stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose life force was gradually fading, and spat, "You old geezer, give me back my hands!"

On the verge of death, a look of relief washed over Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

"Orochimaru, I never expected you to become so foolish. Although I couldn't take you with me, we shall meet again in the next world."

Orochimaru had completely snapped, beginning to ramble incoherently.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer hear what Orochimaru was saying.

He slowly closed his eyes, his final thought before death being that he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, could finally face his teacher with a clear conscience.

The surrounding ninjas watched this scene in utter shock.

One Anbu member was trembling so violently that the distortion of his face could be felt even through his mask.

"Lord Third Hokage is dead!" His voice shook, and everyone present could feel his grief.

Kakashi's expression beneath his mask was complex; he had watched the Third Hokage die at Orochimaru's hands.

He felt a sense of emptiness, as if he had done something, yet nothing at all.

Kakashi looked toward Uchiha Yan at his side, suddenly struck by a terrifying thought.

It was as if an invisible hand had been controlling the development of these events all along.

Orochimaru's hands hung powerlessly at his sides.

Shortly after, his subordinates dispelled the barrier and appeared by his side.

At that moment, the Anbu roared, "Capture Orochimaru and his subordinates! Don't let them escape! They are the culprits who harmed the Third Hokage!"

One of the subordinates threw a smoke bomb, and after the thick white smoke cleared, Orochimaru and his men had vanished without a trace.

Only Uchiha Yan's eyes were filled with excitement.

The current situation in Konoha was that the Third Hokage had sacrificed himself without designating a successor.

The only person in the village with the qualifications to serve as Hokage was Jiraiya.

However, Jiraiya had no interest in the position, and even if they were to bring Tsunade back to serve as Hokage, it would take a significant amount of time.

This power vacuum in Konoha was the perfect opportunity for him and the Uchiha clan.

But since things had reached this point, he would start by using Orochimaru as a sacrificial flag.

The Anbu stood there, bewildered and at a loss as they watched Orochimaru escape.

Uchiha Yan reacted quickly, immediately calling out, "All members of the Konoha Military Police Force present, form teams of three and search for the S-rank missing-nin, Orochimaru."

However, he gave the Uchiha clansmen a wink, signaling them to just go through the motions.

The Uchiha clansmen caught his signal and quickly understood.

They immediately accepted the order, appearing outwardly indignant while only searching for Orochimaru along Konoha's main thoroughfares.

As for the side streets and the outskirts of Konoha? That would naturally be left to the Anbu, who served directly under the Hokage.