Orochimaru's Defense Shattered

"And I am merely a failed product of the Edo Tensei, a version of the First Hokage weakened countless times over."

"For those of us ninjas with ordinary bloodlines, no matter how hard we train, we could never reach such heights in a single lifetime."

"How ironic it is that the ninjutsu I have painstakingly studied is not even worthy of wiping the dust from their armor."

"And so, I have seen the truth."

Orochimaru locked his gaze onto Uchiha Yan once more, his eyes burning with fanaticism and madness.

"The limits of an ordinary person are locked from the very beginning, which is why I require a more powerful vessel."

"I developed the Living Corpse Reincarnation to achieve immortality and seize a ninja like you, who possesses a pure bloodline limit. Given enough time, I could certainly step into that realm."

"It was the same when I researched Wood Release with Danzo; I hoped to create the next First Hokage to serve as a vessel."

"But I failed. Ordinary ninjas simply cannot withstand the Hashirama Cells."

"The only one who succeeded is said to have become a freak of nature due to issues with his chakra levels."

"Yet, even that freak of nature possessed the strength of a Jonin."

Orochimaru continued to ramble on in his madness.

Uchiha Yan felt a sense of awe at Orochimaru's insanity and audacity.

Even while observing records of powerhouses far beyond his own, Orochimaru did not despair; instead, he grew more spirited and determined.

However, their stances were fundamentally different.

Orochimaru craved revolution; he longed to bring a massive transformation to Konoha.

His plan was actually similar to those of Uchiha Yan and Danzo—both involved introducing external forces to shatter internal stability.

Because the Konoha of the past was like a locked room.

To maintain stability and prevent others from opening the door, Sarutobi Hiruzen had kept both the key and the spare inside the room.

And Orochimaru was the locksmith that Uchiha Yan and Danzo had found.

But Orochimaru's goals were far more extreme than those of Uchiha Yan or Danzo.

He didn't just want to open the door; he intended to destroy the lock and tear the house apart from the inside.

As for what would become of the house afterward, Orochimaru did not care.

Whether it was rebuilt or utterly destroyed, whether Konoha became better or worse, Orochimaru felt nothing.

He simply saw that the windmill of Konoha, which had not turned for a long time, had come to a halt, and he wanted to make it spin again.

As for how the windmill would turn, Orochimaru had never considered it.

Uchiha Yan looked at Orochimaru and said indifferently, "Enough, Orochimaru. Let's go."

Orochimaru stared daggers at Uchiha Yan, suddenly shouting in fury, "That damn Sharingan of yours! If only I had..."

Uchiha Yan was rendered speechless. He deactivated his Sharingan and prepared to take Orochimaru back to Konoha.

To his surprise, Orochimaru became even more enraged upon seeing Uchiha Yan cancel the Sharingan.

Feeling at a loss, Uchiha Yan sealed Orochimaru's chakra to prevent him from pulling any tricks.

He couldn't understand why Orochimaru was so furious; in any case, Orochimaru could be resurrected in all sorts of ways even if he died.

Uchiha Yan brought Orochimaru back to the village gate.

The two gatekeepers were still there, standing tall and straight on either side.

When they saw Uchiha Yan escorting a familiar figure, their eyes widened in shock.

One of the guards said, "Hagane Kotetsu, am I seeing things? Did Yan actually capture Orochimaru?"

Kamizuki Izumo was not looking in the same direction.

Hearing his words, Kamizuki Izumo replied casually, "Hagane Kotetsu, if you didn't sleep well last night, go get some rest. I can watch the gate myself."

Hagane Kotetsu, feeling challenged, walked over to Kamizuki Izumo and forcibly turned his head.

At that moment, Kamizuki Izumo was still muttering, "Hagane Kotetsu, have you lost your mind?"

When his gaze was forcibly shifted by Hagane Kotetsu, Kamizuki Izumo froze.

Uchiha Yan was indeed escorting a man with a cold, sinister expression.

At that moment, the man seemed to sense their gaze.

He lifted his head slightly, and their eyes met.

In an instant, cold sweat drenched the backs of both Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo.

Hagane Kotetsu bit his tongue hard to force himself to stay alert.

Then, he patted Kamizuki Izumo on the shoulder. "Wake up! Pull yourself together!"

Hearing his words, Kamizuki Izumo finally recovered from his trance.

With lingering fear, he looked at Orochimaru and said, "This terrifying killing intent... the person Yan is escorting, even if it isn't Orochimaru, is definitely an S-rank missing-nin."

Hagane Kotetsu, standing to the side, remarked gloomily, "In Konoha, are there any other S-rank missing-nin besides Orochimaru?"

Kamizuki Izumo finally realized the implication.

He then looked at Uchiha Yan with a complex expression.

Strictly speaking, Uchiha Yan was a ninja from the same generation as them.

Although he was a few years older in age.

Yet, seeing someone of his own generation already capturing an S-rank missing-nin like Orochimaru alive, while he was still stuck here guarding the gate, it was only natural to feel conflicted.

Hagane Kotetsu suddenly sighed, "It seems the rumors about Orochimaru and Kakashi were true after all."

Kamizuki Izumo glanced back at him, instantly recalling what his old partner was referring to.

It was the incident where Kakashi had been ordered to intercept Orochimaru; after the two clashed, Orochimaru had paralyzed Kakashi with nothing more than his killing intent.

Judging by his recent performance, the fact that Kakashi had the courage to face Orochimaru in battle was truly commendable.

However, if Orochimaru—who could instantly defeat Kakashi and assassinate the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—could be captured alive by Uchiha Yan, then just what level had Uchiha Yan's strength reached?

Even a severely wounded Orochimaru was certainly not someone an ordinary jonin could handle.

Sometimes, misunderstandings are born exactly like this.

Through incomplete information, people end up misjudging the reality of a situation.

Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu only knew that Orochimaru must have been significantly drained.

But they could not possibly know that Orochimaru's arms had actually been crippled.

Under such circumstances, Orochimaru's strength was in no way comparable to when he had fought Kakashi.

Nevertheless, their belief that Uchiha Yan's strength was unfathomable was indeed a fact.

It was a classic case of getting the process entirely wrong but arriving at the correct conclusion.

Uchiha Yan's goal was simple: to showcase his achievements to the civilians and ordinary ninja.

Look here, Orochimaru, who killed the Third Hokage, has been captured by me.

Do not underestimate the power of these civilians and ordinary ninja.

While they might not be able to change Konoha as a whole, they were more than capable of changing the perception of a single person within it.

For instance, Uchiha Madara had failed to compete against Senju Hashirama for the position of Hokage.

While Senju Tobirama certainly had a hand in that, to put it bluntly, even in a fair and impartial voting system for the Hokage, Uchiha Madara would never have been a match for Senju Hashirama.