"And I am a failed product of the First, resurrected through Impure World Reincarnation and weakened countless times."
"If we ordinary-bloodline ninja rely only on ordinary training, we can never reach that level, no matter how long we live."
"What a cruel irony. The ninjutsu I painstakingly studied wasn't even good enough to earn me the right to polish their armor."
"So I saw the truth."
Orochimaru once again fixed his gaze on Uchiha Yan. His eyes were filled with fervor and madness.
"An ordinary person's limits are locked in from the very beginning. That's why I need a stronger vessel."
"I developed Living Corpse Reincarnation so I could achieve immortality and take over the body of a pure-blooded Kekkei Genkai ninja like you. Given enough time, I could definitely enter that realm."
"It was the same when I researched Wood Release with Danzo. I hoped to create another First to serve as a vessel."
"But I failed. Ordinary ninja simply can't withstand Hashirama Cells."
"The only successful subject, they say, was an imperfect monstrosity because of his limited chakra."
"Still, even that monstrosity reached the level of a jonin."
Orochimaru kept raving on.
Yan couldn't help admiring Orochimaru's madness and courage.
When he had watched the records of warriors far stronger than himself, he hadn't given up. Instead, he had been fired up with determination.
But in the end, the two of them stood on different sides.
Orochimaru yearned for revolution, for a sweeping transformation that would reshape Konoha.
His plans were actually quite similar to Yan's and Danzo's: both involved bringing in outside forces to break the status quo from within.
Because Konoha had once been like a house.
To maintain stability, Sarutobi Hiruzen had kept others from opening the door, hiding both the key and its spare inside the house.
And Orochimaru was the locksmith Yan and Danzo had found.
But Orochimaru's aims were far more extreme than theirs.
He didn't just want to open the door. He also planned to destroy the lock and wreck the inside of the house.
Orochimaru didn't care what became of the house afterward.
Whether it was rebuilt or completely destroyed, whether Konoha became better or worse, it made no difference to him.
He had only seen that Konoha's windmill, long still, had stopped turning—and wanted to set it in motion again.
He hadn't considered what would become of the windmill.
Yan looked at Orochimaru and said calmly, "All right, Orochimaru. Let's go."
Orochimaru glared at Yan and suddenly snapped, "Those damn Sharingan eyes of yours! If only I had—"
Yan was speechless. He deactivated his Sharingan and prepared to take Orochimaru back to Konoha.
But when Orochimaru saw Yan turn off his Sharingan, he grew even angrier.
Still at a loss, Yan sealed Orochimaru's chakra to keep him from causing trouble.
He didn't understand why Orochimaru was so furious. In any case, even if Orochimaru died, he could be brought back in all sorts of ways.
Yan brought Orochimaru back to the village gates.
The two gate guards were still standing there like door gods, one on either side, with their backs ramrod straight.
When they saw Yan escorting a familiar figure, their eyes widened.
One of the guards said, "Kotetsu Hagane, I'm not seeing things, am I? Yan actually captured Orochimaru?"
Kotetsu Hagane wasn't looking in the same direction as him.
Hearing what he said, Kotetsu Hagane replied offhandedly, "Izumo Kamizuki, if you didn't sleep well last night, go home and get some rest. I can keep watch here."
Doubted, Izumo Kamizuki could only walk over to Kotetsu Hagane and forcibly turn his head.
Meanwhile, Kotetsu Hagane was still muttering, "Izumo Kamizuki, have you gone crazy?"
When Izumo Kamizuki's gaze was forcibly turned around, he froze.
Yan really was escorting a man with a cold expression.
At that moment, the man seemed to sense their stares.
He raised his head slightly, and their eyes met.
In an instant, cold sweat soaked both Izumo Kamizuki's and Kotetsu Hagane's backs.
Izumo Kamizuki bit down hard on his tongue to keep himself alert.
Then he slapped Kotetsu Hagane on the shoulder. "Wake up. Pull yourself together!"
Only then did Kotetsu Hagane snap out of his daze.
He looked at Orochimaru with lingering fear. "That terrifying killing intent... Whoever Yan's escorting, even if it isn't Orochimaru, he's definitely an S-rank rogue ninja."
Beside him, Izumo Kamizuki said quietly, "Are there any S-rank rogue ninja in Konoha besides Orochimaru?"
Only then did Kotetsu Hagane realize.
He looked at Yan with a complicated expression.
Yan was, strictly speaking, a ninja of their generation.
Though he was a few years older than them.
But someone their age was already capturing Orochimaru, an S-rank rogue ninja, alive, while they were still standing guard at the gate.
It was only natural to feel conflicted.
Izumo Kamizuki suddenly sighed. "Still, it looks like the rumors about Orochimaru and Kakashi were true."
Kotetsu Hagane glanced back at him, immediately remembering what his old partner meant.
The story was that after Kakashi received orders to intercept Orochimaru, the two had fought, and Orochimaru had immobilized Kakashi with nothing but his killing intent.
Considering what they had just seen, Kakashi had actually been brave enough to fight Orochimaru. That took guts.
But Orochimaru, who could defeat Kakashi in an instant and had assassinated the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been captured alive by Yan. Just how powerful was Yan?
Even an injured Orochimaru was no opponent an ordinary jonin could handle.
Sometimes, that was how misunderstandings arose.
Incomplete but accurate information could lead people to misjudge things.
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki knew only that Orochimaru had clearly been greatly weakened.
But they couldn't possibly know that both of Orochimaru's hands had already been crippled.
In that condition, Orochimaru's strength couldn't be compared to what it had been when he fought Kakashi.
Still, they weren't wrong to think Yan's strength was unfathomable.
It was a classic case of getting all the details wrong but reaching the right conclusion.
Yan's goal was simple: to show the civilians and ordinary ninja what he had accomplished.
Look, the man who killed the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, was captured by me.
Never underestimate the power of the civilians and ordinary ninja.
They couldn't change Konoha, but they could certainly change one person in Konoha.
For example, Uchiha Madara had lost the Hokage Position to Senju Hashirama.
Senju Tobirama had certainly played a part in that.
But, to put it bluntly, even in a fair and impartial election for Hokage, Uchiha Madara would never have beaten Senju Hashirama.
Before you continue