White Zetsu Rock Ninja: "Only One of Orochimaru and Minato Can Survive Today."

"Have they arrived?"

Before a sheer cliff, Orochimaru and Minato hung suspended by ropes.

Minato worked hard to decipher the technique sealing his chakra, but the jutsu was extremely rigorous, and he could not undo it himself.

"Senior Orochimaru..." Minato had already guessed who was behind this.

It seemed there was no need to guess. Both sides had already laid their cards on the table.

"Minato, who do you think Sensei will choose?" Orochimaru's snake-like eyes brimmed with madness. It was merely a neglected student's final test.

What would happen?

Would Sensei, just like in that novel, choose this Minato who had suddenly appeared? Or would he choose him?

"I don't understand why you would do this." Minato looked down at the abyss below and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Was it because of the Hokage position?

Had Minato's rapid promotion made Orochimaru feel threatened?

But that did not make sense either.

He and Orochimaru were not even from the same generation. He was still young, and he was not in a hurry to become Hokage.

"Are they not here yet?"

On the cliffside, the White Zetsu Rock ninja yawned. The other Hidden Rock Village ninjas were on edge. When exactly was Lord Tsuchikage coming?

Their captain had made a shocking decision: in front of all the Konoha ninja, he would force Hiruzen Sarutobi to choose between Orochimaru and Minato. Whoever was not chosen would be thrown off the cliff to their death.

Holy hell.

No matter who fell, an enraged Hiruzen Sarutobi would take it out on them.

Forty-six years in the Hidden Rock Village... yeah, this was pretty damn terrifying.

"They're here."

Hearing footsteps drawing closer, the White Zetsu Rock ninja picked up a kunai and walked over to Orochimaru and Minato.

This choice was deeply unfair.

Because Orochimaru could use chakra, while Minato could not.

Even the White Zetsu Rock ninja did not know whom Hiruzen Sarutobi would choose.

Speaking of which, when Madara learned of Orochimaru's move, he had been somewhat speechless. Still, he was curious whom Hiruzen Sarutobi would save.

So Madara had unusually gotten up early to watch the whole show.

When the Konoha group arrived together—

"Minato?!"

"Orochimaru?!"

"Minato?!"

"Lord Orochimaru?!"

"Sensei!" X3

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others also saw the two hanging at the cliff's edge.

It really was them.

Nara Shikaku clenched his fists tightly. With Minato's Flying Raijin, how could he possibly have been captured alive by a few insignificant Rock ninja? Something had to be wrong here.

His gaze discreetly shot a glare at Masaichi, whose heart was also clenched with worry.

Masaichi stood with Danzo and several of Orochimaru's supporters, clearly separated from Hiruzen Sarutobi's group.

"If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. Someone like Orochimaru had actually been captured." Danzo frowned. If Orochimaru died, how was he supposed to obtain Hashirama Cells?

"You're here?" The White Zetsu Rock ninja smiled at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Release them." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know how long Jiraiya could hold out. In any case, he needed to resolve this before Ōnoki arrived.

"Release them?" The White Zetsu Rock ninja looked over in confusion.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected him to say he was dreaming, but instead, a casual "Sure" came back.

The Konoha side was delighted.

"What are your conditions?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly asked.

"Third, no matter what conditions they raise, we agree to them. Save them first, then we can discuss the rest." Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane spoke up beside him.

"Of course." He nodded.

But the White Zetsu Rock ninja's demand was cruel. "Hokage, we can release them, but only one."

"What do you mean?" Nara Shikaku stepped forward and demanded.

"That naturally means your Hokage-sama gets to choose one. The other will be thrown off the cliff and smashed to death."

"Impossible!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.

"Both of them have rendered service to Konoha. We will not abandon either one."

"Then there's nothing we can do." The White Zetsu Rock ninja directly placed his kunai against Orochimaru's rope. At the same time, a Rock ninja whose legs shook like sieves crouched down and held a kunai against Minato's rope.

Everyone feared that a tremor of his hand would send Minato plummeting to his death.

The White Zetsu Rock ninja and the nameless Rock ninja made as if to cut.

Minato closed his eyes and looked back on his life. Was he really going to die like this? If he died, what would Kushina do? This ending was truly awful.

"Wait!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.

"Oh? Has Hokage-sama made his decision?"

"How can you release both of them?"

Everyone from Konoha was so tense they barely dared breathe as they waited for Hiruzen Sarutobi to negotiate.

Masaichi, meanwhile, waited confidently for something.

"No! No! No! Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi." The White Zetsu Rock ninja said in a deliberately irritating tone.

If he had been any closer to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the infuriated man would probably have smashed him into pulp with his staff.

Unfortunately, there was some distance between them.

"Can you let me think?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's scalp itched from anxiety. He wanted to think of a countermeasure, but how could he come up with one in such a short time?

The White Zetsu Rock ninja's blade was already pressed against both ropes.

Damn it!!

Right or wrong, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer cared to distinguish. He only wanted to save them both.

Both were his right-hand men! Neither could die! They both had to live!!!

"Fine." The White Zetsu Rock ninja agreed.

"Whose summoning beast can fly..." Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered which Konoha ninja had one.

The Uchiha who had contracts with ninja hawks were at the Hidden Mist Village front line.

Hm?!

Right! The Aburame Clan's insects could carry people.

Shibi Aburame had thought of the same plan. He gradually dispersed the insects inside his body, sending them beneath the cliff to wait and catch whoever fell.

As if he had seen through Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan, the White Zetsu Rock ninja aimed his kunai at Orochimaru's temple.

"Didn't you say you would only cut the ropes?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared again.

"Oh, we changed our minds." The White Zetsu Rock ninja picked his nose with his free hand.

"Bastard!" Choza Akimichi stomped the ground in fury.

Despair lingered in everyone's hearts. Could it really be as this demon said? Did either Minato or Orochimaru have to die?

What if, after the Hokage made his choice, this bastard was merely playing with them and killed both?

"Choose now!" Before he spoke, the two sharp kunai pushed forward slightly.

"Ah~" Minato's head throbbed in pain as it was jabbed.

Beneath Orochimaru's icy expression was a trace of anticipation that even he himself did not recognize.

"Stop!"

"Can't I die in place of both of them?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly pleaded.

"I am the Hokage. How about it? Trade my life for both of theirs. That is not a bad bargain."

"Third!!" Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane knew that the Third truly would do it.

"Rock ninja!!"

"Fight us one-on-one!!"

The other Konoha ninja glared at the White Zetsu Rock ninja with bloodshot eyes, wishing they could tear them to pieces.

"Lord Third!" Minato was deeply moved.

"Sensei." Orochimaru's eyes also stirred with emotion.

"No! No! No!"

"What do we want with the life of an old fossil like you? How long can your old bones last? If we're killing anyone, it'll be Konoha's young ones."

"Enough with the nonsense!"

"Minato or Orochimaru! I don't want to repeat myself."