Orochimaru, Who Had Died Once

"Both!"

"Wishful thinking!!"

As one of the hostages, Minato remained silent. He was afraid that speaking would anger them. This Iwa ninja had a twisted temperament and unpredictable moods.

"Who are you saving?!"

As he spoke, the White Zetsu Iwa ninja pushed his kunai forward again.

The other Iwa ninja also shoved his kunai inward with trembling hands.

The kunai tips pierced Minato and Orochimaru's temples, drawing blood. Minato let out a muffled groan of pain.

"Don't hurt them!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart clenched. How was he supposed to choose?

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Can't make a choice? Then they both die!"

"Da..."

"Minato!"

"I choose Minato!!!"

"Monkey!! Why did you choose Minato? What use is he?"

Those supporting Minato breathed a sigh of relief.

They had gambled correctly!

The Third Hokage really did favor Minato.

But what about Orochimaru...

Masaichi and Danzo exchanged a glance. This should make Orochimaru join them against Monkey, right? Neither of them believed Orochimaru would die.

Besides, Masaichi had already arranged for someone to rescue him. By his calculations, it was time.

They had moved.

Orochimaru smiled blandly. He should have expected this, shouldn't he?

When had it begun?

When had he and his teacher stopped having anything to talk about?

The only things left between them were interests, orders, and obedience.

How he wished his teacher had noticed something was wrong with him and pulled him back in time.

Why?!

Teacher Sarutobi!!!

After saying it, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not even dare meet Orochimaru's icy gaze.

Homura Mitokado slapped his forehead. Why had he actually chosen?! Couldn't he see that the enemy would not spare either of them?

The fewer powerful figures there were in the Ninja World, the easier it would be to carry out the Moon's Eye Plan.

Whether Orochimaru or Minato became Hokage, Madara found both troublesome. He felt that, under normal circumstances, Obito's brains might not be enough to outmaneuver either of them.

With such a perfect chance laid before them, why wait if they were not going to kill them?

"Kill them, then carry out the next plan."

Madara had just given the order.

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique."

"Chidori!!"

Obito and Kakashi, whom Masaichi had long ago sent to the bottom of the cliff to climb up and provide support, sprang into action.

The blazing Great Fireball and screeching Chidori came from opposite sides, each of them targeting one enemy.

However, the Iwa ninja beside Minato reacted incredibly fast. At the final instant before the Fire Style ninjutsu struck him, he narrowly escaped with the Substitution Technique, leaving behind only a charred log.

The White Zetsu Iwa ninja felt how fragile life was. So this was how he was going to die!

For the sake of completing Lord Madara's mission.

He chose to trade one life for another. No matter what, he had to take Orochimaru with him. With a thrust of his kunai, he drove it straight into Orochimaru's temple, only for Kakashi's Chidori to pierce his chest and kill him on the spot.

The battle lasted only an instant.

The two figures flashed past like ghosts, tearing the ropes apart with their bare hands and steadily catching the freed hostages.

"Go!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Obito and Kakashi did not linger after saving them. Using the cliff terrain as cover, they flashed several times and returned to Konoha's ranks.

The remaining Iwa ninjas were dumbfounded. Then what had all their extra effort been for?

Wouldn't it have been better to simply present the two of them to the Tsuchikage and earn promotions and riches?

Their captain had led them astray!!

Before they could do anything, the enraged Konoha shinobi rushed forward and tore them to pieces.

"Teacher, are you hurt?" Minato was still in Obito's arms.

Feeling his student's solid chest and strong arms, Minato experienced the greatness of life for the first time. Back when Obito had first become his student, he had been skinny as a chick. Now he could stand on his own and save him.

"Thank you, Obito."

Obito raised his brows at Minato, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was focused on Minato's temple. "Where are the medical ninjas?"

The wound still seeped blood, making his lungs feel ready to burst with rage. Minato had been a ninja for so many years and rarely suffered injuries, yet today he had been hurt by this useless fool whose hands shook even while holding a kunai.

"I'm here!" Rin hurried over and used the Mystical Palm Technique on her teacher's wound.

"You saved your teacher in time. That was amazing, Obito!"

"Hahaha, not at all."

Many people gathered around Minato: the Hyuga brothers, Inoichi Yamanaka, Nara Shikaku, Choza Akimichi, Homura Mitokado...

In contrast, no one even seemed to realize Orochimaru had died.

Kakashi carried Orochimaru in his arms, a kunai still lodged in his head as blood streamed down.

"My condolences." With weary eyes, Kakashi laid Orochimaru on the ground.

He thought of his father.

Orochimaru was very important to Masaichi, wasn't he? No less than a biological father.

When Masaichi graduated from the Ninja Academy, Orochimaru had personally come to take him away. Otherwise, according to what Obito had learned, the Third Hokage had originally intended to assign Masaichi to clerical work.

And clerical work meant his strength would stagnate for the rest of his life.

The moment Orochimaru died, Masaichi truly felt his eyes burn.

His relationship with Orochimaru was complicated. They used each other. Orochimaru found him convenient to use, while he believed Orochimaru could use technology to enhance his strength.

But the deeper your interests became intertwined, the deeper your feelings for each other became as well.

Thinking back on the past.

Whenever Orochimaru conducted experiments, he always made time to meet Masaichi's requests and create whatever he wanted.

Orochimaru-sensei was such a good man!!

Thinking this, Masaichi knelt down, cradled Orochimaru, and burst into tears. "Orochimaru-sensei!!"

Who was the most filial student?

Who was the one who would cry after Orochimaru's death?

Crack!

The only sound on the scene was Masaichi's loud wailing, desperate and helpless.

He cried even harder than Gohan had when Trunks died.

"Teacher!!!"

With this cry, he would become Orochimaru's only bond. Anko, Nawaki, whoever else—everyone would have to move aside.

Who was lying on the ground? Orochimaru!!

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not kill him, Sasuke could not kill him, Four-Tails Naruto could not kill him, Itachi could not kill him... he was an existence who stubbornly survived all the way into Boruto.

Orochimaru's ability to preserve his life was limited only by what one could imagine, never by what he could do.

So now it was his turn to perform.

"This has to be fake, right?" Anko stood frozen in place, unable to believe her teacher could die.

"You can only blame your bad luck." Danzo shook his head regretfully. A kunai had pierced his brain. How could he possibly survive that?

Even the First Hokage would probably become a vegetable if that happened to him.

It seemed his Hashirama Cells transplant would not happen after all. But! Root had secretly hidden an experimental subject behind Orochimaru's back, one who had successfully received Hashirama Cells.

Though somewhat weak, the subject truly possessed Wood Release, something only the First Hokage had once wielded!

Orochimaru was definitely not dead.

Through the perspective of his feigned death, he watched the varied reactions of Konoha's people.

Some of his subordinates wavered upon seeing his death, hesitating where they stood over whether to defect to Minato.

His teacher had medical ninjas treat the tiny wound on Minato's temple, a wound that could heal on its own. The teacher he had once respected most was fussing over that blond brat.

A massive sense of loneliness swept through Orochimaru.

No!

There was still someone who would cry for him.

But...

Was his teacher blind? Couldn't he tell whether those tears were real or fake?

Heh heh.

The next instant, a small snake wriggled out from Orochimaru's temple where Masaichi held him, and then the wound healed completely without a trace.

"Ah!!! Teacher!!!!"

Orochimaru looked irritably at Masaichi, who was still crying. He wanted to see how long Masaichi could keep pretending.

"Orochimaru-sensei..." Beside him was Anko, crying while sniffing back snot.

Orochimaru glanced at her. These were genuine tears—and she was genuinely foolish.