Boom!!
Perhaps the battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru had been too brutal. Even the sturdy rooftop collapsed with a deafening rumble.
The four Otogakure shinobi maintaining the Crimson Flame Formation lost their footing and fell along with it, and the formation naturally shattered.
The nearby Konoha shinobi exchanged glances at the sight, then rushed toward the rubble.
Just then, a tremendous force blasted open one corner of the wreckage, revealing a bedraggled Orochimaru and the Otogakure shinobi.
Orochimaru's face was deathly pale. Even a patch of skin had peeled off his face, offering a faint glimpse of his true appearance.
But Orochimaru could no longer spare any thought for that. He glared viciously at the rubble and said with venom,
"Damn that old man! He wanted to drag me down with him when he died. Once I recover, I'll destroy all of Konoha!"
With that, Orochimaru dared not linger any longer. He hurriedly ordered those supporting him to flee toward the outskirts of the village.
The nearby Konoha shinobi were not particularly strong, so despite surrounding them, they only managed to stop two of the Otogakure shinobi.
High in the air, Tsunade watched Orochimaru retreat with a conflicted look. Finally, she turned to Shin Uchiha beside her and asked,
"Shin, are we really going to let Orochimaru escape so easily?"
The Third Hokage's death was already a certainty. Faced with Orochimaru having killed him, Tsunade did not know what to do, her heart tangled with conflicting emotions.
At Tsunade's words, Shin Uchiha shook his head and said,
"Orochimaru still has his uses, and he has plenty of ways to stay alive. Even if we kill the one in front of us, he can still come back. Let him go."
Shin Uchiha was still counting on Orochimaru to refine