"Orochimaru!"
The Third Hokage instantly realized who was behind the rampaging giant purple snake.
His face darkened as he leapt from the Hokage Building, landing gracefully before dashing toward the chaos in the village.
"It's Orochimaru!"
The others in the meeting also identified the culprit. Many of them had once interacted with Orochimaru before his defection. Some had even served under him during the Second and Third Ninja World Wars when Orochimaru had been a battlefield commander.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Following the Third Hokage, the assembled clan heads and elite jonin rushed toward the scene.
"Konoha's tradition of killing masters... I wonder if it will continue this time."
Uchiha Fugaku smirked slightly before following the crowd.
Konoha indeed had a grim legacy—a tradition of students killing their masters.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had died at the hands of his student, Uchiha Obito, during the Nine-Tails' attack. Years later, the Third Hokage would perish at the hands of his disciple, Orochimaru, during the Chunin Exams. Still later, in the Rain Village, Jiraiya would meet his end at the hands of his student, Nagato.
"This could be Orochimaru's chance," Fugaku mused.
But he shook his head. "No, it's unlikely."
During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru had meticulously prepared to isolate the Third Hokage from the village's forces. This time, such elaborate planning was absent.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The elite ninja quickly arrived at the scene, where the massive purple snake continued its rampage.
"Orochimaru!"
The Third Hokage's voice boomed, filled with authority and anger. His hair and beard seemed to bristle with power as he glared at Orochimaru, who sat atop the serpent.
"Sarutobi-sensei, it has been quite some time," Orochimaru replied, his expression a mixture of mockery and nostalgia.
"Orochimaru, what are you trying to do?"
The Third Hokage's voice was filled with fury.
"I went to the Root to retrieve something. Unfortunately, I triggered one of Danzo's traps and was exposed," Orochimaru said nonchalantly, as if discussing a trivial errand.
"As a traitor, you dared to sneak back into Konoha and infiltrate the Root?"
The Third Hokage's anger surged. Orochimaru's actions were a blatant provocation.
"Well, with Danzo missing, I thought I'd see what treasures he might have left behind," Orochimaru replied with a chuckle.
His dismissive attitude enraged everyone present. To Orochimaru, infiltrating the Root seemed as inconsequential as a trip to the market.
"Orochimaru, what do you think Konoha is?"
"Is Danzo's disappearance your doing?"
Several clan heads shouted, directing their anger toward him.
"Don't pin that on me," Orochimaru replied, his playful demeanor turning icy.
His cold, piercing gaze silenced the questioning clan heads. The pressure of his stare felt like being caught in the coils of a massive serpent.
"No matter if Danzo's disappearance is your doing or not, you will not leave Konoha today!"
The Third Hokage's voice was firm.
"Sarutobi-sensei, you're not as spry as you once were. Do you really think you can stop me?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.
"I may have aged, but I'm far from feeble," the Third Hokage retorted sharply.
He formed a series of seals, creating a Shadow Clone beside him. Both he and the clone performed simultaneous ninjutsu.
The Shadow Clone conjured a massive water dragon, while the original charged it with lightning chakra.
"Combination Ninjutsu: Thunder Water Dragon Bullet!"
A colossal water dragon wrapped in crackling lightning surged toward the giant purple snake.
The snake twisted its massive body, blocking the attack. However, the powerful combination ninjutsu scorched its scales, leaving charred marks on its body.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Ninjutsu of all kinds rained down on the snake as the gathered clan heads and elite jonin joined the battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The powerful attacks caused the giant purple snake to writhe in pain.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu—"
Nara Shikaku's shadow tendrils wrapped around the serpent's massive tail, immobilizing it temporarily.
"The Multi-Size Technique!"
Akimichi Choza transformed into a giant and held the snake's thrashing tail in his hands.
Despite their combined efforts, the snake's immense power pushed them back.
"Ahhh—"
The snake let out a piercing, human-like scream, turning its head toward Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, don't forget our agreement!" it hissed angrily.
With that, the snake's body dissolved into white smoke as it canceled the summoning jutsu and escaped.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Orochimaru leapt gracefully to the ground, now surrounded by the Third Hokage and the other ninja.
"Orochimaru, you won't escape this time," the Third Hokage declared coldly.
"Sarutobi-sensei, don't you think it's odd? Even now, I haven't lifted a finger," Orochimaru replied, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
(End of this chapter)
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