Chapter 29: Looting Uncle Snake's Gold Coins

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wore a solemn expression as he led two elite Jonin, Kakashi and Suzume, into the dim tunnel.

Inside the secret base, a massive explosion jolted Orochimaru from his deep immersion in experimentation.

"Heh heh, I thought you would arrive sooner, Sensei Sarutobi." Orochimaru turned slowly, his golden vertical pupils shimmering under the cold light of the laboratory workbench.

He was still wearing his Jonin vest, with his Konoha forehead protector tied around his brow, his slit-like golden eyes fixed on the three figures emerging from the tunnel.

"Orochimaru... it really is you..." Hiruzen's gaze swept across the laboratory, seeing nothing but petri dishes filled with floating organs and various experimental apparatuses. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant and blood.

There were even several corpses of ninjas wearing Konoha forehead protectors.

Although he knew that Orochimaru had become obsessed with research following the Third Shinobi World War and had even aligned himself with Danzo, he still found it hard to believe that Orochimaru would actually use the village's own ninjas for live human experimentation!

"You dare trample upon the Will of Fire..." Such unscrupulous behavior made Hiruzen feel as though he had failed the previous Hokage.

More importantly, if word got out that the Third Hokage's disciple was capturing village ninjas for live experiments, how would the other clans and civilian ninjas view the village? What would they think!

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to purge his own ranks!

Kakashi and Suzume, both wearing white cat masks, used Body Flicker to instantly appear in front of Hiruzen, drawing their kunai and entering combat stances.

Hiruzen's hands moved so fast they became a blur as he wove hand signs, slamming his palms heavily against the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

*Boom!*

As the runes of the summoning array scattered, a cloud of smoke erupted, and from within it emerged the Enma, the Monkey King, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and possessing a massive, muscular physique.

"Hiruzen, the enemy is—" Enma's arms were crossed over his chest, but his words cut short as he clearly saw the pale face lurking in the shadows.

"Forgive my weakness, Enma. This time, I must purge the traitors," Hiruzen said with deep heartache.

"You won't be able to hold me with just this... Sensei," Orochimaru said, his hands weaving signs.

A burst of high-frequency sound waves tore through the air like invisible blades, causing the eardrums of Hiruzen, his two companions, and the monkey to vibrate violently. Hiruzen was even knocked to the ground.

By the time the three humans and one beast recovered, Orochimaru had already used Body Flicker to appear at the mouth of the tunnel behind them.

Orochimaru glanced back, his vertical pupils swirling with complex emotions as he looked at his teacher one last time before sprinting out of the tunnel without looking back.

Simultaneously, the secret base's self-destruct mechanism was activated. A massive number of explosive tags detonated, and a series of cascading explosions swallowed the base.

"Lord Hokage!" Kakashi, Suzume, and Enma immediately moved to protect Hiruzen.

——————

On the outskirts of Konoha, Orochimaru sped through the treetops.

'What ridiculous indecisiveness...' Recalling Hiruzen's actions just now, Orochimaru's lips curled into a mocking sneer.

'It's just a pity there wasn't time to move the equipment from the other labs. I guess Danzo will have to settle for the scraps.' Orochimaru didn't care about the equipment; all his experimental results were stored in his mind. As long as he was given time and funding, building better laboratories would be easy.

However, the thought of so much experimental equipment going to Danzo for nothing left him feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

'That old fox Danzo certainly won't let this opportunity pass...'

The pursuers were likely already on their way.

Orochimaru continued his rapid flight.

Soon, he approached Konoha's village barrier.

However, once he crossed the barrier, he would be detected by the Konoha Barrier Corps. At that point, the village would know exactly which direction he fled, and the pursuing ninjas would arrive shortly.

*Swish—*

"Who's there!"

Orochimaru suddenly leaped from a tree trunk into the air, throwing several kunai.

The kunai embedded themselves deeply into the trunk, and Orochimaru landed on a large tree nearby.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

Applause rang out from a shadow not far from Orochimaru. Menma, wearing a white three-eyed fox mask, stepped out slowly, with two eerie, phantom-like figures floating behind him.

Orochimaru's pupils constricted upon seeing these three mysterious masked individuals.

Even Orochimaru, who spent all day in a laboratory, had heard of a mysterious ninja known as "Shura" who had recently gained fame in the shinobi world.

Not only had this ninja attacked Konoha, leaving the Hyuga clan leaders severely wounded, but they had also later attacked Kumogakure, causing significant casualties. Following the attack, Kumogakure immediately declared a ceasefire with Konoha and issued a bounty of seventy million Ryo on the mysterious ninja!

"Heh, it seems you must be a Konoha ninja," Orochimaru's cold, serpentine eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity.

"As expected of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru. However, you've only guessed halfway." Behind Menma, the figures of the Death God and the Celestial Maiden floated in the air like ghosts.

It was natural for Orochimaru to make that assumption. "Shura" first appeared in Konoha, appeared a third time in Konoha, and was now precisely blocking his escape route. Clearly, "Shura" was intimately familiar with Konoha's barriers, making it highly likely they were a Konoha ninja!

This reminded Orochimaru of the mysterious ninja involved in the Nine-Tails Incident three years ago.

Much information regarding that chaos had been suppressed, but as a high-ranking member of Konoha and the Third Hokage's disciple, Orochimaru knew what had happened that night.

Although it had never been conclusively determined who controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Kushina, many had seen the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes.

"Interesting, truly interesting." Orochimaru stared at the three masked figures. His intuition gave him a sense of dread regarding the Death God.

"A powerhouse capable of wreaking havoc in Kumogakure, yet lurking in Konoha for so long, and now precisely intercepting my escape route..."

Orochimaru's mind raced. This mental stimulation caused him to involuntarily lick his lips, and he let out a sinister laugh. "So, what do you want? Or rather, what do you intend to obtain from me?"

The mysterious ninja before him could move freely between Konoha and Kumogakure; their strength was bound to be immense.

Therefore, Orochimaru knew he could not afford to be stalled. He had not yet broken through the village barrier; if a fight broke out, the pursuers sent by the Third Hokage and Danzo could arrive at any moment. If the mysterious ninja simply left, he would be the one in danger.

The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for him!

"Ho, so self-aware?" Menma chuckled softly and stated his condition: "Hashirama cells."

!!!

Orochimaru's pupils shook!

There was only one person who knew he possessed Hashirama cells: his collaborator, Danzo!

"You aren't Danzo's man!" But immediately after, Orochimaru firmly denied his own suspicion.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that if you don't leave soon, Kakashi and Kan will be catching up," Menma said in a flippant tone, casually dropping a name that sent Orochimaru's mind into chaos.

'Kan!'

That experimental subject who had survived after Orochimaru implanted Hashirama cells into him had been picked up by Danzo. Even Orochimaru, who worked with Danzo, only knew the subject's current codename—"Kan"!

'This person... just how much more do they know!'

Without a moment's hesitation, Orochimaru's throat surged, and he reached into his throat with his right hand to pull out a scroll coated in mucus.

"This is what you want!" Orochimaru threw the scroll with a dark, menacing gaze while simultaneously breaking through toward the village barrier.

The moment he breached the barrier, Orochimaru turned his head, etching the silhouette of "Shura" into his memory.

He would definitely settle this score!