When Rokuro returned home, he briefly told his mother about the situation. Before even touching his dinner, he geared up and vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique, reappearing near Orochimaru's laboratory.
By now, dozens of ANBU operatives had already surrounded the area. Activating his sensory tools, Rokuro quickly confirmed that the entire entrance was sealed off. Unless Orochimaru had a hidden exit, the only way out would be to fight his way through.
"Just as I thought—can't trust the original timeline completely. The manga only glossed over this whole event, never explaining how Orochimaru broke through ANBU's blockade."
"The anime added some filler, but even then, only Kakashi tried to stop him—and got taken out in one blow. But judging by the current situation, even a full-power Orochimaru will have a hard time breaking through this encirclement."
In the original work, individual strength was often exaggerated while everyone else—especially the ANBU—was treated like background extras. But Rokuro, living in Konoha, knew better. The ANBU were far from pushovers. While they lacked Kage-level combatants, many of them were elite jōnin.
Just the fact that Kakashi served merely as a squad leader in this period said plenty about the ANBU's caliber.
And in an era without any Six Paths-level monsters around, even Kage-class fighters could be taken down through sheer numbers.
The Third Raikage was living proof of that—and Orochimaru clearly wasn't on his level. Breaking through dozens of elite ANBU wouldn't be easy, even for him.
"With Orochimaru's personality, he wouldn't walk into this unprepared. Which means... he probably found himself a helping hand."
While Rokuro was still observing from the shadows, he sensed several powerful chakras approaching. One of them was especially strong—Kage-level, without question.
It was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But what caught Rokuro's attention even more wasn't the Third Hokage himself—it was the short figure following beside him.
"Such strong yang-attribute chakra… even stronger than Hiruzen's own in that aspect. Wait a second… I know who that is. That must be Yamato—no, back in this period, he's still called Tenzo, right?"
Even by the original timeline, Yamato was already an accomplished ANBU at this point. But since Rokuro's arrival had shifted events by several months, it was no surprise that Yamato had already become one of Hiruzen's most trusted subordinates.
"Yamato… People always mock his Wood Release—saying the First Hokage used it to conquer the world, and Yamato used it for landscaping. But that's just because fans keep comparing him to Hashirama. They forget Hashirama had a Sage Body—a literal cheat code."
"If we judge Yamato on his own merits, he's absolutely elite jōnin material. Maybe not yet fully matured, but at least special jōnin level. Most importantly, he's the only person alive who's perfectly integrated Hashirama's cells. Even Obito, during the Fourth War, used him like a power bank to boost the White Zetsu army's combat power."
Rokuro's lips curved in a faint smile.
"Yamato's body's worth studying. Since I'm focusing on medical ninjutsu anyway… might as well get a blood sample while I'm here."
As Hiruzen arrived, the capture operation officially began.
"Kakashi, take your squad and secure the perimeter. If Orochimaru manages to slip out, cut him off immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Kakashi signaled with his hand, and the ANBU operatives scattered, perfectly sealing every possible escape route.
"Tenzo, you're with me."
"Understood, Lord Third."
Hiruzen donned his battle armor and led Yamato and three other elite ANBU straight into the laboratory.
Watching from a distance, Rokuro activated the Konoha Sky Eye, linking into the village's sensory barrier network to observe the situation inside.
Inside the lab, the moment Hiruzen's team kicked open the door, a nauseating stench hit them head-on.
Two massive serpents lunged from the shadows, fangs bared.
"Wind Release: Great Slicing!"
One ANBU reacted instantly, forming seals at a blinding speed—four per second—and unleashing razor-thin blades of air that shredded one of the snakes into ribbons.
Yamato followed up almost simultaneously. Without forming seals, his right arm turned to wood, lengthening into thick wooden tendrils that coiled around the second serpent and crushed it with a single flex of his fingers.
Hiruzen didn't even pause—he sprinted straight toward the back of the laboratory.
The deeper they went, the more horrifying it became.
Animal specimens were everywhere—gruesome, but still tolerable.
But when they descended to the underground level, what awaited them were human specimens.
Some were whole bodies. Others were dismembered torsos. Organs preserved in jars lined the walls. The ANBU froze when they recognized one of the "specimens."
A severed human head, perfectly preserved—no decay, no wounds.
It was one of their own.
"Lord Hokage—that's Fujita!"
One of the ANBU pointed at the head, and Hiruzen's expression darkened instantly. He recognized the man. Fujita had gone missing three months ago during a mission. A search squad had been sent out afterward, but they'd found nothing.
And now, here he was.
Hiruzen's rage boiled over.
"Orochimaru… you monster! I'll have you executed on the spot!"
Whether his fury was genuine or just for show didn't matter. The Third Hokage was committed—he had to deliver justice in front of his men.
As they reached the innermost chamber, Hiruzen bit his thumb and rapidly formed seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a burst of smoke, the Monkey King Enma appeared, wearing his familiar tiger-skin loincloth.
"This place… Hiruzen, don't tell me you're finally going after Orochimaru?"
"Orochimaru's crimes are unforgivable. Help me bring him down!"
"Heh! I knew this day would come. From the first time I laid eyes on that boy, I could tell—he was born twisted!"
With a mocking chuckle, Enma lunged forward, smashing down the steel door with one punch.
Inside was a large operating room.
Corpses hung from the walls, dozens of them—some still breathing weakly. Their limbs were nailed to the walls with metal stakes, and the floor was slick with blood.
At the far end stood Orochimaru, calmly dissecting another body with a surgical knife.
Hearing the door shatter, he turned. His serpent-like eyes fixed coldly on his old teacher.
"Sensei… you shouldn't have come."
"Orochimaru! Look at the horrors you've wrought! Surrender now!"
Orochimaru sighed, then his hands flashed through seals. His mouth opened—and a piercing ultrasonic wave exploded outward.
In a confined space like this, the jutsu's effect was devastating. The sound tore at their eardrums. The four ANBU screamed in pain, clutching their heads as cracks spread across their masks. Even Hiruzen staggered, half-kneeling from the agony.
Seeing his chance, Orochimaru darted for the exit—only for Enma to swing his massive fist, smashing Orochimaru's head to pulp.
But instead of blood and brain matter, the body burst into dozens of small snakes that scattered across the floor—Snake Clone Technique.
Enma was powerful, but slow, and his attacks were single-target. He smashed a few of the serpents, but Orochimaru's true body was already at the doorway.
Just as he was about to escape, Yamato—recovering from the temporary deafness—slammed his hands together.
"Wood Release: Sealing Wall!"
Thick wooden pillars erupted from the floor, sealing off the door completely—cutting off Orochimaru's path of escape.
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
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