Chapter 177: Orochimaru Still Can't Escape His Destiny as a Missing-nin
Standing punishment?
Minato didn't immediately understand, but could tell Jiraiya-sensei should be fine—most likely he'd carelessly fallen for Orochimaru's scheme.
As long as Jiraiya-sensei was unharmed, that was enough. The most pressing matter now was subduing Orochimaru.
Minato stared at Orochimaru intently. "Orochimaru, give up resistance now. I can handle this as voluntary surrender!"
Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Takuma, and Kakashi all held their breath in concentration, ears perked listening for the Hokage's voice, prepared to fight at any moment.
Orochimaru's face bore a smile mocking the entire world. His gaze swept across everything before him, lingering especially on Uchiha Shisui for two extra seconds before he smiled. "Minato, you've also been infected by that idiot Jiraiya. Knowing I couldn't possibly surrender, why waste more breath? Stop fantasizing I'll turn myself in. If you want me to stay, you can only possibly achieve this goal through force."
His attitude was unmistakably clear and resolute.
Everyone understood that peacefully resolving Orochimaru's situation was now completely impossible. They could only use violence to break the deadlock!
However, Uchiha Shisui and the others were waiting—waiting for Minato's command.
Because the previous order stated if Orochimaru fled, they needed to immediately intercept. But now Orochimaru wasn't fleeing—rather, he stood here directly conversing with the Hokage. This was a special circumstance inconsistent with orders.
Minato sighed softly. His expression immediately became exceptionally firm and cold. He ordered heavily, "Attack! Capture Orochimaru—dead or alive, either is acceptable!"
Capturing a top-tier expert alive was simply too difficult.
Even if successful, they'd likely pay an enormous price. Minato didn't wish to pay too great a cost. So he not only deployed the Shadow Guard, but also reached into his own ninja tool pouch, ready to act and join combat at any moment.
After receiving the order, the one who charged fastest, first reaching Orochimaru—unsurprisingly—was Uchiha Shisui. The "Body Flicker" nickname had been built from the lives of countless Mist ninja.
He swung his kodachi. In the morning light, it brought a desolate, cold killing intent, slicing through the skin between Orochimaru's eyebrows. Threads of fresh blood slid down.
As Supreme Commander of the Eastern Front, Uchiha Shisui had constantly operated under Orochimaru. Though Orochimaru had never sparred with Shisui, he clearly understood how formidable this trump card he'd once held was.
The instant Shisui moved, Orochimaru retreated a step in time, just avoiding that sharp blade light, preventing the tragic fate of having his head split open.
But Uchiha Shisui didn't charge alone. Hyuga Takuma and Hatake Kakashi closed in from left and right, reaching Orochimaru's front. One struck with splitting palm force from both hands. The other swung his short blade, thrusting straight toward Orochimaru's ribs.
Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged. His body twisted with inconceivable flexibility, serpentine, dodging Hyuga Takuma's Eight Trigrams Empty Palm.
"Boom!" The splitting palm force struck the rear wall, directly blasting a hole. The destructive power of this strike was clearly formidable.
Kakashi's short blade thrust grazed past Orochimaru's waist. Orochimaru swept his sleeve wide, employing Hidden Shadow Snake Hands. Dozens of serpents instantly bound Kakashi completely. Sharp snake fangs drilled into Kakashi's body.
However—
Orochimaru shook his head, amusement coloring his face.
Because the Kakashi being torn by the serpent swarm transformed into a human-shaped mud mass—clearly Earth Release: Earth Clone.
Just moments ago, he and Jiraiya in the underground laboratory had both used this trick to avoid each other's attacks. He hadn't expected this brat Kakashi could also apply this technique successfully before him. He truly deserved his genius reputation.
But precisely during this moment of distraction, Uchiha Shisui moved ghost-like to his front. His kodachi mercilessly pierced through Orochimaru's chest. Hyuga Takuma, planning to use Gentle Fist pressure points, saw this scene and awkwardly stopped.
"Shisui-kun, your speed is truly fast!"
Orochimaru's mouth issued genuine, sincere praise!
Uchiha Shisui's hair stood on end. His heart had been pierced—yet Orochimaru spoke as if nothing had happened?
Orochimaru twisted his head to look. His mouth opened wide. A pair of mucus-covered hands extended from his throat, stretching his mouth open to hippopotamus proportions.
Then the unharmed Orochimaru crawled out, lowering his head to fearlessly meet Uchiha Shisui's crimson eyes. His golden snake pupils at this moment also tinged blood-red.
Uchiha Shisui felt momentarily dazed, subconsciously murmuring, "This is... Sharingan?"
Land of Hot Water, frontline camp.
Receiving Hiruko's summons, the shadow clone Hyuga Ritsu had left in camp suspended training and came to the keep, finding Hiruko sitting behind his desk in a daze.
"Sensei, Sensei? Sensei!"
Ritsu called several times continuously, constantly raising his volume, finally managing to rouse the distracted Hiruko.
He looked at Ritsu standing before him, raising his hand to rub his temples. "Ritsu, when did you arrive?"
Ritsu sat in the empty seat beside him. "Just now."
After saying this, he asked, "Sensei, what were you thinking about just now? So absorbed? If someone came to assassinate you, they could have killed you seven or eight times."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Hiruko glared irritably at this student full of wild talk. "You really think I had no defenses? Only you could easily approach me. Anyone else would be detected the moment they reached the stairway."
Ritsu laughed and changed topics. "Sensei, didn't we just say yesterday I'd focus on training? Why did you summon me again today?"
"Isn't your main body training diligently right now?"
"The main body is training, but this clone can also comprehend and train."
"Enough, stop talking nonsense. Since I summoned you, naturally there's something important to tell you..."
Hiruko paused, took a deep breath, looked at Ritsu, and said word by word, "Just yesterday, Orochimaru was apprehended for illegally researching forbidden techniques. But Orochimaru chose to resist arrest, ultimately breaking through the encirclement set by the Hokage and his Shadow Guard, defecting from the village!"
"Orochimaru defected?"
Ritsu's eyes widened in sudden understanding.
So that's why the Fourth had hastily recalled Jiraiya to the village—turns out those shady things Orochimaru did had been exposed. Honestly, because Ritsu had stirred the shinobi world beyond recognition, changing many people's destinies, he hadn't been certain whether Orochimaru would still defect as originally.
Turns out Orochimaru still couldn't escape his destiny as a missing-nin.
Of course, considering what Orochimaru had already done, his defection was almost inevitable. Unless he himself became Hokage and erased records of his misdeeds, otherwise regardless of who succeeded as Hokage, they most likely couldn't tolerate his behavior of experimenting on fellow villagers.
Because the Will of Fire's education had already penetrated deeply. Not just civilian ninja—even ninja from major clans mostly believed in the Will of Fire's theory of trusting bonds.
Hiruko sighed endlessly. "Orochimaru went too far. Researching forbidden techniques honestly isn't much. But honestly, I truly didn't expect he'd use village people as research materials. Simply too insane!"
His face showed lingering fear.
Because Orochimaru's defection charge was illegally researching forbidden techniques—using village comrades as research materials hadn't been publicly disclosed, only circulating among upper echelons.
And coincidentally, Hiruko himself was also a contestant illegally researching forbidden techniques. The only difference was he hadn't used fellow villagers as research materials, but rather with his good student Hyuga Ritsu had captured bandits and ninja from other villages for some experimental research. But perhaps through empathy among the shinobi world's researchers, he still inevitably felt sympathy for fellow researchers.
Ritsu asked with some curiosity, "Sensei, how did Orochimaru escape? Did the Fourth let him go?"
He felt nothing about Orochimaru's defection, nor any worry. His own hands were clean—Orochimaru's illegal human experimentation had nothing to do with him.
Moreover, behind him stood the Hyuga clan, an indispensable cornerstone of Konoha Village. As long as Ritsu himself didn't rebel or stage an uprising, honestly his position in the village was rock solid.
He was more concerned now with how Orochimaru escaped.
After all, in the original historical trajectory, the Third Hokage, facing his beloved student Orochimaru, ultimately couldn't bring himself to lead ANBU in a deadly assault, choosing to let Orochimaru live.
But surely Minato couldn't have released the potential threat Orochimaru for Jiraiya's sake? Moreover, Minato's Shadow Guard included Uchiha Shisui. These two "extreme speed" experts working together—what did Orochimaru have to escape with?
Especially Uchiha Shisui—Sharingan had super-effective damage against Orochimaru... Well, current Orochimaru probably hadn't yet researched Living Corpse Reincarnation, so his soul hadn't become fragile from that.
But even so, Uchiha Shisui's genjutsu was still unquestionably the Uchiha clan's current strongest. Even a healthy Orochimaru should be unable to withstand it!
Hearing this, Hiruko's expression changed, revealing extremely complex emotions. After pondering for a long while, he said, "During combat, Orochimaru used both Sharingan and Wood Release—two Kekkei Genkai!"
"What?"
Ritsu was genuinely shocked.
When did Orochimaru obtain Sharingan? In his memory, Orochimaru had coveted using Living Corpse Reincarnation to seize Uchiha Sasuke's body but ultimately failed, never touching Sharingan's power from beginning to end—instead being dealt super-effective damage by Sharingan!
Ritsu's thoughts raced. He suddenly thought of a possibility and couldn't help asking, "Sensei, you didn't pass the Chimera Technique to Orochimaru, did you?"
Hiruko immediately refuted angrily, "Nonsense! Except for us master and student, absolutely no third person in the shinobi world masters the Chimera Technique."
"Good that there isn't. Letting Orochimaru master the Chimera Technique... feels like it would make the shinobi world very bad!"
Ritsu spoke from his heart.
He didn't doubt Orochimaru's troublemaking ability at all. Though he'd stirred the shinobi world beyond recognition, changing many people's destinies, a person's nature wasn't so easily changed—especially someone like Orochimaru with such resolute will pursuing immortality!
Seeing this, Hiruko couldn't help smiling bitterly. "No wonder you think that way. Actually, Orochimaru possessing both Sharingan and Wood Release has no small connection to us master and student."
Ritsu was stunned. "How does this relate to us? Sensei, you didn't teach him the Chimera Technique. I've never revealed a single word about the Chimera Technique to anyone. How does it relate to us?"
Deep helplessness and powerlessness appeared on Hiruko's face. "Ritsu, Orochimaru is different from me. Like you, he's among the top-tier geniuses—especially in researching and learning techniques. His talent is powerfully frightening."
"Though neither of us leaked any secrets about the Chimera Technique, our success was already the best hint for Orochimaru. According to hints Orochimaru revealed during combat before escaping, he referenced our master-student condition and ultimately successfully completed transplantation of both Sharingan and Wood Release Kekkei Genkai onto his own body!"
After finishing, he sighed heavily.
Ritsu was similarly somewhat dazed. Good grief, this fellow Orochimaru... truly deserved being the shinobi world's number one scientist. This talent was indeed absurdly high!
After quite a while, Ritsu finally shook his head somewhat helplessly. "Sensei, such rhetoric is still too far-fetched. The Fourth couldn't possibly plan to punish us for such reasons, right?"
Hiruko immediately shook his head in denial. "No, don't overthink it. The Hokage informed me of all this not to assign blame—no matter how you investigate, it can't trace back to us. Rather, after Orochimaru's defection, Jiraiya chose to pursue him, wanting to capture Orochimaru and bring him back to the village. So we are essentially bound here now!"
"..."
Ritsu was momentarily speechless.
So what was originally temporary substitution had directly become permanent employment after just two days. In his past life, this would merit tears of joy. But now, only full belly of exasperation.
Hiruko straightened his expression and said solemnly, "Also, Ritsu, Orochimaru's defection definitely can't be concealed. News should spread soon. Once the Cloud ninja receive word, negotiations may change. You must prepare, just in case!"
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