Chapter 68: The Storm Passes, Shadows Remain
Orochimaru smiled eerily at Naruto, though no one knew what it meant.
But even though Orochimaru had noticed Naruto, he didn't say much.
Instead, he quickly withdrew his gaze and resumed his fierce battle with the Third Hokage.
The fight between the two was intense and reaching its peak.
The Third Hokage was using all his strength, desperately resisting the attacks of the two former Hokages and Orochimaru.
The ANBU ninjas watching from the side grew more anxious by the moment.
As Konoha ANBU, how could they not know the power of their ancestors—the two Hokages?
Those were the creators of Konoha, the founders of the village itself. Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama—names that resounded throughout the ninja world!
They were legendary figures known to every ninja!
Although the two former Hokages had no consciousness and weren't fighting at full strength, their combat ability alone was enough to match Sarutobi Hiruzen.
So everyone was very worried about whether the Third Hokage could withstand Orochimaru's fierce assault.
And sure enough, after fighting for a while—
The Third Hokage was already out of breath. His strength began to wane.
Orochimaru noticed that the Third Hokage's attacks were slowing down. He suddenly smiled, looked at his former teacher, and said mockingly:
"Teacher, you're already old."
When the Third Hokage heard Orochimaru's words, he snorted coldly and shouted with anger and defiance:
"Orochimaru, even if my combat power isn't what it used to be, you have no right to mock me! I still have plenty of ways to deal with you. Don't think you can stir up trouble right in front of me!"
"If it comes down to it, I'll fight with these old bones and die alongside you!"
The Third Hokage glanced at the powerful First and Second Hokages. His eyes were full of anger, and a flash of coldness crossed his gaze. He stared at Orochimaru, snorted, and shouted.
Orochimaru also seemed to know that the Third Hokage still had cards that could threaten him.
Hearing the Third Hokage's words, Orochimaru smiled—not very afraid—and said:
"Tsk, tsk, Teacher Sarutobi. I didn't come here today to fight you to the death. In fact, I want you to live a little longer."
"Because I've found something far more interesting. When this matter is revealed to the public and appears before your eyes, your expression will be even more exciting than it is now. And Konoha will change accordingly. Hahahaha!"
Hearing Orochimaru's words, the Third Hokage frowned. He didn't know what Orochimaru was talking about.
Orochimaru smiled eerily and didn't intend to explain.
He glanced at the confused Third Hokage, laughed a few more times, and a flicker of coldness flashed in his snake-like eyes. He said with a smile:
"Teacher, I only came here today to tell you this. Driving me out of the village was the worst decision you ever made. You old politicians of Konoha—it's time for you to retire!"
"Haha, but I don't care about any of that anymore. Because Konoha is about to undergo a major change soon. More exciting things are going to happen."
"At that time, I wonder what expressions those old Konoha fossils will have. Hahahahaha!"
Orochimaru laughed wildly, threatening the Third Hokage as if ignoring his warnings entirely.
The Third Hokage frowned.
Before he could say anything, Orochimaru continued with a cold smile:
"Alright. I've seen what I came to see. I'm not interested in wasting any more time here with you."
"Teacher, I'll see you next time. I wonder if you'll even be able to stand before me like this again. Hahahaha!"
After speaking, Orochimaru waved his hand. Two coffins appeared, and the First and Second Hokages were absorbed back into them.
Then, Orochimaru turned around, preparing to retreat.
Seeing that Orochimaru was about to leave, the Third Hokage quickly formed hand signs, intending to use ninjutsu to keep him there.
"Orochimaru, don't run!"
But Orochimaru seemed to have prepared for this. Before the Third Hokage could complete his ninjutsu, he and the four ninjas maintaining the barrier had already fled.
Seeing that Orochimaru couldn't be stopped—that he had vanished from sight—the Third Hokage exhaled as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
As the barrier disappeared, the surrounding ANBU ninjas hurried to the Third Hokage's side to check on his injuries.
Naruto watched from the side. He was slightly surprised that the battle between the two had ended this way.
But that was fine. In the end, everything would be settled by his own hands.
Naruto clenched his fists.
After a short rest, the Third Hokage quickly stood up and began directing the Konoha ninja to launch a counterattack.
With the Third Hokage's command, plus Might Guy and Kakashi—and now that the biggest threat, Orochimaru, had left—Konoha's forces immediately began fighting at full strength.
Konoha ANBU also joined the battle.
Soon, the Konoha ninja offensive became fierce.
The tide of war began to turn in Konoha's favor.
The Sand Shinobi ninja learned that their Fourth Kazekage had been an imposter—actually Orochimaru in disguise.
And since Orochimaru had already escaped from Konoha, the Sand ninja began negotiating for peace. One by one, they stopped attacking.
As for the Hidden Sound ninja—they had originally been Orochimaru's subordinates. They were either killed or captured and surrendered to Konoha.
Soon, the joint attack by the Sand and Sound ninja villages was suppressed by Konoha.
And Konoha seemed to have returned to peace.
Although this conflict had caused Konoha considerable losses, it also showed the other great nations Konoha's true strength.
Two major ninja villages—one of them one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—had joined forces to besiege Konoha, and both had failed.
What was more, the Third Hokage had fought the First and Second Hokages and Orochimaru all by himself without falling. This immediately boosted the Third Hokage's reputation even further, making him famous throughout the ninja world.
Those younger villages who had thought about taking advantage of Konoha's moment of weakness to demand compensation quickly abandoned those ideas.
Although Konoha had suffered losses in this war, they weren't severe. The village had almost no shortage of top-level and mid-level jonin, which made the other ninja villages aware of Konoha's remaining strength.
In the end, the Sand Shinobi signed a peace treaty with Konoha, vowing never to attack Konoha again and to remain friends forever.
Although such agreements were essentially useless, the Sand—having suffered losses—wouldn't act rashly for the time being.
And just when everyone thought Konoha had returned to peace and had nearly secured its position as the head of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—
An even larger storm was about to strike.
Beneath Konoha, in the dark place that never appeared on the surface, things were beginning to change.
In a dark, damp basement beneath the village—
When Danzo heard the news of Konoha's turmoil, that Orochimaru had escaped, and that the Third Hokage's reputation had grown even louder throughout the ninja world, he shouted in anger:
"Orochimaru, that bastard! He didn't pull Sarutobi down from his horse like we agreed. Instead, he made Sarutobi even more prestigious! He strengthened his reputation and solidified his position. I'm so furious!"
The Root ninja beside him, seeing Danzo smash whatever was near him, spoke tremblingly:
"Lord Danzo, what should we do next?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes. His sharp gaze was full of coldness and menace.
Then, Danzo said in a low, angry voice:
"Konoha is no longer suitable for Sarutobi to lead. Next, it's time for Root to take action."
"First, send someone to monitor the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Find an opportunity and capture him. Wait for my orders and prepare to move."
"Yes!"