Chapter 3: An Insubordinate Disciple and a Master's Fire
Orochimaru's mind was racing.
He had spent the entire walk to the Sarutobi estate trying to figure out what Hiruzen was up to. They hadn't spoken privately in years. Why would the old man suddenly invite him to a family dinner?
Was this a trap? A "Last Supper" before an execution? In the ninja world, a sudden show of warmth from a superior usually meant a kunai was about to find your ribs.
But after stepping through the gates, his suspicions began to waver.
His master's wife, Biwako, greeted him with a genuine smile. The air in the house was filled with the scents he loved—braised apples and soft-boiled eggs. It felt... nostalgic.
When he heard that Hiruzen was in the training field, Orochimaru's curiosity piqued. The old man had been buried under mountains of paperwork for years. Did he even have a training routine anymore? Every time Orochimaru saw him in the office, Hiruzen looked like a walking corpse, drained of all vitality.
But as Orochimaru stood at the entrance of the field, watching the man move with ferocious, predatory grace, his jaw nearly dropped.
Is this even the same person?
Hiruzen looked like he had turned back the clock ten years.
"You're early," Hiruzen said, hoisting a heavy steel staff onto his shoulder with effortless ease. He gave a hearty laugh. "Hungry, brat? Good. Eat your fill tonight. Biwako went all out on the kitchen."
His tone was casual, domestic—as if Orochimaru were just a son returning home from the academy.
Orochimaru blinked, his snake-like eyes scanning Hiruzen's physique. "Sensei... what happened to you?"
"Ah, the stress finally got to me. I had a bit of a health scare recently," Hiruzen replied, his voice tinged with a mix of honesty and mock-weariness.
"When you're sick, you're forced to slow down. And when you slow down, you start to see things clearly. Once my mind cleared, my body followed. I've even been experimenting with some of Lord Tobirama's old scrolls. I think I've found a new rhythm. Does it show?"
Orochimaru nodded slowly. "Very much so. For a moment, I thought you had mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal."
Softened by the familiar atmosphere, Orochimaru found himself slipping back into his old way of speaking. He had originally planned to remain cold and address Hiruzen only as "Lord Hokage." But in the presence of the Sarutobi family, he felt like a student again.
"I'm a long way from that," Hiruzen chuckled, "but I do have a desire to stay strong. A powerful Hokage inspires confidence. A frail old man? He only invites trouble."
A spark of light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. This pleased him.
So, the Old Man finally understands the horror of decay? He's finally willing to use jutsu to solve the problem of mortality?
"Sensei, you should have come to this realization years ago," Orochimaru said, a thin smile forming. "I could have helped you."
It felt as though a fresh wind was blowing through Hiruzen's aging spirit. The Hokage Orochimaru thought was destined to rot away was suddenly overflowing with life.
"Since you're so eager," Hiruzen said, grinning, "why don't you show me what you've learned these past few years? Give your old teacher a demonstration."
Orochimaru's heart skipped. Long ago, every time he mastered a new jutsu, he would run to Hiruzen to show off. Hiruzen would always watch with endless patience, offering precise, master-level guidance to help him perfect the technique.
The good old days?
Orochimaru's blue magatama earrings swayed in the wind. "Sensei, are you really offering to mentor me again after all this time?"
He had techniques he couldn't show—the forbidden, soul-twisting jutsu he was developing in secret, like the Living Corpse Reincarnation. But a "teaching session" with a revitalized Hiruzen? That was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He wanted to feel the weight of Hiruzen's new power for himself.
"Guidance? You're likely stronger than me by now, Orochimaru," Hiruzen said, waving a hand. "But if a student asks, a teacher can hardly refuse."
"Then let's be a little more serious, Sensei," Orochimaru said. He habitually flicked his long tongue, licking his lips. The sudden thrill of combat was making his skin crawl in the best way. "Shall I notify the Anbu to clear the area?"
"No need for formalities," Hiruzen laughed, his hands moving in a blur of seals. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A massive, thick wall of stone erupted from the ground, sealing off the training field. They weren't ordinary shinobi. If they really got into the spirit of things, the collateral damage would be immense.
"You always did have the mindset of a Hokage, Orochimaru. Thinking of the village's safety first," Hiruzen praised. "But don't bother with the notifications. I'm still annoyed about the Cloud Village ninjas nearly kidnapping Kushina Uzumaki right under our noses."
"This time, no warnings. No prep. We're going to see just how fast the village's response teams actually are."
Orochimaru's smile widened. He liked this new, impulsive Hiruzen. This didn't feel like the indecisive old man who weighed every political consequence before taking a step. This felt like a leader.
Hiruzen rummaged through his tool pouch and pulled out a small, slightly rusted copper bell.
"Sensei... a bell test?" Orochimaru let out a dry chuckle. "I'm not a Genin fresh out of the Academy."
"Does it look familiar?" Hiruzen asked softly. "It's the same bell you, Jiraiya, and Tsunade used as kids. I kept it as a souvenir."
Orochimaru's expression faltered.
He kept it? For all these years? A strange, unfamiliar emotion stirred in his chest.
Hiruzen smirked inwardly. In truth, he had just tossed the bell into his pouch ten minutes ago to use as a "nostalgia bomb."
The original Hiruzen loved his students deeply, but the pressure of being Hokage and his traditional, stoic upbringing made him terrible at expressing it. He had been a silent, distant father figure, which only allowed resentment to grow.
If you want loyalty, you have to provide emotional value, Arata thought. Be the supportive father. Praise them. Show them you care. It's the easiest way to win people over.
Judging by the look on Orochimaru's face, the "Old Grandfather" persona was working perfectly.
"If it's a bell test, then I suppose I'll play the defender," Orochimaru said, suppressing his emotions.
"Orochimaru," Hiruzen said, the bell tinkling in the wind. "You have always been the student I am most proud of."
"Heh..." Orochimaru laughed raspily. "Sensei, why the sudden sentimentality?"
"I used to say it all the time when you were little. I suppose I stopped saying it as you got older. That was my mistake." Hiruzen tossed the bell into the air and caught it. "Today, I'm the one trying to take the bell. Let's see if those shoulders of yours are strong enough to hold onto it."
Orochimaru braced himself. The Sensei is the attacker? What is he planning?
Hiruzen flared his chakra, his gaze turning razor-sharp. He had chosen to be the attacker for three reasons:
His combat instincts were still merging; attacking is simpler than defending. It would hide any "noob" mistakes.
It signaled his high expectations for Orochimaru, pulling the researcher back to his side.
This was a stage. High-level jutsu would bring the Anbu, the Police Force, and the clan leaders running. He needed to show them all that the Third Hokage was back—and stronger than ever.
My chakra reserves are massive now, Hiruzen thought. No more playing it safe. I need to be fierce. I need to be dominant.
Orochimaru watched his master, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. Something is wrong... I thought he was testing me... but it feels like he's looking for an excuse to beat the hell out of me.
"But a change in Sensei is exactly what I wanted," Orochimaru hissed to himself. "Let's turn up the heat!"
"Five minutes, Sensei!" Orochimaru called out, his voice taking on a challenging edge. "If you can't take it in five minutes, I win."
"Deal!" Hiruzen shouted.
Before the word even finished echoing, Hiruzen's fingers were a blur. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding unnaturally.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
White-hot chakra erupted from his mouth. A massive dragon of flame roared into existence, engulfing the entire training field. The stone walls reflected the blinding light, and the air itself seemed to scream as it ignited.
"White-hot flames? And that range...!" Orochimaru's eyes widened. This was a basic Sarutobi clan jutsu, but the chakra behind it was anything but basic.
"Fine! Let's see your mastery of the five elements then, Old Man!" Orochimaru gathered his own chakra. "Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
The two infernos collided, creating a massive fire tornado that spiraled into the sky like a giant flare.
His fire style is more refined than it was in his prime... how is the temperature this high? Orochimaru retreated rapidly, biting his thumb and slamming his hands onto the scorched earth.
"Summoning: Rashomon!"
A demonic, iron-clad gate surged from the ground, splitting the wall of fire. The white flames hissed as they flowed around the gate, melting the "Mud Walls" Hiruzen had built earlier.
"Sensei, have you been hiding your true strength all these years?" Orochimaru stood atop the gate, looking toward the horizon. "The guests are arriving."
"Good! Show them your best, brat!" Hiruzen's voice boomed over the roar of the fire. "There are no ranks in a duel! If you lose, go back to the academy. If I lose, I'll do the same!"
"This stage belongs to us!"
Orochimaru laughed—a genuine, boyish laugh he hadn't uttered in decades. If this were a fight to the death, he wouldn't be confident. But to hold out for five minutes? With his slippery escape arts and summoning jutsu, he was the most difficult man in the world to pin down.
I've been hiding my body modifications, but Sensei will notice eventually, Orochimaru thought. Might as well show him now. If he turns on me, I'll know it's time to leave the village for good.
"Summoning: Quintuple Rashomon!"
Five massive, demonic gates erupted in a staggered line across the field, turning the training ground into a jagged, iron labyrinth.
This was Orochimaru's specialty—attrition. He would move through the gates like a ghost, a venomous snake in a house of mirrors.
A few moments later, the first of the spectators arrived.
Sakumo Hatake was the first on the scene, followed closely by Hiruzen's eldest son, Shinnosuke Sarutobi. Both were Anbu Captains.
Seeing his father in a life-or-death struggle with his favorite student, Shinnosuke gasped. "Father? What is the meaning of—"
"Your response time was mediocre," Hiruzen barked, not looking away from the gates. "Sakumo! Take command of the perimeter. Maintain order and record the arrival times of every department head!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Sakumo replied instantly, his voice full of unwavering loyalty.
Hiruzen nodded. Good. The White Fang is a straight shooter.
He turned his attention back to the iron maze. Orochimaru was already half-transformed, his body elongated and serpentine, his eyes flickering with anticipation and defiance.
"Oh?" Hiruzen smirked. He didn't see disgust in his student's transformation—only curiosity. A pure, academic hunger for the unknown.
"Give me a real challenge, Sensei!" Orochimaru's voice hissed from deep within the labyrinth of gates. "I don't feel any pressure yet! Use everything you have!"
Hiruzen's grin turned wicked.
You want to play hide and seek in a maze? Fine. I'll just melt the whole maze.
The Third Hokage's chakra exploded, a golden aura visible to everyone watching.
"Let's see just how durable that new body of yours is, Orochimaru!"