Judging from the data on missing persons, investigative leads, and results, this strike by the Uchiha Clan could be described as 'meticulously planned,' so meticulous that aside from condemning his disciple and expressing the appropriate stance expected of a Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had absolutely no recourse—he could not conceive of any room for maneuver, because he knew this long-planned blow from the Uchiha could not possibly be so simple... Sure enough, Hiruzen Sarutobi's premonition was confirmed mere moments later. The heads and elders of Konoha's various clans, along with numerous Jonin, had all rushed to the scene.
"Lord Hokage, Orochimaru..." The more reckless ones were already directly questioning him. The more composed ones were merely struggling to restrain themselves.
The matter of 'human experimentation' had always been forbidden within the Village—it had only been briefly 'legal' during the Second Hokage's era.
Later, the 'Wood Release experiments' were conducted in the shadows under the name of the Root organization. Because progress was persistently slow, with only one test subject named 'Kinoe' surviving, all related experiments were completely sealed... Orochimaru had undoubtedly incurred public wrath.
This situation, akin to a forced abdication, left Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Hokage, with absolutely no room for maneuver—
"Uchiha Fugaku, you lead the way!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up. In that moment, he seemed to let everyone witness the Hokage's heroic spirit.
However, Inoichi Yamanaka's heart was filled with an indescribable complexity... His daughter's words from several months ago, 'Create a condition where they are forced to kill Uchiha Shisui! They will naturally take action,' suddenly surfaced in his mind. The scene unfolding before him and those naive words from the past seemed to corroborate each other, intertwining in Inoichi Yamanaka's thoughts—only, this time it was not the Hokage and the Village targeting the Uchiha, but the Uchiha targeting the Village—aside from the target being different, everything else was the same.
Using detailed evidence and leveraging these Jonin, the Uchiha utilized this invisible force to pressure the Hokage, creating a condition where Hiruzen Sarutobi was forced to kill Orochimaru.
Forcing this aged Hokage to personally clean house, while they themselves remained untouched by any karmic consequences!
This made Inoichi Yamanaka wonder: "This time, can Lord Hokage win? Will the future Village bear the Uchiha name?"
He covertly observed his colleagues in the Hokage Office but discerned nothing... Perhaps some had already thought of it, perhaps others had not—but they would eventually realize it. The fact was already too obvious.
The Uchiha had laid their cards on the table. If, after being shown the answer, one still couldn't grasp its implications, that would be truly foolish.
As soon as they exited the Hokage Building, Uchiha Fugaku led the group straight to the target courtyard. After entering, he immediately pointed out the location.
"This is the sealed hidden door to the laboratory!"
Hiruzen Sarutabi took a deep breath, formed the hand seal for release, and with a single motion, dispelled the seal. The sealing patterns unfurled, revealing concentric circles and four main branches extending in eight directions. A doorway swung open.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was called the 'Professor of Ninjutsu' because he was truly erudite in Ninjutsu. Thus, knowing a seal was present, he easily dispelled it with a single technique.
"Lord Hokage!"
The Anbu prepared to enter first to investigate.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand to stop them and said in a low voice, "Follow me..."
A large group, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, entered the doorway. Inside was pitch black. After turning a corner, they finally saw torches.
A layer of curved patterns, resembling the surface of a volleyball, were scattered irregularly. Flickering torches were embedded in the wall every ten meters or so.
Dark, suffocating... It felt as if they were inside a coffin.
As they went deeper, a sense of visual disorientation grew in everyone's minds... The patterns on the wall combined with the dim light formed a Genjutsu cleverly arranged using lines and varying brightness—staying here too long would subtly erode one's sense of direction. However, everyone present was a Jonin; such a minor Genjutsu was insignificant.
Fortunately, the corridor wasn't too long and its structure wasn't complex, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi to directly locate Orochimaru's laboratory.
Orochimaru, dressed in white, was meticulously dissecting a living person with a pious expression. The victim's thoracic and abdominal cavities were opened, and a low, guttural moan escaped their mouth.
Only, the sound was too faint, merely a 'huffing' airflow—his vocal cords had been destroyed by Orochimaru, unable to produce normal sounds.
The group happened to witness this cruel, bloody scene... "Orochimaru, you—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi roared in anger. Orochimaru calmly turned to face the crowd: "My dear teacher, I'm conducting an experiment, can't you see?" His vertical snake pupils gleamed with an inexplicable light. "You've ruined my experiment!"
Was Orochimaru shocked? For a fleeting moment, yes, but only for a moment. Orochimaru had long understood one truth—
Shock only makes things worse; it solves nothing. Therefore, he could always calm down with the utmost speed.
Now:
How he was discovered was unimportant. Whether he was betrayed was unimportant... What mattered was how he would get out!
Did he have regrets in his heart?
Yes!
He had originally intended to leave, just like Jiraiya and Tsunade, to depart from Konoha and go anywhere in the Ninja World—he would still be one of Konoha's 'Sannin,' just not physically present in the Village.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on him. On the eve of his planned departure, he 'was discovered,' forced to flee as a rogue ninja, or die!
Hiruzen Sarutobi righteously rebuked him: "Orochimaru, how could you do such a thing? These are living beings, villagers of the Village—and you! You can be so cold, cruel, utterly devoid of humanity... This is all my fault as your teacher. Today, let me..."
"Lord Hokage, leave him to me! After all, this is what the Public Security Division should handle!"
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes flickered, his crimson Sharingan appearing even more sinister in the dim space. Staring at Orochimaru, he spoke word by word.
"Orochimaru, surrender to justice..."
"Hahaha... Hahahaha..." Orochimaru let out a hoarse, icy chuckle. "Surrender to justice? Are you joking?"
A massive snake, a foot and a half thick, suddenly appeared. Its coiled body instantly filled the not-so-large laboratory space.
Snake — Ram — Monkey — Boar — Horse — Tiger!
With only a second's interval.
Uchiha Fugaku completed the hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique.
A torrent of flames erupted from his mouth. The fire tongue swirled into a spherical shape ahead, growing larger as it rolled, meeting the foot-and-a-half-thick snake head-on in the narrow space.
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