Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 4 White Snake Immortal: Your fate has actually been rewritten?

Swish! Swish!

As night fell, rain pattered on the roof, the falling raindrops tracing parabolic arcs, large drops shattering upon impact, and the lights of the trees glowing hazily like a mirage.

Like owl-like shadows, they leaped across the rooftops, all dressed in lightweight gray tactical vests, with sheathed short knives or straight blades slung across their backs.

Many of them still carried the lingering smell of blood, and their faces beneath the white masks exuded a solemn and cold aura, causing the villagers on the street to avoid them at all costs.

They walked through the bustling streets and arrived at the edge of a remote village.

Stop in front of a building marked with the character "暗" (An), which is the building and headquarters of Konoha's "Anbu" (Anbu).

Almost all the ANBU ninjas were urgently summoned from their homes. Although the scene was crowded, it was orderly and silent. The atmosphere was so oppressive and solemn that it was like attending a funeral.

Among those ANBU ninjas, Kakashi Hatake was prominently featured.

His forehead was wrapped in bandages, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his dead fish eyes were full of doubt.

Who placed those explosive tags there? Was it the Third Hokage?

Kakashi naturally didn't see the strange black cat; he only saw Orochimaru emerge from the ground and be blown away in mid-air by the exploding tags beneath his feet.

Although Kakashi, who was very close by, was affected by the blast, it was far less than the damage Orochimaru suffered head-on. Even though he managed to use ninjutsu to try and offset the impact of the explosion, his arm was still blown off by the terrifying power.

However, it seems that the third generation elder did not make any arrangements beforehand...

Crunch!

The door to the dark headquarters building in front of them was pushed open, shattering the deathly silence with a piercing sound.

Kakashi could only shake off his doubts, put on his mask, and look up to see two figures walking out one after the other.

Besides Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was wearing a red and white Hokage robe and a Hokage hat, there was also an old man wearing a black kimono with bandages wrapped around his right arm and right eye. His narrow eyes and the scar on his chin made him look somewhat gloomy.

The founder and leader of "Root," who controls the "darkness" of Konoha, and the most powerful person under the Hokage.

——Shimura Danzo.

"This emergency summons is to capture Orochimaru, who escaped during the previous operation, as soon as possible."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the group of Anbu ninjas, and said calmly and directly, "According to the report, Orochimaru is seriously injured. Judging from his injuries, it will not be easy for him to leave the Land of Fire in a short time."

"Orochimaru's knowledge, intelligence, and technology are invaluable assets to Konoha. We hope you can bring him back alive if possible."

"Once he defectes from the Land of Fire, it will be a fatal blow to Konoha, and then..."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "We must race against time before Orochimaru crosses the border."

"Everyone, do everything you can to search!"

Having said that, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head, his expression cold, and without uttering any further words, said in a deep voice, "Disperse!"

Swish!Swish!
The ninjas vanished in shadows, their henchmen now relentlessly pursuing the cunning snake, whether in the sky, on the ground, or in the water.

Once all the Anbu ninjas had left, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and walked towards the Anbu building.

But as he brushed past Danzo Shimura, a mocking voice reached his ears.

"She really dotes on her adorable apprentice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped and lowered his head slightly. His face was shrouded in the shadow of his straw hat, making it impossible to see his expression.

"Someone like you actually 'failed'," Shimura Danzo continued. "I heard you rescued a Hyuga clan child from Orochimaru?"

The two had been friends for decades, so how could Hiruzen Sarutobi not understand the meaning behind his words? He sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat weary.

“He was just a poor child,” Hiruzen Sarutobi explained, adding, “He was from a branch family of the Hyuga clan.”

It means, give up on that idea.

Regardless of whether Orochimaru achieved any experimental results on that child, the branch family members who were implanted with the "Caged Bird Seal" could never be of use to you.

Otherwise, based solely on the "Will of Fire" displayed by Hyuga Kumokawa, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have already attempted to access and absorb it, even if it were a "waste" without talent.

Even if he were an ordinary person from a common background, he could still be assigned to be a teacher at the ninja academy.

Unfortunately, he wasn't...

Members of the Hyuga clan's branch families can only serve as servants of the main family and have no other value to them.

If a member of the Hyuga clan's main branch activates the "secret seal," they can easily damage the brain nerves of the person possessing the Caged Bird.

Danzo's "Seal of Severing the Root of Tongue Disaster" was only meant to prevent people from revealing confidential information. It would paralyze his entire body, rendering him unable to speak or move. Compared to this, he was practically a benevolent and kind person.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo simply faced the distant night sky, closed his eyes, seemingly abandoning his plans, and his tone returned to its usual calm and indifferent: "No matter what, I will do my best to assist."

"I will do everything in my power for Konoha."

“…I’m truly sorry.” Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him and said calmly, “I’m sorry to have troubled you.”

Having said that, he ignored Danzo and walked into the Anbu building.

Although Danzo's words were implying that he only cared about his personal feelings and not the interests of Konoha, and although Danzo may have had some entanglement with Orochimaru in the past.

But from the moment Orochimaru defected...

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that his old friend would do everything in his power, just as he had said, to eliminate the potential threat Orochimaru posed to Konoha.

Perhaps the explosion that severely injured Orochimaru was a contingency plan that Danzo had prepared in advance without Orochimaru's knowledge.

This is why he repeatedly ignored the other party's petty actions; after all, in his view, everything Danzo did was ultimately for Konoha.

Just like that child from the Hyuga clan said, for the "big tree" of Konoha to grow, it does indeed need "roots" that never see the light of day.

However, all that is needed is a "root" that is "unseen by the sun".

After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Danzo Shimura opened his eyes.

"quack."

A crow that had been circling overhead flew down, landed on Danzo's shoulder, and spat out the small scroll it was carrying in its beak, which landed in Danzo's raised hand.

"..."

Danzo lowered his head and opened the small scroll. Densely packed small characters came into view; they were the unique cryptic script of the Root sect.

The scroll contained records of the subsequent cleanup work at the experimental base. Unfortunately, most of Orochimaru's experimental equipment and records had been destroyed in the explosive impact of those detonating tags.

Based on the detection of the explosion traces, the detonating tokens were actually deployed throughout the entire underground pipeline, which could be said to have completely destroyed the entire experimental base.

You should know that those experimental instruments were all purchased by Danzo at great expense through special channels, and some of them didn't even have roots.

"Was it Orochimaru who did this? He wouldn't even leave me a piece of it, even if it was destroyed?"

Danzo Shimura raised his head, his narrow eyes filled with gloom, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Orochimaru also lost an arm in the explosion of the explosive tag. With his specially modified body, he might be able to recover, but given that his chakra was almost depleted at the time, there was no need for him to risk his severely injured body to put on this act.

Furthermore, given Sarutobi's guilt towards Orochimaru and his indecisiveness, he could never bring himself to go to such lengths to exterminate Orochimaru.

Given Danzo's understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the guy might still think that Danzo was the one who secretly did it.

"Then, who else?"

Danzo's brow furrowed and tightened, as he vaguely sensed an invisible hand manipulating everything behind the scenes. He thought of the only surviving child, but reason told him it was impossible.

Such a clean, efficient, and ruthless method, which even included Orochimaru and Sarutobi, could not possibly have been done by a fifteen-year-old child.

It's even less likely that a child from a branch family of the Hyuga clan, without parents and with a timid personality, could do it.

"Damn it! Who on earth is it?!"

Danzo gripped the scroll tightly and crushed it, feeling utterly disgusted by the unknown threat lurking in the darkness, yet utterly powerless against it.

The other party must be an extremely dangerous individual, posing an even greater threat to Konoha than Orochimaru.

Danzo Shimura, known as the "Darkness of the Ninja," would never allow such a guy to continue to exist!

I would rather kill the wrong person than let him go!
Thinking of this, and recalling the child from the Hyuga branch family, Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly, took out a scroll from his robes, wrote some secret text on it, and let a crow carry it away in its beak.

He's just a "useless" member of a branch family of the Hyuga clan; no one would care if he died in an accident.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire, in a forest hundreds of kilometers away from Konoha.

Click.

The sound of snapping branches echoed from deep within the forest, startling several birds that were taking shelter from the rain under the trees. A figure staggered out of the shadows.

"Ho ho!"

Orochimaru staggered and leaned against a tree, catching his breath as he tasted the rust between his teeth—the blood bubbles that had been coughing up were bursting in his throat.

His left arm was severed at the forearm, with the bloody, rotten flesh and white bone fragments clearly visible, and half of his clothes were soaked in blood.

This is probably the most serious and fatal injury he has suffered since his body was modified.

Having anticipated this day, he naturally had a backup plan within the Land of Fire, a group called "Ibli".

Possessing the bloodline limit of "smoke transformation," one can turn their body into smoke and enter a person's body in smoke form to control their actions. However, they also have the weakness of dissipating and dying when exposed to wind while in smoke form.

Because they were unable to control this ability stably, many members of the Ibli clan died. It was only with his help that they were able to stabilize their ability and their lifespans were extended to some extent.

The blood of the Ibli tribe can heal injuries, so he stored it as a "blood pack".

If he hadn't been severely injured by the final detonation tag explosion, even if he had been wounded by the old man, he could have survived and reached that place alive.

"Damn it! Damn it! It's all because of that brat!!" Orochimaru's hoarse voice was filled with resentment and anger.

He touched the scroll on his chest.

Fortunately, the scroll containing ancient secrets was still in his possession.

As long as we continue to find a way to break the sealing technique, we will surely learn more secrets of the Otsutsuki clan.

In addition, he also took a piece of flesh from that Otsutsuki body, if the Impure World Reincarnation technique could be perfected...

The only way now is to have Manda use the "Reverse Summoning Technique" so that he can safely escape the Land of Fire.

But given the beastly nature of Manda, his first reaction upon seeing him severely injured would be to swallow him whole.

Moreover, the White Serpent Sage of Ryuchi Cave, along with his three great serpent subordinates, Takoshin-hime, Ichikishima-hime, and Takitsu-hime, are no pushovers...

"Cough cough!"

Orochimaru suddenly coughed up blood, completely interrupting his thoughts.

My vision blurred, and the buzzing in my ears and the increasingly uncontrollable tactile sensations filled my senses.

The twisted shadows of the trees seemed to transform into sharp claws, and the vines into tripwires, all of which made him realize that his bodily functions were gradually collapsing.

The fear of death made him dig his fingers deep into the tree trunk, crushing the moss on the tree into a bloody green sap in his palm.

He still wants to seek revenge on that brat, and he wants to grasp all the truths of the world!
No matter what, I can't die, I can't die here!
Just as Orochimaru made up his mind and prepared to use the summoning technique.

Bang!
A cloud of white smoke suddenly exploded, and Orochimaru's figure disappeared from the spot.

A few seconds later, a tall figure appeared, with long white hair reaching his waist; it was Jiraiya who had come after them.

"Reverse Summoning Jutsu?" Jiraiya frowned. "Orochimaru, what exactly are you...?"

At the same time, in a space transformed from a natural cave, stalactites with barbed shapes hung from the cave's dome.

The ground is covered with blue stone bricks with serpentine reliefs, dark green phosphorescent flames burn eerily in the niches, and blue-purple minerals flicker between the rock walls.

"here it is……"

Orochimaru frowned as he opened his eyes. Seeing the familiar scene before him, he exclaimed in surprise, "Ryuchi Cave?"

He clearly hasn't been able to communicate with ten thousand snakes, so how could he have been reverse-communicated to this place?
"Orochimaru."

Before Orochimaru could figure out what was going on, an old, ethereal voice entered his ears, and he subconsciously looked up in the direction of the voice.

A massive white phosphorus serpent, coiled atop a stone seat, came into view.

The White Snake Sage, the founder of Ryuchi Cave, is a white-scaled serpent that has lived for over a thousand years. His strength is so terrifying that Orochimaru could not even begin to fathom it.

Normally, the White Snake Immortal appears as an elderly woman dressed in a white robe.

But at this moment, Orochimaru saw the other party's true form for the first time. The other party's calm demeanor dissipated, replaced by the stench of a snake's mouth.

"how is this possible?"

The white phosphorus serpent stared intently at Orochimaru with its amber-colored snake eyes, its face displaying a human-like expression of surprise and uncertainty.

"Your fate... has actually been rewritten?"

Meanwhile, in Konoha Village, inside a dilapidated house on the edge of the Hyuga clan's territory.

"Meow."

A soft meow mixed with the chirping of crickets reached his ears, and Hinata Kumokawa, who had been lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

"Finally, they've left."

He sat up in bed, turned to look at the peaceful night outside the window, touched the bandage on his neck, and a smile appeared on his face.

Such a serious and potentially fatal injury has been mostly recovered in just one day.

While this level of healing ability is not as terrifying or extreme as Hashirama's cells, it is enough to help him overcome the weakness of being a "fragile" ninja.

And this is just one of the benefits that this body has brought him.

Thinking of this, Hinata Kumokawa looked at the panel that appeared in front of him.

Name: Hinata Kumokawa

【Age: 15】

[Bloodline: Hyuga Clan → Otsutsuki Clan (5%)]

Chakra Limit: D-rank → S-rank

[Chakra Properties: Wind → Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang]

[Ninjutsu: ...]

(End of this chapter)