Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

But when Orochimaru saw that the Grim Reaper had not disappeared after swallowing Senju's soul, and that his beloved teacher had not closed his eyes, Orochimaru really panicked!

Are teachers really that long-lived?

1012. The era of Hiruzen Sarutobi has ended.

Orochimaru realized he had misjudged his teacher Sarutobi's vitality. He had never imagined that his teacher would live such a long life. If fifteen years was considered a threshold, then the fact that his beloved teacher had sealed Senju's soul at the advanced age of 70 after reaching the age of 69 meant that his beloved teacher could live to at least 85.

In today's ninja world, this age is already quite remarkable. Although the ninja world is not as chaotic as it was in the chaotic era, ninjas are not a long-lived profession. Being able to live to over sixty is already quite an achievement. But his dear teacher is incredibly resilient. He is already sixty-nine years old and has paid the price of his next fifteen years of life force without passing away. He can even seal the soul of Senju Nissou at the cost of another fifteen years. In total, he has consumed a full thirty years. No one in the ninja world can live to such an old age. Even the Senju clan or the Uzumaki clan, which were once known for their massive life force, have never seen anyone live to be a hundred.

That's not all. If he kicked his leg after sealing Senju no Niji, that would be one thing. Although Orochimaru was surprised that his teacher had so much vitality, it was still within his psychological tolerance.

But after this teacher sealed the soul of the Second Master of the Thousand Hands, he didn't actually die, and he even managed to get the Grim Reaper to attack him, which is just too ridiculous.

The Grim Reaper, which specifically targets the soul, is quite overpowered. No matter how strong a person is, their soul is quite fragile. After all, there is no way to train the soul in the ninja world. Even Orochimaru, whose escape skills are unparalleled, is helpless when facing the Grim Reaper.

However, Orochimaru was blessed with a brilliant mind. The more critical the situation, the calmer his mind became. Just as death's hand was about to grab him, Orochimaru saw his teacher gritting his teeth and holding on. In an instant, a brilliant idea struck him. Opportunity always favors the prepared mind, and this was absolutely true. Orochimaru opened his mouth, extended his tongue, and shot it at one of his four henchmen who was maintaining the barrier, a henchman carrying a large sword on his back. Then, his long tongue curled up the sword on the henchman's back, made a 180-degree turn, and slammed it into Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still gritting his teeth and holding on!

Although it was a lot of filler, the whole operation only took a split second, so fast that no one could react. The Konoha underlings outside the barrier, who were still unaware of the cost of the Reaper Death Seal, saw that their Third Hokage was so powerful that he had sealed Senju and Senju no Nissou in succession, leaving only Orochimaru as the enemy. They were all preparing to take out their megaphones to celebrate the victory for the Third Hokage. But the next second, they saw Orochimaru stick out his disgusting tongue and, holding a great sword, deliver a fatal blow to their Third Hokage.

For a moment, everyone was filled with indescribable grief, even more heartbroken than if their own father had died. They had even taken out their megaphones, ready to celebrate their victory. But then the Third Hokage was stabbed, and the wound looked beyond saving. What's worse, the barrier was still there, so they couldn't get in at all and had no way to save him. They could only watch helplessly as the life force of the Hokage who had led them for decades slowly slipped away.

However, the phrase "old but still strong" perfectly describes Hiruzen Sarutobi's current state. It must be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi is truly tough, almost as tough as the fat cat who was beaten up by Kurama. His life force was already close to exhaustion, and after sealing Senju's soul, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already at his last gasp. He was holding on by sheer willpower and did not close his eyes, wanting to take Orochimaru down in one fell swoop. But in the end, Orochimaru pierced his heart with a sword. Even so, he did not utter a sound, gritted his teeth and stared at Orochimaru, trying to hold on to the Shinigami and pull Orochimaru's soul out as well.

However, even with Hiruzen Sarutobi's tenacity, his life force was eventually exhausted. After a long tug-of-war that lasted for an episode and a half, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only take Orochimaru's soul with his hands before gradually closing his eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, a legendary ninja and the supreme leader who ruled Konoha for decades, has passed away!

He passed away at the age of 69!

The Konoha underlings outside were crying their eyes out at that moment. Even Asuma, who didn't have a good relationship with his father Hiruzen Sarutobi, shed tears of regret as he looked at his lifeless father.

In the more than 60 years since Konoha began to have four Hokage, but the one with the most political influence was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The reason is simple: it takes a long time.

Although the First Hokage, Senju, led a brilliant and great life, most of his achievements were made before the ninja village era and in the first ten years of that era. Apart from ending the chaotic era and establishing Konoha, which brought peace to the ninja world for about ten years, his contributions to the construction and development of Konoha were not actually that great. After all, Senju was not the right person for that role.

Although Senju was exceptionally talented, his reign was relatively short, and he only played a key role in promoting the development and construction of Konoha.

Needless to say, Minato Namikaze only reigned for two or three years before passing away without even having a chance to fully demonstrate his abilities. Therefore, half of Konoha's decades-long history belongs to Hiruzen Sarutobi. From the end of World War I to the present day, he led Konoha step by step to its current state, making him a figure of great merit and hard work. Now, almost all of Konoha's civilians and ninjas grew up during Hiruzen Sarutobi's era.

This also shows how much influence Hiruzen Sarutobi had on Konoha. Although he was not the strongest Hokage, it is fair to say that he made the greatest contribution to Konoha.

The death of Hiruzen Sarutobi evoked many emotions not only among the people of Konoha, but also among outsiders such as the Sand Village and the Iwa Village.

This marks the true end of an era. The decades-long era of Hiruzen Sarutobi in Konoha Village has come to an end at this moment!

"Orochimaru, don't run!! ヽ(#`Д′)?"

With his arms dangling, Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's corpse and couldn't help but shed two tears. Perhaps he wasn't suited to filming emotional scenes, because after a long silence, he slipped away.

Having achieved his two objectives in coming to Konoha, there was no point in staying any longer. Besides, with both his hands crippled, if he didn't leave soon, he might very well be stabbed to death by Hatake Sakumo and his best friend. The saying "anger makes one stronger" is certainly true; who knows if this barrier can withstand this group of agitated Konoha ninja...

Jiraiya, who was still crying, was the most perceptive. Seeing his best friend running away, he ignored his teacher who had just died and sped off in pursuit, though it was unclear how he had figured out Orochimaru's escape route.

Although Orochimaru escaped, his four henchmen who stayed behind to maintain the barrier suffered greatly. While the barrier remained intact, they were surrounded by Konoha ninja. Their leader had killed another leader, leaving them alone to face a group of heartbroken Konoha ninja. Even those with questionable intelligence could tell what they were about to face…

1013. It seems like none of the third-generation descendants have a good ending.

Orochimaru's brainwashing abilities are truly remarkable. These four underlings showed no fear whatsoever when faced with a large wave of Konoha ninja's hatred. When the barrier was forcibly broken by a group of Konoha ninjas filled with extreme grief and anger, the four underlings, armed with weapons, fought back without flinching, shouting "Long live Lord Orochimaru!" Their performance drew the attention of many outside Konoha, who marveled at Orochimaru's powerful brainwashing abilities. Even after such a betrayal, his underlings were still willing to risk their lives for him.

This wave of Takikage is enough to bring tears to your eyes.

If the higher-ups at Takigakure had had this ability back then, there wouldn't have been a super bounty rogue ninja like Kakuzu...

"Hiruzen Sarutobi lived a life of luxury, being a leader and outliving most people, so it was all worthwhile. But please accept my condolences..."

Seeing Sakumo Hatake surrounded by a group of Konoha underlings around Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shinto didn't feel anything. It wasn't that he was heartless, but he had been in the ninja world for decades and had seen far too many dead people. Besides, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't the leader of Sunagakure, so whether he lived or died was none of his business. He didn't even feel anything when his nephew killed Sunagakure, let alone Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, since their leader has passed away, we still have to offer a few words of comfort on the surface.

.......

The Konoha Joint Chunin Exams ended rather abruptly, given what happened and the fact that the leader of the group was dead, making it impossible to continue.

Although the Chunin Exams have ended, the impact of this joint Chunin Exams of Konoha is far from over. On the contrary, Orochimaru's actions have stirred up a huge wave throughout the entire ninja world.

Right now, nobody in the ninja world is paying attention to the Joint Chunin Exams, and nobody cares which village produces which genius.

Because even more explosive news diverted everyone's attention.

Orochimaru, a notorious traitor to Konoha, single-handedly attacked the village during the Chunin Exams with a group of unknown henchmen. He used an incredible yet extremely unethical ninjutsu to summon Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, two former Hokage. News of the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage who had led Konoha for decades, spread throughout the ninja world in just a few days.

The uproar it caused was no less than a thousand-year-old volcanic eruption or a magnitude 12 earthquake, shaking the entire ninja world to its core. Compared to the major news of the death of the Third Hokage, the long-time leader of Konoha, let alone the news of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa being beaten to a pulp by some unknown dwarf ugly monster, and then that unknown dwarf ugly monster being beaten into a fool by Shiki, no one paid any attention.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi's influence was simply too great, no less than when he fought the Third Raikage against ten thousand men in the Third War, and perhaps even greater.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi's title of "strongest Hokage in history" is somewhat exaggerated and not as well-deserved as the Third Raikage, Konoha is the largest village in the ninja world, and its position as the dominant force in the ninja world has remained unshaken for many years. Even though Konoha's strength has declined in the last ten years or so, it is still the largest village in the ninja world. As the longest-serving leader of the largest village in the ninja world, Hiruzen Sarutobi's influence is, in some ways, much greater than that of the Third Raikage.

Before becoming the leader, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a rising star in the ninja world, a genius of Konoha. He was a disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. After the First Shinobi World War, Tobirama Senju died unexpectedly, and Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly took over. Over the decades, he experienced two world wars, leading Konoha to victory against multiple opponents each time. It is lamentable that such a leader died like this, making people sigh at the decline of a hero.

Moreover, he was killed by his own disciple, which makes it even more regrettable.

However... at this point, some observant people realized what was happening.

It seems that none of the third-generation Kage from these ninja villages have had a good ending.

Let's not even talk about the smaller ninja villages; nobody cares about them, whether they're alive or dead is irrelevant. As for the major ninja villages, firstly, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure disappeared without a trace, no one even knows the timeline. Secondly, there's the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure; while he's slightly better off than the Mizukage, at least the timeline is known, he too seems to have vanished into thin air, disappearing inexplicably. Sunagakure's official statement at the time was that he died for love, but such stories should be taken with a grain of salt...

Then came the tragic story of the Third Raikage, who was betrayed and killed by the Third Tsuchikage, dying far from home.

The Third Hokage ultimately died at the hands of his own student; how tragic and lamentable...

Looking at the five great ninja villages in the current ninja world, almost none of the five Third Kage had a good ending. Now, only the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure remains!

With this in mind, everyone's attention turned to Iwagakure, eager to see how the Third Tsuchikage would die—would he be killed by his disciple, murdered by his son, or simply disappear without a trace...?

.....

"Grandpa, you must hold on, everyone is watching you..."

In Iwagakure, after his son brought him back and confirmed the news of Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, Onoki did not laugh heartily and celebrate as everyone had imagined. Instead, he felt endless sorrow.

He had fought Hiruzen Sarutobi for decades. Although neither of them could stand the other, Hiruzen was a worthy opponent. Now that he had suddenly lost such an opponent, Onoki couldn't help but sigh at the cruel twist of fate.

Now he's the only one left among the best of his generation, and he feels a bit lonely and isolated!

However, while Onoki was lamenting his unfortunate fate and lack of rivals, his beloved granddaughter became extremely worried when she saw her grandfather sighing all day long.

The entire ninja world is watching to see what happens to her grandfather. His emotional state is very unstable right now, and everyone's afraid he might do something foolish...

"Once you're out in the game, you've already got one foot in the grave, what's there to be afraid of... (▼he▼メ)"

Seeing his beloved granddaughter's worried expression, Onoki was deeply moved. This little darling was much more considerate than his silly son.

However, the recent rumors circulating in the ninja world made him furious. What did they mean by "watch how Onoki dies"? He was healthy and in great shape. He could carry a bag of rice up five flights of stairs without even breaking a sweat. Apart from a slightly herniated disc, he was perfectly fine. He was confident that he could live for another 10 or 20 years without any problem.

Aren't these bastards cursing him to die?

But despite his anger, hearing the analysis from those people in the ninja world had recently made him a little uneasy...

1014. Black Soil: Grandpa, you have to hold on.

After all, this kind of thing is really too strange. If it happens once, it's an accident; if it happens twice, it's a coincidence; but if it happens a third or fourth time, it's hard to say.

Although he had disregarded his own life and death since the day he started out in this world, and as long as he died a worthy death, there was nothing to be afraid of. He was even a few years older than Hiruzen Sarutobi, and living to this age was a bonus. However, such strange things still made him a little uneasy. Although the village kage of his teacher's generation did not die of old age either.

But almost every one of them died a heroic death. Although part of the reason why his teacher and Hozuki Gengetsu died together was due to that bastard Shiki, he honestly died to protect the village and perished with the ghost Gengetsu. Hozuki Gengetsu also died to protect his companions and perished with his teacher. They can be considered to have died a glorious death!

The Second Kazekage, Shamon, also risked his life to protect the villagers, fighting against the One-Tailed Beast, and his death can be considered glorious.

The Second Raikage died heroically, sacrificing himself to cover Konoha's escape for the sake of peace in the ninja world. Tobirama Senju also died a worthy death, covering the retreat of the village's young members alone.

Although these people did not have good endings, they died spectacularly, leaving a lasting impression on future generations.

But looking at these third-generation figures, even though the Raikage died far from home, his death was still heroic.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other hand, was not so great. Although he died protecting the village, he was killed by his own disciple, which was somewhat frustrating, and it didn't sound good when later generations talked about him.

As for the Mizukage and that sissy Sunagawa, needless to say, they died without even knowing how. That's truly a tragic injustice. Such wronged souls probably don't even have the chance to be reincarnated.

Of the four Kage of the same generation, three met tragic ends, and the Raikage's fate wasn't much better either. This made Onoki a little uneasy...

"Have you found out where Deidara is now?"

Especially when he thought that not only did Hiruzen Sarutobi have a rogue ninja disciple, but he, Onoki, also had a genius rogue ninja disciple, Onoki became even more flustered and turned to look at his right-hand man, Tsuchiki, and said.

It's not that Onoki is just bragging, but Deidara's disciple is a true genius. Although he has some flaws in his personality, that's normal. Nobody's perfect, and every genius has their own personality. With proper guidance, he will definitely be able to take over the mantle from him and lead the village forward in the future.

But now the child has been gone for several years and there's not a single trace of him. Although he says the child died out there, he really can't bear to part with him!

At the same time, he was also blaming himself for being too harsh. It was just a few houses and toilets that were blown up, and two or three people died. It wasn't a big deal. He could just pay more compensation and that would be the end of it. Anyway, the people who were killed weren't good people. They were just idle hooligans. So what if they died?

Why couldn't I control my temper back then!

If this kid were to do something like Orochimaru in the future, he'd be too old, and with Deidara growing up, he might not be able to keep up. If he were to follow in Hiruzen Sarutobi's footsteps, he'd be a laughingstock!

Therefore, just in case and to prevent this from happening again, we should find Deidara first...

"...Over the past few years, our people have searched almost the entire ninja world, but we still haven't found any news about Deidara. However, one thing is certain: Deidara shouldn't have met with any mishap. After all, Deidara is quite famous, and if something had happened to him, the ninja world wouldn't be completely silent."

Although Tsuchiki has a high intelligence stat, he couldn't figure out what Onoki was thinking. He simply thought that his boss was worried about Deidara. In the past, his boss would ask him from time to time, after all, Deidara was the only super genius in their village who could be considered a talent since his boss.

Although Akatsuchi is older and has been with the boss for a longer time, some things are innate. No matter how good the teacher is, Akatsuchi can't change the fact that he's a simpleton. Moreover, his talent is about the same as that of Yotsuchi, and he can't compare to Deidara.

Although Kurotsuchi perfectly inherited the Tsuchikage's intelligence, she still had some flaws in terms of talent. Therefore, not only her boss, but many of them believed that Deidara was the best candidate to succeed her.

Unfortunately, the person has been away from the village for several years now. The ninja world is not very big, but it is not small either. In the vast sea of ​​people, it is not easy to find someone who deliberately hides.

"Take more photos of people to find them."

Onoki nodded in agreement with Toastmaster's words, not surprised at all. Apart from molding mud and throwing bombs, everything else Deidara was taught by him, so finding him would be no easy task.

"Lord Tsuchikage, now that Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead, Konoha is leaderless. Should we...?"

At this moment, Kurajiro, the security captain of Ōnoki, spoke up.

Having served as the security captain alongside Onoki for so many years, he had also honed his political acumen.

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead, the country is truly leaderless. If we were to launch a war against Konoha at this time, we could definitely make a difference!

To be honest, as a member of a prestigious family in the Land of Earth, he also had his own ambitions. Serving as the Tsuchikage's security captain was certainly a good job, but his status was still a little bit lower than when his father was alive. Back then, his father was a high-ranking official who had the ability to support the Tsuchikage in becoming the leader. Although he was also a high-ranking official now, his influence was much less.