I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Beside him, Fugaku Uchiha opened his three-tomoe Sharingan, silently watching the battlefield. Perhaps he was mentally rehearsing how he would react if he were in that situation.

Just then, Hiashi Hyuga suddenly said, "The Hokage will definitely be able to handle this. You know he possesses Wood Release!"

Yes!

Wood Release!

As Konoha ninjas who grew up listening to stories of the God of Shinobi, and whose fathers even witnessed the First Hokage's Wood Release sweeping across the world, they are filled with longing for this long-lost but still deeply ingrained bloodline limit.

Everyone quickly looked at Qian Shou Yun Ting, who did not disappoint them this time.

"Wood Release: Descent of the Flower Tree World!"

Even though Yun Ting is known for his large chakra reserves, after using a series of ninjutsu and finally unleashing this upgraded version of the Advent of the World of Trees, he felt a lack of chakra within his body for the first time.

However, the effect was quite obvious.

As before, one by one, the trees that had been dormant underground suddenly broke through the soil and grew rapidly.

Unlike the others, this time many flowers also grew on all the trees.

Under Yun Ting's control, all the petals bloomed rapidly, and the poisonous pollen inside flew everywhere.

As a powerful technique that once briefly rendered Madara Uchiha unconscious, it can still easily render someone unconscious when the target is a sea of ​​snakes, even if the number of snakes is astonishing.

In an instant, the sea of ​​snakes that had previously hissed and roared across the sky, a sight that was terrifying to behold, fell completely silent, and the entire battlefield became still.

The next second, the wooden dragon beneath Yun Ting's feet moved.

After crushing a large number of defenseless snakes, the wooden dragon flicked its tail and tightly wrapped itself around Orochimaru, who had also inhaled pollen and was in a brief coma.

The battle was essentially over at this point.

"Now! Orochimaru, do you still intend to put up a last-ditch effort?" The dragon head lowered, and Yun Ting on it asked again.

At this moment, Orochimaru, who had already woken up due to his body modifications, felt the immobile restraint around him and heard Yun Ting's familiar words. Understanding his current predicament, he did not feel despair at the impending doom. Instead, he sneered, "Resist to the bitter end? Even if I surrender, do you think that Konoha Prison can hold me?"

Yun Ting shook his head and said, "With your talent, you naturally can't be kept in captivity for long. So, Orochimaru, you won't confess your crime?"

"Confess? No, no, no, no!" Even in his current predicament, Orochimaru showed no remorse whatsoever, instead mocking, "I have never believed I have done anything wrong. The pursuit of truth has always required the dedication of individuals. Even someone as powerful as the Fourth Hokage, a user of Wood Release, seems to be bound by the mindset of a mere mortal! Like the First Hokage, you possess a treasure trove of knowledge yet never bothered to explore it, ultimately dying like ordinary people. How pathetic! How hateful!"

The mindset of a mad scientist.

After making his judgment on Orochimaru in his heart, Yun Ting's expression turned serious, and he said, word by word, "I understand your thoughts, Orochimaru. Now, I will make my final judgment."

"In the name of the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Orochimaru, the traitorous ninja of Konoha, is sentenced to death!"

The only fate for all rogue ninjas in the ninja world who are captured is execution.

Not every rogue ninja is like Sasuke Uchiha, and certainly not someone as special as Naruto Uzumaki by their side.

If the Third Hokage were here, Orochimaru might still have a chance to survive.

But Yun Ting, who had captured the other party, was naturally not going to let go of this huge problem.

With an indifferent gaze, he reached out and the small portion of the wooden dragon's body wrapped around Orochimaru suddenly contracted, accelerating the absorption of the dwindling chakra within Orochimaru's body.

The Wood Dragon Technique itself possesses the ability to absorb chakra.

A ninja will die once his chakra is completely depleted.

Dealing with Orochimaru in this way not only gives him dignity, as he once made great contributions to Konoha and earned the prestigious title of one of the Three Legendary Sannin, but also prevents him from using bizarre escape techniques like the Orochimaru-style Substitution Jutsu.

Although he didn't understand these kinds of secret techniques, Yun Ting knew that even the most advanced ninjutsu and secret techniques required chakra to support them.

Without the latter, it's like a boat without water, unable to rock at all.

At this moment, Orochimaru's chakra was visibly depleting rapidly, and his own aura was also weakening.

Surprisingly, Orochimaru remained silent throughout, only sporting an enigmatic smile that defied explanation.

After a dozen or so breaths, the wooden dragon could no longer absorb chakra, and Orochimaru also ceased to live.

The wooden dragon released its restraints.

Seeing Orochimaru lying on the ground, no longer tearing out a new person from his body as before, Yun Ting was finally able to confirm that the other party was really dead.

So that's the end?

Why did it end up being so bland and simple?

Yun Ting had a very unreal feeling.

Even if he killed the other person, the facts are already clear.

In this world, it can be said that no one understands better than Yun Ting how much impact Orochimaru will have on the entire ninja world in the future.

The latter's Impure World Reincarnation technique, which was perfected based on the Second Hokage's work, alone revolutionized the battle format of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Not to mention, what is most impressive is the opponent's terrifying vitality—the ability to die countless times yet still return intact.

Even if he killed Orochimaru with his own hands, Yun Ting was certain that he wouldn't be surprised if Orochimaru suddenly reappeared alive and kicking in front of him.

However... that shouldn't happen, right?

After all, the Orochimaru of today is not the same as he will be a decade or two from now; techniques like Reanimation Jutsu and Cursed Seals have not yet been developed.

Thinking this way, Yun Ting nodded secretly, withdrawing those unnecessary thoughts.

Overall, the plan was a complete success, and he was absolutely triumphant.

Now, it's time to reap the rewards of our labor.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Faults of Three Generations

"Lord Hokage!"

"Yondaime-sama!"

"..."

After Yun Ting finished off Orochimaru, the Konoha Jonin who had been watching the entire battle with their mouths agape at the edge of the battlefield finally came to their senses and came to Yun Ting to pay their respects.

This level of respect was so much more sincere and intense than when I was with him before.

There was no way around it. After witnessing the genuine Wood Release technique used by Yun Ting and seeing the now lifeless body of Orochimaru, everyone present, unless they were idiots, understood that from this day forward, the world of Konoha was about to change.

Yun Ting nodded in agreement. He had already secured his position and there was no need for him to make any further moves to win people's hearts.

After dissipating the Wood Release techniques such as Wood Dragon and Flower Tree World, he directly ordered, "Seal Orochimaru's corpse and send it to the Analysis Team for research after returning to Konoha."

Even after a ninja dies, their corpse can still collect a large amount of information about the original ninja's secret techniques and other related information.

It can be said that each of those powerful ninjas who died was a treasure trove.

The most typical example is Hashirama Senju. The famous Hashirama cells have been studied by various forces in the ninja world for countless years.

If Yun Ting dies in the future, his treatment will likely be no less than that of his own ancestors.

Konoha's analysis team leader, Yamanaka Inoichi, happened to be in the crowd at that moment. Upon hearing this, he immediately responded, then took out a sealing scroll and stored Orochimaru's corpse inside.

And so, under the complex gazes of the crowd, one of the legendary Sannin, once renowned in the ninja world, ended his career in this way.

"The Konoha rogue ninja have been killed, this operation is over, I... um?"

As Yun Ting was speaking, he suddenly let out a soft "hmm," interrupting his conversation and turning to look behind him.

There, a figure was rapidly approaching them.

“It’s the Third Hokage,” said Hiashi Hyuga.

These words elicited various thoughts from the crowd.

Yun Ting observed this and said calmly, "It's good that the Third Generation has arrived. Let's discuss some matters here."

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze, who was among the crowd, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it turned into a sigh.

The others also tacitly remained silent.

And so, in an atmosphere of impending doom, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his combat suit, appeared before the group.

Upon seeing Senju Kumo-tei and a group of Konoha Jonin appear here, and noticing the obvious battle traces left by Orochimaru in the surrounding area, Hiruzen Sarutobi, though having a guess in mind, still asked:

Where is Orochimaru?

Everyone subconsciously looked at Yun Ting. After the latter nodded in acknowledgment, Yamanaka Inoichi raised the sealing scroll in his hand and replied, "Third Hokage, the rogue ninja Orochimaru has been killed by the Fourth Hokage, and his body has been recovered."

Did it still come to this ending?

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes, and at that moment he looked as if he had aged more than ten years.

Yun Ting saw all this, but showed no mercy or remorse: "Third Hokage, if I remember correctly, you were the one who led the team to capture Orochimaru. Why did you fail? With the Third Hokage's strength, you shouldn't have failed, right?"

"I..." Faced with Yun Ting's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his tired eyes again, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless.

Seeing this, Yun Ting shook his head and answered for him, "The Third Hokage certainly had the ability to defeat Orochimaru, but at the last moment, personal feelings ultimately outweighed responsibility. Faced with the disciple he had watched grow up, he couldn't bring himself to kill him and watched him leave. Third Hokage, am I right?"

"That's...the truth." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply and admitted.

Although it's unclear how Yun Ting knew such details, given that what the former said was indeed true, his character wouldn't lie, even if he knew it would greatly damage his reputation.

Compared to Danzo, who was ruthless, Hiruzen Sarutobi, though also ambitious, ultimately had his own principles.

As expected, after Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted the truth, everyone's expression changed, including Minato Namikaze's.

As the Hokage, to allow a rogue ninja to leave, even if the two had a deep bond, was something they could never accept.

Ninjas consider completing missions their duty, and under the instilling of the Will of Fire, the people of Konoha also keep their comrades' concerns in their hearts.

But this concern absolutely does not include the rogue ninja who have already betrayed the village and their comrades.

In particular, the fact that the village's Hokage actively protected a rogue ninja is outrageous.

To the Konoha ninjas, the Third Hokage's situation was similar to "We are ready to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first?"

In an instant, the way everyone looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi changed.

Seeing this, Yun Ting, to definitively confirm Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions, said, "The Third Hokage saw the scroll of evidence against Orochimaru that I gave you earlier. It only recorded four cases of missing persons related to him. But in reality, this is only what we've discovered in the last few months. In the years, even decades, before that, there were far more living people forcibly subjected to experiments by Orochimaru. You've also seen those rows of glass jars containing human organs in Orochimaru's secret base, Third Hokage. Do you think that's a scale that a mere few people could achieve?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

Yun Ting continued, "Orochimaru's descent into evil didn't happen overnight. Over the past few years, he has disregarded human life, conducting forbidden research strictly prohibited by Konoha—his crimes are absolutely heinous. It's understandable that you, Third Hokage, couldn't bring yourself to kill him initially out of consideration for our past relationship, but what I want to ask is..."

At this point, Yun Ting's face was full of sternness as he said, "After Orochimaru killed the group of Anbu ninjas who were with you, why didn't you take action and let them leave? Don't those Konoha Anbu ninjas deserve your attention?"

These words caused an uproar among the Konoha ninja present, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned pale.