Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Black Zetsu, hidden in Madara Uchiha's sleeve, then spoke up to clarify things for Orochimaru.

It personally admires Orochimaru very much because it has observed that he is a true ninjutsu genius. Perhaps he is not as good as Kirito, but he is still outstanding in the history of the ninja world.

After all, this guy really glimpsed a goal that countless humans had failed to achieve: "immortality."

It would be such a pity for someone like him to die here. It would be better to save him and let him continue to fight against Konoha and contribute to the Eye of the Moon Project.

Madara Uchiha remained unmoved by Black Zetsu's words, still ignoring Orochimaru's death at the hands of Kirito.

Just when he thought he could head home, he narrowed his eyes, as if he had discovered something interesting, and chuckled, "I didn't expect this guy to have this trick up his sleeve. His escape skills are really impressive."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Yamata no Orochi, which was entangled by a large number of tree roots on the battlefield below, suddenly exploded.

But there was no sound of an explosion; instead, countless small white snakes fell from the body of the Yamata no Orochi.

The once enormous Yamata no Orochi has now transformed into countless small white snakes, which begin to scatter and flee in all directions.

"It's the White Snake Immortal's escape technique again. How did this guy do that? Could it be that he inherited the White Snake Immortal's magic?"

Kirito was both surprised and confused when he saw this familiar scene.

But he didn't hesitate at all, unleashing a powerful burst of Sage Mode Earth Release chakra.

The gravity in the space within a radius of thousands of meters suddenly increased a thousandfold.

Sage Art: Earth Release: Super Heavy Rock Technique!

In an instant, countless escaping white snakes were crushed into a pulp by the immense gravity. Among them, more than a dozen white snakes containing Orochimaru's soul aura were also wiped out, and Orochimaru's soul aura dissipated on the battlefield.

"It's over."

Kirito frowned as he looked at the white snake's rotten flesh scattered on the ground.

For some reason, he felt that Orochimaru was not so easily killed by him.

However, it is true that Orochimaru's agility has dissipated, but he still has absolute confidence in his soul perception.

With the intention of eliminating the threat completely, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes. He clapped his hands again, leaped into the sky, and spat out a large number of fireballs.

These fireballs expanded rapidly after they appeared, falling to the ground like meteorites, burning the flesh and blood of countless white snakes to ashes.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

"This golden immortal is really ruthless; he doesn't give his enemies any chance of survival at all."

At the edge of the battlefield, Fukasaku, who had separated from Jiraiya, looked at the raging battlefield before him and swallowed hard.

"That's true. But it's good this way. Orochimaru was clearly too influenced by the White Snake Sage. If he wasn't eliminated soon, he would eventually become the White Snake Sage's puppet and a great enemy of Mount Myōboku. Now that he's been eliminated, it's a good thing for Mount Myōboku."

Shima Senjin echoed, but his face showed a relaxed and happy expression.

Seeing his wife's current state, the hermit was speechless. Wasn't Tohsaka Kirito their biggest potential enemy right now? They had seriously offended this golden hermit before.

Compared to this golden sage, what is Orochimaru?

"Should we go back to Konoha with Jiraiya later? It's rare for Jiraiya to summon me here."

The immortal Shenzuo suddenly had a whimsical idea.

After the raging flames subsided, only a scorched earth remained on the battlefield, and the flesh and blood left behind by Orochimaru in his Yamata no Orochi form were all purified by the flames.

Seeing this, Kirito stopped attacking. After greeting Hyuga Karen, Jiraiya, and Namikaze Minato with the secret mountain technique, Mind Transfer Technique, he used the Flying Thunder God Formation to bring Hyuga Karen, who had automatically moved closer, back to Konoha.

"Lord Jiraiya, the mission is over, let's go back."

Half an hour later, Minato Namikaze spoke to Jiraiya, who was still hesitant to set off.

"You should go back now, Minato. I want to stay a little longer."

Jiraiya said with a heavy heart.

Although he knew that Orochimaru was a traitor and deserved to die, he still couldn't accept watching his former friend die in front of him.

Everything was fine for a while, so how did it suddenly turn out like this?

For a moment, Jiraiya felt both sad and confused.

"Take good care of yourself, Jiraiya-sama."

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze remained silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

Jiraiya could more or less understand how he felt, because Orochimaru had really taught him with all his heart, practically giving him everything he knew. Although he couldn't say he was impressed with many of the ninjutsu Orochimaru had developed, he was still very grateful to Orochimaru.

However, an enemy is an enemy.

The many brutal battles he experienced on the battlefield made him realize that only dead enemies are the best enemies, and traitors are the most hateful and dangerous enemies. For the sake of Konoha, they must be eliminated without mercy.

"But Orochimaru-sensei, are you really dead?"

After comforting Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze turned around and glanced at the chaotic battlefield, asking in confusion.

Based on his understanding of his teacher, he believed that his teacher was a very resourceful person and might even have other hidden tricks up his sleeve.

He felt it necessary to go back and explain to the Fourth Hokage, and to continue digging deeper into Orochimaru's secrets.

If Orochimaru were still alive, the crisis facing Konoha would likely escalate considerably.

Meanwhile, in a laboratory deep underground in the Land of Fields, inside a huge glass container filled with a green solution, a naked, black-haired youth suddenly twitched his tightly closed eyes.

Then, a three-tomoe curse mark on his neck turned crimson, and a large number of incantations quickly spread throughout his body.

During the process, his body underwent rapid changes; his hair grew wildly, his skin became increasingly pale, and a layer of fine scales appeared on its surface.

But after a while, all these changes disappeared, and the three-tomoe curse mark on his neck returned to its original state.

A moment later, the black-haired youth suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of cold, snake-like eyes, and then a person with strange eyes of different colors appeared in his eyes.

In this person's hand, there was a white snake displaying a human-like expression of pain.

Chapter 324: The Evolution Experiment of the Byakugan and Sharingan

"Congratulations on your successful resurrection. What should I call you now, Orochimaru, or some other new name? After all, you are not a complete Orochimaru now."

Madara Uchiha looked at the person who had just woken up in the glass container in front of him and said with a hint of amusement.

Under his gaze of the Rinnegan, the inner spiritual world of the person before him could not be blocked from his prying eyes. In that spiritual space full of writhing flesh and blood, the person before him was wrapped by a flesh and blood snake, forming a parasitic relationship.

As soon as he finished speaking, he squeezed the struggling white snake in his hand hard, killing it.

The white snake in his hand is also Orochimaru. He secretly found it on the battlefield where Orochimaru was fighting Kirito Tohsaka. This white snake has Orochimaru's soul in its hand, and it even managed to escape by deceiving Kirito Tohsaka's senses with a mysterious ninjutsu.

Of course, it still couldn't escape his Rinnegan and was caught by him.

That's why he was able to find this place and witness Orochimaru's 'resurrection'.

It has to be said that he has to take this traitorous Konoha ninja seriously again. The fact that the other party has such a mysterious ninjutsu that can deceive Kirito Tohsaka's soul perception is enough to make him look at him with new eyes, not to mention that the other party seems to have successfully developed a kind of immortality ninjutsu.

"Click-clack~"

As Madara Uchiha crushed the white snake, numerous cracks appeared in the glass container, which then shattered, sending a shower of glass shards and green solution flying everywhere.

But none of these things were able to touch Madara Uchiha.

There seemed to be an invisible wall in front of Madara Uchiha, isolating him from the outside world and making his aura extremely secretive.

The naked, black-haired man slowly rose from the shattered glass container, but the process was unsteady, and he fell to the ground several times. After falling three times in a row, he finally managed to stand up, staring at Uchiha Madara with indifferent eyes, and said indistinctly, "Orochimaru, I am Orochimaru, and I can only be Orochimaru."

……

In Konoha at dusk, in the Hokage Building, in the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze's report to Tsunade was drawing to a close.

"You did a great job, Minato. Go back and get some rest. What you said is very important. I will have someone follow up on it."

Tsunade spoke to Minato Namikaze with a serious expression, her voice filled with deep weariness.

Minato Namikaze nodded quickly and said, "Yes, Fourth Hokage. If there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm ready to serve you anytime."

He appeared very nervous and uneasy while speaking.

There was nothing he could do; Orochimaru, who had defected this time, was his teacher. Even though he personally participated in the pursuit, he ultimately failed to capture him.

This will ultimately leave a stain.

He was no longer a political novice; he knew very well which political faction he belonged to in Konoha.

Now that Orochimaru has defected, he feels that his dream of becoming Hokage is getting further and further away.

"Don't be too nervous, Minato. Relax. Orochimaru's defection has indeed had a serious impact, but it's not to the point where we're worried about sleeping and eating. Just go back and get some rest. You don't need to have too much of a mental burden. His betrayal has nothing to do with you."

By the way, I heard your sealing techniques are quite good. Kirito really needs a sealing ninja like you right now. If you have some time, why don't you go help him? I think he'd be very happy to hear that.

Tsunade forced a smile and offered words of comfort.

She admired Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru's disciple, and could see that he was an excellent Konoha ninja who inherited the Will of Fire. She believed that he should not be suppressed because of his political affiliation.

Konoha is currently in dire need of talent, and as one of the members of the genius cultivation program, Minato Namikaze must be given full trust and support.

Especially now, with Orochimaru as a traitor and the people of Konoha filled with unease.

Orochimaru left a very deep mark on Konoha, and many Konoha ninjas were once his subordinates. The negative impact of his defection is self-evident.

As the Hokage, she needed to stabilize morale as quickly as possible and eliminate the impact of Orochimaru's treachery. Giving Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru's disciple, the trust and support she received would undoubtedly play a significant role in this regard.

"I will definitely assist Kirito-sama in completing the mission."

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Minato Namikaze was overjoyed, feeling immensely grateful for the trust and support she had shown him.

After he finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to Tsunade and then disappeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Once Minato Namikaze left, Tsunade's smile vanished quickly, replaced by a sorrowful expression. She turned to look at a childhood photo on the table, a picture of herself with Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the Third Hokage, and let out a deep sigh.

Orochimaru's betrayal was something she had never expected.

"How did this guy become like this? Is he still the Orochimaru I know?"

Tsunade lowered her head, looked at a report on the table, and sighed.

This report details what Orochimaru did in several underground laboratories. A rough estimate suggests that more than 500 people died in Orochimaru's experiments, most of whom were ninjas.

Some of these ninjas were missing Konoha ninjas.

She truly couldn't imagine that the arrogant Orochimaru of her memories would stoop so low as to not even spare his own people.

After closing her eyes and remaining silent for a while, Tsunade opened them again. She transformed back into the decisive Fourth Hokage and said, "Someone come here."

The next moment, an ANBU ninja wearing a cat mask appeared in front of her and said respectfully, "Please give your orders, Fourth Hokage."