All Heavens: Transcending Dimensions Starting with the Uchiha

Although this Uchiha clan leader also gave him a strong feeling, he didn't have the same feeling that the Uchiha Xiang gave him—that the "Kotoamatsukami" technique would most likely fail.

Fugaku remained calm under everyone's gaze.

"Come with me and see what the third generation is up to."

Soon, Fugaku led a group of Uchiha to the gate of the clan's territory.

At this moment, hundreds of Konoha ninjas and at least fifteen ANBU squads have gathered outside the Uchiha Gate.

These Konoha ninjas almost completely surrounded the Uchiha clan's territory.

It seems that as long as the Third Hokage gives the order, they will rush into the Uchiha clan's territory!

"You all stay in the clan's territory, Zhishui, come with me."

After giving instructions to the clansmen behind him, Fugaku led only Shisui out of the Uchiha gate.

After stepping out the door, Fugaku questioned him.

"Lord Hokage, what do you mean by this?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, swept his gaze over Fugaku and Shisui with the sharpness of an eagle.

"You should have received the news by now. Orochimaru has defected from the village because of his human experiments."

"I have some questions I'd like to ask Uchiha Sō."

Shisui quickly stepped forward and spoke.

"Lord Hokage, I am willing to hunt down Orochimaru to prove the Uchiha clan's innocence."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

"These are special times, and no member of the Uchiha clan is allowed to leave the clan territory!"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku's eyes narrowed, and he thought to himself, "Ever since Xiang awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, Hiruzen Sarutobi has indeed been on guard against the Uchiha."

The Third Hokage's elaborate mobilization to intimidate the Uchiha clan was clearly motivated by his fear that Orochimaru's defection would give the Uchiha clan an opportunity to launch a rebellion.

After all, Orochimaru was one of the heroes of the Third Shinobi World War, a disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and one of the three legendary Sannin of Konoha. His defection would inevitably cause turmoil in Konoha.

When the situation is unclear, most of the Konoha ninja clans will choose to "protect themselves".

If the Uchiha clan were to launch a coup under the guise of rehabilitating war heroes during this period, Hiruzen Sarutobi would be in a very passive position.

Shisui was getting anxious, feeling that the Third Hokage was starting to distrust him.

"Lord Hokage, please believe me, I will definitely bring Orochimaru back."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed, he took out his pipe, took a deep drag, and spoke slowly.

"I have already dispatched Jiraiya's ANBU team; he will be brought back soon."

……

"Crack..."

After casually crushing the throat of an ANBU ninja, Orochimaru glanced coldly in the direction of Konoha Village.

Ever since Danzo sent word that the Anbu were investigating his laboratory, Orochimaru knew that his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was getting old after all.

He no longer possessed the ambition he had at his peak; he could no longer tolerate Orochimaru, a disciple he could not control.

After all, Orochimaru was too close to Danzo and Uchiha Sō.

If Orochimaru decides to vie for the position of Fourth Hokage, even with the support of the Third Hokage, Minato Namikaze might not be able to take the position.

However, Orochimaru's rise to power is not comparable to Minato Namikaze's. With the Sannin's years of mission experience, plus the support of Konoha's Root and Security Department, Hiruzen Sarutobi's power will likely soon be almost gone.

Minato Namikaze's rise to the Fourth Hokage was different. As a commoner ninja and the grand-disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had no factional support. Even after Minato took over, Hiruzen Sarutobi could still firmly control Konoha's supreme power from behind the scenes.

Therefore, the moment Orochimaru received the message from Danzo, he knew what he had to do.

His tacit understanding with Danzo was that he infiltrated Root and obtained Danzo's "sponsorship" while destroying some key "evidence" of his cooperation with Danzo.

Then, under the siege of a group of secret agents, they fought and retreated, eventually leaving the village.

He lowered his hand and tossed the corpse of the ANBU ninja aside.

At this moment, four corpses of ANBU ninjas lay scattered around Orochimaru.

Except for the last one, whose throat was crushed by Orochimaru, all the other ANBU ninja corpses died from snake bites.

There were few signs of combat on the entire battlefield; it was almost entirely a one-sided massacre.

Suddenly, Orochimaru turned his head to look in one direction, and then frowned slightly.

The snake's senses told him that another large group of pursuers was heading his way.

Moreover, among the pursuers, there was one whose chakra scent was very familiar.

Orochimaru was about to turn and leave, but after taking two steps, he stopped, for some reason.

He drew the Kusanagi sword from his waist, stood quietly in place, and waited for the pursuers to arrive.

"Shhhhh..."

Amidst a series of whooshing sounds, figures landed around Orochimaru.

Leading the group was another of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha—Jiraiya, who wore a dark blue ninja headband with the character "oil" engraved on it and had his hair tied in a white ponytail.

Chapter 78, The Era of the Three Legendary Sannin Comes to an End

"Orochimaru, come back to the village with me. Hiruzen-sensei will give you a fair trial."

Jiraiya still can't believe Orochimaru would do such a thing.

He felt that his childhood friend had been wronged, and he wanted to take him back to the village so that his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could give him justice.

Hearing Jiraiya's voice, Orochimaru gave a sinister smile.

"Jiraiya, you're still so naive!"

Orochimaru's voice, like the hiss of a venomous snake, echoed through the silent, withered forest, chilling to the bone and shattering the last shred of hope in Jiraiya's heart.

His golden snake eyes gleamed with an inorganic light in the dim light, and the Kusanagi sword he gripped tightly in his hand emitted a cold glint. The tip of the sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and a few drops of dark red blood were slowly dripping down, merging into the corpses of the ANBU ninjas at his feet.

Jiraiya's heart sank. Looking at his former best friend, with whom he had fought side by side and shared laughter and banter, he now resembled a venomous snake ready to devour its prey, radiating a chilling murderous aura.

Behind him, a dozen elite members of the secret service were on high alert, their breathing deliberately lowered, and the air seemed to solidify like lead.

Jiraiya took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions. His white hair moved without wind, and his eyes became incredibly sharp.

"Naive? Orochimaru! Tell me, what about those innocent lives used as experimental subjects? You have trampled on Konoha's bottom line and trampled on our dignity as ninjas!"

Jiraiya's voice was loud and angry, filled with deep sorrow.

"Come back with me! Face the village's judgment! Hiruzen-sensei... he will definitely give you a fair chance!"

"just?"

Orochimaru's lips curled into an exaggerated and distorted arc, emitting a low, hoarse, cold laugh, like sandpaper being rubbed together.

"Sarutobi-sensei? Ha... that old man whose eyes are blinded by power and fear?"

"What he needs is a Hokage he can control, an obedient puppet, not a 'dangerous' being like me."

"Minato Namikaze... isn't that blond kid the perfect choice?"

"As for the trial? That's nothing more than a fig leaf for the power purge!"

Jiraiya, don't you understand?

"Konoha is already rotten. It fears change, it fears true power! Just like it fears Uchiha Zou's Sharingan!"

When Orochimaru mentioned "Uchiha Elephant" and the Sharingan, a subtle, strange glint of fear and greed flashed in his eyes.

Fugaku's forbearance and Uchiha Zō's rise, Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicion and Danzo's use of others to do his dirty work...

He had already seen through this game of chess and was tired of being a pawn.

His path was to leave and seek the power that could truly grant him "immortality."

"Shut up! You're not allowed to slander the Hokage and the village!"

Unable to contain himself any longer, a young ANBU member roared and charged forward, thrusting his kunai straight at Orochimaru's back.

Orochimaru didn't even turn around.

His neck, as if boneless, twisted bizarrely behind him at an unimaginable angle of nearly 180 degrees, and a black shadow suddenly spit out of his mouth!

"Hidden Shadow Serpent Hand!"

Several venomous snakes, each as thick as a bowl, shot out from Orochimaru's mouth with lightning speed, instantly wrapping around the wrists, ankles, and neck of the ANBU member.

The fangs were deeply embedded in the flesh. The assassin only had time to let out a short scream before his body convulsed violently. His skin quickly turned a strange bluish-purple, and he collapsed, foaming at the mouth, and fell silent in an instant.

"Watch out! It's poisonous!"

Jiraiya's pupils contracted sharply, and as he gave a stern warning, his hands were already rapidly forming hand seals.

"Ninja Art: Lion's Mane Technique!"

Jiraiya's signature long white hair suddenly grew wildly, like a living seaweed, as strong as steel wire, and with a whooshing sound, it swept towards Orochimaru.

The hair's target is not a fatal point, but rather an attempt to entangle and bind.

A hint of disdain flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

"A trivial skill!"

His body was like a weightless willow catkin, weaving and twisting through the dense hair attack with an extremely flexible and strange posture, avoiding entanglement by the slightest margin.

The Kusanagi sword transformed into a silver streak in his hand, slashing precisely and swiftly at the approaching white hair.

"Jingle bells!"

The clang of metal against metal was deafening. The Kusanagi sword, with its unparalleled sharpness, could even sever the toughest strands of chakra hair.

However, Jiraiya's hair regenerates extremely quickly; as soon as one batch is cut off, more immediately wrap around it, like maggots clinging to the bone.

"Orochimaru! Stop!"

Jiraiya manipulated his hair as he tried to get closer.

Deep down, he still didn't want to kill his former best friend.