Inside the compound of Clan Leader Sarutobi.
Compared to the silent Uchiha Compound, this place was filled with numerous ninja from the Sarutobi Clan, all dressed in complete gear.
A rough count would reveal that more than half of the clan's ninja had already gathered here.
The Jonin stood at the front while the middle and lower ranked Genin lined up behind, standing as disciplined as an army.
Facing them were their clan leader Hodan Sarutobi, plus the two sons of The Third—Nobusuke and Asuma.
Behind Hodan Sarutobi and the two brothers stood over a dozen ninja wearing black robes.
Each clan member's face bore an unnatural flush. Innumerable glances brimming with excitement and fanaticism unconsciously focused on Hodan Sarutobi ahead.
Under the fervent gazes, Hodan proudly swept his eyes across all present and loudly proclaimed, "After The Second passed away, it was us who followed Lord Hiruzen to revive Konoha and make it once again the number one among the Five Great Ninja Villages."
Upon hearing this, the Jonin in the crowd immediately erupted into loud agreement.
"That's right!"
"The leader speaks truth!"
"It was we who led Konoha's revival!"
"..."
Listening to the uproar of approval, Hodan's face flushed even redder as he continued bitterly.
"Our clan's main branch should've become Konoha Village's rightful leaders, guiding our village toward an even brighter future. But everything changed!"
"Fugaku Uchiha murdered Lord Hiruzen through treachery and ruined Konoha's glorious future."
"Worse still, he started oppressing our Sarutobi Clan immediately after taking power—many of our clan's elite members have been reassigned or even dismissed!"
"And those clowns who used to fawn over us shamelessly betrayed us—becoming the Uchiha's dogs willingly!"
"If things continue like this, our Sarutobi Clan will be erased from Konoha Village forever!"
"..."
Hearing Hodan's incitement, the Sarutobi ninja grew increasingly furious, their inner resentment surging like stormy waves.
"Fortunately, the Daimyo saw the truth and recognized the evil nature hidden behind Fugaku Uchiha—he sent elite ninja to assist our righteous cause!"
"Tonight, we shall correct the wrongs, restore Konoha to its proper path, reclaim the power and glory of the Sarutobi Clan, and send the wicked Uchiha Clan along with their dogs straight into the grave!"
At this point, he pulled off his long robe to reveal the iron armor beneath.
His sharp gaze sweeping across everyone, Hodan roared, "Are you willing to follow me?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, every single Sarutobi ninja knelt on one knee, shouting in unison, "Clan Leader, we are willing to follow you and reclaim our clan's honor and power!"
Seeing this sight, Hodan nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to speak out with passion and vigor, a cold, sharp voice suddenly pierced the night air.
"Hodan… Nobusuke… Asuma…"
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
Everyone quickly turned to look, and sure enough, a white-haired ninja had suddenly leapt atop the courtyard wall.
The conspiring clan leader was instantly stunned by Jiraiya's cold, sharp question and exclaimed in shock, "How can you appear here?"
Asuma stepped forward under Jiraiya's killing intent, pointing directly at him and questioning fiercely.
"The Third trusted you so much. Is this how you repay him? Watching idly as he was murdered, and now trying to become Fugaku Uchiha's lapdog?"
He then pointed at the gathered clan members and continued, "If you still consider the Third your teacher, join us right now to set things straight—kill Fugaku Uchiha in revenge for him. Only then can you remain the Third's worthy student, and our Sarutobi Clan will still nominate you as the Fifth Hokage!"
After hearing Asuma's words, Jiraiya frowned and turned his gaze toward Hodan Sarutobi and Nobusuke.
"Have you two not told Asuma-sensei the truth about the sensei's suicide?" he asked.
"Suicide? Truth?"
At Jiraiya's words, Asuma and the other clan members looked confused—the Third wasn't killed by the Uchiha Clan?
"Nonsense!" Hodan Sarutobi flushed red-faced.
Immediately afterward, he issued orders hurriedly, "At this point, betrayal cannot be undone. Kill Jiraiya, this traitor!"
Nobusuke also cut in sharply. "Proceed with the original plan—I'll hold off Jiraiya!"
Before his words had fully faded, he transformed into a black shadow and lunged toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya watched Nobusuke charge at him in confusion—he couldn't believe that Nobusuke had actually dared strike first, let alone that the Third had been killed by the Uchiha Clan.
And yet, Nobusuke had definitely improved—his speed was much faster than before.
As thoughts raced through Jiraiya's mind, his movements stayed sharp and fluid. He clearly perceived the trajectory of Nobusuke's punch and caught it just before it struck his face.
"Nobusuke, you're still far from good enough…"
His words of reprimand hadn't finished when he saw Nobusuke's pupils transform into dangerous vertical slits, and the corner of his mouth twisted upward into an all-too-familiar smirk.
In that instant, chills surged down Jiraiya's spine.
Sure enough, the right hand Jiraiya had seized transformed into a slick, writhing snake, its jaws opening wide as it lunged for Jiraiya's neck.
Jiraiya immediately leaped backward while snapping the snake's body—but not before the fangs sank into his neck.
Feeling numbness spread across his neck, Jiraiya hurriedly pulled out a vial and swallowed the antidote.
Recovering half of the wriggling snake body back into a right hand, Orochimaru licked his lips looking at Jiraiya, who had just taken the antidote.
"Tsunade gave you quite a few antidotes, huh?"
Jiraiya's expression turned unusually grim, and his rough, powerful voice grew deeper.
"Orochimaru! I didn't expect it to be you! Are you actually planning to destroy Konoha?"
Sensing the rising pressure from Jiraiya, Orochimaru grinned hideously.
"And what if I am?"
As the two spoke, aside from several nearby cloaked ninja, the rest of the Sarutobi ninja found chances to leap over walls and scatter outward in all directions.
Remembering Aozora's prior threat, anxiety flickered across Jiraiya's eyes.
If the Sarutobi ninja truly escaped from the Sarutobi compound, the entire clan might face annihilation!
Even if the Third could not literally be dragged from the Memorial Stone for posthumous punishment, his lifelong reputation would still be utterly ruined.
Jiraiya's hands swiftly formed seals, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
[Earth Release - Yellow Spring Swamp...]
In the blink of an eye, the foundations of a dozen large mansions—including the Sarutobi Clan Leader's residence—turned into soft mud, continuously collapsing downward.
Before Jiraiya could finish his seals, Orochimaru's neck stretched several meters forward, and a sword slashed from his mouth toward him.
Jiraiya had no choice but to dodge while continuing his hand seals.
Although he barely managed to activate the Yellow Spring Swamp, the technique's power had greatly diminished. The technique failed to fully submerge them—only a handful of ninja became trapped.
The remaining Sarutobi clan ninjas jumped onto the rooftops, continuing to counterattack from all directions. But trapped by Orochimaru, Jiraiya couldn't break free to stop the Sarutobi rebellion.
For a moment, an indescribable despair arose in Jiraiya's heart.
At that moment, a distress signal shot into the sky, piercing the night air. Then barriers instantly rose around the Sarutobi Compound.
At the same time, Aozora's cold voice rang out toward Jiraiya.
"It looks like there's no need for investigation anymore!"
As Jiraiya sank deeper into despair, Aozora continued speaking.
"Rogue ninja Orochimaru bears deep hatred toward Konoha, especially resenting The Third Hokage for not supporting his bid to become The Fourth Hokage. Therefore, in a frenzied madness, he attacked the Sarutobi Compound!"
"To eliminate this rogue ninja, the Sarutobi clan activated the barrier and made a final stand!"
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