Under Orochimaru's control, the escape skills that Tobirama Senju had failed to demonstrate forty years ago when nearing death were now being displayed in full force after his demise.
The speed was faster than the rush to rebirth itself.
Besides, without the Nine-Tails, Orochimaru wasn't really worth stopping anymore. Moreover, he'd escaped too unexpectedly… to be honest, just the fact that he was still alive was shocking enough.
Orochimaru used the Second Hokage like a ride, and not caring about any damage, the two blitzed through the Ninjutsu World, heading straight for the heart of the Land of Fire.
After bursting straight into Konoha, the Second Hokage was finally able to breathe again after constantly using Flying Thunder God to move. Speaking of which, those Flying Thunder God seals were pretty unreasonable—they had ultra-long battery life. Seals left behind by the Second Hokage during his lifetime could still be used even now.
"Although it's humiliating for me to be controlled by my own kinjutsu, seeing today's Konoha isn't entirely without merit," said Tobirama. As night fell, standing atop the Hokage Cliffs, he looked down upon the brilliantly lit village below. This long-deceased figure had, at last, gained a rare opportunity to witness the village he helped found with his own eyes.
Even the massive destruction from the daytime battle fascinated him—at least, that's what we're supposed to believe. In reality, Tobirama stared at the huge crater in the distance, clearly confused as hell.
Indeed, Tobirama himself had been a heroic figure. Surprisingly, the First Hokage's rebukes about him had been spot-on; ever since his corpse was reanimated via Impure World Reincarnation, he'd felt as though receiving a form of karmic retribution. Tobirama had delved into far too many conspiracies, committed numerous misdeeds, and developed excessive numbers of forbidden techniques.
Orochimaru silently stood behind the Second Hokage. This reanimated "tool" talked far too much and seemed condescending—a rather irritating combination. Yet Orochimaru decided to endure it. Not because this person was an elder nor out of respect for his scientific contributions, but simply because this dead man shared complicated connections with certain living individuals.
Orochimaru feared none of the Impure World Reincarnations under his command—but he hesitated to offend Haseo.
"You… are called Orochimaru, am I right?
Leaving aside how you survived after having your tailed beast extracted—as a Jinchuriki, I'm more curious about how you managed to hide inside my older brother undetected. That latter feat is much harder; there's no way anyone could have evaded my brother's—First Hokage's—gaze."
Orochimaru glanced sideways at the Second Hokage. This summoned "tool" talked far too much and seemed condescending—a rather irritating combination. Yet Orochimaru decided to endure it. Not because this person was an elder nor out of respect for his scientific contributions, but simply because this dead man shared complicated connections with certain living individuals.
Orochimaru feared none of the Impure World Reincarnations under his control—but he hesitated to offend Haseo.
"The principle is simple. This 'spare body' of mine was cultivated using the First Hokage's cells. During my battle against Hashirama, I concealed myself within his body… essentially becoming one of the First's possessions, so naturally he sensed nothing unusual.
Later, when I 'died,' my spirit transferred into this new vessel, allowing me to wait patiently for the perfect chance." Orochimaru explained calmly.
"..."
Frankly, the Second Hokage couldn't make heads or tails of it.
What was this "backup body"? Was a living human body really like some kind of jar—one that could simply transfer a soul into another if it shattered?
And for a jinchuriki, removing the tailed beast equaled death. How could one possibly transfer after dying?
"Has technology advanced so much after my death? Have ninja mastered secondary resurrection techniques?"
"...Close enough, I guess."
Orochimaru replied evasively. Even the wisest Kage of old, like the First Hokage, would've been helpless upon resurrection... Orochimaru himself possessed the indestructible life of a cockroach, and after countless modifications, his true form had already become Yamata no Orochi. A human body was nothing more than an old skin to him.
The Nine-Tails was sealed within this form, which meant Orochimaru could survive simply by shedding his skin. The technical difficulties during the earlier battle lay not in staying alive after extraction of the tailed beast, nor in burying a new body inside the First's remains—but rather, how his true self could silently switch hosts without detection.
In order to discover the First Hokage's whereabouts, Orochimaru's actions had been extremely bold... Clearly, he didn't truly respect such an opponent as much as he pretended publicly.
There was always room for a little mischief—if the timing was right.
"Oh, their reaction isn't bad."
The Second Hokage casually commented on his hometown. Through his sensory perception, he had already sensed several squads of ninja encircling their location... After today's earlier intrusion, Konoha naturally remained highly alert. Upon detecting yet another intruder at night, their response was naturally swift.
In an instant, Anbu ninja surrounded the area.
However, since these two intruders had shown no aggression, the Anbu did not act rashly either... Orochimaru even theatrically raised both hands—a bold and shameless act of mock surrender.
"...Orochimaru, and... who is this?"
No one immediately recognized that the person with Orochimaru was the Second Hokage, though his appearance undeniably stirred a sense of familiarity.
This uncanny sense of recognition wasn't unfounded—after all, his face had always hung on walls... The Hokage Cliffs' statues were realistic portraits, and within the Hokage office building itself were paintings and photographs of previous Kages, all of which the Anbu ninjas had seen before.
"I mean no harm. The village hasn't officially labeled me a rogue ninja either, so... Can we talk to someone who actually calls the shots around here? I know he must be in the village.
I've recently obtained a very interesting piece of intelligence."
Orochimaru said in his uniquely accented Sunagakure voice. Something major was happening in the world of ninja, and Orochimaru needed support—and among all possible allies, only Haseo seemed remotely trustworthy. Sure, Haseo liked to mess with people, but at least he had that "dad vibe" going for him.
Now, for the first time in ages, Orochimaru relished how the world suddenly felt brand new again—thrilling and full of endless possibilities. And that meant it was the perfect moment—only the real troublemakers could spark true chaos now.
The Anbu remained vigilant, but their squad leader issued an order to one of his subordinates exactly as Orochimaru requested.
So he left the group and dashed off in a certain direction.
Then, he knocked on the gate of the Haseo family.
"The Fourth! The Fourth!"
Sounds came from inside the house. Soon after, Haseo opened the outer door.
"You know, I'm getting old. I've always had trouble sleeping — light sleeper, wake up a lot at night — so could you cut an old man some slack?"
Who knows whether this guy was actually resting... Well, considering that something huge had just happened in Konoha earlier today, as a responsible Hokage, Lord Haseo surely couldn't sleep easily — but voicing those noble feelings would sound like bragging, so better to keep quiet.
Haseo was the kind of man who kept his achievements and reputation under wraps.
The Anbu Ninja naturally ignored Haseo's complaints and quickly said, "Lord Haseo, Orochimaru has infiltrated the village. We need to move now."
"Huh..."
Haseo was momentarily stunned. What was Orochimaru doing coming back to stir up trouble now of all times?
PS:
I'll finish wrapping things up in two or three days. For now, I'm marking this story as completed ahead of schedule — otherwise I'd miss out on the six-month bonus for active authors.
The upcoming chapters will be released for free — stay tuned!
(This chapter ends here.)
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