Early morning, on the twenty-ninth of April, Konoha Year 16.
The sky was overcast, and a light rain was falling, cultivating an atmosphere of solemn tragedy and oppression throughout the entire Konoha Village. Today was the funeral of the Second Hokage.
Orochimaru was sitting on his hospital bed, eyes closed, sensing and refining the chakra within his body. Neatly folded clothes lay beside him; today was the day he was scheduled for discharge.
His eyes slowly opened. A faint blue flash passed within his dark-golden snake pupils. Orochimaru smiled. Although he was currently very weak, the increased spiritual energy (or mental fortitude) from the fusion of his two souls would not only greatly enhance his immunity to genjutsu but also grant him several times the potential he had in his previous life!
Orochimaru appeared quite excited. He licked his lips, his eyes full of a fervent desire for even greater power!
"Tap, tap, tap—" The crisp sound of high heels approached.
At the door of the ward, a beautiful young nurse in a pure black mourning dress walked in smiling. She handed a file folder she was holding to Orochimaru: "Here you are, I've taken care of everything, Orochimaru! Hehe, hurry! The Hokage-sama's funeral is about to begin!"
Orochimaru gave the beautiful nurse a faint smile, took the discharge papers, quickly signed his name, picked up his small bag, bowed to the nurse, and left the hospital.
Along the way, medical ninjas and nurses greeted Orochimaru, and he, with an earnest smile, bowed and returned each greeting.
Over the few days he was there, this handsome, polite child had earned their unanimous approval and admiration. Of course, this was partly the result of Orochimaru's deliberate actions. He understood that a reputation for being an upstanding citizen would greatly boost his future plans!
When I possess immense power and extremely high public support, let's see who can stand in my way!
Thinking this, Orochimaru's steps became lighter and quicker.
As soon as he stepped out the hospital gate, a chill abruptly struck him. He saw streets filled with ninjas in pure black mourning attire, converging into streams of people, all rushing toward the same direction—the Hokage Platform.
Orochimaru quickly pulled his clothes tighter and hurried home!
By the time Orochimaru changed into his mourning clothes and arrived at the Hokage Platform, a significant number of Konoha ninjas had already gathered. Their eyes were filled with deep sorrow and lamentation. They had spontaneously formed a square formation, waiting for the funeral to begin.
Orochimaru quietly made his way to the back of the team designated for the Ninja Academy and stood still.
"Hey, Orochimaru!" A suppressed voice called out.
Orochimaru looked toward the source of the sound. A white-haired boy was quietly waving at him from not far away.
Seeing this youthful version of Jiraiya, Orochimaru smiled knowingly, secretly teasing: Jiraiya is still the same, huh!
After acknowledging Jiraiya, Orochimaru turned his attention to the front of the crowd.
At the front of the ninja formation, a long, rectangular table draped in white cloth was set up. The image of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, with his gently smiling face, was prominently placed on the table.
Standing beside the table were the Second Hokage's disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and an Elder of the village who was presiding over the funeral.
"Pitter-patter, splash, splash—" The rain grew heavier, as if the heavens themselves were weeping for the passing of the Second Hokage, this powerhouse of the ninja world.
The atmosphere among the crowd became increasingly heavy with sorrow.
They knew clearly that in the final moments of the First Great Ninja War, without the Second Hokage sacrificing himself to hold back the Kinkaku Force, the Cloud Village's strongest fighting unit, the elites of Konoha like Hiruzen and Danzō would not have survived, and the war would not have ended so quickly. It could be said that the Second Hokage protected the ninjas of the village and the interests of the entire Land of Fire with his own life!
"Ahem—" The Elder coughed, signaling that the funeral was about to commence!
Hiruzen stepped back and stood beside a server holding large bunches of white chrysanthemums.
Ninja after ninja stood solemnly straight, all looking towards the Second Hokage's portrait.
The rain continued to fall. Several large loudspeakers amplified the Elder's hoarse voice, filled with sorrow and remembrance, spreading it far and wide: "The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who made immense contributions and sacrificed himself for the village during this First Great Ninja War—is a great man who is worthy of being remembered by all of Konoha and the people of the Land of Fire! We must remember his presence, respect his spirit, carry out his will, and help Konoha and the Land of Fire move toward strength and prosperity! The funeral now begins!"
At this moment, the people of the village stopped their work, walked out of their homes, and collectively looked toward the Hokage Rock, sending their deepest respects and blessings.
Sorrowful funeral music echoed throughout Konoha, mixed with the low sobs of the people.
Ninja after ninja lined up, walked past the server, took a white chrysanthemum, and solemnly placed it before the Second Hokage's portrait.
Orochimaru laid down his white chrysanthemum and bowed to the portrait. This was a great man!
Seeing Orochimaru, a peculiar light flashed in Hiruzen's eyes. He turned and beckoned to Mikawa, the current teacher of the Ninja Academy where Orochimaru was enrolled.
Mikawa respectfully walked over. He dared not be casual when facing Hiruzen Sarutobi, the candidate with the highest public support to become the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru and asked Mikawa, "Mikawa, how is that child?"
Mikawa followed Hiruzen's gaze and replied with a hint of admiration in his voice: "Hiruzen-sama, Orochimaru is absolutely a genius rarely seen in decades. He maintained an A-rank in all three years of the Academy, and his chakra level has long reached the level of a Chūnin. If the Academy's scoring maximum wasn't A-rank, some of his subjects would have even reached S-rank!"
Hearing Mikawa's reply, a satisfied smile touched Hiruzen's lips. His gaze toward Orochimaru became even softer and more appreciative!
After the funeral ended, Orochimaru did not linger and walked straight home.
"Orochimaru, Orochimaru!" A boyish shout came from behind.
Orochimaru turned to see the white-haired child running towards him and couldn't help but smile.
Jiraiya ran up to Orochimaru, panting, and blocked his path, his face full of dejection: "Orochimaru, why are you walking so fast? I chased you for a long time just to catch up. Ugh, I'm exhausted!"
"Heh heh, is something wrong?" Orochimaru didn't mind and asked with a smile.
"Uh, heh heh!" Jiraiya gave an awkward laugh. Being an airhead, he rarely did things like this. He scratched his head sheepishly and said with a look of concern, "Um, I heard about your parents. Don't be sad. Let's play together at school tomorrow!"
After speaking, he looked anxiously at Orochimaru's reaction.
Orochimaru felt a flicker of sadness and gratitude at Jiraiya's clumsy attempt at comfort, then gave a faint smile. It was difficult for the typically competitive and airheaded Jiraiya to say something like that.
"Mm, sure!" Orochimaru readily agreed.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Jiraiya jumped with joy and waved, saying, "Then I'll head off now!"
Jiraiya quickly leaped several times, lightly landing on the roof of a second-story building nearby. His cheerful voice drifted from a distance: "Be sure to come early tomorrow!"
After Jiraiya had gone far, Orochimaru turned around, gathered chakra to his feet with a thought, and sped home with a few powerful leaps.
Remembering the item his parents mentioned leaving for him in their last will, Orochimaru slightly licked his lips, a look of interest crossing his face.
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