Chapter 234: 229: The Rebellious Snake (2) |
"Anko, if I leave this village one day, will you go with me?"
Inside his lab, Orochimaru busy with research, posed the question to his disciple Anko with a smile.
"Leaving the village? Sensei, we will be traveling again?" Anko raised her head, looking at Orochimaru with her pure eyes.
Orochimaru remained silent, just smiled and touched Anko's little head. His disciple was really innocent and cute, but he was tired of staying inside this village. Here, he couldn't find what he wanted, it meant saying goodbye to this village.
Since the end of the Land of Rain War more than three years ago, Orochimaru had felt it. The rotation speed of the village had become slow, boring, and uninteresting. Humans were ultimately bound by 'time,' true no matter how powerful a ninja was.
"If Sensei is travelling again, please take me with you, just like Tsunade-sama took Shizune with her." Anko muttered in an envious tone.
Orochimaru continued to caress Anko's head, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His trip would be very long and distant, he had to say goodbye to everything here.
.....
"Disappearance case..." Taking the information obtained from the Anbu, Kakashi studied it at home. It was already night.
The second disappearance case was important it wasn't just an ordinary civilian, but it involved a ninja from the village.
Due to the seriousness the situation, after discussions with the police force and Anbu, it was officially handed over to Anbu for investigation, supported by the police force for the search.
The investigation wasn't without gains during the search period, but due to insufficient evidence, immediate arrest action wasn't possible. After all, the suspects both had a high status within the village, it would be bad to startle the snake.
There were two suspects, Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, and Shimura Danzo, the leader of Root. Compared to the former, the latter, as the leader of root, was more doubtful.
In Anbu's dossier, Shimura Danzo could be said to be filled of bad deeds. Kakashi read all the materials, showing a thoughtful expression.
From first ten days of February to the current April, there was a total of 21 people missing, ranging from civilians to ninjas. The frequency was quite high. They had no idea if these people who ete captives where they were taken.to or the intentions of those who had taken them away.
From Kakashi's line of thought, neither Orochimaru nor Danzo had any reason to do so.
Although Orochimaru's experiment involved humans, he had never experimented with ninjas from his own village. With Orochimaru's power and channels, it was very easy to get experimental subjects outside.
Danzo was the same. Because once something of this nature was exposed, not even the Third Hokage would be able to cover up, nor could it be covered up. Exposing this would ruin anyone's reputation, no matter how high their position, and they couldn't escape from prison.
It sas just that except for these two people… the Anbu couldn't guess who else had the energy and motivation to kidnap those missing people. The Anbu hadn't locked on any real target for a long time, as every time they took action, whoever they where , they erased their traces in advance. Obviously, they had mostly planted a nail within the Anbu.
The 'nail' planted inside the Anbu was obviously sending the information to them. Will it be Orochimaru and Danzo? Or were they both involved? Or was it a third party? Kakashi was filled with doubts. Starting an investigation was quite difficult. Even the Anbu had been infiltrated, every of the Anbu's movement was likely captured by the secret enemy.
When Kakashi thought hard about where to start the investigation from, he suddenly froze, his figure jumped backwards, and he subconsciously pulled out his sword behind him, which shot out intense lightning, illuminating the dim environment inside the house.
A figure stood upright in front of the window of the room. He had soft, straight black hair, a pale face, purple eye shadow and snake-like vertical pupils that exudes a cold and gloomy feeling. He wore the Konoha Jōnin uniform and had the Konoha forehead protector tied on his forehead.
Seeing Kakashi's vigilant movements, the eerie smile on the figure's face grew wider. "Your intuition is getting sharper and sharper, Kakashi."
"Orochimaru-sama."
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Orochimaru, and put down the sword in his hand. The lightning also disappeared.
"I'm glad you still remember me."
"Yes." Kakashi felt a little uncertain about why Orochimaru had come to see him at this time. He tentatively asked, "May I know if Orochimaru-sama has an important mission for me this time since you're here?"
Orochimaru usually contacted him for information through coded messages. Such face-to-face meetings were rare. Once it happened, it meant Orochimaru was planning something big.
Orochimaru didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the desk and picked up some scrolls there. They had information about Konoha's recent disappearance cases that Kakashi had compiled. He scanned through them one by one. As he read on, an increasingly sinister smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
"Kakashi, who do you think I am?" Orochimaru asked suddenly.
Kakashi thought about it, then replied, "Orochimaru-sama is an exceptionally talented ninja."
Orochimaru's brilliance was reflected not just in ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu, but also in his in-depth research and analysis on the essence of various jutsus. He had forged his own unique path. Among the Legendary Sannin, Kakashi believed that Orochimaru was the most dangerous one. A man who could attain perfection in everything he did.
"Oh..?" Orochimaru simply commented. He studied Kakashi's earnest expression but didn't give any opinions. Perhaps recalling a familiar old friend, his gaze became distant and nostalgic.
"You are similar to Sakumo, but your sword is more terrifying than his...." Orochimaru returned from his daze and said.
Kakashi remained silent. He understood that Orochimaru meant his sword was more uncontrollable than his father's. Sakumo's sword could be controlled, so it wasn't seen as dangerous. However, the sword in his hands was the same legendary White Fang, but it now protected different things and pursued completely different goals from his father.
"Going all out just to save that idiot Jiraiya in hopes of getting one step closer to Sarutobi-sensei... That's the scariest thing about you." Orochimaru sighed with emotion, speaking from his heart. For the sake of revenge, Kakashi could disregard his own life. Because of this, Orochimaru felt the sword in Kakashi's hands would be much more terrifying than Sakumo's.
Kakashi and Orochimaru looked at each other, none of them spoke. Eventually Orochimaru shifted his gaze and turned to look out the dark window into the night. "I have also found a brand new path of my own."
"A new path?" Kakashi asked. He knew Orochimaru was obsessed with continuously innovating ninjutsu, but he didn't know much about this new path.
Orochimaru didn't respond.
"For the next three days, all Anbu operations must be reported to me." After Orochimaru spoke, he placed two scrolls on the table before disappearing out the window in a breeze.
Kakashi looked at the cold night outside the window, the chill still pressing. Orochimaru's words weren't a request but an unquestionable order.
Kakashi walked over to the table and picked up the two scrolls Orochimaru had left behind. As expected, they contained detailed insights into Lightning Release and Earth Release jutsus. A gift from Orochimaru.
But Kakashi also wondered, why did Orochimaru want to know about the Anbu's movements?
Without too much thoughts about it, Kakashi took out a book from his pocket and flopped down happily on his bed to read. Jiraiya-sama's novels were still very engaging after all. He would think about tomorrow's matters when tomorrow came.
...
The deadline set by Orochimaru was three days. In other words, he would make a significant move after three days.
Kakashi was unaware of the impending action, but he still secretly conveyed Anbu's operational plan to Orochimaru in line with his duty as a 'spy'.
He didn't know Orochimaru's intentions, but it wasn't something he should inquire about.
At the same time, Kakashi initiated an investigation with his team into the case of mysterious disappearances.
Whether it was investigating Orochimaru or Danzo, the result was still the same. No results.
Nonetheless, Kakashi remained unconcerned, even if the investigation yielded nothing, suspicion won't fall on him.
The senior Anbu who were more experienced and stronger than him, found themselves helpless. Immediate success would arouse suspicion.
Furthermore, Kakashi didn't anticipate any significant moves from Orochimaru within these three days. It wasn't until the evening of the third day that Kakashi realized his assumptions were entirely wrong.
At dusk, with the setting sun radiating residual warmth, nightfall approached.
Kakashi who had returned home to rest, hadn't even settled when an Anbu.suddenly appeared at his home, and he just said briefly:
"Orochimaru defected, please lead your team to hunt him down immediately!"
After delivering the message, the Anbu departed, moving on to contact other Anbu teams to initiate a hunt for the new rogue ninja, Orochimaru.
In a daze, Kakashi stared in the direction the Anbu had left, taking a considerable time to react.
'Orochimaru defected? Is it a joke?'
If is wasn't for his Anbu team confirming it in person, Kakashi might have considered it a cold joke.
As one of the disciples of the Third Hokage Orochimaru held a high position and weight. Despite the third Hokage currently leading Konoha, at the Hokage's age, his position wouldn't last long. The position rightfully belonged to Orochimaru.
Kakashi could have expected such a scenario. However, Orochimaru's actions exceeded his imagination. Defection wasn't a good sign.
"A brand new path... was it this?" Kakashi murmured. At first, he thought Orochimaru had discovered a new ninjutsu idea, but the reality was different. Thinking seriously about it, such a turn of events was truly unexpected.
Despite Orochimaru's gloominess, his relationship with the village had always been very good, far from betraying it. Under these circumstances, the sudden defection seemed completely illogical. What sorr of new path could be more important than Konoha, the village where he grew up? Kakashi couldn't understand. Yet, his vigilance against Orochimaru increased one level higher.
Heading towards Anbu headquarters, the three team members rendezvoused.
Not only did their team assemble, but also the two Anbu ministers stood before the Anbu headquarters, joined by all available Anbu.
A total of thirty-two people, with over half being jounin of considerable strength. Their gathering, a force even one of the Sannin couldn't withstand. Not to mention, it seemed like even the two Anbu ministers were alarmed.. They were also participating in Orochimaru's capture.
Kakashi's intuition proved correct, the Minister issued a firm order: "Orochimaru killed his comrades, captured villagers and ninjas from the village, and he has also engaged in evil human experiments. We have enough evidence. The arrest operation must be implemented immediately, he must be arrested before he leaves the border of Land Of Fire!" The tone was resolute, indicating the seriousness of the situation.
Kakashi's eyes flickered. He hadn't anticipated Orochimaru's involvement in the village disappearance case.
But it was jist that..... if Orochimaru had already infiltrated Anbu, why would he still need information about the Anbu..It seemed unnecessary. Or... was it to verify the information's accuracy or test his loyalty?
Kakashi considered both possibilities. Besides these two possibilities, he couldn't think of any other scenarios. If he failed to pass the correct information from.the Anbu to Orochimaru this time, or intentionally providing incorrect information, it could lead to Orochimaru rattling him.
'A cunning snake indeed.' Kakashi thought to himself.
The next thirty-two Anbu, along with two minister and deputy ministers—thirty-four in total—commenced the pursuit of Orochimaru outside the village.
...
"Hiruzen... What have you done to Orochimaru? Why did this happen?"
In the Hokage Building, the sky outside had already darkened.
Advisors Koharu and Homura gazed at Hiruzen with stern expressions, showing anger and regret.
As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru was considered the leader of Konoha's young generation and the only candidate for the position of the Fifth Hokage. But with the new information.....mutilating his comrades and using ninjas from the village for his experiments, becoming a rogue ninja... If other ninja villages were to learn about this, it could be the subject of secret ridicule.
Moreover, if Kumo were to discover this, the attack on the Land of Fire might become even more terrifying and unscrupulous. Contemplating more on this, the faces of the two advisors showed worry.
Hiruzen sat there in silence, his eyes filled with sadness, the wrinkles on his face seeming deeper, appearing extremely weak. It was hard to believe this was the once high-spirited ninjutsu professor. Now he was just an ordinary old man who was helpless in the face of his disciple's action.
"I will take responsibility for this." Hiruzen stood up from his seat, gazing out the window.
"If we talk about responsibility, we are all at fault. We failed to detect Orochimaru's abnormality in time..." Homura sighed at the sight of Hiruzen's condition.
On the other side, Danzo, as immovable as a mountain, said coldly, "I heard you brought your subordinates from the start and you found Orochimaru's lab. Why didn't you arrest him then? It shouldn't have been difficult for you to capture Orochimaru."
Hiruzen didn't answer, merely looking out the window. Yet, it was evident his aged body was growing more bitter and he trembled silently.
Danzo secretly sneered at this hesitancy, finding it truly humbling. He regretted it profoundly. 'The decisiveness and fierceness you showed during the first ninja world war was now discarded!' Danzo mused inwardly.
Due to his lack of resolve and excessive mercy, Hiruzen had allowed Orochimaru to escape. Now, the burden of capturing Orochimaru fell onto the Anbu... How many excellent Anbu would they have to sacrifice to capture Orochimaru? The cost of capturing a Sannin was unimaginable.
Danzo, on one hand, keenly desired this situation, as it weakened the power of the Anbu and allowed Root to develop better. On the other hand, the Anbu's imminent weakness posed a threat to the village's stability. He frowned slightly, contemplating his next move. Should he continue trying to seize power from Hiruzen, or should he prioritize the threat from Kumo?
Orochimaru's sudden defection caught him off guard.
Soon, Danzo reached a decision: His deputy, Ryoma, would lead half of the Root members to Kumo battlefield to assist the Konoha troops fighting on the front line. Regardless, Konoha could not afford to fail in this war.
.....
At dusk, the forest's scenery appeared exceptionally dark.
A large number of Konoha Anbu raced through the forest like lightning, swiftly navigating through layers of dense forest, searching in all directions.
Kakashi led a team of four, also scouring the area for traces of Orochimaru.
Kakashi was unaware of the details of Orochimaru's defection, and he didn't understand Orochimaru's motives for betraying the village or why it was alleged he was using ninjas from the village for his experiments.
With Orochimaru's resources, such methods seemed unnecessary. If he desired human subjects for research, he could easily acquire them from outside the village. Using civilians for experiments within the village contradicted Orochimaru's usually cautious approach and was riddled with loopholes.
It was as if Orochimaru deliberately conveying a message to the higher-ups—He has severing his ties with the village, and they shouldn't harbor any naive hopes of his return to Konoha. Confront him with unwavering determination, or kill him!
All of this for the sake of the new path? Kakashi thought Orochimaru was a truly horrifying person.
Orochimaru's resolute attitude, while not on par with the original defection of the those three people, could be regarded as a particularly bad form of betrayal. What he undermined wasn't the foundation of Konoha but tarnished even his own reputation—from a brilliant genius to someone evil, capable of harming his own comrafes.
If since February, the Anbu's actions had been under Orochimaru's control. It was more accurate to say that they were entirely following his script.
Kakashi harbored no expectations of capturing Orochimaru. Despite the massive strength of the dispatched Anbu, even the two strongest ministers were sent to besiege Orochimaru together.
However, in the current situation, they couldn't pinpoint Orochimaru's specific location, or even his escape plan from the Land of Fire, or his next destination.
Were there accomplices within the village aiding Orochimaru? Even among the dispatched Anbu, were there people Orochimaru had manipulated and planned to betray at any moment?
There were too many uncertainties. Yet, as long as he remained loyal to Orochimaru, contact would undoubtedly be made after Orochimaru stabilized outside. Kakashi wasn't concerned about this.
While he had his thoughts, Kakashi spotted a familiar figure ahead, lying wounded and bleeding beside a tree, gasping low, as if on the verge of losing consciousness.
"Jiraiya-sama!?" Kakashi and his team exclaimed in surprise.
Though he wasn't fatally wounded, Jiraiya had lost a significant amount of blood. He wouldn't be able to stand up for a while.
"I failed to stop him..." Jiraiya's face expressed deep disappointment, bewilderment, and regret. The same feeling of remorse echoed when he heard the news of his disciple's death.
Examining the battlefield, Kakashi found no signs of a struggle, only Jiraiya's blood on the ground. Even if Orochimaru was stronger than Jiraiya, it was impossible to be so powerful. Defeating Jiraiya should come at the cost of serious injuries.
Yet, there were no traces of battle here. This suggested that during the confrontation with Orochimaru, Jiraiya never fought back, allowing himself to be passively beaten. There was no other explanation.
Kakashi instructed one of his team members to escort Jiraiya back to the village, while he continued with the other two to search for Orochimaru in the forest.
Looking at the darkness ahead, Kakashi felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. His current thoughts weren't focused on capturing Orochimaru but rather contemplating the mission Orochimaru might assign him in Konoha next.
