Lush trees blurred past as Orochimaru moved swiftly through the forest.
Although he had escaped the Third Hokage, his instincts, train through countless battles kept him on edge.
He followed the escape route he had planned long ago, with allies, coerced ninjas, and manipulated informants covering his tracks.
Of course, Konoha's elite tracking forces would eventually close in. But he didn't need much time just enough to leave the village's reach.
As for the pursuers that would inevitably come after him, he was one of the Sannin. He had no doubt he could handle them.
"Where did things go wrong?"
At this moment, Konoha's defenses were at their weakest.
The Third Hokage wouldn't act decisively because of his lingering feelings.
Danzo was predictable.
Jiraiya was leading a mission against the Freedom Fighter forces in Tanzuko Town.
Tsunade was away on another mission.
Namikaze Minato was stationed at the Land of Thunder's border, keeping watch on Kumo forces.
And the one person Orochimaru both feared and admired the most, Hanyu Simu, was fully engaged in the war in the Land of Rain.
Logically, only one person in Konoha could truly threaten him now, his former teacher.
Orochimaru sped through the trees, swiftly putting distance between himself and the village.
However, Konoha's pursuit squads closed in from multiple directions.
Glancing to his left, he scoffed.
"Byakugan? How troublesome."
As a reconnaissance tool, the Byakugan was especially effective in situations like this.
The moment he was spotted, a signal flare shot into the sky.
Orochimaru sneered and used the Body Flicker Technique to close the distance.
A massive purple snake suddenly burst from the ground.
"Orochimaru, what is it this time?"
Manda's voice rumbled through the forest like thunder, shaking the ground beneath it.
Orochimaru smirked coldly. "Get me out of Konoha."
Manda's vertical pupils narrowed.
Its instincts told it that this request was anything but simple.
The killing intent radiating from the surrounding Konoha Shinobi was unmistakable.
"Hmph, this time, I need a thousand sacrifices."
Unlike Jiraiya and Tsunade's contracts with the three great summoning lands, Orochimaru's pact with Ryūchi Cave had a unique condition.
Every time he summoned snakes for battle, an additional price had to be paid, human sacrifices, the so-called "offering" demanded by Manda.
A sly smile appeared on Orochimaru's face as he said indifferently,
"No problem. As long as you get me out of Konoha, you can have as many people as you want. If you prefer, even a virgin."
Manda's eyes gleamed with excitement. His massive tongue flickered in the air as his colossal body tore through the dense forest, carving a path forward.
Like an unstoppable locomotive, he barreled straight toward the three Konoha Shinobi blocking the way.
"Fight!"
The Konoha Shinobi's faces darkened. Nothing was more detestable to a ninja than a traitor—especially one of Orochimaru's caliber.
As one of the Sannin and a disciple of the Third Hokage, Orochimaru possessed an extensive knowledge of Konoha's secrets.
If he managed to escape, the intelligence he carried would deal a severe blow to the village. That's why capturing rogue ninjas was always a top priority for every village.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A massive earthen wall rose in front of Manda, blocking his path.
"Pathetic."
Manda sneered as his colossal body crashed straight through the wall. At the same time, he opened his massive jaws.
Standing atop Manda's head, Orochimaru extended his hands, white snake-like tendrils shot from his sleeves, wrapping tightly around the three Konoha ninjas.
Before they could react, Manda swallowed them whole.
"Go this way."
Orochimaru pointed in a direction, then formed a hand seal, creating a shadow clone.
While the clone ran ahead with Manda, Orochimaru's real body slipped away in the opposite direction.
Manda briefly glanced at Orochimaru's retreating figure before following the clone's lead at full speed.
As night fell, Orochimaru had finally shaken off the Konoha hunters.
Reaching a stream, Orochimaru cupped his hands and washed his face.
He gazed at his reflection in the water and let out a quiet sigh.
"If I've made it this far, those Konoha guys probably won't catch up."
Yet, as he glanced toward the dense woods behind him, his eyes narrowed slightly.
For some reason, the ominous feeling lingering in his chest still hadn't faded.
…..
Meanwhile, Manda's massive body was riddled with wounds, surrounded by a dozen Konoha Shinobi.
"Orochimaru, you can't escape!"
Their cold voices echoed as they fixed their gaze on Orochimaru's clone standing atop Manda's head.
Manda let out a low chuckle.
"Orochimaru, if you don't offer enough sacrifices this time, I'll kill you myself."
The clone merely smiled.
"Relax. Once we're out of Konoha, finding sacrifices won't be a problem."
Just as he finished speaking, his expression shifted to one of mild surprise.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."
His gaze turned to the side.
From the shadows, a man with white hair, wearing a red vest over his ninja attire, stepped forward.
The man who arrived was none other than Orochimaru's former partner—Jiraiya.
"Orochimaru… tell me this isn't real."
His face was shrouded in shadows, fists clenched so tightly they trembled.
He and Simu had been on their way back to Konoha, a journey that should have taken two more days. But then, Katsuyu delivered shocking news, Orochimaru had betrayed the village.
The moment Jiraiya heard it, he pushed forward at full speed, disregarding chakra consumption, determined to reach Konoha as fast as possible.
On the way, he caught sight of Manda causing chaos and rushed over.
Orochimaru, arms crossed, stood atop the massive serpent, gazing down at Jiraiya.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Jiraiya looked up, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
But in the next moment, that disappointment hardened into resolve.
"Orochimaru, I will bring you back, no matter what!"
Hearing Jiraiya's naive words, Orochimaru smirked and asked playfully,
"Take me back? And then what? Kill me?"
"I..."
Jiraiya's gaze wavered, momentarily at a loss for words.
Orochimaru continued, his tone mocking,
"If you don't kill me, how will you atone for the ninjas I've already killed?"
He locked eyes with Jiraiya.
"Stop being so naive, Jiraiya. It's far too late for that."
Jiraiya's expression hardened.
"No matter what, I won't let you leave here!"
Without another word, he formed a hand seal.
A torrent of thick toad oil spewed from his mouth. The moment a spark ignited, the oil erupted into a raging inferno, engulfing the massive serpent before him.
Manda's eyes darkened as he turned toward Orochimaru, his voice laced with warning.
"Remember, I want a thousand sacrifices!"
As the flames raged, Manda vanished into a cloud of smoke, dispelled by the intense heat.
Orochimaru spread his arms and let himself fall into the fire.
"Goodbye, Jiraiya."
In an instant, his shadow clone dissolved into nothingness.
"A clone…?"
The Konoha Shinobi, exhausted from the relentless chase, slumped in disappointment. None of them had expected that they had only been fighting a clone this entire time.
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
Then, suddenly, a thought struck him—Simu!
They had set out together after hearing the news. So where had he gone?
Could it be…?
Elsewhere, Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes.
As the real body, he now possessed all the memories of the clone that had just disappeared.
"Jiraiya? After all these years as a ninja, and you're still so naive."
A flicker of disdain crossed Orochimaru's eyes.
To him, things like friendship, family, and even the bond between teacher and student were unnecessary.
Feelings only served as a hindrance.
If one wished to uncover the truths of the world, they had to abandon such meaningless burdens.
"I agree. Teacher Jiraiya is a bit too naive."
A voice rang out from above.
In a flash of light, Hanyu Simu descended from the sky, landing in front of Orochimaru.
The Coat of Justice draped over his shoulders billowed slightly from the sheer speed of his arrival.
Orochimaru's slit-like pupils contracted sharply.
His heart skipped a beat.
Until Simu spoke, he hadn't even noticed his presence.
Seeing Orochimaru's confusion, Simu smirked and casually explained,
"Oh, I dropped from a few hundred meters up. It's only natural you didn't notice."
"It took some effort to track you down. After receiving the news, I split into multiple clones and scoured the forest."
A year ago, Simu learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu from the Third Hokage.
But he had rarely needed to use it.
Unlike most, the massive chakra required for this Forbidden Technique was no issue for him.
Combined with his incredible Observation Haki, his hundreds of clones functioned like living radars—far more effective than the Byakugan in sheer range and efficiency.
Seeing Simu's calculated expression, Orochimaru's eyes flickered with understanding.
"So this was all your trap?"
Unlike Jiraiya, who was politically naive, Orochimaru was a master strategist.
And it wasn't hard to figure out.
All one had to do was ask—who stood to benefit the most from his defection?
The answer was obvious.
Hanyu Simu.
After this event, Sarutobi Hiruzen would suffer a devastating blow to his reputation.
And if you factored in Danzo's usual schemes...
It wasn't impossible that Hiruzen might be forced to step down as Hokage.
And at that moment, in all of Konoha, only one man had the strength and prestige to take his place—
Hanyu Simu.
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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