"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
The First Hokage's attack came immediately after. The previous explosion had barely harmed him—his Edo Tensei body could repair itself in moments.
Boom!!
The ground where the Third Hokage stood was completely shattered by the wooden dragon. In that instant, he leaped backward, and his staff returned to his side.
A few kunai shot through the gaps between the shattered wood, but he blocked them all with his staff.
He knew his student too well.
And at the same time, as the Third Hokage's student, Orochimaru also knew his teacher's abilities like the back of his hand.
"Hokage-sama, after all these decades, have you learned nothing but how to run away?"
"A Hokage who only knows how to flee?"
When Orochimaru was younger, he, like many ninjas of Konohagakure, once had deep feelings for the village.
"As the village's leader, when danger comes, all you do is run? Sensei."
"What now? Are you going to rely on the Second Hokage to save you again?"
Orochimaru's mocking voice rang out. After all, it was the Second Hokage who had sacrificed himself in war to protect the Third Hokage and his comrades.
Orochimaru's words completely enraged the Third Hokage.
"Orochimaru, how did you become like this?"
Four shadow clones appeared beside him, and powerful chakra began to gather. The Third Hokage had complicated feelings toward Orochimaru. No matter what, Orochimaru was someone he had watched grow up—his own student. But now, he had become something unrecognizable.
"How did I become like this? Sensei, why don't you turn around and take a look at what Konohagakure has become?"
"Why did Tsunade leave the village? Why did I leave? Even Jiraiya left!"
Orochimaru stood not far away, his eyes filled with anger. His childhood memories, once beautiful, were now breaking apart in his mind. There had been good times between him, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.
But they had gone through too much. Those so-called good memories had been swallowed by darkness.
Orochimaru had seen the truth. He knew he wasn't a good person. But in Konohagakure, there were never any good people to begin with.
"The Uzumaki Clan was wiped out. The Uchiha Clan was wiped out. One hero after another has died in this village."
"Sensei, have you never noticed any of this?"
Ever since that person called "Uchiha Izuna" appeared, Orochimaru had started investigating everything about Konohagakure.
He never used to care about these things. The Sannin had seen too much in their lives.
Especially Orochimaru—he had always been in the darkest corners of the village. He had always known that Konohagakure was rotten to the core.
So rotten that even someone like him couldn't stand it anymore.
He may have been indifferent to life, but at the same time, he also deeply respected life.
"The Uchiha Clan, the Uzumaki Clan... It's always about them. What do you know?"
"The Uchiha were always eyeing the Hokage's seat. They were a threat to the village. If a clan was preparing to rebel, shouldn't they be eliminated?"
The Third Hokage raised his voice. The Uchiha Clan had been a threat since the time of the Second Hokage.
That was what the Second Hokage had taught them.
And it was the Second Hokage who had suppressed the Uchiha Clan the most, as if he had been born to go against them.
So when the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the others took over, they simply continued that suppression.
Was that wrong? Was it wrong to follow his teacher's words? Was it wrong to listen to the Second Hokage?
The Third Hokage had always known his own shortcomings.
He didn't have the overwhelming strength of the First Hokage.
He didn't have the sharp mind of the Second Hokage.
Since he was young, he had always been ordinary. Under the brilliance of the First and Second Hokage, even the so-called geniuses seemed dull.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was the same. He was talented, but not even close to the First or Second Hokage.
"Haha, what a joke."
"If the Uchiha were really going to rebel, why didn't they do it when the Second Hokage was in power? Why didn't they rebel when you first became Hokage?
When Minato became Hokage, they didn't show any signs of rebellion either."
"If you're too old to handle being Hokage, then maybe it's time for you to step down."
The more Orochimaru learned about the past, the angrier he became.
If the Third Hokage had never returned to power, things wouldn't have gotten this bad.
It was only after he started looking into everything that he realized something shocking—before he died, the Second Hokage had already planned for everything.
His arrangements could have kept Konohagakure stable for at least twenty years.
But what the Second Hokage didn't expect was that his student, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would stay in power for far too long. And it wasn't just Hiruzen—Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu also held onto their positions.
These four remained in control for an incredibly long time.
Yet, even so, nothing too outrageous had happened—until it did.
The Fourth Hokage took over, and before long, he was dead.
And just like that, the former leaders of Konoha returned to power.
Tell me, is this something a normal person would do?
Senju Tobirama was undoubtedly one of the most intelligent and skilled shinobi of his time, both in strategy and strength.
From suppressing the Uchiha clan when Konoha was first established to how the Third Hokage and his people continued that suppression—it may have seemed cold, but it was completely logical.
Yet, even with all of Tobirama's wisdom, he never imagined that his student would hold onto the Hokage seat until he was over fifty, step down for only a short while, and then return—this time ruling into his sixties.
The same went for Konoha's elders.
Is this something a rational person would do?
Tobirama never expected his students to be this foolish.
At the same time, what shocked Orochimaru was just how terrifying the Second Hokage's intelligence and political foresight were.
And because of that, he felt even more frustrated with the Third Hokage's weakness.
"Ninja Art: Poison Fang Barrage!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Barrage!"
Orochimaru and the Second Hokage launched their attacks at the Third Hokage at the same time.
"Five-Style Great Combo Technique!!"
The Third Hokage and his four shadow clones each unleashed a different elemental attack. The sheer amount of chakra erupted in an instant, creating a devastating explosion that obliterated everything in its path.
The air twisted, trees shattered, and even the barrier around them cracked under the force.
As the attacks collided, Orochimaru's and the Second Hokage's jutsu were swallowed by the massive explosion.
The combined effect of five elemental jutsu stacking on top of each other was too powerful—ordinary jutsu stood no chance against it.
"Five-Layer Rashomon!"
The First Hokage appeared in front of Orochimaru and the Second Hokage, summoning a massive series of defensive gates.
The first gate shattered instantly, then the second, followed by the third! Even the fourth gate broke apart.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had never imagined he would one day have to fight his own teacher.
Nor did he ever think he would be the one to disappoint him.
Orochimaru had always been someone who cared little for the lives of others.
And yet, the Third Hokage had also seen another side of him—a side that loved life, that loved Konoha.
Amid the blazing destruction, the Third Hokage finally understood.
No, he didn't just understand—he realized what the Second Hokage had once told him.
"Sensei…"
The Third Hokage never understood why the Second Hokage had chosen to die that day.
He shouldn't have died.
As the creator of the Flying Thunder God technique, as one of the greatest Kage of his time, there was no way the Second Hokage should have been killed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
But in Hiruzen's memories, when the Second Hokage left that day, he had already made up his mind to die.
And in that moment, Hiruzen finally grew up.
He had always followed his teacher's teachings and trusted his comrades without question.
Even when he knew Danzo was secretly doing things in the shadows, he chose to look the other way.
But what he failed to understand was that when the Second Hokage spoke of comrades, he didn't just mean Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
He meant all of Konoha.
He meant the Uchiha clan as well.
When the Second Hokage died, he had already paved the way for him.
"Sensei… was I wrong? Or did I really let you down?"
Every word from Orochimaru cut deep, stabbing at the Third Hokage's heart. Memories from decades ago flooded his mind like a tidal wave.
If he had only served as Hokage for ten years, or maybe twenty, perhaps Konohagakure wouldn't have ended up like this.
The Third looked beyond the barrier. Outside, not a single Konohagakure ninja was there. In the entire village, he was the only Hokage left.
He removed his forehead protector. The guilt in his heart wasn't just for the Second Hokage—it was also for Minato.
"Was Minato like this back then too?"
"No… Minato was never like this. He never owed anyone anything. Even when he was alone, he still protected Konohagakure."
"Sensei, I've been a complete failure as Hokage."
Tears welled up in his eyes. He had no courage to face the First and Second Hokage. He had no courage to look at the three faces carved into the Hokage Rock.
He was a useless Hokage.
The Third pressed his hands together. As the flames and explosions faded, a massive white figure loomed behind him.
"Reaper Death Seal!!"
Sacrificing his own life, he summoned the Shinigami. At that moment, Orochimaru felt an eerie chill in his soul.
As the fire and dust settled, leaves drifted through the air. The souls of the First and Second Hokage dissolved into the falling leaves, vanishing along with Konohagakure.
The Third appeared in front of Orochimaru, restraining him.
"So, this is the end? I never even got to see the New World."
Orochimaru looked at the Third Hokage. Tear stains still streaked the old man's face. His eyes, still wet, blurred Orochimaru's figure.
All he could see was Konohagakure crumbling, fragments of it falling before his eyes, as his body grew colder and colder.
"So, this is death?"
"So, this is what it feels like…"
"Sensei, I'm so scared… so scared… to see you again."
Behind the Third Hokage, the Shinigami's blade pierced through his body and severed Orochimaru's arms.
---
---
You can read 50 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu