"Dead?"
Looking at Orochimaru, who had resolutely committed suicide under his own sealing technique, Danzo's face flashed with a hint of astonishment.
Although he had used sealing techniques to block all of Orochimaru's actions or methods of mobilizing chakra.
Orochimaru had still managed to kill himself in some way unknown to Danzo.
Moreover, the decisiveness of his actions and the speed at which he moved left Danzo completely unable to stop him.
Thus, he could only use the powerful insight of the Byakugan to meticulously observe every inch of tissue on Orochimaru's corpse.
Even so, he still found no flaws.
It was as if...
Orochimaru had truly died.
But was he really dead?
Danzo shook his head in his heart.
He knew just how difficult it was to kill Orochimaru.
After all, in the original story, Orochimaru had died a total of three times.
The first time was when he was killed by Sasuke during a reincarnation.
Later, when Sasuke and Itachi were exhausted from fighting, he used the curse mark on Sasuke's neck to complete his first resurrection.
The second time was when he was killed, or rather sealed, by Itachi's Totsuka Sword.
Afterwards, Sasuke, upon understanding everything, obtained Orochimaru's tissue from Kabuto and, combined with Anko's curse mark, performed the reincarnation technique to resurrect him.
The third time was when he 'committed suicide' in front of the Shinigami to release the souls of the past Hokages.
Before his soul was taken by the Shinigami, he used White Zetsu's body to perform the "Living Corpse Reincarnation" technique and achieved rebirth.
Given these numerous instances, Danzo would not easily conclude that 'Orochimaru is dead'.
As long as a single curse mark exists in the ninja world, Orochimaru could potentially be resurrected with someone's help!
Even Danzo couldn't help but feel troubled by this indestructible little snake.
___
After this grand-scale battle ended.
Soon, Nara Shikaku arrived with support personnel in front of Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, is L-Orochimaru... the rogue ninja, dead?"
Shikaku instinctively still wanted to refer to Orochimaru as 'Lord', but fortunately, he caught himself in time.
Following him, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and the arriving Uchiha Fugaku all showed a bit of melancholy upon seeing Orochimaru's corpse.
After all, Orochimaru was once considered a prodigy in Konoha, a genius praised by everyone!
Not only was he a disciple of the Hokage, but he also earned the title of one of the "Legendary Sannin" at a young age.
Because of this, Orochimaru was a role model for many ninjas present.
Who would have thought he would end up like this.
Hearing Shikaku's question, Danzo snapped back to reality.
"Perhaps, but we still cannot let our guard down."
The serious aura around Danzo did not lessen in the slightest even after the battle ended.
"Immediately, have all available ninjas from the ANBU and Root mobilize!"
"We must thoroughly investigate all known experimental bases of Orochimaru, and follow any leads to destroy his secret bases outside the village as well!"
Hearing Danzo's extremely serious tone, Nara Shikaku immediately realized something and solemnly replied, "Yes."
"Additionally, have the Uchiha police force fully mobilize to maintain order within the village."
"We must absolutely prevent another 'Hizuren incident' from happening!"
As Danzo issued one command after another, the war machine of Konoha quickly sprang into action.
Only this time, it was not targeting external enemies, but internal rogue ninjas!
After all the orders were given, the Hokage, Minato Namikaze, finally appeared before Danzo.
Looking at the blood-soaked Forest of Death and the mountain-like corpse of Manda, Minato didn't need to ask to know the outcome of the event.
"As expected of you, Senior Danzo."
Minato praised without reservation.
Seeing the clean cut on Manda, Minato had to admit that even he could not have achieved such a feat.
At least in the realms of Wind Release and swordsmanship, Danzo was indeed a mountain he could hardly reach!
Facing Minato's praise, Danzo remained very calm.
What he was concerned about now was not this, but something else. "How about on your end?"
Danzo looked at Minato and asked.
Logically speaking.
For a major event like Orochimaru's defection, the Hokage, who is also the fastest in the ninja world, Minato Namikaze, should have been the first to arrive.
Yet he only appeared after the battle had ended.
Was it because Minato, as Hokage, was afraid of the battle and avoided it?
Of course not.
It was because Danzo specifically sent Minato to the reconnaissance and barrier teams to assist them in closely observing this battle.
As for the purpose.
It was to see if Minato, with his talent in space-time ninjutsu, could find any traces of Obito.
As it turned out, Minato did make a discovery.
"I followed your instructions, Senior Danzo, and closely inspected this battle with the reconnaissance and barrier teams."
"Although it was very faint, I did sense some hidden fluctuations from the barrier."
"Based on my speculation, it should be related to some kind of space-time ninjutsu."
While saying this, Minato's tone was quite grave.
Because today's discovery meant that the reconnaissance barrier covering the entire Konoha might have already been breached.
Hearing this, Danzo immediately narrowed his eyes and asked:
"Can you pinpoint the intruder's location?"
Unfortunately, Minato shook his head and said:
"I'm really sorry, I can only confirm that someone used space-time ninjutsu to enter the village, but I can't locate their position."
Seeing Minato's guilt, Danzo patted his shoulder and encouraged him:
"It's alright, being able to sense their presence is already remarkable."
"Next, we need to have the barrier team check and fix these vulnerabilities."
Hearing Danzo's words, Minato nodded heavily: "Understood."
"Good."
"Then let's go see what our Third Hokage thinks about this matter."
After saying this, Danzo quickly led Minato to the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, were already waiting there.
Seeing Danzo and Minato arrive, Hiruzen slowly raised his eyes.
Although his expression still appeared quite composed.
Danzo could clearly feel from the slight trembling of his fingertips that his old friend was undergoing a terrible inner turmoil.
"How is Orochimaru....?"
Hiruzen stared into Danzo's eyes, as if trying to find the answer within them.
"Dead."
Danzo answered without hesitation.
Hearing this answer, Hiruzen's body visibly stiffened.
Then, as if all his strength had been drained, he sat down on his chair.
Seeing this scene, Danzo's heart was filled with rage. "Hiruzen Sarutobi, I never thought you could be such a weak man!"
Danzo's voice was filled with coldness, making it clear to everyone the deep disappointment in his words.
Seeing this, Koharu once again played the role of the peacemaker, stepping forward to softly say:
"Danzo, don't say that, Hiruzen is also..."
But this time, her attempt to mediate did not work, as Danzo ruthlessly interrupted her.
"He is also what?"
Danzo coldly stared at Koharu.
"Orochimaru has harmed his comrades, defected with a large amount of Konoha's intelligence and information, what is there to explain?"
"Yes, it's true, Orochimaru is Hiruzen's beloved disciple."
"But don't forget your identity!"
Danzo slammed his fist hard on the table next to Hiruzen.
"You are the Third Hokage appointed by the teacher! You are the inheritor of the Will of Fire!"
"Yet for your own selfish desires, you chose to let Orochimaru go?"
"Do you know how much loss this will cause to Konoha, how many innocent Konoha ninjas will die because of this?!"
Each of Danzo's words was like the sharpest blade, stabbing deeply into Hiruzen's heart.
They also completely silenced Koharu and Homura, who wanted to mediate.
They even felt that if they dared to interject even a single word at this moment, they would face Danzo's fierce criticism.
By the end, Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was utterly ashamed.
He sat there, covering his face with his hands, his voice aged and hoarse as he said:
"It's all my fault."
"I failed in my responsibilities as a teacher."
"And I failed in my responsibilities as the Hokage."
Hearing Hiruzen finally admit his mistakes, Danzo finally snorted coldly and did not continue to berate him.
"That guy Orochimaru has an extremely strong ability to survive, he might not really be dead."
"I have already ordered the ANBU and Root ninjas to conduct a thorough search of all his secret bases."
"Additionally, I will officially declare Orochimaru a rogue ninja and announce it to the ninja world, nailing his name to the pillar of shame in Konoha!"
"I want to tell the world that even a disciple of the Hokage, if they betray the village, will be disgraced and die without a burial place!"
Danzo's words were firm and resolute, and no one present dared to refute them.
Hiruzen, because of his words, felt a complex mix of emotions rising in his heart again.
He didn't know whether he hoped Orochimaru was still alive, or truly dead.....
————————
Watching the almost fully mobilized Konoha ANBU.
Uchiha Obito, lurking outside Konoha, shook his head and said mockingly:
"It's really lamentable, the once mighty and renowned Legendary Sannin of Konoha could also come to such an end."
As soon as Obito's voice fell, a small white snake crawled out from his loose sleeve.
This little snake's eyes sparkled, showing a human-like intelligence.
It opened its mouth and actually spoke in human language.
"These are just some boring titles, what I pursue is truth, is immortality."
The white snake's voice was cold and hoarse.
If Hiruzen were here, he would immediately recognize the owner of this voice as his dear disciple.
"Hurry and help me resurrect, as for Konoha, this boring and decaying windmill, I will find a strong enough hurricane to completely destroy it."
A dangerous glint flashed in the white snake's eyes.
Then it turned around and crawled back into the dark sleeve.
Hearing this, Obito under the mask chuckled lightly.
"In that case, I look forward to your wonderful performance, Mr. Orochimaru."