"Kakashi, notify the ANBU. Search all of Konoha—we must find Orochimaru!"
Standing before the village gates, Tsunade issued the order the moment she confirmed the Akatsuki members had truly withdrawn.
At her words, Kakashi vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
Tsunade raised her eyes toward the Konoha gates. There was no joy on her face for driving away the Akatsuki—only deep, weary sorrow.
'Grandfather... The village you built—all its burdens are now on my shoulders. If I had known being Hokage was this exhausting, I wouldn't have come back!'
Her thoughts turned toward the man standing beside her—Jiraiya.
'It's all his fault. If not for him, I wouldn't be suffering like this.'
Jiraiya, still cheerful after driving the Akatsuki away, suddenly sensed the killing intent in Tsunade's glare. He straightened up instantly, feeling rather depressed.
'Why is she mad again? Don't tell me... it's that time of the month?'
'Forget it. I can't afford to pick a fight—better to retreat!'
With that thought, Jiraiya said awkwardly, "Uh... I'll go check on Naruto's training. No need to see me off. Goodbye!"
Tsunade clenched her fist, wondering if she should just punch him into the next world.
But thinking of how the Akatsuki had yet to be dealt with—and that Jiraiya, unreliable as he was, was still one of Konoha's strongest forces—she decided against it. Losing him would be more harm than good for Konoha.
"Gai, go find Yamato and have him move those trees outside the gate. We need to clear the road to Konoha."
Maito Gai obeyed her command dutifully.
He hadn't participated in the earlier battle, so errands like this naturally fell to him.
---
The Senju Compound
After an exhausting day, Tsunade returned home. Just as she was about to open a bottle of sake and relax, she suddenly sensed a strange chakra signature nearby.
"Who's there?"
"Don't be so tense, Tsunade."
A smooth yet youthful voice echoed through the room. From the floor a short distance away, Orochimaru emerged, tongue flicking as he smiled. Seeing Tsunade ready to strike, he immediately raised his hands.
"Don't attack. I can't beat you."
"What are you here for?"
The sight of Orochimaru made Tsunade's first impulse to fight flare and fade in an instant. She restrained herself.
She wanted to know what exactly he wanted.
After all, if he had managed to escape from the Akatsuki, his survival skills were beyond exceptional.
Tsunade couldn't guarantee she could capture Orochimaru in one move. Besides, this might not even be his real body. Under these circumstances, it was better to wait and see what trick he was trying to pull.
"Can't I just visit an old friend?"
Orochimaru smirked, "I heard you became Hokage. As your former teammate, it'd be a shame not to congratulate you."
Tsunade scoffed.
"Cut the nonsense. Get to the point."
"Very well," he chuckled. "I'm here to... ask for Konoha's protection."
Given the agents Orochimaru still had hidden within Konoha, and his sharp control over information, he had realized Tsunade was searching for him the moment the ANBU began moving throughout the village.
Even Orochimaru knew he couldn't stay hidden long in Konoha.
If the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyūga clans joined the search, even his best disguises would be useless.
With the Byakugan's perception, the Aburame clan's insects, and the Inuzuka clan's hounds—their combined tracking ability was unrivaled.
No one could escape them.
"You want Konoha's protection? Are you delusional?" Tsunade stared at him as though he'd lost his mind. "You murdered the Third Hokage. Do you think any shinobi in Konoha would agree to let you stay?"
If Orochimaru had returned on his own, Konoha might have considered leniency due to his strength and research capabilities.
But now? With the Akatsuki hunting him, anyone who agreed to shelter him would be seen as a traitor.
"I know it's not an easy request. But given our long history, I thought we might still talk this over." Orochimaru smiled, trying to sound endearing.
No one else might know, but Orochimaru did.
After this latest failure, the Akatsuki would hunt him relentlessly if he dared wander again. Especially Uchiha Itachi—if he used genjutsu on him, Orochimaru would be done for.
His methods of resurrection weren't so plentiful now.
Between Anko and the Sound Four, only five people carried fragments of his soul now. That wasn't nearly enough for him to feel safe.
For someone like Orochimaru, unless he had a thousand backup vessels, he'd never feel secure.
"Talk? The day you started desecrating souls of the dead, any bond between us was already gone!" Tsunade glared at him, fighting the urge to strike.
"Do you remember what kind of tricks you used when Jiraiya came to me for help back then?" she sneered. "You really have the nerve to forget how you tried to hurt me?"
Orochimaru spread his hands. "I'm a villain, I admit it. But you're the Fifth Hokage now—someone of your stature shouldn't cling to the past. Let it go."
"And it's not like I ever truly harmed you, right? In fact, the last offer I made was pretty generous. I've made improvements to Edo Tensei. How about I summon Nawaki and Kato Dan, so you can reunite with them?"
Nawaki...
At her brother's name, Tsunade's heart trembled despite herself. As for Kato Dan, she had long since moved on.
Once, she couldn't let go. But now she could. The dead should remain dead.
Only Nawaki—her younger brother—was a wound that would never heal.
"Playing with the dead never ends well." Tsunade looked at Orochimaru, forcing herself to abandon the temptation his words stirred.
Orochimaru's smile faltered as he watched her firm expression. "My offer isn't that unreasonable, is it? You just repelled the Akatsuki. If I stay in Konoha now, it won't harm you—or the village. And Kamizuki Hikari will be back soon. Once he returns, we can discuss how to handle me. In the meantime, I could summon Nawaki, let you two reunite..."
"Get out!"
Tsunade's furious roar echoed as she hurled her sake cup at him.
*Bang!*
Orochimaru dodged and turned around instinctively—his body stiffening.
Where the cup had struck, the wall now had a gaping hole more than a meter wide.
He swallowed hard. *Gulp.*
So strong.
That wasn't even a weapon—it was a sake cup. Yet the destructive force was stronger than an average shinobi's full-power strike.
"Leave. And don't let me see you again in the next few days!"
----
Read 45+ advanced chapters on my P@treon.
[email protected]/KakuzuTL