Orochimaru slipped away through an underground passage.
Realizing what had happened, Sarutobi quickly ordered, "Follow me! Chase him down!"
As soon as Sarutobi and his team entered the underground tunnel, they encountered a terrifying sight.
Inside the passage, countless explosive tags were stuck to the walls. The tags were already burning, about to detonate.
Sarutobi barked sharply, "Retreat!"
Immediately, Sarutobi, Kakashi, and four other Anbu members rushed back out of the tunnel.
The tunnel entrance exploded and collapsed, sending tremors rippling through the ground beneath them.
Sarutobi glared grimly at the destroyed entrance before turning to one of the Anbu ninja. "Summon a squad of sensor ninjas right away. The rest of you—clear these rocks. We're continuing the pursuit!"
After the designated Anbu member departed, Kakashi and the others immediately started removing the debris blocking the passage.
It took them a while, but they eventually cleared the rubble away.
Sarutobi led his team once more into the underground tunnel, resuming the chase after Orochimaru.
Internally, Sarutobi was furious. He should never have wasted so much time talking with Orochimaru. He should have aimed to kill on sight from the start.
Now he had missed a perfect opportunity.
Even if he kept chasing now, it was already too late.
Because the Third Hokage knew Orochimaru well—he was nearly impossible to catch once he got a head start.
Still, Sarutobi wasn't ready to give up. He still wanted to try pushing forward.
As they pursued deeper in the tunnel, suddenly a massive wave of snakes surged forward like rushing water, attacking them head-on.
Sarutobi called out to Kakashi. "Kakashi!"
"Understood!"
Kakashi stepped in front of Sarutobi, assuming a slight crouch as he readied himself.
[Thunder Breathing, First Form: Lightning Flash!]
Lightning erupted around Kakashi's body as he charged straight ahead, slicing through the enemy.
Every snake in his path was instantly eliminated.
Sarutobi and the remaining three Anbu followed closely behind him.
After traveling a long distance through the underground passage, Sarutobi and his team finally emerged aboveground.
They had reached dense forestland far beyond Konoha.
There were footprints across the ground, and marks left on the trees as well.
Instantly, Sarutobi began tracking based on these clues.
However, as they continued the pursuit, Sarutobi and his team arrived at a lake.
An Anbu examined the area and frowned. "The Third Hokage, there are no traces left!"
Sarutobi's face darkened. "We've been tricked by Orochimaru. Those tracks we followed were deliberately left behind for us!"
Just then, the Sensor Division that had been summoned earlier finally arrived where Sarutobi stood.
One of the agents reported, "The Third Hokage, there's no sign of Orochimaru anywhere."
Sarutobi remained silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. Deep down, he knew Orochimaru had already escaped completely beyond their reach.
"There's no need to keep searching. Return to Konoha."
The moment Sarutobi returned to Konoha, his first action was to dispatch Anbu to seal off and investigate Orochimaru's hideout, hoping to uncover any useful clues.
Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the Hokage office, only to find Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado already waiting for him.
After all, with Orochimaru using [Rashomon] and creating a massive hole in the Base, such commotion made it impossible not to notice.
The three had been waiting there for quite some time.
Seeing Hiruzen return, the trio immediately asked what had happened.
Upon hearing that Hiruzen had already confronted Orochimaru, they were all surprised.
But Danzo clearly wasn't happy: "Hiruzen, you acted too hastily. You should've called my Root Division ninja to help hunt down Orochimaru together!"
Hiruzen sighed, "It was my mistake. Since Orochimaru is my student, I wanted to handle this alone. I didn't expect his words would unsettle me, causing me to miss a golden opportunity."
Homura Mitokado asked curiously, "Hiruzen, you're usually so calm. What did Orochimaru say that disturbed your mind?"
As Hiruzen recalled Orochimaru's words, frustration swelled within him. Waving a hand dismissively, he said, "It's nothing much. Now that Orochimaru has escaped, it will be extremely difficult to find him. So let's directly issue a bounty on him as an S-rank (highest-level) rogue ninja."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded, "Understood, we'll proceed accordingly."
Danzo didn't voice any objection, but the disappointment in his heart was hard to suppress.
Had he joined this hunt, there was no way Orochimaru would have escaped.
Koharu Utatane narrowed her eyes slightly, "With Orochimaru gone, there's only him left."
Everyone present knew exactly who Koharu Utatane was referring to.
Hiruzen spoke solemnly, "We've just dealt with Orochimaru. Let's hold off on handling Chinya for now—we still lack confidence in confronting him. Regarding him, we must be even more cautious. Otherwise, Konoha might fall into chaos again with one misstep."
Hiruzen wasn't in a hurry to deal with Chinya for now—the boy kept such a low profile that Hiruzen sometimes almost forgot he was even in Konoha.
...
At home, Chinya felt the ring in his hand vibrate slightly.
Chinya smiled slightly, muttering, "Looks like he successfully escaped."
Chinya poured some chakra into the ring and activated the connection.
Orochimaru's voice came through, "Chinya, I've already left. I'm heading to Rice Country now. See you next time."
Chinya replied, "Understood, Teacher Orochimaru. This ring allows you to reach the other members. If needed, you can ask them to handle things since they seem pretty idle anyway. Then I'll see you next time. Have a pleasant journey."
After cutting off communication, Chinya exhaled lightly.
Now that Orochimaru had left, Kakashi was practically the only person in Konoha he still considered familiar.
Next, he needed to train Neji and Naruto, and wait until after the Uchiha Clan massacre to obtain those Witness Points—after that, he could leave Konoha at any time.
Besides that, Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan was something Chinya absolutely had to acquire.
Regardless of whether he could use it or not, having it nearby might prove useful someday.
Perhaps he could even give it to Teacher Orochimaru later.
Orochimaru probably wouldn't be too obsessed with the Sharingan anymore. Chinya guessed that the reincarnation vessel Orochimaru would choose should be White Zetsu.
After all, White Zetsu was super adaptable. Orochimaru would later perfect a technique that let him steal other ninja's Kekkei Genkai and ninjutsu by transplanting their cells into his own body.
Kabuto Yakushi had gained the ability to use both Kekkei Genkai and ninjutsu from the Sound Ninja Five after transplanting their cells.
Plus, White Zetsu had Hashirama Cells inside, so using the Mangekyo Sharingan wouldn't cause blindness—just like how it worked for Obito Uchiha.
Chinya was also really curious about the exact Dojutsu ability hidden within Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan.
That was still one big mystery.
Thinking about Kabuto Yakushi, Chinya wondered whether the current Kabuto Yakushi might be targeted by Orochimaru.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>