Chapter 135: Return to Konoha
Suddenly, Crack! An arm reached out from beneath the earth, and immediately after, Hanzō of the Salamander's figure, still clad in his diver-like suit, emerged from the ground.
The nearest Rain Ninja ran over in excitement, shouting as he ran: "Here! Lord Hanzō of the Salamander is here!"
Everyone gathered around Hanzō, awaiting instructions.
Although Hanzō had multiple scorch marks and bruises on his body, his aura was still incredibly solid and powerful, barely weakened.
However, he remained silent, his complex eyes seemingly pondering something deeply.
Hanzō raised his head, looked at the subordinates surrounding him, and asked in a low voice: "Where is Orochimaru? Has he been found?"
Just then, a shout came from a distance: "Orochimaru! It's Orochimaru, he's here!"
Hanzō's aura instantly solidified, and his eyes sharpened. He and his subordinates quickly ran toward the voice.
They saw Orochimaru lying silently on a patchy patch of grass, lifeless.
Hanzō looked at Orochimaru's "corpse."
Suddenly, with a loud poof!, Orochimaru's "corpse" transformed into an ordinary-looking prisoner dressed in a convict's uniform.
Hanzō let out a soft sigh, unable to help but mutter: "A secret technique? He is only fifteen years old and already possesses Jōnin-level strength! And at the Jōnin rank, he can force me to use this level of power... Orochimaru truly deserves the title of 'The Number One Genius in the Ninja World.' Alas!"
Standing in the wind, Hanzō's figure suddenly appeared somewhat desolate and resigned.
After standing for a long time, Hanzō slowly gave an order to his trusted aide: "Go and reply to the Land of Wind's envoy. Tell them that our Amegakure has suffered immense losses from this attack by Orochimaru and is unable to form an alliance or participate in the Second Great Ninja War! Oh, and phrase it tactfully. After all, both sides are Great Nations we cannot afford to offend!"
The aide respectfully nodded.
The Return
Inside Orochimaru's secret base in the Land of Rice.
Orochimaru, sitting cross-legged on the ground and forming hand signs, suddenly trembled as if his soul had returned to his body.
Immediately after, his vacant eyes instantly released an ethereal, light-blue chakra glow, and a cold, arrogant gaze shot forth.
Putting his hands down, Orochimaru slowly stood up. After recalling his experience using the Akatsuki Secret Technique over the past few days, he gave a wicked smile: "Hanzō of the Salamander. Heh-heh, Kage-level strength... truly remarkable power!"
Orochimaru quickly wrote a note for Katō Tatsuya, then strapped his Muramasa sword to his waist, opened the door, and walked out.
Seeing Hatake Sakumo vigilantly standing guard by the door, and glancing at the finished meal on the floor, Orochimaru clapped him on the shoulder and said faintly: "Let's go, Sakumo. It's time for us to return to Konoha!"
Sakumo nodded and asked: "Shouldn't we notify Tatsuya first?"
"Don't worry, I've left him a note. The Land of Wind is now attacking Konoha in full force; it's time for us to return to the village and join the war. I've kept a low profile for three or four years; the world seems to have forgotten my name, Orochimaru!" Orochimaru took the lead and walked out of the base.
Sakumo followed closely behind.
Along the way, children undergoing training constantly cast glances of reverence and awe toward Orochimaru.
Konoha's Gate
Three days later, on the main road leading to Konoha.
Two figures dressed in dark-black windbreakers were walking slowly. The northern border outpost of Konoha was already visible in the distance.
As they approached, two Konoha ninja, both with roughly Chūnin-level auras, stepped in front of them, holding out a hand, and asked: "Who are you? What is your purpose in coming to Konoha? Show us your identification for inspection!"
The two Konoha ninja were extremely wary.
They could feel the dangerous aura emanating from the two unidentified individuals. They recognized it as the killing intent and bloodlust formed from having been involved in too much bloodshed.
Another Konoha ninja, of Elite Chūnin rank, stood slightly behind, carefully observing the two individuals' actions and secretly providing cover for his comrades.
One of the figures in the dark-black windbreaker extended his pale, slender hands and pulled back the hood covering his head.
Upon seeing the person's face, the expressions of the three Konoha ninja drastically changed. Their eyes filled with intense surprise and honor as they shouted in unison: "Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru smiled and nodded. Sakumo, behind him, also pulled back his hood.
"Lord Orochimaru, you've finally returned! Your single-handed attack on the Rain Ninja in Amegakure, which directly caused them to withdraw from the Second Great Ninja War, is absolutely exhilarating news!" the Konoha ninja who had first asked for identification said excitedly.
Orochimaru was slightly taken aback. Although he had received news that Amegakure had released a statement about not participating in the war, he hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly that even the Konoha ninja knew about it.
Orochimaru paused, gave a slight smile, and handed over his and Sakumo's identification documents.
While the Konoha ninja was inspecting the documents, Orochimaru inquired: "How is the war on the Western Front currently going?" Although Orochimaru had some intelligence, he wanted to hear if there was any special news circulating within the Konoha ninja ranks.
After checking their identification, the ninja said with a worried expression: "When we left a few days ago, we heard that the western defenses were falling rapidly. The situation is probably not much better these days."
The news didn't differ much from his intelligence, so Orochimaru wasn't concerned. He nodded indifferently, retrieved his documents, and continued walking with Sakumo past the border outpost toward Konoha Village.
After Orochimaru left, the three Konoha ninja immediately began to discuss him.
"Wow, Lord Orochimaru is definitely strong! Just standing near him gave me an indescribable pressure!"
"I know! Lord Orochimaru is Lord Sarutobi's favorite student. Not only is he of noble status, but he's incredibly powerful! I heard that during the Chūnin Exams, all hundred thousand spectators were chanting the name 'Serpent Lord'! The scene was absolutely magnificent! And my brother, who works in the Anbu, told me he took down over a hundred Rain Ninja by himself!"
"What? I heard it was several hundred, including over ten Jōnin!"
The discussions and rumors of the populace are always the fertile ground for heroes to be born. However, no matter how wildly they exaggerated and mythologized Orochimaru's achievements, it no longer concerned him!
After three years, he finally stood once again before the gate of Konoha Village!
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