---
With a puff of white smoke, Orochimaru instantly split into countless small white snakes. The small snakes quickly dispersed, disappearing into the forest without a trace. This was Orochimaru's most suitable escape method; even the Sharingan couldn't distinguish which of these white snakes was the real one, let alone Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō!
"Damn it! Did he escape?" Hiruzen Sarutobi watched this scene, cursing angrily as he reached the forest edge.
"Lord Hokage, should we?" An ANBU member came to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, making a hand sign for fire.
"Inappropriate. This place is still relatively close to the village. Setting fire to the mountain could cause undesirable consequences," Hiruzen Sarutobi began to ponder.
"Hiruzen! What about that person?" Danzō suddenly remembered. After their attention was drawn to Orochimaru, the person wielding the giant black blade had disappeared? Although Danzō had kept a part of his senses on him, he still hadn't detected how Shinji left!
"What!?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned; this wasn't good news. Following Danzō's gaze, indeed! The spot where Shinji had been was now empty!
"Hiruzen! Who was that person just now?" Since both had vanished, Danzō walked up to Hiruzen Sarutobi and inquired.
"In my memory, there's no such person in Konoha village," Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, trying to recall. Although the man with the black blade hadn't shown much of his skills just now. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi still felt he was a formidable enemy! Although overall combat power might still be slightly weaker than himself and Danzō, in this era, he was already a very powerful individual.
"It seems Orochimaru still has many secrets. I told you long ago, Hiruzen, to be more wary..."
"Shut up, Danzō! Don't think you had no part in these matters concerning Orochimaru!" Hiruzen Sarutobi glared coldly at Danzō.
"Hmph!" Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's glare, Danzō turned and left directly. However, a scheme had already begun to form in his mind.
"Lord Hokage." An ANBU squad leader suddenly appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Issue the order: Orochimaru has defected from Konoha. Issue a wanted notice now. S-rank missing-nin. Bounty: 20 million ryō!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said irritably. He didn't want to reach this point either, but since Orochimaru had already left, he had to handle the remaining matters. (PS: Inflation in the ninja world wasn't as severe back then. 20 million ryō now was worth more than Asuma Sarutobi's later 35 million.)
"Yes!"
"Lord Third Hokage!" Suddenly, a voice came from behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"What is it?"
"Lord Orochimaru... uh... Missing-nin Orochimaru's secret base... this girl was found!" An ANBU ninja held a girl in his arms. Closed eyes, short purple hair.
"Is this Anko Mitarashi?" Hiruzen Sarutobi paused. Wasn't this Orochimaru's student, Anko Mitarashi?
"Lord Hokage, should we?" The ANBU ninja raised the kunai in his hand.
"Not yet. What's that on her neck?" Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. On Anko Mitarashi's neck, a mark with three tomoe was emitting a red glow.
Everyone's attention shifted towards Anko following Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice. On Anko's neck, Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven glowed with an eerie red light, momentarily stunning everyone.
"What is this thing?" However, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 'Professor' of ninjutsu, couldn't recognize it.
"..." Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know, and the other ANBU ninja knew even less.
"Go! Let's check the laboratory to see if there's anything else!" Hiruzen Sarutobi only felt waves of anger rising from the bottom of his heart. What had Orochimaru and Danzō been doing behind his back!
"Lord Hokage, what about... the swordsman?" a ninja suddenly asked weakly. After all, the sword slashes Shinji delivered earlier had left a deep impression.
"Also list him as an S-rank missing-nin! Although the name is unknown, make sure to note down his appearance and attire!" Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surge of anger just thinking about that swordsman. If it weren't for this suddenly appearing swordsman, how could he possibly have let Orochimaru slip away? And it was a rare joint operation between ANBU and Root! Even he and Danzō personally took the field!
"I understand."
...
...
Inside the All-Purpose Shop, Shinji had already used his daily instant teleportation to return.
[Ding, Roleplay ended]
[Today's Zhongli Roleplay time finished]
[Tip: Every 10% increase in roleplay progress grants a random skill from the roleplayed character]
[Current Roleplay Progress: 11.5% (Equivalent to possessing 5% of the roleplayed character's power)]
[Currently Obtained Skill: Planet Befall]
[Ding, Roleplay ended]
[Today's Dracule Mihawk - Temporary Card time finished]
[Tip: Temporary cards cannot increase roleplay progress]
[Current Roleplay Progress: 0% (Equivalent to possessing 5% of the roleplayed character's power)]
[Currently Obtained Skill: None]
[Temporary Card has been used and automatically disappeared]
Looking at the system prompts, Shinji reverted from Dracule Mihawk's appearance back to his own. The black blade Yoru behind him also vanished.
[Ding! Congratulations Host for completing the mission.]
[Mission: Orochimaru's Contract]
[Mission 1: Fulfill the contract with Orochimaru]
[Mission Progress: Completed]
[Mission Reward: Zhongli Roleplay Progress +0.3%!]
[Current Zhongli Roleplay Progress: 11.8%]
[Mission 2: Become Orochimaru's partner. Reward: 1000 Points!]
[Mission Progress: Incomplete]
"Looks like Orochimaru has already left Konoha," Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly. The plot of history had begun to turn.
"Fufufu, truly thankful to Boss Shinji," Suddenly, Orochimaru's voice appeared in the All-Purpose Shop. Orochimaru's pale face appeared before Shinji.
"You really have guts, leaving a shadow clone here?" Shinji knew with just a glance. The Orochimaru before him was just a shadow clone; the real body was already outside Konoha village.
"Fufufu, just taking precautions. But... I've already heard the news. We are both S-rank missing-nin," Orochimaru licked his lips, seemingly completely unconcerned about this missing-nin status.
"Normal. But they ultimately don't know my true identity. By the way, the things in your laboratory?" Shinji suddenly looked at Orochimaru.
"Fufufu, I already transferred most of the important things out beforehand. What's left there are just some unimportant experimental subjects and data," Orochimaru walked to the tea table and sat down.
"Then... is Anko also an unimportant experimental subject?" Shinji looked at Orochimaru with interest, a playful look in his eyes.
"That... of course. But I left her the best Cursed Seal of Heaven. With that thing... Teacher Hiruzen probably won't do anything to her." Orochimaru knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's move against him was imminent, so he accelerated his progress. Meaning, implanting the Cursed Seal of Heaven onto Anko was completed just yesterday. After all, she was his 'kawaii' (cute) apprentice; he had to leave some countermeasures.
"You really have the heart. The Cursed Seal of Heaven isn't something ordinary people can withstand," Shinji sneered, then poured himself a cup of tea and drank it.
"That might not be certain~ But Boss Shinji..." Orochimaru's yellow snake pupils reflected Shinji's face.
"What is it?"
"I am a guest, after all. Aren't you going to pour me a cup of tea?" Orochimaru stared at Shinji drinking tea alone.
"You're just a shadow clone. Tea would be wasted on you, wouldn't it?" Although Shinji said this, he still poured a cup for Orochimaru.
"Fufufu, Teacher Hiruzen's tea really does taste the best."
"Naturally. But Lord Orochimaru..."
"Hmm?"
"Where do you plan to go next?" Shinji narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Don't know. We'll see then. The world is vast; there's always a place for Orochimaru," Orochimaru looked at the bright moonlight outside the window, a hint of melancholy suddenly appearing in his eyes.
"Perhaps... the Land of Rice Paddies? That place doesn't seem to have a hidden village yet," Shinji swirled the tea in his cup. Anyway, Orochimaru would eventually choose to establish Otogakure there.
"The Land of Rice Paddies? I'll check it out then. Anyway, the experiment has reached a stage. I happen to have time to properly select a site for my new experimental base," Orochimaru took Shinji's words to heart. It was just a matter of seeing if it was suitable. For the current Orochimaru, he still had plenty of time.
"Then..."
Bang!
"Jiraiya?" Just as Shinji was about to say something, the Orochimaru before him suddenly vanished, leaving only Jiraiya's name behind.
"Hehe, truly a pair locked in love and hate. Ran into Jiraiya?" Shinji wasn't surprised. Hiruzen Sarutobi probably already used his summoning animal to relay Orochimaru's information to Jiraiya.
...
...
The next morning. News that shocked Konoha and other hidden villages spread. One of the Sannin of Konoha, the Cold Lord Orochimaru! Defected! And earned Konoha's S-rank defection notice. But what surprised others was that another person, name unknown, with only a blurry hand-drawn sketch, was also on Konoha's S-rank missing-nin list! No name, no detailed description, nothing else. The entire missing-nin notice only had a blurry sketch and a bounty of 15 million ryō! This truly excited people outside the Four Great Shinobi Villages, even the mysterious bounty station began to stir.
Kumogakure, being the first to receive the news, reacted swiftly. The Kumo ninja led by Yugito Nii instantly seemed energized, directly stationing themselves at Konoha's border! For a time, the Konoha ninja led by Hiashi Hyūga could only retreat slightly. Orochimaru's defection news indeed significantly impacted the morale of Konoha ninja. After all, Yugito Nii could control the power of the Two-Tails Bijuu, posing a very strong threat to Konoha!
"Lord Hokage, this is the battle report from the front lines!" In the Hokage's office, an ANBU ninja knelt halfway, presenting a scroll to Hiruzen Sarutobi. In front of Hiruzen Sarutobi stood the three Hokage Aides: Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
"Hehe, Yugito Nii has arrived?" Danzō looked at the intelligence report Hiruzen Sarutobi handed over, a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Yes. But I cannot go to the battlefield yet. The Fourth Raikage hasn't gone to the front lines, so I cannot go either," Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly. In a standoff between two armies, whichever Kage entered the battlefield first would be considered weaker in terms of momentum.
"Let me go, Hiruzen. I will deal them a heavy blow," Danzō stood up directly, already having a method in mind to defeat Kumogakure.
"No. You need to stay in the village. There are some things you haven't explained clearly to me yet. Homura, you take more ninja over there," Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Homura.
---
> Check my: p@treon.com/ShixT9 for extra 60 Chapters
> Each 50 Spirit Stones I will release an extra chapter
> If a member joins my p@treon
> Tier 1 = 20 Advance Chapters +1 Extra Chapter + Shoutout
> Tier 2 = 40 Advance Chapters + 2 Extra Chapters + Shoutout
> Tier 3 = 60 Advance Chapters + 4 Extra Chapters + Shoutout
A review will also be greatly appreciated ^•^