Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 164 Meeting Again

Orochimaru stared coldly at the ANBU ninjas who were attacking him like ghosts, and sneered inwardly: "Hmph, just as I expected, this is Hiruzen Sarutobi's conspiracy." He had absolute confidence in his current strength. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know exactly how powerful he was, from the perspective of a former Hokage, he naturally understood that it was a pipe dream for these ordinary ANBU ninjas to capture him.

In Orochimaru's eyes, these Anbu ninjas were nothing more than ants; they weren't even worthy of approaching him. Hiruzen Sarutobi was clearly aware of this as well; this arrangement was simply a ploy to use Orochimaru as a tool to eliminate those loyal members who served the previous Hokage. This way, Hiruzen could more easily control the Anbu while simultaneously shifting the blame for the murders of Konoha ninjas onto Orochimaru—killing two birds with one stone.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru couldn't help but admire Hiruzen Sarutobi's cunning. However, he wasn't surprised by the other's schemes; on the contrary, he truly admired his teacher's ruthlessness. Even though these Anbu ninjas were elite teams from Konoha, loyal to the village, they weren't Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct subordinates who had returned to the position of Hokage, and thus faced being purged by him.

As the ANBU ninja drew closer, Orochimaru's lips curled into a cruel smile. He decided to savor the battle and, incidentally, give Hiruzen Sarutobi a final gift.

Orochimaru exuded an incomparably powerful aura, like a surging, towering wave, carrying boundless pressure, and slammed heavily into the attacking ANBU members.

These members of the dark squad, who were originally charging forward bravely, were instantly frozen in place as if under a spell. No matter how much they struggled, they could not move an inch!

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been so confident and in control, couldn't help but show a look of horror on his face. He was forced to take several steps back by this astonishing aura! His eyes were filled with shock and fear, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi once believed he knew Orochimaru's strength inside and out, but now it seemed he had clearly underestimated him. At this moment, the terrifying aura Orochimaru displayed far exceeded his expectations. The once confident Hiruzen Sarutobi finally realized that Orochimaru was no longer the inexperienced figure he once was, no longer someone he could manipulate at will. Orochimaru's rapid growth filled the aging Hokage with apprehension and even a sense of powerlessness—facing such a formidable enemy, even he, as Hokage, likely had no chance of victory! In a daze, he even felt that Orochimaru was like the reborn "White Fang of Konoha," Sakumo Hatake, who had once shaken the ninja world!

Orochimaru ignored the terrified Hiruzen Sarutobi. His figure moved with ghostly speed, and in the blink of an eye, several members of the ANBU squad lay limp and lifeless on the ground. When Orochimaru appeared behind Hiruzen, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately remained silent, then vanished from the laboratory like a ghost.

Orochimaru, now completely disregarding his former mentor, had no desire to exchange another word. Back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a learned and versatile ninja, adept at various ninjutsu techniques and possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of all forms of ninjutsu. Orochimaru idolized Hiruzen, deeply respecting and influenced by him. From a young age, Orochimaru developed a profound interest in ninjutsu, studying and researching vast amounts of related materials with unwavering passion. He firmly believed that a true ninja should be proficient in all the ninjutsu in the world.

However, life is unpredictable, and fate often plays tricks on people. As time passed, Orochimaru experienced too many changes and betrayals, and the reverence he once held for his master gradually faded away. Now, all that remained for him was an unwavering pursuit of power and an endless longing for the beautiful past.

After no longer sensing Orochimaru's presence, Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped out of his daze. He smiled slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face as he looked at the lifeless ANBU squad lying on the ground, before quickly suppressing his smile and replacing it with a sorrowful expression as he swiftly left the dark laboratory. Once on the surface, he quickly gathered the surrounding ANBU squads, informing them of the sacrifice of the entire squad that had followed him into the laboratory. He also announced to the ANBU present that Orochimaru had defected to Konoha and ordered them to pursue and capture him.

Watching the ANBU squad scatter like birds and beasts, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with satisfaction and nodded slightly in approval. His meticulously planned operation had indeed worked—when deploying the mission, he had specifically sent the remaining ANBU members under Minato Namikaze in the direction most likely to track Orochimaru's trail. Undoubtedly, with Orochimaru's intelligence, he would see through this scheme and use this opportunity to eliminate these remnants.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he had to return to the Hokage Building immediately. He needed to announce crucial news to all the ninja of Konoha: Orochimaru, having been exposed for illegally detaining Konoha ninja and conducting inhumane human experiments, was facing a trial. In the fierce battle with the newly restored Hokage, many brave and fearless ANBU ninjas tragically sacrificed their lives, but Orochimaru ultimately fled and left Konoha.

At the same time, issuing an S-rank warrant is also a top priority. This would not only expose Orochimaru's traitorous identity to the entire ninja world but also completely extinguish any hope he might have of returning to Konoha. Even if Orochimaru were to attempt a comeback in the future, the major clans of the village would have no courage to propose him for the position of Hokage again.

Konoha will once again fall under Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule, and the village will become his possession. The Sarutobi clan will then utilize Konoha's resources to grow stronger, eventually surpassing the Senju and Uchiha clans in their former dominance in the ninja world. Now, the key is to eliminate the greatest obstacles within Konoha: the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.

At this moment, Orochimaru rushed anxiously toward the address left by Hyuga Kanan. He couldn't wait to meet the mysterious Hyuga Kanan and delve into the knowledge they possessed. For years, Orochimaru had been diligently studying the scrolls that Hyuga Kanan had given him, but as time went on, he felt that the mysteries they contained were increasingly unfathomable.

Despite his tireless efforts, Orochimaru remains shrouded in mystery, preventing him from deciphering the secrets within the scrolls. Knowing he cannot overcome his current predicament alone, he urgently needs to speak with Hyuga Kanan face-to-face to obtain more crucial information and ultimately uncover the truth hidden behind the scrolls.

Furthermore, Orochimaru was deeply fascinated by the Wood Release technique that Hyuga Kanan had demonstrated in the Land of Iron. It's worth noting that Orochimaru had devoted immense effort to studying Hashirama Senju's cells, achieving a level of expertise few could match in the entire ninja world. However, even with such profound knowledge, he still couldn't find a way to recreate the powerful Wood Release in the present world.

Surprisingly, Hyuga Kanan, who clearly had no experience with Hashirama Senju's cells, was able to successfully perform this legendary ninjutsu. How did he manage that? Orochimaru was filled with curiosity and doubt, eagerly hoping to get an answer from Hyuga Kanan. Perhaps this meeting would be a crucial opportunity for him to unravel many mysteries and explore more unknown aspects of the ninja world.

However, Orochimaru clearly underestimated Hiruzen Sarutobi's despicable and shameless nature. Just as he was catching his breath on his escape, he unexpectedly encountered Konoha's ANBU ninja once again.

Looking at the ninja before him—Kakashi Hatake—whose eyes glowed with a blood-red light and contained three tomoe Sharingan—Orochimaru felt a surge of anger. This ninja was no ordinary person! He was not only the only son of Sakumo Hatake, the true hero of Konoha, but also the sole surviving member of the Hatake clan, and one of the few ninjas in Konoha whose talent Orochimaru truly admired. It was no exaggeration to say that this person had the potential to become a pillar supporting the entire Konoha village.

Although Orochimaru has long since turned his back on Konoha, it doesn't mean he's completely severed ties with his former home. Especially when facing young people like Kakashi, who bear heavy responsibilities and represent the future hope of Konoha, Orochimaru finds it difficult to bring himself to kill them. After all, these children are the true future of Konoha!

From that moment on, Orochimaru truly lost all emotion towards Hiruzen Sarutobi. The latter had completely abandoned any consideration for Konoha's future; sending these promising young ninjas, who held the potential to become Konoha's top ninjas, to their deaths—who could Konoha rely on to maintain its standing in the ninja world? Could they rely on the old and frail Hokage?

Orochimaru merely suppressed his opponent's figure with his aura, then left with a strange look in his eyes. Kakashi, standing there stunned, was bewildered. His opponent hadn't killed him, hadn't even intended to attack him, and that enigmatic look left Kakashi completely baffled.

Near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron, Orochimaru encountered the last person he wanted to see: Jiraiya. Orochimaru truly didn't want to meet this idiot who was utterly brainless yet incredibly powerful. Someone who placed all his hopes on a mere toad's supposed prophecy—Orochimaru simply couldn't communicate with him.