Chapter 70 (Patreon)

In the dark, damp underground passage, Orochimaru walked at an unhurried pace.

The hidden tunnel stretched ahead of him in silence, the walls slick with moisture. His footsteps were soft, almost leisurely, as if he were not being hunted by Konoha’s Anbu.

A moment ago, he had sensed them.

Several groups of Anbu had entered the wrong passages on either side.

Only one familiar chakra had come through the central route.

There was no need to guess who it was.

“Sarutobi-sensei…”

Orochimaru murmured the name with a faint smile.

At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen was advancing through the central passage.

His expression was grim.

He had stalled for so long.

He had done everything he could to delay the pursuit.

So why had Orochimaru still not left Konoha?

Five minutes later, Hiruzen stopped.

Ten meters ahead, Orochimaru stood quietly in the passage, as if he had been waiting there for him from the beginning.

“Orochimaru…”

Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh.

“Sensei.”

Orochimaru smiled.

“I never thought the day would come when you would personally lead the Anbu to capture your own student.”

Hiruzen’s face darkened.

“I bought you that much time. Why are you still here?”

“Oh?”

Orochimaru’s smile deepened, his voice low and hoarse.

“Sarutobi-sensei, if someone else heard that, they might misunderstand.”

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

“Besides, are you not the one leading the Anbu to arrest me?”

“Orochimaru!”

Hiruzen clenched his fists.

“You know very well that I…”

“That you cannot do it?”

Orochimaru spoke before he could finish.

He began walking toward Hiruzen.

One step at a time.

“Then this is your last chance, Sensei.”

His voice echoed softly through the passage.

“If you intend to stop me, do it here. Once I leave this tunnel, you will never have another chance.”

Hiruzen’s eyes trembled.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

“Leave Konoha.”

His voice was heavy.

“And never return.”

After saying that, Hiruzen fell silent.

The sound of footsteps drew closer.

Orochimaru walked past him, close enough that the two nearly brushed shoulders.

At that moment, the Anbu from both side passages finally broke through and entered the central tunnel.

“That’s Orochimaru!”

One of the Anbu shouted immediately.

“Sandaime-sama! Stop him!”

Several others reacted at once.

Hiruzen’s closed eyes trembled faintly.

But he did not move.

Orochimaru gave Hiruzen a sideways glance.

Then, without hesitation, he dashed past him and rushed toward the exit.

“Sandaime-sama! What are you doing?”

The Anbu were stunned.

“Leave the Sandaime for now! Pursue Orochimaru!”

The squad captain immediately made the decision.

The Anbu moved as one, charging after Orochimaru.

Hiruzen’s brow tightened.

There were still Yujiro’s people outside.

If Orochimaru was caught between both sides, even he might not be able to escape.

Hiruzen formed hand seals in an instant.

“Earth Style: Mud Wall!”

A thick wall of earth rose from the ground, sealing the only path forward.

The Anbu stopped in disbelief.

“Sandaime-sama! What is the meaning of this?”

“Enough!”

The Anbu captain’s voice sharpened.

“Break through it! If we waste any more time, Orochimaru will escape!”

The Anbu immediately began using ninjutsu, striking the earthen wall again and again, trying to force open a path.

Outside the underground passage, ten minutes had already passed.

Earlier, Yujiro had ordered Shisui and Kakashi to gather every Anbu member back to the entrance.

Now, all of them were present.

The Anbu stood in silence, their expressions hidden behind masks, but the confusion and doubt around them could not be concealed.

They were Anbu.

No one here was a fool.

The Sandaime had sent them in circles through the wrong passages, wasting their time again and again.

Did he truly think none of them understood what he was doing?

They simply had not said it aloud.

Yujiro looked over the gathered Anbu, taking in their reactions, then nodded faintly.

A moment later.

Boom!

The entrance to the central passage exploded open.

A pale-skinned man stepped out from the smoke and dust.

Orochimaru.

The moment they saw him, the Anbu’s killing intent rose.

Even Minato’s expression turned cold.

Everyone knew the central passage had been guarded by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.

In other words, Hiruzen had truly intended to let Orochimaru go.

In the next instant, more than thirty figures moved at once.

The Anbu surrounded Orochimaru from every direction.

Only after some time did another figure appear from the passage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

His face was terribly dark.

No, it was worse than that.

His expression was almost impossible to look at.

Because Orochimaru had not escaped.

But once Hiruzen stepped outside and saw the situation, he understood why.

All the Anbu elites he had deliberately scattered had been gathered here again.

If they fought now, Orochimaru would be at a complete disadvantage.

The Anbu captain stepped forward.

“When we tried to intercept Orochimaru underground, Sandaime-sama used Earth Style: Mud Wall to seal the central passage.”

His voice was steady, but the anger beneath it was clear.

“That was why Orochimaru was able to reach the exit.”

The moment those words fell, the surrounding Anbu fell into an even heavier silence.

Their faces turned ugly beneath their masks.

There was no need to say anything more.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had protected his student.

And not just a little.

He had gone so far as to obstruct the Anbu’s operation for Orochimaru’s sake.

At that moment, everyone understood why Hiruzen had insisted on joining this arrest mission.

So that was it.

That was the real reason.

“Absurd!”

Hiruzen felt every gaze fall on him.

He immediately stepped forward and shouted.

“How could that be possible? I was caught in Orochimaru’s genjutsu!”

His voice grew louder.

“Yes, that is what happened! I was placed under genjutsu!”

He pointed toward Orochimaru.

“I was being controlled by him just now. Do you understand?”

Yujiro watched Hiruzen’s flushed face and could not help but laugh softly.

Saying that in front of so many elite Anbu, especially several Uchiha who understood genjutsu better than anyone?

He truly dared to say anything.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

Orochimaru bit his finger and slammed his hand to the ground.

“Giant Snakes!”

White smoke erupted.

Three enormous white-scaled snakes appeared beside him, their massive bodies twisting over the ground as they hissed at the surrounding Anbu.

The Anbu moved immediately, each preparing hand seals to suppress the summons.

But before they could act, Hiruzen formed seals first.

“Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!”

An earth dragon rose before him and shot straight toward Orochimaru.

The attack looked like it was aimed at Orochimaru.

But the force of it struck through the encirclement, forcing the Anbu to scatter and opening a gap in their formation.

Orochimaru glanced at Hiruzen in surprise.

He was not even pretending anymore?

Hiruzen’s eyes sank deeper.

His hand seals changed again.

“Earth Style: Earth-Flow River!”

The ground in front of him softened into a muddy current.

The earth surged, sweeping forward and carrying Orochimaru farther away from the Anbu’s encirclement.

Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru’s retreating figure and gave the slightest nod.

Then he turned around and spoke in a stern voice.

“All Anbu, listen carefully!”

“Orochimaru is not an opponent you can handle.”

“I will not allow unnecessary casualties among Konoha’s shinobi.”

He drew in a breath.

“From here on, I will pursue Orochimaru myself!”

The moment he finished speaking, Hiruzen sprinted after Orochimaru without looking back.

The grassy field fell silent.

The Anbu stood there, staring at one another.

No one knew what to say.

After everything that had happened, Hiruzen’s words sounded less like a command and more like an excuse.

One Anbu turned toward Yujiro.

“Yujiro-sama… what should we do?”

Yujiro’s expression remained calm.

“If Sarutobi Hiruzen is that determined to pursue him, then let him pursue him.”

He smiled faintly.

“All Anbu members, withdraw.”

“Yes, Yujiro-sama!”

The Anbu answered in unison.

Under Yujiro’s order, they began leaving the area.

Minato walked beside Yujiro, his expression still dark.

“Yujiro, are we really letting Orochimaru go?”

Yujiro looked at him.

“Do you know why Sarutobi Hiruzen went after Orochimaru alone?”

Minato frowned.

“To capture him with his own hands…”

His voice trailed off halfway.

If that were true, Hiruzen would not have obstructed the Anbu earlier.

Minato’s eyes sharpened.

“Yujiro… you mean…”

Yujiro smiled.

“The Sandaime was afraid we would move. Especially you.”

Minato’s face turned colder.

“He is buying Orochimaru time to escape.”

“Exactly.”

Yujiro nodded.

“He went after him to keep up appearances. And while doing that, he can make sure Orochimaru leaves safely.”

“That Sandaime…”

Minato gritted his teeth.

A moment later, he looked back at Yujiro.

“Then what do we do now?”

“This is the first mission above S-rank since Anbu was reorganized.”

Yujiro’s voice was calm.

“That means it must be recorded in the mission log in full detail.”

Minato listened silently.

Yujiro continued.

“Not only that. Once the report is finished, post a copy in front of the Hokage building.”

Minato was stunned.

“Post it?”

He immediately understood what Yujiro meant.

“If we do that, the villagers and ordinary shinobi will all know what happened today.”

“That is the point.”

Yujiro’s smile did not change.

“And the report must be written truthfully.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Do not leave out a single detail. Once the report is complete, bring it to me first.”

After saying that, Yujiro turned his head and looked at Shisui and Kakashi behind him.

“I will leave the mission report to you two.”

Shisui and Kakashi exchanged a glance.

“No problem.”

They both nodded.

What Sarutobi Hiruzen had done today had completely overturned their image of him.

This was no longer the Sandaime they had known.

If today’s actions were judged seriously, he could even be accused of aiding a rogue ninja.

Shisui and Kakashi looked at one another again.

From this point on, things would not be easy for the Sandaime.

But that was his own doing.

There was nothing to sympathize with.