"Hehe, Third Hokage, it seems you've made up your mind."
A hoarse, sinister laugh echoed in the dark forest. At this moment, Orochimaru, who was seriously injured in his waist, looked at the four people, his body gradually turning into mud.
Mud clone!
When did he? At the same time, the four people were shocked. Orochimaru's skill in ninjutsu must have allowed him to create the mud clone the moment he was seriously injured by the exploding tags, aided by the smoke.
"How could this happen! How could it turn out like this!" At this point, Uchiha Shisui could hardly believe what he was seeing as Orochimaru, injured, fled. The hero of the village had run away so disgracefully, completely overturning his understanding.
The Third Hokage and Orochimaru have turned against each other! And he even want to kill Lord Orochimaru!
All of this reverberated in Shisui's mind. Kakashi looked even paler, shocked by all of this. Just like White Fang! Is he talking about his father?
Might Guy, as a regular ninja, had witnessed all this. Although he was unclear about the specifics, he was also shocked because he had heard some information due to Kakashi.
Swoosh, swoosh~
Figures from the ANBU flickered into view, their crisp footsteps echoing in the dark tunnel. The Third Hokage, dressed in armor, slowly emerged from the darkness.
"ANBU, hunt down Orochimaru!"
The Third Hokage's hoarse voice echoed in the dark forest. Everyone was filled with disbelief, including the newly arrived ANBU. After all, Orochimaru was a hero of Konoha, second only to the Hokage himself.
Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, the Third Hokage roared: "By my Hokage decree, ANBU, hunt down Orochimaru!"
"No! I don't believe it!"
Uchiha Shisui stared in disbelief. However, the ANBU, seeing the furious Hokage, had no choice but to accept the command.
And Uchiha Kaien's face turned completely pale at this moment. The Third Hokage looked at the four of them coldly and yelled, "By my order, ANBU, hunt down Orochimaru, one of the Three Legendary Sannin!"
Swoosh, swoosh!
The Third Hokage and the ANBU disappeared. At this moment, Uchiha Kaien turned deathly pale. "No! There's still a chance!"
At this moment, Uchiha Kaien seemed to grab onto the last straw, turning his head to look at Shisui, Might Guy, and Kakashi, shouting: "Quick! The three of you go to the prison! Protect those children and deploy all members of the Police Force Seventh Department! Drop all other tasks and assemble at the prison!"
"As long as these children are fine, there is still a chance for a turnaround! I order this in my capacity as the captain of the Department! Guard the prison at all costs! These children absolutely cannot come to harm!"
At this moment, the three snapped back to reality, with Kakashi being the quickest to react: "Quick! Guy, you go to Seventh Department and relay the orders. Everyone abandon their current tasks and gather at the prison!"
And then, Uchiha Shisui, as if grabbing the last straw, nodded frantically when he heard Kakashi's words: "Yes, yes, let's go protect the children in the prison quickly, this is our last chance."
At this moment, the darkness of Konoha had completely driven him to despair. Even the village hero Orochimaru could be treated this way, what about those children? If word gets out, someone will definitely take action.
…
The cry of an eagle suddenly echoed in the sky above the Leaf Village. At this moment, every ninja in their homes, training grounds, or preparing for missions abruptly looked up. They saw a black hawk circling above and their faces instantly changed, filled with fear and shock.
Something big has happened!
This situation reminded them of the last time it was this dire—on the night of the Nine-Tails attack. Many were struck with the memories of that frightful night, as it wasn't too long ago.
Under the bright sunlight, dark spots flashed on the roofs throughout the Leaf Village—these were ninjas quickly dashing about.
With the village signaling, every Leaf ninja swiftly entered into first-level alert status, all of them quickly taking their posts.
"Hunt down one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru!"
This was a direct order from the ANBU. Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was just about to return, saw this and was instantly enraged, shouting, "Who gave them the audacity!"
If it was just his order to have the ANBU hunt Orochimaru, it would have been kept secret; at least the public wouldn't know, and there might still be a chance for Orochimaru.
But now! The entire village has been notified, and the Third Hokage was furious. Someone was pushing Orochimaru into a corner.
Sarutobi Clan.
"Sarutobi Hizuki, your ties with Orochimaru are deeply entangled. You should know what your surname means."
Returning to the clan, the daughter-in-law of the Third Hokage did not ease up but looked coldly at the elite ninjas within her family.
Upon hearing these words, Sarutobi Hizuki gritted her teeth and said solemnly, "Yes! I know what to do!"
Meanwhile, sitting inside the room were many elders of the Sarutobi Clan, all of whom revealed ambitious eyes.
"Go ahead and do it boldly."
"Since we've already taken action, we can't hold back. If Orochimaru isn't thoroughly defeated and takes that position, you should know, the Sarutobi Clan will be targeted by future Hokages."
"Exactly! The Sarutobi Clan has completely offended Orochimaru. To put it harshly, even if someone else becomes Hokage, Orochimaru cannot ascend."
"I've already spread the word about Orochimaru conducting human experiments on fellow villagers. This time, if Orochimaru doesn't die, he'll at least lose a layer of skin."
One by one, the leaders and elders of the Sarutobi Clan spoke about the current situation. They had no choice; the moment their ambition grew to produce another Hokage from the Sarutobi Clan, they had already embarked on a road of no return.
Furthermore, their direct disobedience in spreading messages, along with the suspended daughter-in-law of the Third Hokage who actually broadcasted information to all the ninjas in the village as the head of the ANBU, left them with no way back.
Turn back? Will Orochimaru spare them if he ascends? Even if he does, the Sarutobi Clan will definitely be targeted.
So they can only grit their teeth and move forward, and it's clear this time that Orochimaru has been nailed to the pillar of shame. If he's nailed down this time, there will be no chance of turning things around.
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