As Obito Uchiha activated Kamui and vanished from the scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi, fully armed, arrived with a squad of Anbu ninjas.
The moment he saw Orochimaru, a complex mix of emotions flashed across his face.
"I never thought you'd dare to return, Orochimaru!" Hiruzen gritted his teeth, his voice filled with anger and disbelief.
He had never imagined that his former student, branded a missing-nin was still alive.
And now, of all times, he had appeared in the village.
"Have you truly decided to become an enemy of the village?" Hiruzen's tone was stern, his heart heavy with disappointment.
Orochimaru's intentions were clear: to unleash the Nine-Tails and destroy Konoha.
Yet, Hiruzen struggled to accept this reality.
Seeing through his teacher's thoughts, Orochimaru let out a mocking laugh.
"My kind-hearted teacher, you know exactly why I'm here, don't you? I suggest you abandon those naive and foolish ideals of yours. Otherwise, the rotting windmill of Konoha will be crushed by the storm of a new era." Orochimaru's blunt words struck Hiruzen like a dagger, piercing his heart.
His expression darkened completely, and the last shred of hope he had for Orochimaru vanished.
"Orochimaru is a rogue ninja of Konoha. Everyone, prepare to capture him!" Hiruzen ordered his subordinates.
At his command, the Anbu ninjas quickly formed their formations, ready to attack.
Seeing this, Orochimaru finally smiled.
"That's more like it. Weakness will only lead to destruction," Orochimaru said, seemingly unfazed by Hiruzen and the Anbu surrounding him.
"It's about time," Hanzo, standing beside Orochimaru, finally spoke up, growing impatient with Orochimaru's monologue.
Reminded by Hanzo, Orochimaru snapped back to focus.
"Very well, let me show you the surprise I've prepared for Konoha," Orochimaru said.
The night breeze gently swayed his long hair, and the snake-shaped earring on his ear swayed with it.
He raised his hand, and a white snake slithered out from his sleeve.
The snake opened its mouth and spat out a figure—an old man covered in mucus, with a sealing talisman stuck to his forehead.
"Are you ready, everyone?" Orochimaru's lips curled into a wicked smile as he tore off the talisman without hesitation.
The moment the talisman was removed, an unimaginable wave of evil and icy chakra erupted from the old man's body!
"This feeling... it's a tailed beast!" As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen was all too familiar with this sensation. Sure enough, in the next moment, a flood of crimson chakra poured out of the old man's body, engulfing him completely.
From his back, thick, grotesque wings began to sprout!
The speed at which this jinchūriki transformed into a rampaging tailed beast far exceeded everyone's expectations.
In an instant, it grew to a height of several dozen meters.
"We must stop it! We can't let the tailed beast rampage in the village!" Hiruzen's expression was grave.
This was the heart of the village.
If the tailed beast went on a rampage here, the destruction would be unimaginable.
The surrounding Anbu ninjas nodded in agreement.
Just as they prepared to form hand seals and launch their attacks, the tailed beast, now towering at several dozen meters, flapped its wings.
In an instant, an unimaginable gust of wind erupted from its wings, obliterating the surrounding buildings and sending Hiruzen and the Anbu ninjas flying!
Seizing the opportunity, the tailed beast's chakra surged once more.
The true form of the Seven-Tails, Chōmei, began to emerge from the crimson chakra.
It resembled a giant rhinoceros beetle, its body covered in a grotesque insect-like shell, with a massive horn on its forehead and seven wing-like tails radiating a terrifying pressure.
The moment it appeared, it let out a piercing insect-like screech.
The sound waves shattered all the glass within a kilometer radius, and nearby ninjas had their eardrums ruptured, blood streaming from their ears and noses!
Seeing this, Hiruzen barely managed to steady himself, his expression grim as he stared at the monstrous creature before him.
"The Seven-Tails... Why is it here?" The Seven-Tails, Chōmei, had been assigned to Takigakure after the first Five Kage Summit.
It was the only tailed beast not controlled by one of the five great villages.
But why had Orochimaru brought it here?
Although puzzled, Hiruzen knew now was not the time to dwell on it.
Without hesitation, he bit his thumb and performed the Summoning Jutsu, calling forth the Monkey King, Enma.
"I need your help again, old friend," Hiruzen said, looking at the white-haired ape beside him.
Enma crossed his arms, his expression one of shock as he saw the Seven-Tails.
"The Seven-Tails? Has Takigakure attacked Konoha?" Enma asked, looking around in disbelief.
Hiruzen, unsure how to explain and pressed for time, quickly replied, "Orochimaru brought the Seven-Tails to Konoha. There are other enemies as well."
Hearing Orochimaru's name, Enma's fur bristled, and he gritted his teeth. "I always knew that student of yours was no good. You let him go last time..."
Before Enma could finish his rant, an even stronger gust of wind swept through the area.
Hiruzen pressed his hands to the ground, using the Earth-Style Wall to block the wind, and said to Enma, "It's my fault, but we don't have time for this now. Help me suppress this tailed beast first!"
Hearing this, Enma stopped criticizing Orochimaru and asked, "Should I transform into the Adamantine Staff?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes!"
With clear instructions, the towering Enma transformed into a long, black staff with golden ends, which Hiruzen gripped firmly.
"Let's go!" Hiruzen shouted, charging out from behind the shattered Earth-Style Wall.
The staff in his hands shot into the sky at an incredible speed, striking the Seven-Tails squarely in the abdomen!
"Ugh..." The insect-like Seven-Tails let out a strange cry, its upward movement momentarily halted.
"Now!" an Anbu ninja shouted, and the remaining ninjas sprang into action.
They hurled kunai armed with explosive tags at the Seven-Tails, launching a fierce attack! Unfortunately, such attacks had little effect on the massive tailed beast.
It quickly recovered, using its insect-like legs to grip the staff lodged in its abdomen. Then, it opened its mouth again, unleashing another devastating sound wave across the battlefield!
The ninjas, caught off guard by this attack, had no time to defend themselves.
Under the terrifying sound waves, even standing was a struggle, let alone launching an attack.
In this chaos, the Seven-Tails' seven wing-like tails stirred up another fierce gale.
The air gathered into a violent current, like an invisible blade, destroying everything in its path!
The ninjas who had risked their lives to attack now could only brace themselves, waiting for death.
Fortunately, reinforcements arrived just in time!
A young figure appeared in front of them, and a giant emerald skeleton rose from the ground, blocking the incoming wind blades!
Rubble and dust were split apart by the sudden burst of green light.
"Sorry I'm late," Shisui said, his eyes glowing with a crimson light, sharp and intense.
The surviving ninjas, realizing they had been saved, tried to thank him but found they couldn't speak. Shisui, understanding that they had been temporarily deafened by the sound waves, simply waved his hand.
"No need to thank me. Go help the wounded retreat. I'll take care of this big guy quickly."
With that, Shisui deactivated his Susanoo and charged toward the Seven-Tails at top speed, under the awestruck gazes of the ninjas.
"Not only the Hokage, but Shisui the Body Flicker has arrived too. This is getting troublesome," Orochimaru said calmly, standing atop the Seven-Tails' head.
While Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't instantly subdue a tailed beast, combined with the "Professor" Hiruzen, the threat was significant.
"In that case, I'll have to give you a second gift," Orochimaru said, licking his lips with a playful smile.
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