"I've been away from the village for more than ten years—and I've suffered plenty."
Orochimaru smiled.
Even with the face of a young girl, that smile felt twisted and inhuman, sending chills down anyone's spine.
"You've become a terrifying monster," Sarutobi Hiruzen said sadly as he looked at Orochimaru.
"That's why I never chose you to become the Fourth Hokage. Your thinking was already warped. You experimented on villagers for the sake of forbidden techniques that violate all human ethics. How many lives have you sacrificed for this? Do you really feel no remorse at all?"
"Forbidden technique?" Orochimaru replied lightly. "Is that what you call my immortality technique?"
He gently stroked his smooth face, triumph flashing in his eyes.
"My technique allows my spirit to live forever. I simply find a new body and let my soul take it over—Living Corpse Reincarnation."
"The reason I kept pretending to be the same as before was to make you nostalgic when we reunited, sensei."
"Aging really is hollow… seeing you now makes that painfully clear."
"You will die here."
"And I will obtain a younger, more beautiful, stronger body. Konoha has given me so much entertainment."
He spoke casually, as if chatting with a parent.
Only the content of his words was horrifying.
"So you steal other people's bodies… reincarnating endlessly?"
"That's monstrous!"
"No wonder I felt cold the moment I saw Orochimaru—he doesn't feel human at all."
"If he keeps doing this… doesn't that mean he can never die?"
The crowd outside the barrier felt their scalps go numb.
Whether it was the Impure World Reincarnation or Living Corpse Reincarnation, both were taboos among taboos—terrifying beyond words.
The shinobi of Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and even the Kazekage and Raikage were stunned.
They hadn't expected such a horrifying existence to be hiding within Konoha.
In raw combat power, Orochimaru might not be invincible. The Kage were confident they wouldn't lose to him in a straight fight.
But his forbidden techniques were another matter entirely.
He was a genius—an insane research genius.
"Never die? That's a joke," Naruto said coldly.
"Orochimaru has gone down the wrong path. If he keeps reincarnating like this, one day he'll destroy himself."
In Naruto's eyes, Living Corpse Reincarnation was nothing more than a flawed trick.
"After saying goodbye to Lord Sarutobi, this face will do just fine."
Orochimaru wiped his face, returning to his familiar pale appearance with piercing eyes.
Under his control, Senju Hashirama began forming seals.
The forest within the barrier swelled again. Roots and branches spread wildly, filling the entire space and turning it into an oppressive jungle.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was barely protected within a square formed by Enma's Adamantine Staff. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing grew weaker.
"Sarutobi… this isn't like you," Enma said gravely, sensing something ominous.
"Orochimaru," Sarutobi shouted, his eyes icy,
"I will bury you here and atone for my past mistakes!"
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Boom!
The Adamantine Staff split apart.
Sarutobi created two shadow clones, one on each side.
"You really are old," Orochimaru said calmly.
"Shortening your lifespan like this… it's already too late for you to change anything, sensei."
He showed no concern as Hashirama and Tobirama charged forward.
Outside the barrier, Naruto lifted his head. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He started walking.
Boom!
Facing the blazing flames of the Four Violet Flames Formation, Naruto walked straight through.
The barrier shattered.
With a single step, it collapsed completely.
The four sound ninja maintaining the formation spat blood and collapsed, gravely injured by the backlash.
"Naruto…" Jiraiya murmured in confusion.
Tsunade followed behind, her expression complicated—yet filled with a strange excitement.
The Konoha shinobi rushed in as well.
This incident needed an ending.
And what better symbol than the fate of the Hokage?
Facing the tangled roots, the shinobi tried cutting with kunai—only white marks appeared.
Too tough.
Unbelievably tough.
It was hard to imagine that the Third Hokage had been fighting in such an environment.
Naruto stepped forward, raised his hand, and pressed down.
Crack—!
sounds spread rapidly, like a tidal wave.
In an instant, every root and branch inside the barrier turned to powder, blown away by the wind like falling snow across Konoha.
"This… this is insane!"
"Lord Third Hokage can't even compare!"
"It's not 'can't'—he truly can't."
"The Fifth Hokage is basically decided now."
"After this, the Third should retire…"
"Shh—don't say it out loud."
As the forest vanished, the battlefield was fully revealed.
Everyone froze.
Hashirama and Tobirama were dissolving, revealing the corpses of Orochimaru's subordinates beneath them.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was gripping Orochimaru tightly—while the Kusanagi Sword pierced straight through his chest from behind.
Enma lay on the ground, desperately clutching the blade, unable to stop it.
Orochimaru was drenched in sweat, his face twisted in fear—as if he were staring at a true monster.
"Why didn't you dodge?" he shouted in confusion.
With Sarutobi's skill, even exhausted, he should have been able to avoid that strike.
But he hadn't.
He chose to hold Orochimaru instead.
"I don't need to dodge," Sarutobi said softly, smiling.
"I was going to die anyway."
"The Reaper Death Seal… a sealing technique that trades the user's soul for its power."
"When the seal is complete, my soul will be devoured as well."
"This is the technique used by the hero who once saved the village."
"And soon… you will die by it."
Orochimaru's sweat poured down as he tried to move—only to realize his chakra was completely sealed.
"Is this… the jutsu that sealed the Nine-Tails?" he cried in terror.
He wasn't afraid of death itself. Even losing this body didn't matter.
But if his soul was sealed—
That would be true death.
"There's no escape," Sarutobi said, smiling brighter than ever.
"Next, I will rip your soul from your body and seal it forever."
Behind him, a massive, grotesque Shinigami appeared—horned, fanged, holding a blade in its mouth.
The Shinigami slowly grasped the sword and raised it.
Orochimaru's pupils shrank in sheer panic.
"What… what is that?!"
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