Chapter 173 The Fourth Hokage—Orochimaru
The terrifying, eight-headed, eight-tailed entity, the Eight-Headed Serpent, simply stood there, radiating a massive, crushing pressure as if the very heavens were collapsing.
Its eight pairs of lantern-sized snake eyes constantly scanned the surroundings. The aura that unconsciously emanated from its body pressed down on Hiruzen like a crushing mountain.
Hiruzen couldn't help but grip the Nyoibō in his hand tighter. He once again directed his gaze at the entity standing under the stars and moon, yet seemingly obscuring their light, making the night feel even darker in that instant.
Its massive body, like a mountain or a high peak, had eight heads and eight tails. Its hard, full scales were the size of wash basins, uniformly and densely covering its entire serpent body.
The eight long, thick snake tails continuously whipped around behind it, and their unconscious movements alone stirred the air, distorting the view and the light.
Among the eight snake heads, six had horn-like protrusions pointing straight to the sky, resembling crowns. The aura emanating from these six heads was distinctly different from the other two. Curiously, the two heads without horns were positioned in the center of the formation.
Hiruzen's mind involuntarily recalled the records of the ancient Eight-Headed Serpent in a distant, ancient text.
That entity was recorded as hermaphroditic, possessing eight heads and eight tails, each controlling one of eight distinct ultimate Elemental Jutsu.
Legend further claimed that when the Eight-Headed Serpent had endured endless ages and the two conscious heads in the very center mastered the secrets of Time and Space, it would overturn the record of its defeat by the Nine-Tails during the ancient Tailed Beast Wars and become the strongest creature in the Shinobi World.
Recalling the records in the ancient text, Hiruzen could clearly sense the six distinct Chakra nature auras emanating from the crowned heads of this Eight-Headed Serpent: blazing Fire, swift Wind, flashing Lightning, heavy Earth, changeable Water, and the formless aura of Genjutsu.
Finally, all sixteen lantern-sized snake eyes rested upon Hiruzen.
In that instant, Hiruzen felt as if wind, rain, thunder, lightning, shattering earth, and surging lava appeared before him. It took him a moment to regain his composure, realizing with a start that his palms were already slick with cold sweat.
Orochimaru stood up from the center-most snake head, carefully tucking the exhausted little Yamata back into his chest.
Sensing the little Yamata's aura, the snake head next to Orochimaru suddenly stretched toward him and spoke. Unlike the previous voice, this one had a soft, feminine tone: "Hmm? This aura... oh! Descendant of the Yamata Clan, you are quite remarkable!"
Then, the snake head Orochimaru was standing on suddenly spoke with a deep, ancient voice: "Is it its aura?"
The snake head with the feminine voice retracted and nodded.
Finally, the two center heads focused their gaze on Hiruzen again and remained silent, seemingly not intending to explain anything to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't mind. His dark-golden snake eyes looked down at Hiruzen. His indifferent tone carried the calculated control and dominance of someone holding all the strings: "Sensei, the position of Hokage will ultimately be mine!"
Hiruzen felt the mountain-crushing pressure from the man and the serpent. He looked down at the Nyoibō in his hand and said with a bitter smile: "Enma, second-stage transformation."
The Enma's Eye on the Nyoibō opened, showing an expression of understanding.
Thud! Hiruzen planted the Nyoibō on the ground, wove hand signs, and poured all the Chakra in his body into the sequence.
"Hmm?" Orochimaru looked at the hand signs Hiruzen was weaving, which even he couldn't identify. Sensing that this battle still had a final development, his eyes showed intense interest instead.
Feeling the increasingly strong Chakra fluctuation from Hiruzen, Orochimaru continuously licked his lips, saying excitedly: "Excellent, a very interesting Chakra fluctuation. This makes things much more interesting!"
Orochimaru made no move to control the Eight-Headed Serpent to stop him, choosing instead to stand still, quietly watching and waiting for Hiruzen's final trump card.
The Jutsu, composed of over ten sets of hand signs, was finally complete.
"Enma Second-Stage Transformation: Enma Adamantine Staff Form!"
A surge of deep-blue Chakra, so dense and pure it was palpable, erupted from Hiruzen's body, vehemently pouring into the Nyoibō.
Guided by the hand signs, the black-and-gold Nyoibō suddenly lifted Hiruzen and ascended into the sky.
When the Nyoibō reached the same height as Orochimaru, it suddenly underwent a massive change.
A fist the size of a room, covered in thick black and gold monkey fur, shot out from the staff. As soon as it emerged, it boomed, causing the air to explode.
Next, the hand, foot, and head followed.
In two or three breaths, an enlarged version of Adamantine Enma appeared before Orochimaru and the Eight-Headed Serpent.
Its massive body, comparable in size to the Eight-Headed Serpent and covered in steel-wool-like monkey fur, bulged with massive muscles and intertwined blue veins that resembled writhing snakes, conveying an extremely impactful sense of power.
Immediately upon appearing, it vigorously beat its powerful chest with its arms. Its ugly, fur-covered face roared towards the heavens, shaking the surrounding area and radiating a courageous, battle-hungry aura.
Hiruzen's gaze hardened, and he signaled Adamantine Enma to make the first move.
The colossal Adamantine body charged furiously toward Orochimaru and the Eight-Headed Serpent, its footsteps causing the ground to shake.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, patted one of the Eight-Headed Serpent's heads, and said elegantly and devilishly: "Go on, give Sensei his final blow!"
The Eight-Headed Serpent suddenly shook. All eight heads roared in unison, their aura fully unleashed. Boom! A terrifying, mountain-shattering pressure instantly slammed toward Hiruzen and Adamantine Enma.
The eight snake heads gathered together, raising their heads to the sky. In the air a few meters above them, a five-colored, glittering Chakra sphere rapidly condensed, growing larger and more powerful.
Finally, a five-colored pillar of light tore through the night sky.
...
Three days later, atop the Hokage Building roof.
The inauguration ceremony of the Fourth Hokage and the wedding ceremony of Konoha's Princess—Tsunade Hime—were held simultaneously.
Orochimaru, dressed in the flame-red Hokage robe, stood smiling at the center of the crowd, with Tsunade, wearing an exquisite kimono and a shy expression, standing beside him.
Behind the couple, a five-colored crystal coffin was placed in the center of the Hokage rooftop. The person lying inside was Hiruzen Sarutobi, who retained a sliver of life force but was trapped in a seal.
Hyūga Kōgen, whose face beamed with congratulatory cheer and who had been appointed the Konoha Great Elder, finished recounting the new Hokage's merits. It was now Orochimaru's turn to deliver his oath of office.
Applause thundered. Shinki, Aoba, Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Chi all stood formally among the viewing crowd, their faces full of joy as they offered their blessings.
At this moment, not only the Jōnin watching on the rooftop, but the citizens of the entire Konoha village had emerged from their homes.
The ten microphones set up on the Hokage Building clearly broadcast Orochimaru's voice to all corners.
In a deep, magnetic voice, gentle yet authoritative, Orochimaru spoke: "Last night, a Tailed Beast invaded. Our Third Hokage-sama exchanged the safety of all Konoha for his own deep sleep and sealing. I, Orochimaru, in the name of the Third Hokage, promise the people of Konoha that I will lead you all toward prosperity and strength. I will lead you into a new era. And when we have sufficient strength, we will surely awaken the Third Hokage-sama, allowing Hiruzen-sama to witness the new glory with us!"
The ten microphones clearly amplified Orochimaru's voice far and wide. Immediately, the entire Konoha roared like a mountain and a sea. Cries of "Long Live Orochimaru-sama" were heard everywhere, and waves of sound rushed toward the sky, spreading to all directions.
In the strong wind, Orochimaru's figure commanded everyone's respect.
At this moment, the war machine of Konoha had begun to roll.
The historical records of the Konoha Empire in later generations would mark this day as the First Year of the Empire, also known as the Year of the Serpent's Ascendance!
The End of the Story!
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore More Stories!