I am the most popular character in Naruto!

The figure was so familiar to him that he dared not recognize it.

"...Orochimaru?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged voice trembled as the figure slowly turned around and gave him a gentle smile.

"Long time no see, teacher."

Chapter 481 Clash of Ideas

"It's really you..."

"Orochimaru……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand holding the long staff trembled slightly, his eyes filled with sorrow and grief, but not disbelief.

He guessed it.

Or perhaps it was something we had anticipated all along.

Orochimaru's character is too similar to that of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Rather than saying he is like his own disciple, it would be more accurate to say that he is more like Tobirama Senju's disciple.

Perhaps this is why Chiaki and Orochimaru have such a good relationship?

Who knows.

"You don't seem very surprised, teacher."

Orochimaru maintained his smile, one hand behind his back and the other holding a still-bleeding scalpel, as if he had just finished a human experiment.

His completely nonchalant expression infuriated Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen's trembling hand hardened again, and he gripped his staff tightly, raising it and pointing it at Orochimaru, shouting, "Orochimaru, explain to me what I'm seeing right now!"

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, the Anbu ninjas were slightly taken aback, while the Root ninjas were startled and began to tense up.

He's showing favoritism!

This is far too obvious favoritism!

If Orochimaru were to deny everything now, or even just provide a little evidence, Hiruzen Sarutobi would immediately believe everything Orochimaru said and turn his attention to the Root ninjas.

So dark!

Oh……

No.

That's such a standard procedure!

The Root ninja nervously took a step back, trying his best to pass on the information in his hand.

The moment the door opened, the Root ninjas had already completed recording the evidence. As long as everyone in Konoha noticed this evidence, Orochimaru would be unable to defend himself.

"What are you doing?!"

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the Root ninja's half-step back and stopped him immediately.

"I won't allow you to pass on information recklessly until things are clear!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were full of sharpness and indifference. Even after witnessing all of this, he was still giving Orochimaru a chance.

A fleeting warmth, difficult to discern, flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, followed by a resolute expression.

His hoarse voice rang out as he spoke calmly to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Teacher, what are you doing?"

"Isn't this Root ninja about to spread rumors about me?"

"I don't think there's anything worth explaining."

"!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze on the spot, turned around and glared at Orochimaru, saying each word clearly, "What are you saying? I don't understand."

"The teacher should understand what I'm saying."

Orochimaru shrugged, his golden vertical pupils revealing indifference.

"Isn't everything before our eyes enough to explain the situation?"

"I, Orochimaru, am conducting human experiments, and I have even used Konoha ninjas for these experiments."

The Root ninjas were stunned, the Anbu ninjas were stunned, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was even more stunned.

Immediately afterwards, the Root ninja's face lit up with ecstasy. He had originally thought that there were still some minor flaws in the scene they had set up, and that as long as Orochimaru refused to admit it, there was still a chance that they could turn the tables.

That's why the Root ninjas wanted to get the information out as soon as possible and solidify Orochimaru's guilt.

But to everyone's surprise, Orochimaru confessed directly and openly admitted that he had conducted human experiments.

This sense of reversal even led the Root ninjas to wonder if Orochimaru had also been bribed by Lord Danzo.

Compared to the Root ninjas' ecstatic joy, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was filled with nothing but rage.

He couldn't understand why Orochimaru would answer like that.

Is it true that Orochimaru did these things and therefore didn't want to refute them, or is he simply seeking death and trying to provoke Orochimaru in this way?

If it's the latter, then Hiruzen Sarutobi admits that Orochimaru succeeded.

He was indeed incredibly angry.

It wasn't just Orochimaru who was conducting human experiments, but also the fact that he used Konoha ninjas.

What angered Hiruzen Sarutobi even more was Orochimaru's indifferent attitude.

Does that mean that Konoha, the village that gave him birth and raised him, and himself, who single-handedly nurtured him, are not worth mentioning to him?

So, is it true that snakes are cold-blooded animals and can never be tamed no matter how you raise them?

"Orochimaru, I'll give you one more chance. Explain yourself!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped his long staff tightly, his eyes filled with warning as he looked at Orochimaru.

He exuded the aura of a Shadow-level expert, causing the entire underground base to tremble slightly.

Oshio's strength is somewhat exaggerated. Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength has gradually declined from his peak due to his age, he still maintains a combat power close to his peak.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue in amazement as he sensed Hiruzen Sarutobi's aura, then shook his head and said, "Sensei, I know what you want to hear from me."

"I know exactly what you're thinking..."

"So……?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression brightened. Could this guy be about to change his mind?

But I still gave the same answer.

Orochimaru closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi with an almost radiant, holy expression: "For the progress of the entire ninja world, for the advancement of all ninjutsu, and for making humanity in this world stronger, I must take this step."

"I want to unlock the secrets of all the secret techniques, and I want to research and develop even more ninjutsu."

"All of this is something that Konoha could never give me."

"Therefore, I was conducting human experiments, and I even used Konoha ninjas."

"If we don't do this, we will never make progress, and the entire ninja world will remain stagnant forever!"

"Shut up!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer hold back and charged at Orochimaru with his staff in hand.

Since reasoning with him won't work, we'll have to use force to keep him here.

As the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had plenty of ways to calm things down.

call

The heavy staff tore through the air, leaving a blur as it slammed into Orochimaru's shoulder.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's powerful attack missed its mark.

Orochimaru's body twisted slightly, and the staff missed its target, landing heavily on the ground and creating a deep crater.

"Teacher, I don't want to fight you."

Orochimaru spoke in a low voice, and a Kage-level aura rose from his body. His golden vertical pupils stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Our conflict stems from a clash of ideologies. Wouldn't it be better if we each went our own way?"

"...Shut up!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his staff again, twirled it, and angrily said to Orochimaru, "As long as you are my disciple, you must listen to me!"

Chapter 482 You Can't Stop Me

"In that case, there's nothing we can do, teacher."

Orochimaru sighed helplessly; he truly did not want to fight Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Orochimaru was originally a researcher and wasn't very used to fighting.

Furthermore, he did not choose to leave the village because he disliked Hiruzen Sarutobi; rather, he chose this path because his ideals differed from Hiruzen Sarutobi's, and staying in Konoha would hinder his own development.

Orochimaru held Hiruzen Sarutobi in high esteem.

"It's no use saying more, Orochimaru."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim as he said to Orochimaru, word by word, "You have committed a heinous crime. Surrender now and come back to Konoha with me to receive your punishment!"

"...Teacher, it is not a sin to advance humanity."

Orochimaru couldn't help but argue his point, but Hiruzen Sarutobi grew angrier and slashed his long staff down at the traitor in front of him.

call

The long staff sliced ​​through the air once more. The sharp sound of it cutting through the air made Orochimaru's expression change again, and he quickly dodged to the side.

bang

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no mercy with this strike, slamming his heavy staff into the ground with such force that the entire underground base trembled.

"grown ups!"

The ANBU ninja lost his footing and quickly reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This underground base was already quite old and couldn't withstand the aura of two Kage-level powerhouses, let alone fight.