Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World

The ANBU member wearing the Grim Reaper mask lowered his head, his previously calm tone now seemingly unable to suppress the sorrow in his heart.

Upon hearing this, Minato focused intently on the ANBU member reporting before him and asked in a deep voice:

"Have you informed the Third Hokage about this?"

Although the person in front of him was a direct subordinate of the Hokage and obeyed his orders, it didn't mean that he "only" obeyed his orders. Usually, the Anbu would submit two reports.

"We don't know yet."

The Dark Division was telling the truth, using the word "temporarily".

Minato nodded upon hearing this, then handed the report to the ANBU member in front of him and instructed him:

"To the Third Hokage."

"I leave this matter to the Third Hokage to decide."

"Orochimaru is, after all, his disciple. Since he did something like this, it is ultimately up to his teacher to deal with it personally."

"When you report to the Third Hokage, please also convey my opinion."

Minato's gaze was deep; having led Konoha for many years, he was already a skilled and experienced Kage.

"Yes!"

Minato exuded a heavy sense of oppression. The Anbu members did not sense the usual gentleness from him at all. After giving a heavy reply, they quickly disappeared from the office with the intelligence.

...

In recent years, the actions of the Mist Ninja have become increasingly restrained. As the Kaguya clan's coup was forcefully suppressed by the Mist Ninja, the border gradually calmed down.

Strangely, the number of deaths reported at the front lines was the same as during periods of intense conflict. On average, there were four or five reports of missing persons and deaths every day.

Losing an average of one ninja squad every day adds up to a significant loss over the years.

In contrast, the battlefield of the Cloud Ninja, which was controlled by Danzo Shimura, seemed much more normal. There were only one or two reports of missing persons or deaths every ten days or half a month, which was consistent with the casualties during the standoff.

The unusual situation on the Mist Ninja front caught Minato's attention.

He was a veteran of the battlefield, very familiar with it, and had an accurate grasp of the situation.

In Minato's view, the casualty reports from the Mist Ninja front were clearly problematic.

Therefore, he also dispatched his secret agents to investigate in secret.

The elite members of the Dark Division were also very meticulous in their work. They discovered an experimental base built underground in the wilderness near the border. Inside the experimental base, they found many clues related to human experimentation.

In order to pinpoint the owner of that laboratory, they took turns keeping watch, and finally Orochimaru appeared.

However, Orochimaru was powerful and perceptive, and the existence of the Anbu was discovered. In order to send out the information, the Anbu paid a heavy price.

Fortunately, the relevant information was successfully sent back to Konoha.

Orochimaru's research into ninjutsu was very diverse, including research on Hashirama cells, the regeneration of the White Snake, and forbidden techniques such as the Impure World Reincarnation. All of these required a large amount of experimental material.

Moreover, ordinary people could not be used in this part of the experiment. In order to get results quickly, Orochimaru's targets were not only the Hidden Mist Ninja, but also some seriously injured Konoha ninjas were used for his experiments.

When it's reflected in reports, it becomes missing persons and deaths.

...

It was already afternoon when Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was unemployed at home, received the relevant information.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully examined the scroll handed to him by the Anbu, his expression changed several times.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't known clearly that the Hokage's direct line of Anbu was now under his and his son's control, he would have instinctively felt that the report was fabricated to damage Orochimaru's reputation and prestige.

However... the person who uncovered the truth was his and his son's most trusted subordinate.

"Orochimaru... How dare he do this?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with anger. He seemed unable to believe that his disciple would do such a thing, or perhaps... he was furious that Orochimaru had done such a thing behind his back?

In either case, the anger displayed by the third generation at this moment was genuine and could not be faked.

In front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the ANBU member who was reporting lowered his head. After a brief hesitation, he finally decided to tell the Third Hokage what the Fourth Hokage had asked him to repeat.

"The Fourth Hokage said..."

"Orochimaru is your disciple, so you, as his teacher, should make the decision yourself."

Although somewhat brief, these words still made Hiruzen Sarutobi catch his breath.

Is this...mocking himself?

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat sensitive, and the message that Minato Namikaze had the Anbu relayed took on a different meaning when it reached his ears.

"Okay...hehe, okay!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered with light and shadow, and in a short while, he had already come up with a solution.

"Have the Fourth Hokage summon Orochimaru back to the village!"

The Third Hokage's words carried a hint of anger, and the Anbu members who received the order lowered their heads and silently slipped away.

...

Mt. Miaomu.

With the permission of the Great Toad Sage, Shinichi Hyuga and the other outsiders were able to stay at Mount Myōboku with Kushina.

Cultivating immortal techniques is a tedious process, and accompanying Kushina in her cultivation is equally tedious.

Jiraiya was an impatient person, or perhaps he disliked the food at Mount Myōboku. After asking the two hermits, Fukasaku and Shima, to take care of Kushina and the others, he secretly left Mount Myōboku.

Jiraiya...slacked off.

In Jiraiya's view, Sage Mode training would not cause the Tailed Beasts to go berserk. As for the risks of Sage Mode itself, with the help of the two Toad Sages to control it, it was not a problem at all.

However, Jiraiya was unaware that while he was away from Mount Myōboku gathering materials for fun, news of Orochimaru secretly setting up a laboratory on the border to conduct human experiments had already spread to a small circle.

The Fourth Hokage had no intention of covering for Orochimaru. This matter was not only known to the Third Hokage, but also to the other members of the advisory group.

The purpose... is actually quite simple: just to bring this matter into the open.

The Fourth Hokage did not publicly discuss this matter at the Jonin meeting, partly because he was concerned about the possibility of a leak.

However, the third generation and the advisors knew... that the fourth generation also had his own plans.

What if... Orochimaru knew about the defection beforehand... wouldn't the pool of people who could have leaked the information be much smaller?!

In terms of political skill, Minato Namikaze is second to none; it's just that he never intended to take things this far before.

However, with so many constraints, even someone like the fourth generation would inevitably feel annoyed.

It's time to clear away all the obstacles!

........

Chapter 123 The Root of Cholera! (Please Subscribe)

Upon learning that Orochimaru was secretly building an experimental base on the front lines to conduct human experiments, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly took action.

Although Shinichi stereotyped Hiruzen Sarutobi as an old man who clung to power, Hiruzen always had his own bottom line in certain matters.

He never allowed Konoha ninjas to attack their fellow villagers without cause; this was always one of his bottom lines.

Although the Third Hokage did not go to extremes regarding Danzo, that was because Danzo's actions did not cause irreparable harm.

However, Orochimaru's situation is different. It is an established fact that he used his fellow villagers as test subjects, and Minato Namikaze already knew about this.

Judging from Minato's tone, he would absolutely not cover for Orochimaru.

Furthermore, there was another crucial reason why the Third Hokage made his decision: Orochimaru was his disciple, and if Orochimaru's affairs were fully exposed, it could even damage his reputation.

This is something that the third generation absolutely cannot allow.

Now, the only way to salvage one's image after the deception is complete is to "put righteousness before family ties" and "sacrifice personal relationships for the greater good."

Even though he had managed the village for many years, he had to step down as Hokage because the village suffered huge losses in the Third Shinobi World War. If such a scandal were to break out again, his already precarious reputation would be beyond saving.

He personally didn't care, since half of his body was already buried in the ground, but his son and his family still needed to survive in the village, and he absolutely couldn't let them become the focus of public discussion.

Having figured everything out, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly took action.

First, he dispatched his son to lead the ANBU to the front line to seal off the laboratory that had been discovered, and he also personally wrote a letter to Orochimaru to return to the village.

In the end, the Third Hokage was too soft-hearted in this matter. By not going to the front line with the ANBU led by his son to capture Orochimaru, he essentially gave Orochimaru the opportunity to defect.

Or perhaps... Orochimaru's defection was exactly what the Third Hokage wanted?

...

"Is this your answer, Third Generation?"

Minato Namikaze was closely monitoring the Third Hokage's movements. Although he didn't directly send anyone to monitor the Third Hokage, he was able to know from the passage records kept by the "gatekeepers" at the village entrance that the Third Hokage had dispatched ANBU to carry out a secret mission.

Based on Hiruzen's actions, Minato was naturally able to discern his intentions.

Orochimaru killed the ANBU who went to investigate, and now he has received a letter from the Third Hokage asking him to return to the village.

Given Orochimaru's style of doing things, he would never allow himself to be in such a passive position.

The Third Hokage's actions prevented him and his disciples from killing each other, and also avoided the potential huge losses that his direct subordinates might have suffered in their attempt to capture Orochimaru.

In this incident, the only victims were the Konoha ninjas who were unaware of the truth and were used as experimental subjects, as well as the ANBU who were sent to investigate Orochimaru's base and were killed.