Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World

"Capturing him alive would be the best solution, but if that's not possible, then we'll have to try cooperating with Orochimaru."

"Although Orochimaru became a rogue ninja of Konoha, in essence, he should not have any hatred towards Konoha."

Shinichi Hyuga, trying to gauge Orochimaru's state of mind, said in a deep voice. Although he said this on the surface, Shinichi knew that Orochimaru probably harbored some resentment towards Konoha and the Third Hokage.

He was, after all, the Third Hokage's favorite disciple, and the task of researching Hashirama's cells was originally assigned to him by the Third Hokage. He worked diligently and conscientiously for his teacher, but when the Third Hokage abdicated, he chose to support Minato Namikaze as the new Hokage, rather than him, one of the "Three Legendary Sannin."

No matter how legitimate the Third Hokage's reasons were, no matter how outstanding Minato Namikaze was or how remarkable his achievements were, from Orochimaru's perspective, it would probably be incomprehensible.

In terms of ability, Orochimaru felt he was not far behind Minato; in terms of achievements, he was an important force in the village from the beginning of the war and was active on various battlefields; in terms of loyalty, he was a disciple of the third generation, fighting for the village on many battlefields and also taking on the task of researching Hashirama's cells.

From any perspective, Orochimaru is a strong contender for the Hokage title.

However, Orochimaru was still somewhat dissatisfied with being defeated by a young junior like Minato in the "Battle of the Hokage".

Although this wasn't his ambition, there were some things he could give up, and he would still be unhappy if others tried to take them from him.

Orochimaru will attack Konoha in the future, partly to obtain the Sharingan, but more so to target the Third Hokage... Saying it's revenge isn't accurate.

Or rather, Orochimaru, as a disciple, was unwilling to see his teacher, known as the "Hero of the Ninja," rot away in the position of Hokage.

Orochimaru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi with his own hands, thus etching Hiruzen's glory into the hearts of everyone in Konoha.

Shinichi Hyuga's judgment of people has transcended the simple concepts of "good" and "evil".

To survive in the ninja world, the most important thing is not to be bound by so-called "good" or "evil".

Orochimaru's actions were undoubtedly "evil," the purest form of "evil," but his evil had no effect on Shinichi, so Shinichi didn't need to play the role of a moral guardian to sweep away this "evil."

On the contrary, even such a person can cooperate in order to enable himself and his family to survive better in this world!

If a protagonist as great and righteous as Naruto Uzumaki can tolerate someone like Orochimaru continuing to live in the world, and even bring his cloned son back to the village to take care of him, it means that the future Naruto has already possessed the vision of a Hokage, and his judgment of people is no longer simply divided into "good" and "evil".

Instead, they are divided into "useful" and "useless".

If all Hokage were like the Second Hokage, constantly shouting "Evil Uchiha" and thus dividing the Uchiha clan, then Konoha would never be united, and would never become strong.

The reality is the same. When the Second Hokage was in power, it was also the weakest period for Konoha. The fact that he could be killed by rogue ninja from the Cloud Village just for signing a peace treaty speaks volumes.

No matter how outstanding the Second Hokage's performance was during the Fourth Shinobi World War, it is an undeniable fact that Konoha began to decline after the First Hokage.

Although Shinichi Hyuga's vision has not yet reached the level of "Hokage," when he looks at things from the perspective of the future head of the Hyuga clan, Orochimaru is a "flexible" person in his eyes.

Orochimaru is different from Danzo, who enjoys internal strife and attrition; the former has value, while the latter has no value.

From Shinichi Hyuga's words, Jiraiya was able to glean some of Shinichi's attitude towards Orochimaru.

To be honest, Jiraiya felt a little relieved when he heard that Shinichi wasn't after Orochimaru.

Those present were all elites, and they moved at a rapid pace.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and although it was noon, the sky was as dark as dusk.

Suddenly, raindrops began to fall from the sky, making a soft rustling sound as they landed on the vast grassland. The sight of everyone became somewhat blurred as the raindrops fell.

Shinichi Hinata used his Byakugan to survey his surroundings. The gloomy weather caught his attention, and he slowed his pace to savor the light rain.

"Shinichi, what's wrong?"

"We're almost at Orochimaru's base. Are you tired?"

Jiraiya noticed that Shinichi had slowed down, so he came to Shinichi's side and asked.

"No, I was overthinking it."

"Are we almost there? Then let's quicken our pace."

Shinichi was being overly cautious. The rain was completely natural, but Shinichi thought it was a ninja's reconnaissance technique.

There was no other way; once Shinichi learned that Orochimaru was now a member of the Akatsuki, he began to be wary of potential enemies.

The White Tiger's Free Rain Technique, Nagato's sensory ninjutsu, left a deep impression on Shinichi's mind, so that whenever he encountered rain while traveling, Shinichi would carefully investigate.

Because of Kakuzu's escape, Shinichi knew that he would most likely come into Obito's sights.

It's always good to be careful to avoid falling into traps set by the other party.

Shinichi didn't notice anything unusual about the rain shower, and the group quickened their pace accordingly.

Soon, in Shinichi's Byakugan vision, an underground palace appeared beneath the soil on the plain ahead.

If I'm not mistaken, that underground palace should be Orochimaru's secret base.

As Shinichi discovered the underground palace, Jiraiya, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and addressed the group:

"The base is only a few kilometers away from here."

"Let's keep things quiet."

As he spoke, Jiraiya imbued his feet with chakra and leaped forward, leaving no trace on the grassland and barely making a sound.

As they moved quickly, the figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

Shinichi and the others exchanged glances, then concealed their auras and followed Jiraiya's footsteps.

As they drew closer, Shinichi's investigation of the underground palace in the distance became increasingly detailed.

The underground palace is vast, and there are people inside. Orochimaru's chakra is powerful and eerie. His multiple body modifications have made his chakra unique. As for now, he has not yet performed the Reanimation Jutsu, so his chakra characteristics are actually quite obvious.

Shinichi could clearly see Orochimaru in the central area of ​​the underground palace, sitting at a desk studying a scroll, writing something down as he did so.

Hmm... he really is a "diligent and studious" ninja.

Just as Shinichi was carefully observing the personnel arrangement in the underground palace, a portal almost hidden beneath the grassland came into view.

"There's a trap!"

At that moment, Shisui and Kakashi simultaneously let out a low shout, pulling Shinichi back into their immediate view.

At the same time, on the grass that Might Guy had just dodged, an explosive tag suddenly exploded rapidly.

"boom!!"

A loud bang echoed across the open grassland, and the shockwave caused Kai, who hadn't run far, to fall face-first to the ground.

The explosion seemed to have triggered a cursed seal that Orochimaru had set up beforehand. Suddenly, a huge summoning pattern appeared in front of everyone, and as thick white smoke rose, a terrifying giant snake with three heads appeared before them, blocking their path.

"Hiss-"

Three snake heads swayed gently in mid-air, their forked tongues releasing a strong, pungent stench that filled the air. As the three-headed giant snake appeared, a pinkish smoke billowed rapidly from beneath its body.

The smoke settled on the lush green grass, directly corroding the vibrant green grass into a lump of black mud.

"Let's go!!"

Jiraiya knew Orochimaru too well. The moment he saw the giant snake being summoned, he concealed his presence and retreated quickly, while also reminding everyone present.

Before Guy could even react to what was happening, the smoke from beneath the snake's body rushed towards him. Just as Guy was about to be engulfed by the poisonous smoke, Kakashi's support arrived in time: "Wind Release: Breakthrough!"

A simple Wind Release ninjutsu directly helped Guy dispel the poisonous mist that was approaching him.

Although Kakashi's chakra nature is not entirely compatible with Wind Release and he cannot unleash its full power, it is more than enough to be a "fan".

As Kakashi completed the spell, he landed beside Guy, helped Guy up from the ground, and then quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and the three-headed serpent.

A short distance away, the giant serpent coiled its body, seemingly guarding the entrance to the underground palace behind it. Its three pairs of snake eyes stared intently at Jiraiya and the others, and the swaying of its body instilled fear in them. Its fine scales gleamed with a metallic sheen under the rain.

Kakashi casually pulled a kunai from his ninja tool bag and shot it directly at the giant snake's head.

However, the snake did not make any move to dodge. It simply lowered its head, and the moment the kunai touched its scales, it was flung away with a "clang," leaving not even a trace on the snake's body.

"..." Upon seeing this, Kakashi was speechless. He understood that conventional methods probably wouldn't be able to harm the snake in the slightest.

This person was merely a "gatekeeper" of Orochimaru's secret laboratory.

Kakashi judged that the conventional offensive methods possessed by ordinary Chunin would probably not be able to harm this snake in the slightest. Ordinary ninjas would not be able to break into Orochimaru's secret base, let alone even get past the snake guarding them.

Shisui and Kakashi both hesitated when facing the Snake Guardian, as neither of their techniques were very effective against it.

Kakashi does possess the Lightning Blade technique, which should be able to break through the giant snake's defenses, but the snake's venomous mist makes it difficult to get close.

The same applies to Might Guy. Without opening the Eight Gates, it would be extremely difficult to harm such a thick-skinned behemoth with just physical strength. He could handle ninjas, but against such a behemoth...

However, Kai was unfazed by the poisonous mist surrounding the snake's body. He raised his arms, preparing to open the Eight Gates and forcefully break through. Just as he was about to act, Shinichi Hyuga suddenly appeared beside Kai, grabbed his shoulder, and whispered a warning to stop him:

"Wait, you don't need to open the Eight Gates Formation yet."

"Lord Jiraiya isn't someone to be trifled with; a summoning beast of this level is nothing to fear."

As he spoke, Shinichi looked at Jiraiya with a smile. Jiraiya and Orochimaru had been bickering for so many years, so it was naturally most appropriate for him to take action.

"Don't you have a conscience, ordering around an old man like me?"

"Well, it's normal for you kids to find it difficult. After all, not everyone has the strength of Jiraiya-sama."

As Jiraiya spoke, he quickly formed hand seals, and then, to the slightly astonishment of Kakashi, Shisui, and the others, he clapped his hands together. With a low shout from Jiraiya, the grass beneath the three-headed serpent in the distance instantly turned into a crimson swamp.

Yellow marsh!

Extremely wide-range escape techniques require the user to have a large amount of chakra, and the nature of the chakra must also conform to the attributes of ninjutsu.

In fact, throughout the entire ninja world, there are very few ninjas who can unleash earth-style ninjutsu with this range.

The swamp, with a diameter of over 100 meters, completely encased the snake. Although the snake looked majestic and terrifying, it was not very intelligent, just like any other wild beast.

The more the snake struggled, the faster it sank into the swamp. In a short while, half of its body had sunk into the swamp and disappeared from sight.

However, at this point, the snake's downward trend also stopped.