Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

The dense forests of the Land of Fire are shady and towering trees with intertwined branches. Sunlight filters through the layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Orochimaru led several Konoha ninjas into the dense forest, his golden vertical pupils narrowing slightly, as if he sensed the lurking danger.

The Konoha ninja guarding him also spoke up: "Sir, this dense forest gives me a very bad feeling."

The Hyuga clan ninja activated his Byakugan, scanning his surroundings: "I can see very faint traces of chakra; it doesn't seem to be left by a Konoha ninja."

Orochimaru gave a cold smile and said in a hoarse voice, "I know."

"Is this the burial place my teachers, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, chose for me?"

"Just like Yamanaka Hatsukyu said, they are rogue ninja from Kirigakure, cowards from Konoha's Root, and an organization called Akatsuki..."

"mob!"

Upon hearing the name Yamanaka Hatsuyu, the Konoha ninja guarding him instantly felt reassured: "Lord Orochimaru, where should we begin our fight?"

Orochimaru chuckled: "You guys get all confident the moment you hear the name Chu Jiu."

"You've all forgotten about me, Orochimaru."

Looking at the embarrassed expressions of the Konoha ninjas, he said jokingly, "In the words of Yamanaka Hatsukyu: No rush."

"If they want to play, I'll play with them."

"They thought they were ambushing me, but they didn't expect that we knew about the ambush beforehand, so they just walked right into our trap."

So Orochimaru and a dozen or so guard ninjas stopped at the edge of the dense forest, even lighting a campfire to boil water and cook rice, and set up camp to rest in a very casual manner.

This completely baffled Danzo Shimura, whose brain, which was barely better than Obito's, immediately went blank.

After repeatedly pondering and investigating, they still couldn't figure out what Orochimaru was doing.

Danzo Shimura fell into his old habit.

When faced with a dilemma, don't hesitate and just go for it!

Danzo Shimura jumped out, shouting, "The ambush has been exposed!"

"Root ninjas, Akatsuki Kirigakure ninjas, kill! Charge in and kill Orochimaru!"

There were only about a dozen of them!

As Danzo Shimura gave his order, a rapid rustling sound of leaves breaking out in the dense forest erupted.

Countless figures leaped out of the dense forest and landed steadily around the clearing, surrounding Orochimaru and his guard ninjas.

They were all wearing the uniforms of the Hidden Mist.

But those ninjas wearing intricately patterned masks exuded a chilling aura, and anyone who saw them would know they were Root ninjas from Konoha.

The true Hidden Mist ninjas were all tough guys who refused to be conquered, and upon seeing Orochimaru, they all unleashed intense killing intent.

They were desperate for revenge.

Among the rogue ninja of Kirigakure, a tall, fierce-looking Jonin stood out the most.

He held a replica of a decapitation sword, his eyes cold and fierce as he stared intently at Orochimaru, his surging water-style chakra ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"Orochimaru, you demon!"

"You destroyed our homes and killed our people. Today, we will unite the Konoha ninja to tear you to pieces!"

Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils swept across the surroundings, and he said with disdain and contempt, "A rogue ninja expelled from Kirigakure, thinking that with the protection of rivers and lakes, you can kill me?"

"If I were that easy to kill, I would have been killed by your Fourth Mizukage in the Land of Waves."

Suddenly, Orochimaru's gaze focused on a ninja.

Even though he was covered by a red robe with auspicious cloud patterns, his height was still evident.

Even more astonishing than his physique was his enormous chakra, which seemed inhuman and resonated with the lake beside the dense forest, clearly indicating that he was a master of water-style ninjutsu.

After a moment's thought, Orochimaru confirmed his identity: "Kisame Hoshigaki."

"So you completely abandoned your identity as a Hidden Mist Ninja and truly joined the Akatsuki organization."

"The Akatsuki must have some capable members to have persuaded you to join. Who is it?"

Kisame Hoshigaki lifted his hood, revealing a face that resembled a shark.

He stared at Orochimaru and said, "The Akatsuki leaders have other missions. I am more than capable of taking your life."

"Oh? So confident?"

Orochimaru laughed: "Then I'll see if you can kill me by yourself."

At that moment, Shimura Danzo emerged from the shadows of the dense forest: "Orochimaru, he's not alone, he has me."

Upon hearing this voice, Orochimaru laughed instead: "Elder Shimura Danzo, you finally have the guts to face me on the battlefield."

However, seeing dozens of cold-eyed, emotionless ninjas surrounding Shimura Danzo, who seemed like soulless beings, Orochimaru sighed, "So he still intends to wear them down with the lives of his subordinates."

"How boring."

Orochimaru's smile vanished, replaced by a chilling killing intent: "Shimura Danzo, you ambushed me here and colluded with rogue ninja from Kirigakure. Have I already become a rogue ninja of Konoha, or do you want to be one?"

Danzo fixed his sinister gaze on Orochimaru and sneered, "Of course you, Orochimaru, are a rogue ninja!"

"Today, I am acting on the orders of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to set up an ambush once again and eliminate traitors for Konoha!"

"traitor?"

Orochimaru laughed again, his laughter filled with mockery and disdain: "Shimura Danzo, you have the nerve to call me a traitor?"

"Think of my first disciple, Nawaki; think of Hatake Sakumo; think of all the Uchiha who fell victim to your schemes. Your hands are stained with the blood of Konoha ninja; you are the true traitor!"

Danzo shouted angrily, "Insolence!"

"Orochimaru, your framing is meaningless. Everything I've done is for Konoha!"

"Today, I'm going to make you die here!"

Kisame Hoshigaki interrupted, "Aren't you going to stop babbling on and on?"

"Verbal arguments are pointless."

"kill!!"

Kisame Hoshigaki unleashed a frenzied burst of chakra: "Water Release: Great Exploding Water Wave Technique!"

In an instant, he spat out a huge flood, and the towering waves crashed towards Orochimaru, snapping the trees along the way and instantly destroying half of the dense forest.

At the same time, the rogue ninja from Kirigakure launched their ninjutsu:

Water Release: Water Arrow Technique unleashed countless sharp water arrows, forming a dense net that enveloped Orochimaru.

The Water Release: Water Prison Technique conjured up water spheres, surrounding Orochimaru and restricting his movement.

More rogue ninja from Kisame Village joined forces with him, using Water Release: Great Exploding Water Wave to further support his attacks.

Danzo Shimura stood still, without moving an inch.

He deliberately engaged in a verbal battle with Orochimaru, intending to provoke the vengeful rogue ninja from Kirigakure and provoke him into rushing forward to fight Orochimaru.

Only when both sides are severely weakened can he lead the Root ninjas to kill everyone!

In that case, his contribution would be even greater.

But in the next second, Shimura Danzo's one eye almost popped out.

His Root ninjas, loyal and never disobeying orders, were like puppets, the perfect tools, yet they launched an attack on their own initiative without his command.

That's simply impossible!