Ninja World: I, Kisame Hoshigaki, am no longer human!

next second.

Orochimaru's body suddenly exploded into dozens of small white snakes with a "bang," which then fled in all directions in the dark underground.

Putting everything else aside, Orochimaru's ability to escape is top-notch.

"Shhhhhh!"

Seeing this, Obito shot out a large number of Wood Release spikes from his palm, pinning many white snakes to the ground. However, he was clearly unlucky and failed to capture Orochimaru's true form among them.

"Tch, let that disgusting guy get away."

Obito spat and was too lazy to chase after him anymore, after all, Nagato was the most important person to him.

Jue walked over and said with some concern:

"If Nagato really learns Sage Mode as Orochimaru said and becomes the master of Ryuchi Cave, then he might be difficult to control."

"Don't worry, as long as Yahiko and Konan are in my hands, Nagato will have to obey me." Obito was very confident.

The two once again disappeared into the darkness, waiting patiently.

the next day.

Nagato went to the temple early in the morning to pay his respects to the White Snake Sage.

"Nagato, why did you come alone? Where's Orochimaru?" The White Snake Sage asked casually, half-reclining on his throne and smoking his pipe.

“He said he had something to do and went back to the ninja world first,” Nagato replied calmly.

"Oh, I see." Upon hearing this, the White Snake Immortal didn't seem to care too much.

Just then, Princess Tianxin rushed into the temple and reported to the White Snake Immortal: "Those two guys yesterday were really bold. They were still hiding outside Ryuchi Cave and wouldn't leave. We found them!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the White Snake Sage straightened up from his throne, about to make a move, when Nagato suddenly spoke:

"White Snake Sage, please leave Obito Uchiha to me. Once I master Sage Mode, I'll settle the score with him myself."

The White Snake Immortal thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Alright, whatever you say. They won't dare come in anyway, so you can handle it."

So, the White Snake Sage instructed his three snake maidens to guard the entrance to Ryuchi Cave and monitor Obito's movements. He himself then transformed once more into a giant white serpent tens of meters long and coiled himself on the throne.

"Nagato, are you ready?" The White Snake Sage looked down at Nagato, placing high hopes on the latter.

"bring it on."

Nagato's eyes were piercing, brimming with powerful confidence.

"Then let's begin." The White Snake Sage had barely finished speaking when his enormous snake head lunged at Nagato, channeling natural energy into the latter with its fangs…

Seven days later.

The land of rain.

Under a sky filled with continuous rain, Orochimaru, wearing a cloak and raincoat, quietly returned to Amegakure.

The White Snake possesses remarkable vitality. Furthermore, Orochimaru's ability to recover was greatly enhanced by the Hashirama cells he received from Obito.

In the past few days, on his way back to Amegakure, his injuries have been mostly healed and his strength has been restored to about 70-80%.

As for why Orochimaru returned to Amegakure, it's because—

He planned to take advantage of Obito's absence to loot Amegakure, then quickly flee, find a place to hide and develop his strength, hoping to make a comeback one day.

What Orochimaru didn't expect was that Amegakure was completely different from what it had been half a month ago.

Inside the tallest building in Amegakure, in the temporary office.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya, are currently in talks.

175. Another defeat

A week ago, Minato's team infiltrated Amegakure and rescued the Kazekage Rasa, who was being controlled by Obito using genjutsu.

Upon receiving the news, the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya, immediately decided to personally lead a team to Amegakure, determined to wipe out the Konoha rogue ninja organization led by Obito Uchiha.

Of course, there was another important reason why Jiraiya, the Hokage, was alarmed: Nagato.

This disciple he once took in possessed the Rinnegan, which was said to be the same as that of the Sage of Six Paths. He was the prophesied child in the mouths of the Great Toad Sage, but now he was hanging out with Obito, Danzo, Orochimaru and their group.

Jiraiya was very uneasy about this, which is why he personally went to meet with Nagato and bring the latter back to the right path.

At this moment, in the office.

Jiraiya and Rasa are discussing a series of intelligence reports, attempting to find out the whereabouts of Obito and the others through analysis and investigation.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking at the door, followed by Minato Namikaze's voice:

"Lord Hokage, Lord Kazekage, just now, enemy traces were spotted in Amegakure."

Oh? So you've finally shown up?

Jiraiya and Rasa exchanged a glance and said, "Come in."

Minato pushed open the door and entered, kneeling on one knee before the two men. He went straight to the point and reported, "The barrier we set up has sensed the enemy's intrusion. We have now confirmed the identity of the enemy: Orochimaru."

Was he alone?

Upon hearing this familiar name, Jiraiya frowned and pressed for an answer.

"Yes, no more enemies have been detected yet. Orochimaru is heading towards the office building. My squad has already surrounded him. Please give further instructions, Hokage."

Minato reported the facts truthfully.

"Have your team members stay put and don't alert him. I'll go see him myself."

Jiraiya stood up, glanced at Rasa beside him, and asked, "Fourth Kazekage, do you want to come with me?"

“Of course.” Luo Sha also stood up.

Five minutes later.

The streets of Amegakure were deserted, with a torrential downpour, except for a man in a raincoat who slowly walked towards them from a distance.

"Why is it so quiet today?"

Orochimaru surveyed the streets on both sides, muttering to himself, a growing sense of unease creeping into his heart. In his memory, even during the heaviest rainstorms, there were still quite a few pedestrians on the streets of Amegakure, as rain was a common occurrence throughout the year.

Not right.

Orochimaru stopped, glanced at the tall building not far away, and decisively turned around, intending to leave this place.

It's a pity it's too late.

Whoosh whoosh.

The moment Orochimaru turned around, more than a dozen figures appeared from all directions, forming an encirclement that left him with nowhere to escape.

These people included ninjas from Sunagakure and Konoha, and the leader was someone Orochimaru knew very well.

"Orochimaru, we meet again."

Minato Namikaze took off his raincoat hood, revealing blond hair and a handsome face.

"It's you."

Orochimaru's pupils contracted, and his expression changed.

His mind raced, and within seconds he deduced that Konoha had received intelligence and arrived at Amegakure, taking advantage of Obito's absence to rescue the Kazekage Rasa and lay a trap.

Orochimaru was quite wary of Minato Namikaze, whose title of "Yellow Flash" was well-deserved.

Back when he hadn't yet defected from Konoha, Minato, as a rising star in the village, always outshone him, his senior, and even stole the appreciation and trust of his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Orochimaru harbored resentment and frustration over this matter.

If given the chance, he would love to have a one-on-one duel with Minato Namikaze to settle the score and resolve their grudges, but not now.

After all, he hadn't yet figured out a good way to counter the Flying Thunder God Technique, and besides, Minato Namikaze wasn't his only enemy.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru had the idea of ​​retreating and began to back away step by step.

Just then, another voice that Orochimaru knew all too well came from the rain.

"Orochimaru, don't even think about escaping. With me here today, you won't get away unscathed." As soon as he finished speaking, a tall figure, surrounded by a group of Konoha ANBU, appeared on the street.

"Jiraiya".

Orochimaru's expression darkened further upon recognizing the newcomer, and he forced a smile. "What brings you here too?"

"Orochimaru, I know everything you've been up to in Amegakure. Danzo, Obito, and Nagato—weren't they with you at Ryuchi Cave to learn Sage Mode? Why did you come back alone?"

Jiraiya took two steps forward and questioned Orochimaru with a serious expression.

"Are you interrogating me, Your Excellency Fourth Hokage? What will happen if I don't answer? Will you kill me with your own hands?"

Orochimaru's tone was sarcastic.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya sighed, his tone softening, and opened his arms to Orochimaru:

“You don’t need to do this. For the sake of our years of friendship, as long as you reveal the whereabouts of the others and come back to Konoha with me afterwards, I can let bygones be bygones and pretend that nothing happened.”

It's clear that he desperately wants to win back Orochimaru, his former best friend, and doesn't want to see him make one mistake after another until it's beyond redemption.

"So, is this your charity to me? Unfortunately, I don't want it."

Orochimaru's expression turned cold, and he refused outright.

He was an arrogant person with a strong sense of self-respect. He was a genius who far surpassed ordinary people from a young age. He had a smooth life and was recognized as the leader of the three legendary ninjas of Konoha. He was once a candidate to succeed the Fourth Hokage.

But now, he's abandoned by everyone, reduced to a rogue ninja, forced to live a life of constant hiding. Meanwhile, Jiraiya, whom he once considered a loser, has transformed into the Hokage, enjoying immense prestige.

The disparity between these two events was so great that Orochimaru felt very unbalanced and couldn't accept it.

Faced with Orochimaru's refusal, Jiraiya shook his head, the regret for his former best friend vanishing from his eyes, replaced by the decisiveness of a Hokage.

"Konoha ninja, heed my command! Capture the rogue ninja Orochimaru!"

With Jiraiya's sharp shout, a group of Konoha ninja, led by Minato Namikaze, immediately launched a fierce and rapid attack on Orochimaru.

"Humph."