Warlock Invasion of Naruto.

"What?"

"How is Scorpion doing? I want to teach him myself."

“No need, I’m already teaching him puppetry.” Chiyo replied stiffly. She paused at the door, then continued, “If he’s willing, you can teach him after I finish teaching him puppetry. That child is a genius at puppetry! One day, he will kill White Fang with his own hands and avenge his parents.”

"I look forward to that day!" the Third Kazekage said solemnly.

He was also heartbroken by the deaths of Chiyou and Baisha.

He is already over forty years old, and by the time the next Shinobi World War arrives, he will probably be fifty, at the end of his prime as a ninja. He must cultivate a new candidate for Kazekage as soon as possible.

The Third Kazekage wanted to teach Sasori partly to make up for his guilt towards that child, and partly because he felt that Akashi and Shirasa's child was definitely not an ordinary person.

"By the time of the next Shinobi World War, the Sannin will probably have truly grown up."

The Third Kazekage watched Chiyo's departing figure with a sorrowful expression.

Sunagakure has many powerful Jonin, but they are mostly over thirty-five years old.

In this great battle, even the three Sannin working together could contend with him. In a few more years, the three Sannin will become even stronger, while he will soon be on the decline.

And there's also the even more troublesome Konoha White Fang.

In the next great battle, White Fang will only be over forty, and his strength will be even more terrifying.

Although White Fang is very strong, the Third Kazekage is confident that he can defeat him in a head-on battle.

However, White Fang never appears on the front lines. Instead, he serves as a sharp blade for Konoha, ready to pierce the heart of Sunagakure at any moment, causing internal turmoil.

The deaths of Akane and Shirasa dealt a fatal blow to Sunagakure.

The deaths of Sunagakure's two most outstanding elite Jonin directly led to a generational gap in the number of strong individuals capable of leading the next generation.

That's the most dangerous thing!

"Damn White Fang!" the Third Kazekage cursed inwardly.

Why is Konoha always so lucky? Geniuses keep emerging one after another, and they keep dying off one generation after another, but they just never run out of talent!

This time, they finally managed to kill Konoha's elite Jonin, Kato Dan, but Konoha still has many troublesome figures, and they will only get stronger.

It's so enviable!

......

The war ended quickly.

In August of Konoha Year 37, Shiraha followed Orochimaru's army back home.

The welcoming procession from the village stretched from the east gate all the way to the west street; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a ten-mile-long welcoming party.

The Third Hokage personally led three elders to the main gate to greet them, an honor that no one else had ever enjoyed.

Orochimaru's reputation soared, and the calls for him to become the Fourth Hokage rivaled those for White Fang.

Under the leadership of the Third Hokage, the village held a memorial service for all the ninjas who had died since the outbreak of World War II.

Bai Yu, dressed in black, arrived at the Konoha Cemetery early in the morning.

Everyone stood solemnly in front of the rows of tombstones.

Only a few were buried in peace; most of the fallen ninjas could only leave their names on memorial tablets.

As the Third Hokage delivered his impassioned and poignant speech, many ninjas couldn't help but shed tears.

"Death is a terrible thing." Bai Yu stood in front of the tombstone, his heart filled with emotion.

If it were him who died, Kushina and Nawaki would be standing here crying right now, and Tsunade would probably be very sad too.

Bai Yu's previous life as a wizard was not entirely voluntary. He was initially led by a wizard, but later, for the sake of his family's growth, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure hardship.

The wizard pursues the truth, and he does enjoy exploring the unknown, but for him, this is not his whole life.

Ultimately, even an apprentice with exceptional talent in their previous life wasn't guaranteed to become a wizard.

Even if they become official wizards, the vast majority of them will only remain at level one for their entire lives.

Level 4 "Star Wizards" only appear in history and legends. Perhaps even the powerful figures who destroyed the academy back then didn't possess Level 4 abilities.

Having experienced this great battle, Bai Yu gained a new understanding of life.

More than truth and exploring the unknown, eternity is what he truly seeks!

Bai Yu suddenly felt that he had found his true purpose in life.

Outside the crowd, Orochimaru stood alone in a corner, quietly watching everything, as if he were independent of this world, and that everything was irrelevant to him.

Orochimaru remained standing there until everyone else had left.

"Orochimaru-sensei." Bai Yu approached Orochimaru.

Life is so fragile. Perhaps only eternity has meaning...

Orochimaru glanced at Shiroba, remained silent for a long time, and then uttered this sigh.

10132235

[Chapter 61. Primary Cell Experiments]

The Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Orochimaru alone.

"Orochimaru, you performed exceptionally well in this war!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and gave it high praise.

"Yes, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru nodded slightly, his expression unchanged in the face of his teacher's praise.

After this major battle, he felt somewhat disheartened.

If the war ends so hastily, what will become of Konoha when the next war comes? And how many familiar faces will lose their lives?

The meaning of life should not be this pointless struggle!

"Take a good rest for now." Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed his disciple's mood, but he believed that Orochimaru was a mentally strong person and would definitely be able to adjust his mindset quickly.

"Yes."

"I'll need you to carry out a mission in a while," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, changing the subject.

Orochimaru asked in a calm tone, "What mission?"

"Monitor Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "The Root has now completely broken away from the village's control and become Danzo's personal organization. It must be restricted."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow; it was just another round of political intrigue and backstabbing.

"Yes, I understand." Although he felt a little annoyed, he didn't show it and chose to accept it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction, still having great trust in Orochimaru's abilities.

"The Wood Release experiment..." Orochimaru's eyes changed slightly; this was what he was most concerned about.

"Tsunade strongly opposed it, and with so many casualties, after unanimous discussion among the higher-ups, it was decided to stop the experiment," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.

Orochimaru frowned slightly: "The experiment can be stopped, but I need the First Hokage's cells."

"I can grant you this request, but you must do it in secret and not reveal it until you have achieved results."

Hiruzen Sarutobi reminded him.

Just like the Second Hokage developing forbidden techniques and researching the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, which couldn't be made public, the village didn't care too much about the process once the results were achieved.

He was also telling Orochimaru that once he had achieved something, he should hand it over to the village.

Orochimaru added, "I need a few assistants, and Shiraha will come to help."

“He’s your subordinate, so naturally he’s under your command.” Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a smile, then asked, “What do you think of Shiraha?”

Orochimaru didn't quite understand what he meant.

"Since you think so highly of Bai Yu, why not just take him as your disciple?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly stated this.

"But what about Tsunade..." Orochimaru hesitated.

“You’re taking him on as a disciple, but that doesn’t mean he has to inherit your legacy. Bai Yu belongs to Konoha Hospital, so he can naturally continue to receive Tsunade’s guidance. I don’t think Tsunade will object to that. Also, if you think Chiho and Eito are good too, then take them on as well!”

"I understand."

......

With the three kingdoms of Wind, Fire, and Earth formally forming an alliance, life will return to its former tranquility.

As for how long it can last, nobody knows.

During his free time, Bai Yu secretly studied the white creature he had captured last time.

Before long, news spread throughout the village that Orochimaru had taken him, Uchiha Chiho, and Hyuga Hideto as his disciples.

Immediately afterwards, the news that Bai Yu was the true inventor of the [Healing Scroll] spread from somewhere and became common knowledge.

As a result, Bai Yu's reputation soared.

Many ninjas regarded him as the next 'medical expert'.

Through various channels, Bai Yu discovered that his name had appeared on the black market's bounty list, with a bounty of 20 million taels of silver for his head.

Bai Yu mentally cursed the ancestors of the higher-ups for eighteen generations.

What happened to the promise of internal confidentiality?!

......

Konoha Village, East Gate.

"Lord Orochimaru."

The two ninjas guarding the gate bowed respectfully upon seeing Orochimaru.

Bai Yu followed Orochimaru out of the village.

Normally, entry and exit from Konoha Village requires registration, and one cannot leave the village at will without a high-level certificate.

However, there are always exceptions. Ninjas like the Sannin and White Fang, who frequently undertake high-level missions, have the right to freely enter and leave Konoha.