Double-transformation: I, Sakura Haruno! Will crush the pirates!

The old man in front of him was already a handful, not to mention that Sakura Haruno would be coming over later with her hands free.

"Did it fail...?"

Orochimaru sighed and raised his hands to form hand seals.

"Don't think about it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the opponent's attack and swung his Vajra Staff with force.

The whistling iron rod suddenly extended, its hard body, comparable to that of a diamond, unleashing a fierce hurricane.

In an instant, a deafening roar erupted.

Orochimaru desperately summoned venomous snakes, which spewed forth the jungle of Kusanagi swords, piercing towards the Vajra Ruyi Jingu Bang.

However, the frost spreading from the ground froze the snakes, and under the influence of the frost, the impact toughness of the Kusanagi Sword decreased sharply.

The staff shattered into ice shards the moment it touched the Vajra Staff, then swept past all obstacles towards Orochimaru.

"not good!"

Orochimaru raised his arms and crossed them to block his side.

At the same time, the roar and power of the club surged into his body in an instant, filling his limbs and bones, causing Orochimaru's face to contort. Under the domineering power of the Monkey King, he was broken in half and flew backward.

It smoothly and effortlessly detached from the earth, swirling in the air and drawing a long arc.

It shattered the earth, plowed through the soil and rocks, and slid down to a girl's feet like a lump of mud.

"Oh, you've come here to cool off too?"

Sakura bent down, and the shadow of her upper body blocked Orochimaru's view.

"Haruno Sakura..., do you really want to be the guardian of this decaying windmill?"

Lying in a pool of blood, Orochimaru struggled to lift his head and meet those pure white eyes.

"No, I can't!"

Sakura stroked the fur of Leviathan in her arms and gently shook her head.

"Then why...cough cough"

Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he coughed violently, pulling at his chest where Sakura had slapped him a few days earlier.

"Because I see a better future, and the young people have grown up, so the old folks of the old era should just retire obediently!"

As she spoke, Sakura spread her five fingers and made a grasping motion in the air. Ice crystals grew in her hand, forming a giant ice axe.

Armament Haki wrapped around him, its terrifying aura surging and roaring, and it was about to strike him.

"Hmph, you arrogant brat, you're still a long way from making us leave the stage!"

Orochimaru, who was originally extremely weak, opened his mouth to a position that no human could make, and two hands reached out from it.

Using the Orochi-ryu Substitution Technique, Orochimaru left all the damage in the upper layer of skin, and with his hands still intact, he formed hand seals and exhaled a large amount of smoke.

Orochimaru, now transformed into a demon in the smoke, didn't launch a sneak attack; all he could think about was making his escape as quickly as possible.

He then unleashed his masterful earth-attribute chakra, and his body began to slowly dissolve under the influence of the chakra, seeping into the ground through the cracks that Sakura had previously broken.

However, there was a man present who knew him better than he knew himself, and outside the smoke, he formed the "巳" (snake) mudra with his hands.

"Earth Release: Open the Earth and ascend to the Hori!"

With Hiruzen Sarutobi's deep shout, a volcano rose from the ground, its chakra absorbing all surrounding objects that also possessed Earth Release chakra, spewing it into the sky.

"Varied...."

Taken aback, Orochimaru felt a bright light before him, and then he was propelled into the sky by a suction force.

When he stared intently, he finally saw Hiruzen Sarutobi with a smug smile on his lips.

"Damn old thing!"

Orochimaru clenched his teeth, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He then raised his hand, dipped it in blood, formed a hand seal, and slapped it in the air.

—The art of spirit communication!

A chilling cloud of smoke billowed up, and a massive shadow twisted and fell from the sky.

"Orochimaru, you bastard! I haven't even settled the score with you yet, and now you're summoning me from mid-air again!"

The monstrous snake tore through the smoke, cursing and swearing, and raised its enormous head.

It had already sworn in Ryuchi Cave that if Orochimaru didn't give it a thousand offerings this time, it would never be able to appease him again!

"I'll talk to you... Ahhh!"

Manda, who had originally intended to raise its tail to negotiate, let out a shrill scream when it saw the girl approaching it.

In its final moments, it realized... it had been sold.

A terrifying axe light erupted from Sakura's hand, mixed with freezing air powerful enough to freeze everything and bring death.

"Eighty—the Commander-in-Chief!"

In an instant, the entire smoke screen was cleanly and decisively cleaved open, and the myriad snakes were also torn apart along with it.

The smooth cut extended straight upwards from the giant serpent's tail, spraying out copious amounts of blood that then froze, forming a scarlet mist that fell onto the earth.

'There's no escaping it....'

Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of him, Sakura riding Leviathan behind him, and Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were restrained by the shadows of the two villages in the audience, and made a decision.

His lower body was transformed into a snake-like form through the soft implantation, and he shot out like a giant python on a hunt.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his staff to strike upwards, but Orochimaru dodged it by tilting his head. Orochimaru then climbed onto the Vajra Staff and quickly approached Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Orochimaru, don't even think about it!"

The Monkey King roared, and an arm extended from the surface of the staff, grabbing Orochimaru's snake tail.

Without hesitation, Orochimaru, who was in a state of flux, opened his mouth and spat out a large amount of chakra, using the Orochimaru Substitution Technique to shed his outer skin.

"Oh no, Sarutobi, let me go!"

The Monkey King's retracted arm now had a snakeskin attached to it. Upon seeing this, it quickly reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Sakura was catching up from behind, and they were just one last moment away from victory.

"Uh!"

However, after the intense battle, coupled with the fact that the elderly Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction speed was not as good as before.

He was a beat too slow to throw off the stick and was entangled by Orochimaru's snake body.

"Orochimaru, you bastard..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled as he raised his head, a feeling of suffocation constantly flooding his consciousness. His lungs felt like a broken bellows, emitting muffled gasps.

"Sarutobi-sensei, please help me one last time!"

Orochimaru opened his mouth and bit down on Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder.

To be honest, he was reluctant to give up this body, which he had used for nearly eight years and had an extremely high compatibility with, so he was also reluctant to do so easily. Moreover, after the soul transfer, there would be a three-year interval between casting spells.

But to escape this deadly trap, this is the only option left.

—Ninja Art: Reanimation Jutsu!

Instantly, azure chakra flowed from Orochimaru's mouth and crashed into Hiruzen Sarutobi's body. Wherever it passed, white spots began to appear on the old man's skin, rapidly spreading and multiplying as if it could endlessly self-replicate.

"Orochimaru, have you gone mad?"

Sakura, who was about to swing her axe, showed a rare moment of hesitation.

The other two in the audience finally reached their limit and attacked those who were blocking them without hesitation. After blowing away Onoki and Raikage A, Jiraiya and Tsunade rushed into the arena.

Onoki and Raikage A dared not stop them any longer, because they both sensed a hint of madness emanating from the people of Konoha.

"Orochimaru!"

Enraged, Tsunade ignored the blood on the scene and rushed to the "person" in front of her, whose appearance kept changing, and grabbed him by the collar.

"So, are you going to lay a hand on the old man's body?"

Orochimaru's cold laughter came from Hiruzen Sarutobi. When the old man raised his face, his pupils had turned into golden snake eyes.

Orochimaru glanced around at his old friends, his gaze finally settling on Sakura Haruno.

"You clearly have the means to come back to life, so why put on this ugly act? Or do you really hate the old man that much?"

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and dappled sunlight streamed down from the heavens. Sakura stood in the dappled sunlight, past Tsunade and Jiraiya, looking at Orochimaru's struggling face in the shadows.

"..."

Orochimaru remained silent. The resentment he had harbored for decades towards the village and Hiruzen Sarutobi surged up, making it difficult for him to quell his anger!

"So this is what you were thinking."

An aged voice rang out from Orochimaru's mouth, and half of his pale face shattered to reveal Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled face.

"You... how is this possible!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened, his shock evident in his expression.

Due to the effects of the Reanimation Jutsu, the personality and soul of the vessel should have been completely obliterated! Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi was able to escape even after he had already won?

"It's ridiculous. I've always been proud of nurturing the three of you, but in the end, I couldn't even detect the disappointment in the heart of my most beloved disciple. As a teacher and as Hokage, I've really... failed in my duty."

The fusion of soul and memory allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi to understand the origins of Orochimaru's resentment towards the village, and the terrifying beast that his ever-expanding desire for power had created.

Danzo, Orochimaru, Shisui, Itachi... one by one, ninjas who should have become protectors of the village were sent to the opposite side by his indecisiveness, turning Konoha into a meat grinder for talent over the next ten years.

Unfortunately, it's too late for regrets now; all that can be done is to do one's best to fulfill the duties of a Hokage.

"Orochimaru, let me teach you one last ninjutsu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, a look of death flashing in his eyes.

The half of his body that had regained control began to form hand seals with one hand, and he unleashed a ninjutsu that Orochimaru had never seen before.

"Wait, old man, stop!"

Sensing the resolute determination emanating from the other's soul, Orochimaru's expression suddenly changed.

"Orochimaru, I wonder if our passing can become the wind that makes the windmill of Konoha turn again in your heart?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi completed the hand seals, his fingers resting on the "Ren" seal. This was the beginning of the first ninjutsu Hiruzen Sarutobi taught Orochimaru, and also the end of their lives together.

—Ninja Art: Corpse Demon Sealing Technique!

"Damn it!"

Half of Orochimaru's face roared in resentment.

"Sarutobi-sensei!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade felt a wave of sorrow, a sorrow that pierced their hearts!

"You old geezer... sigh!"

The frost on Sakura's body dissipated, revealing her emerald eyes to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Don't bow down to me, times are changing."

"I'm leaving the rest to you!"

The three figures were reflected in Hiruzen Sarutobi's cloudy pupils, and he shouted with all his might.

"Blockdown—!"

Chapter 153 The Fifth Generation and Policies

Konoha 64, Konoha Village.

Orochimaru, the instigator of the turmoil, died, Rasa, the assistant, was killed, and the remaining enemy ninjas were either killed or captured.

After enjoying the intense blessings in various departments of the Anbu and Konoha, the two remaining Hokage assistants issued a summons.

Invite numerous political forces in Konoha to participate in this grand event, to change the dynasty... oh no, I mean to hold a meeting.

The massive Hokage Building was cleared out in advance, and numerous guard ninjas surrounded the building in layers.