Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 81 On and Off the Field

Orochimaru's laughter was somewhat manic.

The Third Hokage was still under his control, but he knew very well that a single kunai posed no threat to his teacher's life. It was less a hostage situation and more a way to keep the dangerous enemy away from the crowd's allure. So, after revealing his true identity, he stabbed himself first. The pain cooled his overly intense emotions; he was eager to show his teacher his work and prove how foolish Konoha's expulsion had been.

He, Orochimaru, has broken the boundary between life and death and obtained true immortality!

"I've been so sleepy since earlier, but I'm finally awake now." Orochimaru was incredibly stubborn, releasing the Third Hokage as if nothing had happened. As for the guard who had held off the four-man attack on the defensive line, it could only be that guy. What a long-awaited reunion! How delightful it was to prove himself to these two who had rejected him.

"You are not someone who can be driven by hatred." Even now, the Third Hokage still clings to a delusional illusion, using words to end the battle between master and disciple.

"You have neither a purpose nor a motive..." Why not stop? It's not too late to stop now.

"Well, I guess you could say I have a purpose," Orochimaru said maliciously. "I find things that move interesting and things that don't move boring. A windmill that doesn't turn might occasionally seem interesting, but it's actually completely worthless. Anyway, I want to use the wind that destroys Konoha to turn the windmill."

This guy is definitely someone who can't sit still... It seems there's no need to say more.

"You're still the same as always."

The Third Hokage unveiled his Hokage robe. Having fought for most of his life, the old Hokage had never relaxed his self-discipline; beneath his robe was never casual attire, but a complete combat uniform. He had never lost the courage to sacrifice his life for protection! But Orochimaru's next words sank his heart, forcing him to confront the bitter truth of betrayal.

"Now that we've laid our backs on each other, Jiraiya, you can stop wearing that clown mask. Compared to my techniques, it's far too clumsy."

Jiraiya was unaware of his teacher's true purpose in instructing him to conceal his whereabouts, so it wasn't particularly surprising that Orochimaru saw through his disguise. Jiraiya's reason for leaving the village was to track down Orochimaru; the two had clashed secretly several times over the past decade, but Orochimaru had always managed to escape beforehand. Later, he completely disappeared, apparently under the protection of the Land of Rice Fields, where he established the Hidden Sound Village. Jiraiya's status prevented him from casually wandering around other ninja villages, thus missing a golden opportunity to ensure Orochimaru's capture.

Now, they have finally met.

"Orochimaru, where is the real Kazekage?"

"Hehehe, you will see him."

Kankuro and Temari's rescue efforts weren't as advanced as Gaara's, who was at the core of the plan. Shocked, Maki's first reaction was to rush to Gaara's side to stabilize him. With the true Kazekage nowhere to be found, Shukaku couldn't be allowed to appear. However, before he even landed, he was attacked with kunai. The previously nonchalant examiner suddenly swung his sword at him, seemingly harboring a grudge and wanting to eliminate him on the spot.

Genma Shiranui does indeed have a grudge against Maki. Hayate Gekko was once a bodyguard of the Fourth Hokage, and as a friend who fought side by side for many years, it's not a problem for him to avenge Maki's serious injury.

"Wait! The Kazekage has disappeared. Sunagakure may have been deceived! I must check on Gaara's situation! He's in danger!" Maki didn't retaliate but continued to defend, hoping to gain the trust of the Konoha ninja, even if only for a moment.

"Gaara isn't in danger, it's just that your Sand Village's sealing techniques are too weak." Naruto gracefully landed beside Sasuke, who was full of questions. After confirming that Sasuke was alright, he began to observe Gaara's condition, muttering, "Sasuke, you really went too far. Luckily, Gaara has Shukaku..."

"This guy was the one who attacked me first!" Sasuke jumped up and retorted, particularly resentful that Naruto was taking someone else's side. "When he hit me with his sand just now, he was going for the kill, and I was just quick enough to dodge it!"

Naruto didn't see anything wrong with it, and even expressed doubt, "When you fight me, you always aim for vital points, don't you know I can dodge?"

Seeing that the two rascals were about to start arguing, Genma had no choice but to sheathe his sword and return to the two seemingly unsuspecting children, fearing they might be attacked by enemies because of their quarrel. This natural retreat also gave Maki a chance to catch his breath. He immediately flashed to Gaara's side, who was clutching his left shoulder, and found that apart from being heavily chakra-depleted and injured, Gaara showed no other reaction. In the past, he would definitely have already begun to hear Shukaku's cries, and might even have uncontrollably shown signs of transforming into his complete form.

“I already said it’s a problem with the seal. Gaara won’t go berserk anytime soon. He can come back to me to break the seal once he’s settled things with Shukaku.” Naruto turned around and retorted to Maki in the middle of the argument, “What you should be doing now is ordering Sunagakure to stop the attack and taking Gaara to get treatment.”

Genma glanced at Naruto in shock. Even he, a Jonin, hadn't considered turning the enemy against them on the battlefield. How could this kid dare to do that? And what made him so sure that Maki had the right to stop the attack? Oh right, Naruto was the one who saved Hayate. Maybe Hayate revealed some information before he fainted.

While still in his hospital bed, Jifeng sneezed, completely unaware of the unexpected accusation he had been made a scapegoat for.

Maki was also shocked by these words. Knowing that asking a genin would be useless, he still couldn't help but ask, "If Sunagakure stops its actions, will Konoha not pursue the matter?"

How could that be? Does Sunagakure think alliances are something that can be torn up or repaired at will?

Genma was about to retort angrily, but Naruto beat him to it. He heard a twelve-year-old genin say, "Of course—impossible. Unless you're willing to pay a higher price, like helping Konoha repel the Sound Village's invasion. That way... when they settle accounts, they'll take your contributions into consideration and go easy on you."

...Kakashi-senpai, you've truly produced an extraordinary student...

Despite not being able to keep up with the train of thought, Genma still felt genuinely moved.

"...Are all Konoha's genin like this?" Maki was sweating profusely, still struggling with his thoughts.

The Kazekage's whereabouts are unknown, not definitively dead; it's too early for Maki to make a decision. He finally understands the limitations imposed by the seal. Did the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki know about the plan from the beginning, deliberately approaching Gaara to restrict his power? Because Gaara felt good after the seal was placed, they didn't realize that their trump card had been unknowingly seized by someone else! Even more terrifying, Gaara was even quite friendly towards that person, still staring at him even now!

If all Konoha ninjas are like this, then maybe we shouldn't fight any more wars, we might as well just give up...