Chương 189: The Aftermath of Orochimaru’s Defection

The night Orochimaru defected passed quietly within Konoha. The incident unfolded in a hidden laboratory on the village outskirts, handled entirely by ANBU operatives. Ordinary shinobi and villagers slept soundly, oblivious. Even the Namikaze household, once briefed on the situation, managed a peaceful night. What else could anyone do? Dongye zhen slept just as deeply. At dawn, when his Shadow Clones returned from the ANBU operation, their dissolution roused him briefly.

He lay back, eyes opening to absorb the incoming feedback, then turned over and went back to sleep. As expected, the ANBU found nothing—not a trace of Orochimaru remained. Jiraiya, returning in haste, had stayed awake all night. Guided by his intimate understanding of his old friend, he found Orochimaru and charged in, spouting words about friendship and bonds. Even so, despite Orochimaru's injuries, he could not bring his companion back.

No matter his strength, that snake's survival instincts and escape skills were flawless. His ability to flee was as honed as a master thief's craft—virtually maxed out. Hiruzen, too, had spent the night awake, stationed in the Hokage's office. He waited, torn between regret and anxiety, watching the events unfold. The sun rose, spilling light through the windows, illuminating the curling smoke from his pipe, dancing like the unrest in his own heart.

An ANBU operative appeared in a flash, kneeling on one knee before the desk. Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth and asked, "Have we apprehended him?"

"Apologies, Hokage-sama. We have found no sign of the target."

"Is that so." Hiruzen felt an unexpected relief. Perhaps, he thought, it was for the best that Orochimaru had fled.

"What is the village situation now?"

"Last night, while our focus was on Orochimaru, dozens of Konoha shinobi went missing. They were all former subordinates of his." Hiruzen was not surprised. His former disciple had always commanded a small band of loyalists. Their disappearance alongside him was unsurprising. These shinobi were mostly solitary, with no attachments in the village. He had never imagined Orochimaru would defect, so he had no plans against his loyal followers. Yet he hadn't anticipated the situation escalating this far.

By now, nothing could change the past.

"And the three disciples he led before?"

"Hyuga Tetsu and Akamichi Manabu were unaware, but according to intelligence from Dongye zhen, last night Orochimaru had Anko summon him to the eastern laboratory. When Dongye zhen arrived, the Orochimaru he encountered was only a shadow clone."

"Why summon this child?"

"Orochimaru had implanted a cursed seal in Anko. He seemed intent on doing the same to Dongye zhen, but he failed."

"A cursed seal?" Hiruzen's mind flashed to Orochimaru's obsession with forbidden techniques.

"What does it do?"

"It's unclear. Extremely dangerous. According to Dongye zhen, Anko almost died, though she's now stabilized and receiving treatment in the hospital." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"He wouldn't even care about his disciples' lives…" Hiruzen muttered.

"This man has truly lost his humanity. If I had known, I should have…" The ANBU before him, his eldest son, restrained himself. He could not openly criticize his father. After all, he was not the rebellious younger son.

"Hokage-sama, many of Orochimaru's subordinates remain in the village, including his three disciples. What shall we do next?"

"Have the intelligence unit interrogate them individually," Hiruzen decided.

"See what we can learn. But keep your methods restrained. They are still our shinobi. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" The ANBU rose to carry out the orders, but at the door, he paused, glancing back at his father, as if there was more to say.

"Something else?" This time he addressed him differently.

"Father, this morning Musashi came to tell me… Asuma—""Asuma? What now?"

"He left a letter… and ran away. He said he could no longer tolerate Konoha's state and decided to seek his own path in the shinobi world." Hiruzen: "…" The village, it seemed, was never short on troublemakers. Since the mission in the Land of Fields last year, Asuma had been contemplating this. Last night, sensing the upheaval caused by Orochimaru's defection, he finally reached his limit. The news from his team leader, Sarutobi Musashi, confirmed it. He could no longer abide by his father's authority.

Unable to manage his own disciples, Hiruzen could hardly expect to control his son. The rebellious youth chose to abandon comrades and the girl he cherished, stepping boldly into the unknown to untangle his own confusion.

"Father… should we send someone to retrieve him?" Hiruzen sighed, shaking his head.

"No. Let him go." By daybreak, rumors began circulating within Konoha. Most dismissed them. After all, they spoke of one of the Legendary Three Sannin, a war hero and the Third Hokage's disciple. A defection? Preposterous. Logic and reason seemed absent from any explanation. Yet as fragments of truth emerged, the villagers fell silent. What was there to debate? Criticize the Third Hokage's parenting? Complain about Konoha's treatment of talent? Such discussions might threaten their own standing in the village.

The consensus became clear: the leadership was in disarray. Konoha did not ban discussion. On the contrary, by the third day, the Hokage's office issued an official announcement: Orochimaru, having secretly stolen and studied forbidden techniques, conducted illegal human experiments, violating Konoha ninja code, and attacked fellow village shinobi, causing at least three ninja squad disappearances. Upon ANBU pursuit, he resisted and has now defected.

Effective immediately, Orochimaru is designated an S-rank missing-nin. All Konoha shinobi encountering him are authorized to apprehend or eliminate him. Any village providing shelter or aid to Orochimaru will be considered in direct defiance of Konoha, warranting retaliation. Having been mentally prepared, most Konoha shinobi barely reacted. Capture or kill one of the Legendary Sannin? Was this a joke? They knew their limits. Most would steer well clear of Orochimaru rather than risk their lives.

Outside Konoha, however, the announcement sent shockwaves across the shinobi world. Orochimaru was no unknown. His name was carved through sheer dominance over the other major villages. Shinobi were not rulers, yet their power made them untouchable by ordinary people. The actions of the Five Great Nations could tip the scales of war or peace. Orochimaru was among the select few atop the world stage. His defection was unthinkable. Responses varied.

In Sunagakure, Fourth Kazekage Rasa, now fully installed, studied the intelligence scroll with a sense of kinship. He had once felt guilty over Konoha's betrayal of Yugakure, but now, that final trace of remorse vanished. Konoha had done it first. He considered approaching Orochimaru. With his former standing in Konoha, the man commanded vast knowledge and techniques—something Rasa envied. Onoki, meanwhile, simply shook his head at the scroll. Konoha wasted talent, he thought. Over there, successors were abundant.

Over here, Onoki struggled to find even one. All he could do was lament silently: Sarutobi's incompetence, Konoha's disgrace—nothing could match the resilience and unity of Iwagakure. Alas, the Six Paths did not smile upon them. Kumogakure remained largely indifferent. They were still at odds with Konoha, no peace treaty in place. Even without Orochimaru on the northern front during the previous war, Konoha had not prevailed. His defection hardly weakened their enemies further.

Hiruzen remained, the Yellow Flash still lived, even that troublesome brat they often wanted in a wheelchair thrived. Yet the Fourth Raikage felt a quiet satisfaction. He and Orochimaru had history. Investigations confirmed that Orochimaru had orchestrated the rampage of the previous Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Buruubi—almost causing his death. Buruubi was the Fourth Raikage's cousin. Among the Five Great Nations, Kirigakure reacted the least to Orochimaru's defection.

The water ninjas were busy stirring trouble southeast of the Land of Fire and squabbling at home. Konoha's missing-nin hardly concerned them. After all, defection was nothing new in Kirigakure. It happened every day. No cause for alarm.