"What a foolish move, Teacher Sarutobi..."

Sending the Anbu to chase him, in Orochimaru's eyes, was a very stupid decision.

Although he had never served in the Anbu, he had planted many pawns inside, Kakashi was not the only one.

Moreover, he had once been the deputy leader of Danzo in the Root, commanding the Root for a period of time. As a branch of the Anbu, many things were interconnected between them.

Only that the means of the Root were more ruthless and cold-blooded than those of the Anbu.

Not striking him down immediately at the first instance, missing that only chance to capture him, Orochimaru realized his once-respected teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had his sharpness and decisiveness worn down by the years.

Is it a sigh?

No, there is only sorrow.

And fear.

He absolutely would not become like this.

Immortality! Eternal life! That was his true pursuit!

His path did not align with Konoha's values and ethics. Rather than this, it was better to cut it off early and leave this village, to pursue his ideals and life to the fullest.

Running through the forest in the dead of night, a smile that could no longer be contained surfaced on his face, carrying a hint of sinister vibe.

A long tongue lightly licked the edge of his lips.

Freedom and dreams awaited him ahead.

As for those Anbu chasing him from behind, Orochimaru never took them to heart.

He understood the Anbu's capabilities very well.

Despite their impressive strength, if more than four squads gathered, they could pose a significant obstacle to him.

But the premise was that they had to catch up to him first.

Although he had been momentarily stopped by Jiraiya earlier, now running at full speed, the Anbu's pursuit skills couldn't keep up with his pace.

Just as he thought so, an intense blaze erupted behind him, a forest-consuming inferno swept across the border like a gigantic tidal wave, almost upon him, making Orochimaru frown.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

While leaping through the air, his hands formed seals, and a massive and sturdy earthen wall stood up behind him.

The fire waves crashed into the wall, immediately erupting with thunderous roars.

Although the Fire Style was successfully held back, his movement also stalled for a moment.

Two figures swiftly emerged from the rear, flashing to Orochimaru's front, intercepting his path.

Orochimaru saw clearly it was a male and a female Anbu, wearing the signature masks of the Anbu, and he licked his tongue, chuckling softly, "Didn't expect you two to come personally. So, do you also want to stop me?"

Though he wore a smile, he was secretly on high alert.

The man and woman were his teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son and daughter-in-law, Sarutobi Ryu and Sarutobi Linko.

Ninjas of the same generation as him.

Unlike the three Sannin, these two had showcased exceptionally strong talent early on, being promoted directly into the Anbu as Squad Leaders.

Later, within two years, they became sub-captains. With their accomplishments continually rising, they now held the positions of Minister and Deputy Minister of Anbu, commanding all Anbu members of Konoha.

Individually, they might not match the Sannin, but these two were almost inseparable. Orochimaru figured he could easily fail against them.

Facing these two was much more troublesome than dealing with Jiraiya.

"Come back with us, if possible, we hope not to see the blood of former comrades!"

Sarutobi Ryu stepped forward, sighing at Orochimaru.

Since he was familiar with the Sannin, and Orochimaru was the most gifted among them, he had always looked up to and envied Orochimaru as a role model.

In his impression, almost nothing could stump Orochimaru.

At the moment of Orochimaru's defection, it was hard for him to believe that Orochimaru would so decisively defect from the village, performing unspeakably evil human experiments on fellow ninjas from the same village… Even if experimental subjects were needed, they could be applied for from above. In the position of Anbu Minister, sometimes research into ninja techniques and medical ninjutsu inevitably required human experimentation.

He wouldn't blame Orochimaru for anything.

It was just something they couldn't publicly admit.

"Seems I've been underestimated too, but your appearance here should not be Teacher Sarutobi's decision, right?"

Orochimaru inquired.

"This has nothing to do with the Hokage's will. The Hokage is old, may spare you as his disciple, but we will not. Any ninja that threatens the village, annihilation becomes the duty of the Anbu."

Sarutobi Ryu spoke these words indifferently.

Beside him, Sarutobi Linko also stepped forward, her voice cold, saying, "The knowledge, intelligence, and skills you possess are Konoha's exceptionally precious wealth. If this power no longer belongs to Konoha, then it must be destroyed! Coming back with us is your only chance for survival!"

Orochimaru sighed inwardly, knowing this battle was unavoidable.

For these two, though they were Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son and daughter-in-law, they were not indecisive people.

Though not as extreme as Danzo's militant ideology, they showed no mercy for potential threats to Konoha.

The bloodthirsty aura from the two was no less than his own.

Seeing Orochimaru also gathering his strength in secret, Sarutobi Ryu and Linko knew this battle was inevitable. Orochimaru was determined to leave the village, and mere words wouldn't bring him back.

Though they were reluctant to engage in a life-and-death struggle with a former comrade, considering the knowledge, intelligence, and skills possessed by Orochimaru, should he manage to escape successfully, it would pose an enormous loss to Konoha.