"The First Hokage's grave... it's been desecrated." the jonin said again. "The only ones capable of this would be someone from Konoha."

  The report from the joni everyone's mind spinning. And it wasn't hard to guess why.

  However, everyoed differently to this news.

  "Impossible..." Minato whispered as he and Hiruzen stood utterly shocked.

  Minato, in particur, found it absurd. He had anticipated that this mission might reveal some unsavory truths, but… It involved the First Hokage himself?

  Danzō's eyes narrowed as he gnced between the rep jonin and Minato. If Orochimaru loses trol now, everything falls apart.

  The Sannin were also taken aback.

  Well, only Jiraiya was truly shocked, his face twisted in disbelief.

  Orochimaru remaiionless, already preparing to use his Orochimaru-Style Body Substitution Jutsu, his fiwitg ever so slightly.

  Tsunade was frozen in disbelief. So the experiments opped. Even after everything...

  After Tobirama's leftover cells were used up, the Senju had aba.

  A chill ran from her feet all the way to her head.

  The disba of the Senju artially tied to the Wood Release experiment, which had directly led to their decision to dissolve their identity and ie into the broader ninja unity.

  Hiruzen and the others khis but still restarted the experiment. And now, they'd even vioted the First Hokage's coffin. They had been students personally trained by Hashirama and Tobirama!

  What a joke.

  In the face of the power of Wood Release, the boween master and disciple meant nothing.

  If this was how Hashirama was treated, what hope did she have?

  At that moment, Tsunade wasn't even angry anymore. Her fury, her sorrow—she had exhausted all of it.

  She was tired. She made a decision: she would leave this pce.

  Far, far away.

  It was at that moment that a loud shout erupted from the se.

  "Orochimaru! What are you doing?" The Uchiha jonin's voice rang out.

  Due to their previous standoff with the ANBU, all the Uchiha present had their Sharingan activated and immediately noticed Orochimaru's suspiovements.

  Though Orochimaru-Style Body Substitution differed from the standard substitution teique, it shared orait: it was a jutsu.

  And as a jutsu, it emitted chakra, making it impossible to escape the dete of high-tier Sharingan under normal ditions.

  Among the gathered Uchiha, there were multiple wielders of three-tomoe Sharingan. Everyone's gaze soward Orochimaru.

  The figure standing in Orochimaru's pce shriveled under a gust of wind, revealing its true nature.

  "There!" shouted the Uchiha, lightning crag between their fingers as they leaped toward different spots on the ground. "He's trying to escape through the ground!"

  Their as instantly triggered the already high-strung ANBU. On instinct, a few ANBU holding shuriken threw them toward the Uchiha group.

  In that instant, two thoughts ran through everyone's mind:

  Orochimaru had gone insane and was doomed.

  Where oh did Hiruzen find these s and recruit them into the ANBU?

  However, the shuriken never reached the Uchiha.

  Masashi raised a hand, unleashing a wind jutsu that diverted the ons, then poi the ANBU.

  "They're in on it! Don't let them escape!" Whether or not the accusation was true, this was the perfect time to pin it on them.

  Even if it meant killing someht in front of Hiruzen, he wouldn't dare interfere. After all, he'd lose decades of his leadership credibility if he did.

  Sure enough, her Jiraiya nor Tsunade moved a muscle. Even those accused ANBU, though tense, didn't dare make a move either.

  Soon, the Uchiha swarmed them, tying them up securely.

  For the ANBU, this was the first time they had ever been so openly subdued by the Uchiha, but none of them dared resist.

  Meanwhile, the other ninja s sprang into a.

  "The Byakugan sees all deception today," the Hyūga leader decred as they activated their bloodline limit.

  The Aburame released their is in coordinated swarms, while the Inuzuka ninken's growls filled the air with menace.

  Just like during the ails' attack, these three s once again sided with the Uchiha.

  Not that they had much choice.

  "This situation requires... careful sideration," a Nara representative muttered as their , along with the Yamanaka and Akimichi, encircled the remaining ANBU instead, signaling their stance.

  As for the Sarutobi , they rallied around Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

  Danzō, meanwhile, stood alone, fnked by only a few Root ninjas. Orochimaru, you fool. You've damned us both! He silently cursed Orochimaru fing him into this mess.

  "Hokage-sama, the boratory erated by Root. Wheempted to search it, Root ninjas attacked us!" added the rep jonin. "Danzō-sama, care to expin?"

  The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimiinjas exged gnces and, without a word, shifted their attention to surround Danzō and his Root ninjas. They couldn't help but think he was doing them a favor.

  "What is there to expin?" Danzō replied coldly, gring at those around him. "I was trained by Tobirama-sama. In all my years, I've never done anything to betray Konoha. And you should know his."

  "Danzō-sama, care to expin?" repeated the jonin.

  Ign him, Danzō turo Minato. "Is this an attempt to frame me?"

  At this point, he could only hope Orochimaru escaped.

  But the odds were slim.

  With two Flying Thunder God users, tless Sharingan and Byakugan wielders, and even sensory ninjas on site, where could Orochimaru possibly run?

  Through sheer willpower?

  If he mao escape, Konoha might as well give up on being a major ninja vilge.

  "Please calm down," Minato said, his focus remaining on the ninja closing in on Orochimaru.

  The Snake Sannin couldn't escape, and Minato made sure of that.

  The illustrious reputation of the Sannin, the heroes who saved Konoha during the Third Great Ninja War, would no longer include Orochimaru.

  All because he crossed an unthinkable line.

  Boom!

  With a thunderous hat shook the earth itself, aire se of ground was forced apart.

  Manda emerged, carrying Orochimaru on its back.

  Despite the precise lightning strikes from several Uchiha jonin, which thwarted his attempt to escape underground, Orochimaru had no choice but to reveal himself.

  Surrounding him on all sides were Konoha ninjas from various s—over a hundred in total, including nearly twenty jonin.

  Faced with the t Manda, none of them flinched.

  Witnessing the se, Masashi teleported onto the battlefield using Flying Thunder God and summoned his own massive creature.

  With another deafening roar, the bake from before reappeared.

  Not to be outdone, Minato joined in, summoning a massive toad that matched Manda in size.

  "Orochimaru, surrender peacefully," he offered, granting him o shred of dignity. "Don't fet—you're one of the Sannin."

  "There's nothing more to say," Orochimaru replied coldly, his snake-like eyes narrowing. "If you want to stop me, blood will be spilled."

  "It'll only be your blood," Masashi said. "e , and you might have a ce to rot in prison."

  He made it clear: aside from the Konoha Prison, Orochimaru wouldn't be going aoday.

  With Minato and Masashi entering the fray alongside their giant summons, the crowd stepped back.

  "Step back, all of you!" A veteran jonin anded. "Those beasts could level the entire area!"

  The power of such summonis was undeniable—they were ons of mass destru otlefield.

  The giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave were known for their incredible physical strength, shrugging off ordinary ninjutsu, and their lightning-fast movements made them unparalleled in battlefield assaults.

  The toads of Mount Myōboku couldn't quite match this, but ohey started jumping, they were just as terrifying. Gravity was their ally, and a single body sm could crush dozens to death.

  Faced with such foes, Konoha's enemies often preferred to be trampled by a sher than suffer the indignity of being squashed by a toad—it was a matter of pride, after all.

  When Masashi had previously summoned a giant she crowd had already been shocked. But now, with two giant snakes and a hefty toad all on the field, they khey o make space.

  In a fsh, before the crowd could eve, Masashi anded Kuro to attack Manda.

  The mere movement of this massive summoni kicked up a storm of flying dust and rocks. Trees snapped like twigs uhe colossal serpents' weight.

  Otlefield, the two swisted into an eborate knot. Manda squinted, and it wasn't clear whether the snake felt pain or… something else.

  A sly smile spread across Orochimaru's face as he prepared ariking Shadow Shis time, he exerted tighter trol, with no room for missteps.

  The snake horde surged forward.

  Always the showman, Masashi thought as he watched the approag wave of serpents.

  Orochimaru's battle tactics always revolved around probing, trapping, substitution, and sneak attacks. With the regeive abilities and chakra reserves granted by Ryūchi Cave, he fought with calm precision.

  The Striking Shadow Snakes was one of his key capture moves, cealing within it the threat of surprise attacks and venomous strikes.

  But as a fellow ior of Ryūchi Cave's power, Masashi had a natural resistao Orochimaru's syle jutsu. After all, he was the one who had truly mastered Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode.

  As the snakes lunged, he remained unfazed. He swiftly formed a seal. If diplomacy fails, send them home.

  "Summoning Teique: Release!"

  Both giant snakes va once, and the bound Manda was sent home along with Kuro.

  "Well pyed, Masashi," Minato called from his position.

  Floating in midair, Masashi's face bore the Sage Mode markings. his Sage armor, which covered him from head to toe—including a facepte—he wielded chakra-shaped bdes.

  With a casual ssh, the Striking Shadow Surned into "Striking Shadow Snakes Snacks."

  Some snakes mao reach him, but their venomous fangs couldn't pierce the sage armor's defenses. In trast, with a mere thought, spikes emerged from the armor, swiftly skewering the attag snakes. Blood and scales rained down as the serpents were dispatched.

  This defense was as formidable as the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya .

  The two batants nded simultaneously.

  Orochimaru sed the surroundings, realizing all eyes were on him—especially Minato, standing atop a toad.

  He was well aware of the challenges posed by Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode. This ret exge further firmed that with Masashi present, his usual syle jutsu would be iive.

  Revealing more of his teiques would only put him at a strategic disadvantage. Perhaps it's time for a tactical retreat, his eyes narrowed slightly as he assessed his options.

  It was his inplete uanding of Masashi that had led him to make a rash appearance for Anko, only to be outmaneuvered by the Uchiha and give Minato a ce to exploit the situation.

  He had uimated both of them.

  "It seems I have no choice but to surrender," Orochimaru said, gng at the elevated ptform and assessing the situation with crity. "Minato, your ambitions are impressive."

  "Such decisiveness matches your reputation as the Yellow Fsh."

  He loathed inefficy, preferring swift, decisive a. Even Masashi had earned his approval for his quick reflexes and decisive moves.

  Being a bit sly was no problem; after all, trash talk was a on too.

  "If possible, I would rather not fight a former rade," Minato said from atop the toad, looking down at Orochimaru with regret. "And regarding your desecration of the First Hokage's remains, please cooperate fully in the iigation."

  "No problem. Should I be cuffed?" Orochimaru nontly extended his hands.

  As for the iigation, it was irrelevant to him. The Konoha interrogation squad was full of mediocrities who would likely be too intimidated to eve his gaze.

  The so-called iigation would probably just involve Jiraiya clumsily questioning him about his motives.

  As for Tsunade… o overthink. He would be gone soon anyway.

  Hiruren? Orochimaru knew his teacher too well.

  And then there was Danzō.

  It wouldn't hurt to enjoy a little show before leaving.

  "That won't be necessary," Minato said as he leapt off the toad and dispelled the summoning. "As one of the Sannin, you deserve proper respect."

  "Respect, huh? A bit old-fashioned, but whatever." Orochimaru lowered his hands.

  "Apologies for this." Even now, Minato maintained Orochimaru's dignity. With a single palm strike, he pced intricate sealing marks on the Sannin's body, suppressing his chakra.

  Afterwards, he handed Orochimaru over to the waiting Konoha shinobi.

  The jonin carefully restrained Orochimaru, treating him as if he were a tig time bomb.

  "No, no, yrip should be tighter here," Orochimaru ented, gesturing with his . "And that seal pattern would be more effective if you adjusted the flow points."

  Orochimaru, however, seemed amused. He tinued critiquing their teique, expining how they could secure him more effectively.

  To be fair, when it came to this sort of thing, he was indeed Konoha's top expert.

  The more professional he seemed, the more unhe jonin became.

  Meanwhile, Minato turo Masashi.

  "Shall we head to the Third Hokage?"

  "Of course, Hokage-sama." Masashi agreed readily.

  How could he not go? He had to. He was curious to see what cards Danzō had left to py.

  Ba his first life, he might have harbored bonds of camaraderie, but in this sed life, such ses were meaningless. People had ged, and so had the bonds. The past was just that—past.

  To make Konoha dominant, Danzō and his fa wouldn't hesitate to desecrate the grave of Hashirama himself.

  Masashi was vihat Danzō's as came from a pce of reverence for Hashirama. Strange as it sounded, it was true. Just like how a child might break their favorite t to see how it works.

  Simirly, he would have ation in eliminating Danzō if necessary.

  This applied to Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu as well. Even Minato and Kushina—if they became ehere would be no choice but to remove them, by any means necessary.

  Everyone would die eventually. If he was strong enough, he'd kill the threats ht. If not, he'd find other means. The Warring States Period had taught him this much.

  Uhe idealists who cimed to love all of humanity, Masashi was more ho with himself. He didn't love the world. He loved beauty. And food.