166 Rebellious Snake, Trust Your Hokage?

Looking at Simu standing before him, for a moment, Orochimaru couldn't tell who was the real Tailed Beast.

The shield in his hand had dimmed, and the flame-like red chakra around it had thinned significantly.

This was a clear sign—Orochimaru's chakra was running low, no longer enough to sustain the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror.

It was inevitable. Even the strongest warriors of the ninja world, even a legendary Sannin couldn't endure Simu's relentless assault for this long.

"Give up, Orochimaru."

Simu stood calmly, hands in his pockets, his tone light but firm.

Orochimaru's narrowed eyes gleamed with a dangerous aura.

With his signature raspy voice, he muttered:

"If I'm going to die anyway… no one knows what might happen until the very last moment."

"In that case..."

Simu smirked.

"Let's finish this."

The three Tailed Beasts opened their mouths in unison.

Dark spheres of compressed chakra—formed from the Yin-Yang attributes—began to take shape.

The overwhelming pressure of the Tailed Beasts flooded the already devastated battlefield.

Orochimaru's face froze.

But before he could react, an overwhelming sense of danger engulfed him.

Simu's lightsaber cut through the air at blinding speed, aiming straight for him.

The serpent head beside him instinctively raised the Yata Mirror, intercepting the strike.

Though the attack failed to break through, the Yata Mirror's glow visibly dimmed—a clear sign that it was weakening.

At that moment, the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb was launched.

The pitch-black sphere of condensed chakra surged forward, carrying a violent, all-consuming energy.

The sheer force of it pressed down on Orochimaru, suffocating and relentless.

"What a terrifying monster..."

Orochimaru's feelings toward Simu had long surpassed fear—they had turned into awe... and even dread.

This wasn't just a powerful ninja.

This was a being whose chakra reserves and abilities defied reason, surpassing everyone he had ever encountered.

His mind raced.

Desperately, Orochimaru raised the Yata Mirror, trying to block the Tailed Beast Bomb.

This legendary shield could resist all chakra-based attacks, including one formed from the Yin-Yang energy of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

Crimson flames roared, engulfing the powerful Tailed Beast Bomb in an instant.

The immense chakra within it was rapidly disintegrated, vanishing into the raging fire.

But Simu remained unfazed.

"He can block one with the Yata Mirror… but what about two? Or three?"

The moment Orochimaru neutralized the first attack, two more Tailed Beast Bombs came hurtling toward him from opposite directions.

This time, he had no escape.

Forced to choose, the giant white snake head lunged forward, biting down on the Yata Mirror, colliding with the Four-Tails' attack head-on.

But at that very moment—

BOOM!

The Five-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb exploded violently, tearing through the already shattered battlefield.

The sheer force of the blast ripped apart the rock formations, creating a massive abyss-like crater.

From the depths of the earth, rushing water erupted, flooding the ruins in an instant, forming a vast lake beneath Simu's feet.

And there, floating lifelessly on the surface—

A charred, blackened corpse.

Floating beside the charred corpse were a shield and a gourd—

The very legendary treasures Orochimaru had spent countless years searching for:

The Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror.

Simu smirked.

"Orochimaru really paid a heavy price to escape… He even abandoned these two legendary artifacts."

Two-Tails stood atop the water, the blue flames beneath its paws evaporating the lake, surrounding it in a thick mist.

Hearing Simu's words, it asked cautiously,

"Master Simu… You mean he's not dead yet?"

Four-Tails furrowed its brow.

Something felt off.

The Tailed Beast Bomb's power was undeniable.

Surviving an attack like that without some kind of safeguard was nearly impossible.

"That guy's really that good at slipping away?"

Simu's gaze sharpened, focusing on the depths below.

"Of course. After all, Orochimaru is known as the most elusive ninja alive."

His body swelled rapidly, transforming into a colossal dragon, stretching hundreds of meters into the sky.

"You three—step back."

His voice, now deep and commanding, echoed from above.

The three Tailed Beasts quickly retreated from the lake.

"Could he be preparing for…?"

Four-Tails hesitated, a realization creeping in.

Two-Tails swallowed hard.

"It seems like it."

Then, a massive pillar of fire roared down from the sky.

The searing heat instantly vaporized the lake's surface into thick steam.

Simu's flames poured out without end, burning wildly, turning the entire lake into a boiling cauldron.

Beneath the scalding water, a small white snake, barely half a meter long, floated lifelessly—its eyes rolling back.

But then, from its tiny mouth, Orochimaru's entire body slithered out.

He gasped, his expression grim.

"This guy… is truly terrifying."

He could still feel Simu's unyielding gaze locked onto him.

Soon, the groundwater gushing from below was nearly evaporated.

Orochimaru, seeing no other choice, made one last desperate move.

His body swelled before splitting apart into countless small white snakes, scattering in every direction.

Some burrowed into the ground, others slithered along the lake, while many rushed into the forest.

Orochimaru no longer had any intention of fighting Simu.

His only goal now was escape—at any cost.

But Simu wasn't about to let that happen.

"Killing him is a hassle," he thought.

If even one snake got away, Orochimaru would eventually return.

So…

Simu flashed forward, grabbing one of the escaping snakes.

Now severed into so many pieces, each snake was significantly weaker—no threat at all.

After capturing a sample, Simu dropped a [Sage Art: Nuclear Bomb] without hesitation.

The moment they sensed the familiar energy, the three Tailed Beasts instantly retreated into the distance.

A blazing white light erupted, swallowing everything.

Countless white snakes were reduced to nothing but shadows, completely erased by the overwhelming force.

When the light faded, all that remained was a vast, barren lake—

No, it was too massive to be called a lake.

With groundwater gushing in, it looked more like a newborn ocean.

Hovering high above on a flame cloud, Simu scanned every inch of the battlefield with Observation Haki.

No signs of Orochimaru. No surviving clones.

Except for the one snake still writhing in his grip.

But just as he confirmed Orochimaru's absence—

Simu noticed something else.

A lurking presence.

The intelligence expert of the Akatsuki—Black and White Zetsu.

Though they were masters of concealment, using their spore technique to attach to key individuals—

This time, they didn't go unnoticed.

Their ability to remain undetected allowed them to monitor the entire ninja world, gathering intelligence for Madara.

Ordinary reconnaissance ninjutsu could hardly detect them.

But against Simu's Observation Haki, their tricks were useless.

Still, now wasn't the time.

Simu withdrew his gaze and headed back to the village, the white snake still clutched in his hand.

Along the way, he deliberately avoided Jiraiya.

By now, Konoha was on high alert—

The entire village had entered Level-One Combat Readiness.

Ninjas stood battle-ready, while the village's advisors and all Jōnin had gathered.

Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, had defected—

A betrayal shocking enough to shake the entire ninja world.

After all, following the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had become symbols of Konoha's strength.

And Orochimaru wasn't just a legendary figure—

He was also a direct disciple of the current Hokage, practically family.

Yet, despite everything he had done for Konoha, he had still chosen to murder his own comrades and abandon the village.

Wasn't this a complete slap in Konoha's face?

And to make things worse, something unexpected had happened during Orochimaru's escape.

After a brief moment of shock, the village higher-ups wasted no time in calling for a Jōnin meeting.

At the meeting, Mitokado Homura, one of Konoha's senior advisors, asked in a serious tone:

"Hiruzen, did you really let him go?"

The Third Hokage sat at the head of the table, his hands clasped together.

All eyes were locked on him.

Even after years as Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen still felt the crushing weight of responsibility like a mountain, pressing down on his chest.

His gaze shifted to Uchiha Bakugo, who stood at the front.

It was hard to believe that Bakugo's arrival with the Uchiha police force and Anbu right after Orochimaru's escape was pure coincidence.

After all, as clan leader, Uchiha Bakugo wouldn't normally join night patrols himself.

Still, he had made sure to keep up appearances.

Clearing his throat, Hiruzen finally spoke:

"The responsibility for this… is mine."

Hiruzen looked around at the gathered shinobi, his aged eyes heavy with regret.

In a solemn tone, he spoke:

"It was my negligence. Orochimaru's illusion caught me off guard, and I missed the best opportunity to capture him."

"I take full responsibility for this."

Then, without hesitation, Sarutobi Hiruzen bowed deeply to everyone in the room.

It was a display of humility and accountability, befitting a wise and responsible leader.

But not everyone was convinced.

Uchiha Bakugo, nearly the same age as Hiruzen, stepped forward.

His voice was calm, but his words carried a sharp edge:

"With Lord Third Hokage's strength, even a moment of carelessness shouldn't have allowed Orochimaru to escape so easily."

"Has Orochimaru truly mastered illusions to such a degree?"

Though his tone remained neutral, the accusation was clear.

Before Hiruzen could respond, Danzo stood up and scolded:

"Uchiha Bakugo, watch your words! Do you think Hiruzen will cover up a traitor who murdered his own comrades?"

At this point, Danzo and Hiruzen were tied together—if one fell, the other would follow.

He had no choice but to defend Hiruzen and help him weather this storm.

Only then would he have the leverage to deal with Hanyu Simu's next move.

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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