Konoha: Start from untying the caged bird

Page 205

Fine, let's go check out Konoha.

If things are worthwhile, we can simply move to another place to continue our research. Konoha is now free of the Third Hokage and Danzo, and the Fifth Hokage doesn't seem like the kind of fool who wouldn't betray his cause. Who knows, going back might actually be a good thing.

Orochimaru had long admired Konoha's current research department. Rumor had it that its research equipment and progress far exceeded the average level of the ninja world, and were on a completely different level from the readily available and self-developed research equipment in his own village.

If things don't go well...

No problem. Just die right in front of Hyuga Yuzuru, then your soul will be resurrected, giving you a second life. Who knows, you might even fake your death again, change your name, and escape Konoha's pursuit.

The only question is whether Hyuga Yuzuru knows about or is able to stop his own life-saving methods.

Orochimaru remained silent for a long time, torn between going or not going, turning himself in or running away, until finally, his phone, which he had placed on the table, suddenly rang.

A photo was sent over.

He opened it and his expression changed slightly.

A vast basin appeared before us, with fragments of meteorite debris piled up almost like a chaotic mountain, and upside-down, collapsed trees...

"Please make a wise judgment."

This time there was no signature, but it was clear from the number that it was sent by Hinata Yuzuru.

Orochimaru could spot the familiar shattered remains of Rashomon with just a glance. As a veteran ninja, he could roughly deduce what had happened on the original battlefield from the traces of the battlefield.

Unsurprisingly, this is the battle scar between Hyuga Yuzuru and a powerful ninja. Judging from the meteorite-like shattered marks, the opponent is very likely Pain, the Akatsuki leader who was famous throughout the ninja world at the Chunin Exams that day.

Only the opponent could unleash such a terrifying attack.

But at that moment, Hinata Yuzuru was able to send a text message telling himself not to do anything foolish...

understood.

Orochimaru's mind suddenly became clear.

He left the laboratory and looked at the recent newspapers. Unsurprisingly, he saw news about a sudden earthquake in the newspapers of the Sand Kingdom.

The aftershocks of the battle alone caused a sizable earthquake, and Orochimaru scoffed at the news of the falling meteor that was published in the newspapers.

meteor?

If such a large meteorite were to fall from outer space, it would smash the entire planet to pieces.

A bunch of ignorant idiots.

Orochimaru lost interest in his research and stopped what he was doing to start packing up.

If nothing unexpected happens...

This time, things look grim.

But Orochimaru's expression wasn't particularly gloomy; instead, he chuckled softly, his long, thin tongue licking his lips with a look of pleasure.

Running away is out of the question. The only option seems to be to stay in the Konoha detention center and try to make amends for his crimes... which doesn't seem so bad, does it?

...

The news of Orochimaru's return to Konoha was known only to a very small circle of people.

Upon arriving in Konoha, he and his ninja entourage were personally escorted by Itachi Uchiha to a temporary prison within Root to await sentencing.

Orochimaru remained calm, and seeing his composure, his subordinates also calmly accepted Konoha's arrangements, being sent to the Root's private rooms. Orochimaru deserved his fate, but the rest of his subordinates were somewhat innocent victims.

Even so, it still sparked a considerable discussion within Konoha.

A small group of ninjas believed that Orochimaru should be sentenced to death, just like Danzo, for the mistakes he made.

They were unaware that Danzo still had a head, which was being held captive with Hidan and was now being 'forced' to atone for his crimes.

Some ninjas also believe that Orochimaru was once the pride of Konoha, and that Danzo and the Third Hokage were not immune to blame for the mistakes he made in Konoha. They were merely accomplices and should be treated leniently.

After all, the other party had shed blood for Konoha, and whether he shed tears or not is unknown, but he has obviously made contributions to Konoha.

The first human experimentation in Konoha was approved by the Third Hokage. Subsequent private human experiments were conducted by Root members who paved the way for Orochimaru. In any case, he could not be considered the 'chief villain'.

Some people also believe that the current death penalty provisions in Konoha were only established after Orochimaru's defection, and that using the sword of the present to execute an official of the previous dynasty is slightly inappropriate from a legal point of view.

Even Hyuga Yuzuru hadn't expected that Orochimaru's matter would involve Konoha's current rule of law versus rule of man. But without a doubt, this matter would greatly help advance Konoha's judicial process, so he secretly guided and encouraged it, without stopping the discussion.

After a long week of intense meetings and discussions, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice finally made their ruling on Orochimaru's case, leaving the decision to Hyuga Yuzuru.

First, Orochimaru's defection is established. As an accomplice, he participated in human experiments and harmed his colleagues. According to Konoha's pre-legislative practice, he should be handed over to the torture department for confinement until death.

However, given the individual's numerous meritorious contributions during the Konoha War and their current strong research capabilities that can contribute to Konoha, coupled with their willingness to surrender after persuasion, and their cooperative behavior, it is up to the Hokage to decide whether to impose a life sentence or allow them to serve their sentence outside of prison as a way to atone for their crimes.

Orochimaru was completely unaware of the chaos he had caused. In fact, although he appeared calm during this time, his heart suddenly began to pound with unease as time went by.

This is completely different from the meeting he had imagined.

Why have I been locked up without even seeing Hyuga Yuzuru?

Even after he was released, he still felt a bit confused, but as expected of Orochimaru, he remained calm and composed even when he was finally escorted to the Hokage Building to meet Hyuga Yuzuru, his hands still in shackles.

"Long time no see, Orochimaru."

Hyuga Yuzuru sat in his office, looking at Orochimaru with a smile on his face, his eyes scanning the other man up and down.

Orochimaru smiled and said, "Fifth Hokage, I've long admired your name... but I never expected that we would meet again in this way."

He raised his hand and shook the shackles on his wrists. To him, these shackles were more symbolic than practical, but he was happy to use this method to show his cooperation.

Hyuga Yuzuru calmly announced the verdict against Orochimaru: "These are the punishments discussed by the ninjas at the meeting. I have compiled them and issued the final verdict. You can take a look and see if you can accept it."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, took the document, and as he read it, his expression subtly changed. This was because the document contained numerous suggestions and arguments from various ninjas, and the identities of these ninjas...

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi...

Unsurprisingly, these individuals were relatively moderate "life imprisonment" advocates, believing it would be better to give Orochimaru a chance to repent and atone for his crimes.

Hyuga Yuzuru calmly said, "Jiraiya-senpai and Tsunade-senpai are now pillars of Konoha, and their opinions have played a significant role in my life."

"Final verdict...567 years imprisonment, to be served outside of prison..."

Orochimaru raised his head with an inexplicable look in his eyes: "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"It's very simple. Starting today, you will need to wear an electronic ankle bracelet during your sentence and are not allowed to leave the Konoha New Capital area. If you violate the regulations, you will be thrown into prison for hundreds of years. By the way, you can't change your body in prison. You'd better pray that your body can hold out until you are released when you are locked up."

During this period, you need to actively redeem yourself through meritorious service. If you make outstanding contributions, your sentence may be appropriately shortened. However, even after your release, you will be deprived of your political rights for life...

Orochimaru simply nodded dismissively at the long list of conditions Hyuga Yuzuru laid out, a faint smile playing on his lips: "My research direction..."

"As I designate."

After finishing speaking, Hinata Yuzuru gave a faint, enigmatic smile.

He stood up and said, "Before you start your work, let me take you to see an old friend."

Orochimaru responded with an "Oh," and said, "Old...friend?"

"Danzo... I thought you two had a good relationship." Hyuga Yuzuru said with a half-smile, taking a step forward.

Orochimaru, however, looked surprised and doubtful—Danzo...is still alive!?

Chapter 154 New Year

"Bullshit! The best grilled chicken skewers are clearly from Konoha!"

"Nonsense, the grilled chicken skewers in Longyin Village are the best!"

"You fart!"

"You fart!"

When Orochimaru stood at the door, listening to the conversation coming from inside, he was momentarily stunned and couldn't take a step forward.

Hinata Yuzuru calmly pushed open the door.

What appeared before Orochimaru's face was a chilling and terrifying scene.

In the clean and tidy narrow room, apart from the white walls and ceiling illuminated by the light, there were only two heads hanging opposite each other on the two walls.

Upon hearing the door open, Danzo and Hidan both turned to look at Hyuga Yuzuru, who was leading the way. Then, Danzo noticed Orochimaru behind Hyuga Yuzuru and his expression brightened: "Orochimaru, you're here too?"

Orochimaru subconsciously took a step back, and for the first time seriously began to think about his thoughts on immortality—if one were to live like Danzo... it seemed that immortality would be meaningless.

Danzo, however, looked very excited and laughed loudly: "There's still one wall empty. Come on, Orochimaru, tell me, which is better, Konoha's grilled chicken skewers or Ryūgakure's?"

Orochimaru was speechless for a moment, unable to understand how the once gloomy and cunning Danzo had become like this.

Look at his frenzied state...

He's probably gone mad?

Hyuga Yuzuru crossed his arms in front of him, leaned against the door, and said lazily, "Konoha's is definitely tastier now, after all, the seasonings are now more complicated, with dozens or even hundreds more ingredients than before."

Well, you probably wouldn't understand anyway.

"What about the old ones? The old ones from Tsurugakure were definitely better! Never mind, you'll probably say the ones from Konoha were better... That's not fair! That's not fair!!"

Hidan yelled and screamed, while Danzo laughed wildly with ecstatic joy: "I won! Bark like a dog, hurry up, it's your turn!"

There's a lot of information here.

No one knows how much the two talked while they were locked together, how many methods they used to relieve boredom, or what kind of mental attacks Danzo suffered.

Hidan is undoubtedly mentally ill, and Danzo himself is not quite normal either. The two of them are mutually reinforcing, tormenting each other to the point of exhaustion.

"How about it? In a sense, these two are your 'partners' on the road to immortality." Hyuga Yuzuru turned to look at Orochimaru with a half-smile.

Orochimaru understood.

He looked down at the shackles on his hands, smiled, stuck out his tongue, and lightly licked his lips: "What I crave is not just immortality... I just feel that if I cannot live forever, then life is meaningless... Only by obtaining true immortality, perhaps, will I know what the meaning of my life is."

Hyuga Yuzuru replied nonchalantly, "Is that so?"

"So, what you're pursuing, is it longevity that's close to immortality, or immortality?"

Orochimaru was silent for a moment because of Hyuga Yuzuru's question, but Hyuga Yuzuru continued: "If it's just about longevity, I think you're almost there now—like the White Zetsu body you have, which has even more vitality than the life force cultivated by Kabuto. As long as you change your body regularly, you might be able to live for several thousand years."

As long as you stop playing tricks on your own soul and ruining yourself, you'll be fine.

But if what you want is immortality...

Hyuga Yuzuru glanced at the two people in the room: "Then you must have an absolute power that surpasses everyone else, become a god-like being, until no one can hinder your immortality in the slightest."

He turned to Orochimaru and said calmly, "If you want the former, very well, you can go and find your direction in life now."

"Is this the latter you want..."

Hyuga Yuzuru reached out and gently placed his hand on Orochimaru's shoulder. Orochimaru strangely felt a momentary shiver—a fear that only others had felt because of him, a biological instinctive reaction that Orochimaru found somewhat unbelievable.

He turned his head, and a hint of greed flashed in his cold, snake-like eyes amidst his astonishment. Hyuga Yuzuru simply smiled slightly, and the next moment, black curse marks condensed on his body like a poison that corrodes bones.

Finally, a black mark appeared on Orochimaru's forehead.

"An improved version of the caged bird."

Orochimaru sensed something was wrong in an instant, his expression changed, and he tried to break free of the shackles, but it was too late.

An immense sense of oppression emanated from the depths of his soul, and Orochimaru even felt a vague sense of losing control of his body.

"The idea of ​​using three burrows to disperse the soul as a means of resurrection is not bad. However, your soul strength is only slightly stronger than others. If you further divide it, your soul will become extremely weak."

There's no need to struggle anymore.

Orochimaru's hands went limp, and he stared in astonishment at Hyuga Yuzuru: "This is... a technique related to the soul?"

"This is just a small test, and I was only using you as a practice subject. It seems that this kind of technique has a special advantage for someone with a particularly weak soul like you."

Hyuga Yuzuru released his grip, casually waved his hand, and a faint golden light flashed, unlocking Orochimaru's shackles.

"Orochimaru, you should know your place."

He smiled and looked at Orochimaru: "If I see you looking at me, or anyone else, with that kind of gaze next time..."

"Your prison sentence could very well turn into a death sentence."

Hyuga Yuzuru's words made Orochimaru narrow his eyes slightly, and he began to consider whether his voluntary surrender was a good idea.

But in the end, he just smiled and nodded indifferently, saying in a low voice, "As long as I serve my sentence..."

"You can live as a normal Konoha resident as long as you don't make any more mistakes."

Hinata Yuzuru gave an affirmative answer.

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.