Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 233: Why Should I Care If I Kill You?

Hissss~~~

The sound of snakes hissing reverberated throughout the narrow, damp underground cave.

Accompanied by the incessant slithering of serpentine bodies through the soil.

Even without seeing it, one could easily imagine a multitude of snakes winding their way towards the center of the cave.

At the center of the underground cave, hidden within the belly of a snake along with Kabuto, Orochimaru never expected to find himself driven to such a predicament by the very creatures he knew so well.

"It seems there's no escaping this."

Orochimaru licked his lips, his expression cold and sinister.

No matter where he hid, the snake swarms with Rinnegan eyes, knowing their kind's habits, would continue their relentless pursuit.

No matter how many he destroyed, as time passed, Hagoromo Gengetsu's transforming snake swarms kept coming, along with other animals joining the fray.

Orochimaru had managed to delay for some time, but ultimately, he found himself cornered in this nameless cave.

Despite initially choosing to flee, he had never lacked the will to fight to the end when driven to desperation.

Now, drenched and no longer hiding, Orochimaru emerged from the snake's belly.

He looked around, noticing pairs of Rinnegan eyes staring at him from the dark, damp surroundings.

"It's surprising that Pain was defeated by Hagoromo Gengetsu," Orochimaru's hoarse voice echoed in the cave.

Back when he was in the Akatsuki, he had coveted Pain's Rinnegan.

However, Pain's overwhelming strength left him with no solution, so he had to settle for targeting the newly joined Uchiha Itachi with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

That plan backfired terribly.

After being ruthlessly beaten by the emotionless Itachi, who seemed to squash him like an insignificant bug, Orochimaru was labeled a traitor by the Akatsuki and had been hunted ever since.

Now, seeing the Rinnegan again, this time on the more formidable Hagoromo Gengetsu, was quite a blow.

Orochimaru didn't know what had happened within the Akatsuki, but it was clear that with the Rinnegan, Hagoromo Gengetsu had become even more powerful.

Adding to his frustration was that he had unwittingly released such a threat himself.

Orochimaru began to suspect that summoning Hagoromo Gengetsu with Reanimation might have been part of Gengetsu's plan all along.

Otherwise, how could he explain Gengetsu's immediate efforts to break free of his control and quickly achieve his true resurrection?

If that were the case, Gengetsu was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Thinking this, Orochimaru's eyes twitched slightly. He lifted his head to gaze at the nearest snake with Rinnegan eyes.

Aware that Gengetsu could see him through the snake's eyes, Orochimaru smiled and inquired, "Hagoromo-senpai, even though I released you from the underworld, shouldn't you at least give me a reason if you intend to kill me?"

Orochimaru genuinely wanted to know why Gengetsu sought his death.

Since their encounter at Tanzaku Town, they hadn't met again.

Their only connection was indirectly through Sasuke.

But in that instance, Orochimaru had been the one to suffer. Though he had spoken of revenge, he hadn't taken any action since.

Logically, there shouldn't be any conflict between them.

Orochimaru couldn't understand why Gengetsu would come after him so suddenly and without warning.

He looked at the snake's Rinnegan eyes, awaiting a response.

But all he received was a foul-smelling, gaping maw.

Gengetsu's stance was clear.

Why should I care if I kill you?

"Fine then!"

Cold fury erupted on Orochimaru's face as he tore the attacking snake in half with his hands.

To be treated as mere fish on a chopping block by someone else, denied even the chance for conversation, was a bitter pill for someone who had always toyed with others' lives.

"You're nothing but a wretched being defeated by Hashirama Senju! Just because those who killed you are no longer around, you think you can conquer the world?"

Orochimaru clapped his hands together.

As countless snakes attacked from all sides under the control of the Rinnegan, a coffin quickly emerged from the ground.

"Embrace the destiny that was always meant for you," Orochimaru said coldly.

As he spoke, the coffin lid fell with a thud, and amidst the rising dust, a calm voice emanated from within:

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Massive trees, far more powerful than those during the Chunin Exams, sprang up.

In an instant, the dark, damp cave transformed into a green ocean.

The numerous summoned snakes attempted to resist, but under the overwhelming assault of tree branches and vines, they were swiftly annihilated.

Ultimately, the Wood Release forest remained unscathed and continued to expand.

Tree branches pierced through the cave's ceiling, rapidly growing, breaking through layers of soil, reaching towards the surface.

"You again."

From within the coffin, accompanied by the clinking of armor plates, Hashirama Senju emerged, glancing at Orochimaru with a frown.

Summoned to the world of the living once more.

This must be the third time... no.

It felt like there had been many times, but he had little recollection.

Damn Tobirama!

Always creating such forbidden techniques like Reanimation.

Now, neither the living nor the dead could find peace.

"Hello again, First Hokage!" Orochimaru greeted with a smile, though his hands remained firmly in the sealing position.

The Hashirama summoned this time was far stronger than during the Chunin Exams due to a high-quality sacrifice and the infusion of Hashirama's cells.

So much so that Orochimaru had to exert all his effort to avoid being immediately overpowered.

Orochimaru didn't want to risk getting his head blown off mid-sentence.

"As expected, the First Hokage is terrifyingly powerful!"

Initially, given his previous experience with Gengetsu, Orochimaru should have been more cautious about summoning someone of Hashirama's caliber, especially using his best sacrifice.

However, circumstances left him no choice.

To deal with the monstrous Gengetsu, he needed another monster, Hashirama Senju.

Even if he couldn't control the current Hashirama.

It didn't matter.

Once Hashirama understood the current state of the ninja world, he would make the only logical choice.

"First Hokage, your old friend is up there."

Seeing Hashirama deep in thought while staring at him, Orochimaru's heart raced, and he quickly pointed upwards to the cave's ceiling.

"Old friend?"

Hashirama immediately thought of someone and was about to speak when a commanding voice from above resonated:

"Shinra Tensei!"

Instantly!

An unstoppable repulsive force obliterated the Wood Release forest that had reached the surface and continued downward.

Soil, rocks, the cave, the forest...

Everything in its path was rapidly compressed and pushed back.

Until it reached Orochimaru and Hashirama.

In the last moment, Orochimaru looked at Hashirama, shrugged, and said:

"He's here."

The next moment, with a loud bang.

Orochimaru, giving up on resistance, was violently thrown back, his body twisted painfully like a pretzel.