"I can't move?!"
Orochimaru's upper body thrashed wildly inside the main snake's head, his golden eyes brimming with terror.
Tejima Shinichi leapt down from atop the Buddha statue, landing before the white Eight-Headed Serpent pinned by the Sage Arts.
"Stop struggling pointlessly," Shinichi said. "With your current strength, escaping the suppression of the Gates of the Great God is impossible."
'This was a fūinjutsu capable of suppressing even a reincarnated Madara, let alone the present Orochimaru,' Shinichi thought. He stepped forward, stopping only three paces away.
He stood close enough to catch every twitch of Orochimaru's facial muscles, and the roiling shock evident in his serpentine eyes.
"The Eight Branches Technique is formidable." Shinichi lowered his head slightly. "Ultra-regeneration, an undying body—truly worthy of being labeled a forbidden jutsu."
Orochimaru's lips moved as he tried to speak, but Shinichi gave him no chance.
"Killing you is troublesome. There's no telling how many cursed seals you've planted out there."
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the youth. The cursed seals were his safeguard against death—his ultimate insurance.
"So, I only need to suppress your main body and seal you," Shinichi continued, his gaze returning to Orochimaru's face. "And everything becomes much simpler!"
'History always repeats,' Shinichi mused inwardly. 'Arrogance led him to be sealed by Uchiha Itachi's Totsuka Blade in the original timeline. Now, he's crushed by my Gates of the Great God.' In the end, the most terrifying power in this world was sealing jutsu. Even the mighty Ōtsutsuki clan couldn't escape a thousand-year seal once caught.
Orochimaru swallowed hard. "You planned this... from the very beginning?" he rasped.
Though he hated to admit it, the truth was obvious: before this youth named Tejima Shinichi, he was practically transparent.
Shinichi didn't answer. His indifferent amber eyes merely glanced at the fallen Sannin.
"Orochimaru, your life as a rogue ninja..." Shinichi turned his head slightly, catching the scene behind him with the edge of his vision, "...ends here."
Hearing that, Orochimaru took one last look at Shinichi's face, then stared past him at the familiar Konoha sky. "Ah," he sighed, slowly closing his eyes. "So it ends."
Tejima Shinichi looked away from Orochimaru and slowly surveyed the surroundings.
Around the ruins, Konoha shinobi had gathered. Some stood atop broken walls, others beside the few pillars still standing. Through the drifting dust, every gaze converged on him. Those eyes held lingering shock and relief at having survived—but above all, reverence for a true powerhouse. The heavy silence spoke louder than any cheer.
Shinichi lowered his gaze. The plan had succeeded. The Konoha Crush—foreseen by him, countered through his preparations, and ultimately ended by his own hands with the suppression of the enemy leader—was over.
Capturing the S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru alive… that alone was enough.
A faint smile curved at the corners of Shinichi's lips.
"Shinichi," a voice called from behind.
Shinichi turned as Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped through the rubble to his side. The Third Hokage paused, his gaze lingering first on Shinichi before shifting to the disciple he had once been proudest of—Orochimaru.
Hiruzen stared at him for a long moment.
Then, Orochimaru's eyes slowly opened. His golden, serpentine gaze met Hiruzen's.
For a time, neither spoke.
"Teacher…" Orochimaru began.
Hiruzen said nothing.
"What a pity…" Orochimaru's lips curled into a faint smirk. "…I couldn't kill you."
Hiruzen's body trembled. He stared into those serpent eyes—once clear and bright, a source of pride. Now, there was only cold madness.
"Is that so?" Hiruzen finally said. "Is that your only regret?"
Orochimaru offered no answer.
Hiruzen pressed on, his chest rising and falling heavily. "Why? Why did you go this far?! Why did you try to kill me?!" His gaze bored into Orochimaru, as if trying to force an answer from that pale face. "Aside from denying you the position of Fourth Hokage, tell me—what did I, as your teacher, ever do to wrong you?!"
Orochimaru listened in silence. When Hiruzen finished, he suddenly laughed—a low, rasping sound that made Hiruzen's heart sink.
"Teacher…" Orochimaru licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You still don't understand. A windmill that doesn't turn may move now and then, but it's nothing worth admiring. I wanted to use the wind called 'destroying Konoha'… to make that windmill spin."
"Just... for that?" Hiruzen's voice trembled.
"Just for that," Orochimaru affirmed.
Hiruzen stood as if all strength had been drained from him. Shinichi stepped forward to his side.
"Lord Third," Shinichi said gently. "Now isn't the time for this." He looked at the gathering shinobi. "We've won."
Hiruzen's body stiffened. He slowly raised his head, taking in the surviving Konoha shinobi converging around them, all eyes on him—their Hokage. He drew a deep breath and straightened his back.
"Yes... we succeeded."
With that, Hiruzen stepped forward, raising his right arm. "Shinobi of Konoha!"
Every gaze locked onto him instantly.
"The rogue ninja Orochimaru," Hiruzen pointed to the pinned white serpent, "has been subdued! The joint assault of Sunagakure and Otogakure has failed completely! Konoha has won!"
A brief silence blanketed the ruins. Then, cheers erupted like a long-pent volcano, blasting through the rubble and into the sky.
"We won!"
"Lord Hokage! Lord Shinichi!"
"Long live Konoha!"
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