Chapter 211 Sarutobi: Hmm? Could it be...?
"Lord Hokage, please come up."
The ANBU returned quickly, heads bowed, and led the 7th Squad up.
Unlike Naruto and Karin, who frequently visit the Hokage Building, Hinata and Sasuke, as heirs of two powerful clans, visit the Hokage Building very rarely.
So when they saw the long staircase and the door to the Hokage's office, they all showed curiosity.
Knock knock knock.
A slightly loud knock sounded, followed by Sarutobi's "Come in!" Naruto pushed open the very high-quality door with a bang.
"Grandpa, what brings you here?"
Naruto swaggered in, resting his head on his hand.
Sarutobi put down the file in his hand, looked at the flamboyant Naruto and his sister, his lips twitched, and he straightened up helplessly.
"Little Naruto, you should have guessed it."
Sarutobi glanced at Sasuke and Hinata out of the corner of his eye. He could tell that the two children were quite polite, much more so than the Uzumaki siblings who had their ancestors backing them up.
Sasuke: When I can activate Susanoo with my Mangekyou Sharingan, you'll see if I still follow the rules.
"Is that the snake-like person? My father's martial uncle, Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin."
Naruto's expression turned serious, and he spoke slowly.
"Yes, it's him. He was my most outstanding student, but... sigh, it's all tears when I think about it."
Sarutobi's eyes were filled with deep sorrow for his deceased disciple. How could he have died?
The matter is now closed; Orochimaru is dead, and history will judge right and wrong.
He did make many contributions to Konoha throughout his life, but at the same time he also did many wrong things.
Perhaps dying now is not a bad thing, so as to prevent future troubles.
"Now that he's dead, nothing else matters."
Sarutobi's voice carried a hint of sadness. He intended to tell Naruto something about Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but when he looked up, he saw four strange eyes.
"Um, Orochimaru isn't dead yet."
Seeing the awkward silence fall over the scene, Naruto took the initiative to speak and explain the truth.
"Huh? I saw that at the beginning... Naruto, you used Wood Release to grab Orochimaru and then threw him down, and he was smashed to pieces."
Sarutobi looked at Naruto's serious face and recalled what he had seen at the time. "It should be right, right?"
"That, actually, that wasn't the real Orochimaru. It seemed to be a combination of a substitute and a clone. Anyway, it was very strange. Even the teacher was fooled."
Naruto scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"I see."
Sarutobi let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that all his previous mental preparations had been unnecessary.
Thankfully, I didn't tell Jiraiya that Orochimaru was dead. If I had, when Jiraiya ran into Orochimaru, they would have been staring at each other in disbelief.
"And another thing, Orochimaru also knows Wood Release."
Naruto raised his hand and added.
Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly as he recalled Orochimaru's previous research.
"Wood Release? It seems he's been conducting quite a few human experiments over the years."
A strange look flashed in his eyes. Orochimaru's experiments back then included experiments on the First Hokage's cells. Due to the First Hokage's cells' powerful vitality, many test subjects died.
After nearly a hundred people died, a success story emerged: the current deputy leader of the Root organization, Tenzo.
It seems that even after Orochimaru defected from Konoha, he continued his research.
In the past, Sarutobi might have thought that it would have been better if Orochimaru had focused on the righteous path, but now, looking back at the role Tenzo played in Konoha...
If scientific progress comes at the cost of human ethics, is such progress even meaningful?
Of course, Sarutobi didn't tell Naruto and the others what he was thinking. After rubbing his temples, he continued to look at Naruto.
"I see, I understand. Is there any other information?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Um, I have something to tell you, Grandpa, don't be surprised."
Sarutobi looked at Team 7, whose expressions had turned strange again, and said with feigned ease, "Don't worry, Grandpa is prepared. No matter what they say, Grandpa won't be surprised."
Naruto glanced at Sarutobi suspiciously, then said, "That Orochimaru seems to have turned from a boy into a girl."
"Oh, I thought it was something serious, it's just... changing from a boy to a girl?!?"
Sarutobi was initially worried that Orochimaru had developed some new bloodline limit, but after hearing that he had changed from a boy to a girl, he relaxed for a moment and then immediately jumped up from his chair.
"No, really?"
Hinata stepped forward, nodded, and said, "It's true. I observed it with my Byakugan. Her body structure is clearly that of a woman."
Sarutobi seemed to freeze in place. The fact that Orochimaru knew Wood Release hadn't petrified him, but the fact that he had undergone gender reassignment surgery truly shocked him.
"Wait, wait, let this old man catch his breath."
Sarutobi waved his hand, indicating that he, an old man, should have some time to think about the reasons behind this matter.
I vaguely remember that among the experimental data Orochimaru left behind after his escape was an unfinished forbidden technique that could possess other people's bodies. It seems that over the years, he has perfected this forbidden technique.
However, I remember that Orochimaru didn't have a penchant for cross-dressing, and he never did anything like stealing Tsunade's clothes back then.
But he and Jiraiya were quite close back then, could it be...?
Thinking of this, Sarutobi couldn't help but shudder and quickly reined in his wandering thoughts.
"Isn't there anything else?"
Sarutobi skipped the topic, since even as Orochimaru's former teacher, he could no longer fully understand Orochimaru's psychological process of gender reassignment.
"That's about it."
Naruto shook his head. After all, as genin, they could only see so much. Moreover, Orochimaru wasn't serious when he first attacked them, and when Hashirama came on board, it was a crushing defeat.
In this situation, Orochimaru didn't have time to use many of his methods.
However, it probably won't be very effective even if you use it.
"Alright, this time we'll commend Team 7 for remaining calm in the face of danger, successfully repelling the S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru, and providing crucial information. Hmm, I'll give you an A-rank mission credit."
Sarutobi thought for a moment, then gently tapped the table with his knuckles and said.
"Great, but do you have the money?"
Naruto's eyes lit up with anticipation as he looked at Sarutobi.
"Um, yes, but only half the size of a normal A-level mission."
Sarutobi looked at Naruto's expectant eyes, nodded helplessly, and then called out an ANBU member to take Naruto to collect the bounty.
________________________________________
Can't wait for the next chapter?
30+ advanced chapters are already available on Patreon!
👉 patreon.com/Tanji_Fanfics
________________________________________
End of this chapter...