NOVEL WEB Chapter 62: Chapter 072
"Hm?" Shukaku was stunned for a moment. "Are you saying…"
"I'll give you two choices," Kitahara Kaede said.
"1. Join Konoha."
"2. Join Konoha."
"..." The One-Tail.
[Tobirama - Senju]: Hahaha, isn't that just one choice?
[Cowardly - Ōnoki]: So you're saying… after this, Shukaku will be joining Konoha?
[Tobirama - Senju]: What do you mean join?
[Tobirama - Senju]: Anyone who bares their fangs at Konoha should have them ripped out.
[Tobirama - Senju]: So I support Shukaku joining Konoha.
[Tobirama - Senju]: No—Shukaku returning to Konoha.
[One-Tail - Shukaku]: …
[One-Tail - Shukaku]: ...???
"What kind of option is that?" Shukaku started complaining.
"You're free to choose," Kitahara Kaede said. "But I prefer to reason with people."
"..." Shukaku.
"Then why bring me to a place like this?"
"Feels like you're torturing me," Shukaku said.
"If I left you in Konoha, you're over ten meters tall—you might destroy the surroundings. That could disrupt the Chūnin Exams."
"I don't like having to re-take exams that should be passed once and done," Kitahara Kaede said.
"And dealing with the aftermath of a disrupted exam or battle damage is just annoying," he added.
"..."
[Kakashi Hatake]: …
So basically, to avoid pointless clean-up work, he just dealt with Shukaku like this?
As expected of him.
Kakashi understood now—his student really does want to have it both ways.
[Beep!]
Just as Kakashi was reflecting, everyone heard a system notification sound.
[Kakashi Hatake]: Gai, did you log on and off again?
[The Man Who Can Kick Uchiha Madara With Eight Gates Open]: Nope, Kakashi, I've been here the whole time.
[Kakashi Hatake]: Hm?
[Beep!]
[Inviting a new member to the group chat.]
[Welcome Orochimaru to the Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Orochimaru?
[Tobirama - Senju]: Orochimaru?
[Minato Namikaze]: Orochimaru-sensei… uh, Orochimaru?
[Cowardly - Ōnoki]: Orochimaru!?
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: Orochimaru!
[Orochimaru]: …
[Orochimaru]: …
[Orochimaru]: !???
[Orochimaru]: I just saw so many people at once… Genjutsu? Uchiha Itachi?
[Tobirama's Achievement - Izuna]: Uchiha Itachi? That guy who massacred the Uchiha clan?
[Orochimaru]: …
[Orochimaru]: …
[Orochimaru]: …
[Orochimaru]: Can someone explain this to me?
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: …
[Tobirama - Senju]: …
[Tobirama - Senju]: You've got guts, huh!
[Orochimaru]: First Hokage, Second Hokage, Fourth Hokage Minato…
[Orochimaru]: Mei Terumi, even Ōnoki is here.
[Orochimaru]: Wait a minute… that video, Kitahara Kaede…
[Orochimaru]: So that's what's going on…
[Orochimaru]: No wonder he could kill me.
[Orochimaru]: I see now. Originally, I just wanted to capture Uchiha Sasuke for fun.
[Orochimaru]: But now… this is interesting.
[Orochimaru]: I've changed my mind.
[Tobirama - Senju]: …
[Tobirama - Senju]: Orochimaru, do you know who I am?
[Orochimaru]: Of course. You're the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Teacher of the Third Hokage.
[Orochimaru]: Since I used Living Corpse Reincarnation 1.3, my comprehension is quite fast.
[Orochimaru]: Second Hokage, First Hokage, Fourth Hokage.
[Orochimaru]: Dead people like you can still linger here…
[Orochimaru]: It's kind of mysterious, but not entirely unacceptable.
[Orochimaru]: But Second Hokage, aren't you going to lose your temper?
[Orochimaru]: I am a rogue ninja from Konoha, after all.
[Orochimaru]: And I did use my comrades as experimental material.
[Orochimaru]: …
[Orochimaru]: …
[Tobirama - Senju]: This is the first time I've seen someone asking to get beat up!
[Tobirama - Senju]: Becoming a rogue ninja of Konoha… that was your own choice!
Tobirama's soul burst into blue chakra, an overwhelming force surging toward Orochimaru.
Ōnoki, knowing how powerful the move was, quickly backed away.
But Orochimaru didn't dodge, taking the full brunt of the technique head-on.
He was slammed to the ground with a loud smack, completely immobilized.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: …
Unlike when he stopped Tobirama from suppressing Ōnoki earlier, this time Hashirama didn't intervene.
Because what Orochimaru did during this Chūnin Exam wasn't just one or two troublesome things.
So… a little punishment was well deserved.
However—
[Orochimaru]: Hahaha… what a rush!
[Orochimaru]: As expected of the Second Hokage's power… far beyond anything from our era.
[Orochimaru]: I feel like I'm about to get flattened.
[Orochimaru]: Well then… bye-bye.
[Beep!]
[Orochimaru has left the chat.]
The system sound appeared again, displaying on everyone's screen.
Orochimaru had not just gone offline—he'd actually left the group.
Everyone found this move utterly baffling.
[Tobirama - Senju]: What did Orochimaru mean by deliberately asking for a beating?
[Minato Namikaze]: …I'm not sure.
[Minato Namikaze]: But I have a slightly bad feeling about this.
[Tobirama - Senju]: Minato, what do you mean?
[Minato Namikaze]: The Orochimaru I knew… was from before he became a rogue ninja.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Oh? And what was he like back then?
Though not as sharp as his younger brother in strategy, even Hashirama felt something was off about Orochimaru's behavior.
[Minato Namikaze]: My teacher, Jiraiya, admired Orochimaru greatly.
[Minato Namikaze]: He thought Orochimaru was meticulous.
[Minato Namikaze]: Reliable.
[Minato Namikaze]: And that he liked to research and never did anything meaningless. Everything had a purpose.
[Minato Namikaze]: In fact, he was originally assigned to be Tsunade-sama's younger brother Nawaki's teacher.
[Tobirama - Senju]: …
[Tobirama - Senju]: And then?
[Minato Namikaze]: Hmm… I think Orochimaru's behavior just now was meant to provoke Second Hokage-sama deliberately… almost like he wanted to test your power.
[Tobirama - Senju]: Why would he test my power?
[Tobirama - Senju]: I can't even leave here.
[Tobirama - Senju]: …Wait!
Tobirama suddenly realized something was seriously wrong.
Because Kakashi had previously reported that someone had stolen his and his brother's corpses.
Who the hell would do that…
But now it all made sense—Orochimaru was crazy enough.
Which means…
Could the one who stole their bodies… be Orochimaru!?
At that moment—
"Saying I should join Konoha just like that—don't I, Shukaku, have any dignity?" Shukaku asked.
"So you want to fight me?" Kitahara Kaede responded.
"No!" Shukaku slapped his own belly. "I'm not like that dumb fox. I'm not fighting you."
"To be exact, I want to fight your summon beast!" Shukaku declared.
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