To be honest, Hagoromo really wanted to cross hands with Jiraiya.
Not because he wanted a life-or-death battle, but because at this stage, he desperately wanted to see Jiraiya's Sage Mode for himself.
Whether one called him the Pervy Sage or the Toad Sage, Jiraiya was currently the only known shinobi capable of using senjutsu.
Strictly speaking, what Hagoromo needed wasn't senjutsu itself, but something closer to a "save gradually, withdraw all at once" mechanism. Not the nonsense he'd made up earlier about Lightning Release accumulation, but a genuine long-term buildup process.
Still, firsthand observation of Mount Myōboku's senjutsu would be immensely valuable.
Sensing natural energy.
Extracting natural energy.
Fusing natural energy.
Every step of senjutsu was extraordinarily difficult. Jiraiya had spent over ten years refining Sage Mode. How long would it take Hagoromo?
If Hagoromo were to face Jiraiya using Chidori Current: Third Stage, the sheer speed of that Lightning Release–enhanced taijutsu would almost certainly force Jiraiya to counter with senjutsu.
Granted, Sage Mode required time to gather natural energy, which made it cumbersome—but Hagoromo wasn't in any hurry. He could afford to wait.
Unfortunately—
He couldn't do that.
Forget attacking Jiraiya outright—even visibly interfering with Jiraiya's pursuit of Orochimaru would be a huge problem.
It wasn't that Hagoromo couldn't come up with an explanation.
The real problem was this:
Who would believe it?
"I accidentally hit Jiraiya and let Orochimaru escape."
The Third Hokage might accept that excuse—but would Shimura Danzō and the Konoha elders?
At present, those hunting Orochimaru fell into three groups.
First: Jiraiya.
He had no intention of killing Orochimaru. He only wanted to bring him back to Konoha.
Second: ANBU.
Their orders were to prioritize capture, but lethal force was authorized if necessary.
Third: Root, hidden within ANBU itself.
Their orders were far simpler—kill Orochimaru outright. To prevent certain secrets and backroom dealings from being exposed, Orochimaru could not be allowed to be captured alive.
Naturally, Root lacked the strength to kill Orochimaru on their own. They needed Jiraiya to weaken him first, then seize an opportunity to finish the job.
Hagoromo's sudden appearance, however, was not part of anyone's calculations.
"Uh… could someone explain what's going on here?" Hagoromo asked, choosing to play dumb.
"Why exactly are you two fighting?"
Since he couldn't intervene directly, feigned ignorance was the safest approach.
Orochimaru still had to escape.
Hagoromo had future use for him. If Orochimaru were taken back to Konoha, even if he survived, he would be placed under strict surveillance. Any attempt to contact him later would expose Hagoromo to far too many eyes.
So Hagoromo's current behavior could only be described as—
Meddling for the sake of meddling.
Even if he did nothing, would Orochimaru really fail to escape?
Busybody.
While questioning Jiraiya and the ANBU aloud, Hagoromo subtly gestured behind his back toward Orochimaru:
That trip you're so eager to take—please, continue.
"In other words," Hagoromo added mildly,
"I just got back from Shikkotsu Forest, and now I've walked straight into a I just returned to find the Sannin at each other's throats?(Legendary Sannin)?"
His tone was all about harmony—like he was asking why a loving couple wasn't going home together.
"Hagoromo," Jiraiya said gravely,
"the recent disappearances of Konoha ninja were all Orochimaru's doing. The Third Hokage discovered it, and now he's attempting to flee the village. No matter what, we have to stop him."
Jiraiya's left shoulder was stained with blood—the result of his earlier clash with Orochimaru.
No matter how heartbroken he felt, the truth was unavoidable.
At this moment, The Three Sannin(Legendary Sannin) had already ceased to exist.
Tsunade's departure was merely leaving.
Orochimaru's departure was undeniable defection.
From this point onward, Konoha's most famous and fearsome trio had completely shattered—now standing on opposing sides.
"So from this moment on," Hagoromo asked,
"Orochimaru is no longer a 'senior'… but an enemy?"
"The mission is to capture him alive," Jiraiya quickly added.
He sensed something dangerous in Hagoromo's tone and immediately clarified.
"If we work together, the chances of capturing Orochimaru are very high."
This wasn't false modesty. Capturing a shinobi alive was almost always harder than killing one.
"No need to make things so complicated," Hagoromo said calmly.
"I'll handle it."
Almost as his words fell, bright white lightning patterns spread across his body—like luminous veins flowing beneath a pitch-black landscape.
He turned to face Orochimaru.
He was about to strike.
"A Lightning Release-enhanced taijutsu?" Orochimaru asked with interest.
"Is this the technique you used against the Rinnegan?"
At this point, Hagoromo had no reason to answer.
In an instant—
He vanished.
Then reappeared directly in front of Orochimaru.
No matter how fast it was, Hagoromo's technique still fell under the concept of speed. Fundamentally, Chidori Current (Third Stage) could not compare to the Flying Thunder God Technique, which altered spatial coordinates outright.
But fast was still fast.
Among those present, only Jiraiya and Orochimaru could fully track Hagoromo's movement.
Tracking, however, was not reacting.
Reacting was not defending.
Defending was not counterattacking.
Faced with such extreme-speed taijutsu, even Orochimaru failed to respond in time.
Hagoromo's kick—carrying overwhelming force—slammed directly into Orochimaru's torso.
The next moment, Orochimaru's body shot away like an artillery shell, hurtling into the distance with terrifying speed and destructive momentum.
It happened so fast that Hagoromo didn't even have time to mentally dub a satisfying "Off you go."
For a brief moment, a thought naturally arose among the ANBU:
Did Orochimaru just get kicked to death?
Even with all his self-modifications, Orochimaru wasn't Yamata no Orochi. Taking a hit like that would be excruciating.
Jiraiya, however, immediately sprinted after him.
Who knew where Hagoromo had sent Orochimaru flying?
Sure, the odds of him getting back up were slim—but what if he did?
That would mean Hagoromo had just helped him escape.
Once Jiraiya moved, everyone followed. The group rushed at full speed in the direction Orochimaru had been launched.
Hagoromo arrived first.
What he found was nothing more than a shattered Earth Release: Earth Clone Technique, embedded in a tree.
"Jiraiya-senpai," Hagoromo said with heartfelt disappointment,
"you've been fooled. All you were chasing was an Earth Clone…"
The sorrowful tone.
The righteous indignation.
It almost made his blatant attempt to shift blame sound convincing.
After everyone from Konoha had left the area, Orochimaru's real body emerged.
He glanced once toward the direction his "self" had been kicked, then swiftly departed.
Honestly—
If it weren't for you, Hagoromo, would they really have fallen for that?
And seriously—
when ANBU go on missions, why don't they ever bring a Hyūga along?
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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