"It seems Orochimaru's personality began to change from this point onward."
Homura Mitokado said seriously, looking at the strange expression on Orochimaru's face in the image.
"Indeed. The brutality of the battlefield seems to have had a tremendous impact on him as well."
Utatane Koharu sighed.
These two former Hokage Advisors were also once members who fought desperately for Konoha on the battlefield.
Back then, when the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, died in the rebellion of the Hidden Cloud Village, Konoha was left leaderless and besieged by four nations.
It was them, the disciples of Tobirama Senju, who stepped forward, turned the tide, repelled the greedy four great nations, and protected Konoha.
Therefore, they also understood the cruelty of war very well.
An ordinary Ninja, even one with a gentle and kind personality,
would go to the battlefield, a veritable meat grinder, and experience the test of life and death.
Even if they survived by chance, their personality would undergo a massive transformation.
To this day, Konoha still has many Ninjas who have become bloodthirsty and radical due to war, unable to adapt to normal life and missions, and have no choice but to be assigned to assassination departments.
A large portion of them were absorbed by Root.
Only assassination units walking on the knife's edge like this could accommodate such people.
Therefore, after seeing the images, both of them felt that Orochimaru's transformation was also relatively reasonable.
[The scene continues. In a forest, Orochimaru led a group of Konoha Ninja advancing rapidly.]
["Enemies!" Suddenly, Orochimaru stopped on a tree branch and raised his hand to warn the Konoha Ninja behind him.]
[A battle was imminent. Orochimaru used his unique snake Ninjutsu to bite the ambushing enemy Ninja to death. The remaining surviving enemies, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, immediately turned and fled.]
["I'll pursue!" A short Ninja beside Orochimaru immediately took off in pursuit.]
[Suddenly, Orochimaru saw the fleeing enemy Ninja's hand move slightly. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique forward and shouted, "Nawaki, get out of the way!"]
[Boom! A burst of flames exploded, engulfing the short Ninja and emitting a tragic, loud noise.]
"That's... Nawaki!?"
Jiraiya widened his eyes, looking at the scene in the image.
He recognized that short Ninja. It was the only younger brother of the Senju princess beside him, the true heir of the Senju clan—Senju Nawaki.
And the scene currently playing out was the moment of Senju Nawaki's death.
Oh no, Tsunade... Jiraiya thought to himself, immediately turning to observe Tsunade. He saw that Tsunade was already staring blankly at the image, tears streaming from her eyes soaking the front of her clothes, as if her soul had left her body.
"Tsunade, are you okay?"
Jiraiya asked with concern. He understood perfectly well how devastating Senju Nawaki's death had been for Tsunade.
So many years had passed, and he didn't want Tsunade to recall those sad memories again.
"Leave me alone."
Tsunade numbly brushed aside Jiraiya's outstretched hand, her voice cold.
"But you..."
"I said leave me alone! Can't you hear me?"
Tsunade shouted, her voice even carrying a hint of sharpness due to the emotional change.
Her current expression made Jiraiya feel somewhat fearful.
It wasn't fear of Tsunade's fists—the Toad Sage wouldn't be afraid of that.
He feared Tsunade's emotional state.
["Nawaki! Nawaki! Wake up! Nawaki!"]
[In the crowd, Tsunade's brilliant blonde hair, neglected due to the high-intensity combat, had become somewhat dull.]
[The independent Senju princess, regarded as a role model and pride by countless women in the Village, now wore a look of utter despair and helplessness. She repeatedly used medical Ninjutsu on the already dead, disfigured corpse of Nawaki, but to no avail.]
[The heavens did not feel Tsunade's hope. Instead, they mercilessly began to drizzle.]
[It washed away the traces of Ninjutsu in the forest, washed away the blood shed by the Ninjas.]
[And washed away the traces that Senju Nawaki had ever lived.]
[The surrounding Konoha Ninja couldn't bear to see Tsunade in this state and came forward one after another to comfort and persuade her.]
[Outside the crowd, Orochimaru clenched his fists tightly, a look of regret and vexation on his pale face. He felt his own negligence had led to Senju Nawaki being killed by the enemy's trap.]
[That night, Orochimaru couldn't sleep. He walked out of the tent into the heavy darkness, gazing into the distance, standing motionless for two hours.]
[Returning to the tent, Orochimaru took out a scroll and wrote two large characters: "Immortality!"]
"So that's how it was!"
"Is this the opportunity that made Orochimaru want to pursue immortality?"
Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
However, due to Tsunade's current distress, they couldn't just start discussing openly.
Over there, Tsunade took a deep breath, wiped the tear stains from her face with her sleeve, and her expression reappeared, now icy cold.
"Are you okay?"
Jiraiya asked softly, only to be met with a cold glance from Tsunade, which immediately made him shut his mouth.
Although it was quite embarrassing, Jiraiya felt relieved inside.
This proved Tsunade's emotions had stabilized.
"Please, don't let any more bad scenes appear next! I beg you!"
Jiraiya thought to himself with hope.
[It was still war.]
[As the saying goes well: People are not enjoying peace; they are waiting for the next war to begin.]
[The squad Orochimaru belonged to withstood the baptism of war, growing increasingly powerful and becoming Konoha's premier elite squad, responsible for executing high-difficulty missions.]
[Tsunade also gradually emerged from the shadow of Senju Nawaki's death and found a relationship with the Village's Jonin, Kato Dan.]
[Unfortunately, as if cursed by the heavens, Kato Dan fell on the battlefield, the pendant Tsunade personally gave him still hanging around his neck.]
[A familiar scene. Tsunade helplessly used medical Ninjutsu again and again, yet still could not save her lover's life.]
[She even developed hemophobia due to the immense shock, harboring a deep-seated fear of blood.]
[As for Orochimaru, one night, he took away the corpse of an enemy Ninja and entered the crude underground laboratory he had hastily established.]
[The harsh environment, the unprofessional surgical equipment, the stiff corpse, and Orochimaru's face revealing a fanatical expression formed a peculiar picture under the dim light.]
"So it started from this time."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was complex as he looked at the unfamiliar appearance of Orochimaru in the image.
From the moment he saw Kato Dan, Jiraiya had been watching Tsunade. He found that besides clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, Tsunade was still managing to hold her emotions in check.
Seeing that Tsunade was not breaking down again, everyone felt at ease and began to discuss.
"Looking at it this way, Orochimaru's actions do have a cause, don't they?"
Homura Mitokado commented this way.
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