"Deploy him, let's get this over with quickly."
Ye Chen waved his hand, only wanting to go home quickly to Draw Rewards.
The scene changed, and the scene of the Hokage's Office appeared before Ye Chen's eyes again.
Everyone was looking at him with expectant expressions.
"Alright, the reconstruction of personality and memories is complete. Do you want to see him now?"
Ye Chen smiled and said indifferently.
"Of course!"
Jiraiya replied.
"Then please invite him out!"
Ye Chen waved his hand, and a blue Portal of Light appeared beside him.
As soon as the blue portal appeared, it drew everyone's gaze like a vortex.
Without the sound of a door opening, Orochimaru, dressed in casual clothes with long hair reaching his waist and a pale face, slowly stepped out of the portal.
Orochimaru appeared before everyone, slightly lifting his head to reveal a gentle smile. The expression in his eyes carried the joy of a long-awaited reunion, matching his smile perfectly:
"Long time no see, everyone."
This, this, this...
Is this still Orochimaru?
Jiraiya's eyes were about to pop out.
From the moment Orochimaru appeared, Jiraiya's mouth unconsciously hung open, his entire being showing a look of shock.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe hit the ground with a crisp sound, but the Old Monkey didn't even realize it, looking instead as if he had seen a ghost.
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were so surprised that one covered their eyes and the other covered their mouth.
Tsunade's hands unconsciously gripped tightly, pinching her arms until they hurt.
Minato Namikaze showed a look of surprise.
Nara Shikaku widened his eyes and carefully observed Orochimaru from head to toe.
Only Kakashi Hatake, the moment Orochimaru appeared, quietly stood in front of Minato Namikaze, assuming a defensive stance.
Ye Chen was amused by everyone's reactions.
When he saw Orochimaru's transformation, he knew everyone would be surprised to see this brand-new Orochimaru.
But he hadn't expected the shock to be this intense.
Over there, Orochimaru was not impatient either. He didn't mind the disbelieving stares at all; instead, he smiled and looked over everyone, as if observing the changes in long-lost friends.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll head out first. See you next time."
Although the scene before him was very novel and interesting, it couldn't compare to Ye Chen's excitement to Draw Rewards.
He waved his hand casually and immediately vanished.
And the Barrier surrounding the Hokage's Office also dissipated into nothingness.
"You... you're Orochimaru?!"
After a long while, Jiraiya finally asked tremulously.
"What, don't recognize me anymore?"
"I only left the Village for over a year on a mission, and you've forgotten me so quickly?"
Orochimaru curled his lip and questioned.
"No, it's not that."
"I... I'm just a bit excited. After all, it's been a long time."
Thinking that Orochimaru's memories had been reconstructed, Jiraiya didn't know how to talk to him for a moment, so he could only follow Orochimaru's lead.
"Heh, I've never seen you this excited before."
Orochimaru sneered, no longer paying attention to Jiraiya, and turned to greet Hiruzen Sarutobi:
"Long time no see, Teacher Sarutobi."
"I heard you've retired to enjoy your leisure time. Is your health still good?"
Orochimaru spoke exactly like a good disciple caring for his teacher, without a hint of dissonance.
Looking at Orochimaru's gentle face and hearing the concern in his voice despite the slight coldness, Hiruzen Sarutobi almost burst into tears.
"This is the disciple I wanted!"
"What Jiraiya, what Tsunade? When have those two ever greeted me like this?"
He hadn't expected the first time he'd hear concern from a disciple's mouth would be from Orochimaru.
The Orochimaru before him brought unprecedented comfort to Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart. The Old Monkey held back his tears and grinned broadly, laughing happily:
"Good, my health is excellent."
"Thank you for your concern. Did you take good care of yourself while out on your mission?"
"I see you've grown thin."
The Old Monkey spoke like a true elder, looking full of care, which left Jiraiya and Tsunade dumbfounded.
"Good grief, the old guy can actually care about people like this?"
"Oh, listen to that."
"You've grown thin!"
"To think these words actually came out of the Old Monkey's mouth; it's truly like seeing a ghost."
"Hehe, for the sake of the Village, what does a little hardship matter?"
"I'm still young. Being able to share some responsibilities for my teacher is my duty as a disciple."
Orochimaru chuckled. In his narrow eyes, even the previously cold Snake Pupils had become soft.
"Is... is this still Orochimaru?"
Homura Mitokado was stunned. When had they ever seen an Orochimaru like this? Talking about responsibility and duty.
"Too terrifying. That adult's power is truly unfathomable."
Utatane Koharu thought about how Ye Chen had only closed his eyes for a few minutes and managed to find Orochimaru in some corner of the Ninja World, brainwash him, and send him back to Konoha.
This power was truly beyond her scope of understanding.
"So terrifying!"
"Shikaku, can you see any problems?"
Minato Namikaze observed Orochimaru's every move, but couldn't see any issues at all.
From head to toe, this Orochimaru was completely a good Ninja who loved the Village and was willing to sacrifice.
There wasn't a single flaw to be found.
"No, it's unexpectedly harmonious."
Nara Shikaku shook his head and replied in a low voice in Minato Namikaze's ear.
The method of reconstructing personality and changing memories was proposed by Nara Shikaku.
But as the proposer, he never expected it to achieve such a good result.
In his original estimation, even if the personality and memories were changed, as long as Orochimaru's body and soul remained the same, there would eventually be traces of the past.
The traces of the past and the brand-new changes would definitely require a period of adjustment.
During that adjustment period, there would surely be discordant aspects of Orochimaru that could be seen.
But this Orochimaru was the same inside and out, with no problems whatsoever.
While the two were whispering, Orochimaru turned his head during his conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked Minato Namikaze with a smile:
"Lord Minato, your child is about to be born, isn't it?"
What does he mean?
Minato Namikaze subconsciously thought Orochimaru had some plot against him, especially targeting his wife and child.
But looking up and seeing Orochimaru's gentle smile, that bit of wariness suddenly vanished.
"Ah, haha, yes, the due date is very close."
In his haste, Minato Namikaze scratched his head and gave his trademark sunny smile.
"Is that so? That's wonderful."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, his expression turning nostalgic:
"Time flies. To think that it's been so long since I supported you in succeeding as Hokage."
"Lord Minato, your child is already about to be born."
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