Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

"Orochimaru!"

The Third Hokage had clearly deduced that the one controlling the giant purple serpent was Orochimaru.

His face darkened as he leaped down from the Hokage building, landing steadily before swiftly advancing toward the direction of the colossal snake.

"It's Orochimaru!"

Most of those present had also guessed that the manipulator of the purple serpent was none other than Orochimaru.

After all, before his defection from Konoha, many of them had interacted with him.

Some had even served under Orochimaru during his tenure as battlefield commander in the Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Following the Third Hokage's lead, the meeting participants quickly pursued him toward the serpent.

"I wonder if Konoha's tradition of killing one's master will play out today..."

A barely perceptible smirk curled on Fugaku Uchiha's lips as he joined the pursuit.

Konoha had an infamous tradition - the slaying of mentors.

On the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Fourth Hokage died by his student Obito Uchiha's hand.

Years later during the Chunin Exams, the Third Hokage would fall to his pupil Orochimaru.

And in Amegakure years after that, Jiraiya would meet his end at the hands of his disciple Nagato.

This was Konoha's dark legacy of patricide.

If Orochimaru could continue this tradition by eliminating the Third Hokage today, Fugaku would wake up laughing from sheer delight.

"Probably impossible..."

Fugaku shook his head slightly.

During the future Chunin Exams, Orochimaru's success in killing the Third Hokage relied on extensive preparations that isolated the Hokage from village reinforcements.

This time, Orochimaru clearly hadn't made such thorough arrangements.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The weakest among those attending the village meeting at the Hokage building were elite jonin, their movement speed extraordinary.

Within a dozen breaths, they had closed in on the purple serpent.

"Orochimaru!"

A thunderous roar erupted.

The Third Hokage's hair and beard billowed as terrifying chakra erupted from his body, his furious gaze locked onto the figure standing atop the giant snake.

"Teacher Sarutobi... it's been a while."

Perched on the serpent, Orochimaru regarded his former mentor with complex emotions.

"Orochimaru! What is the meaning of this?"

The Third Hokage demanded angrily.

"Just retrieving some items from ROOT. Unfortunately, I triggered one of Danzo's traps and got exposed."

Orochimaru replied with casual indifference.

His tone carried undisguised arrogance, showing no concern for his current predicament.

"You dare return to Konoha as a missing-nin? And infiltrate ROOT?"

The Hokage's voice trembled with rage.

To him, Orochimaru's actions represented nothing less than a direct challenge.

"Well, with Danzo mysteriously gone missing, I thought I might find some interesting artifacts among his collection."

Orochimaru chuckled lightly.

He spoke of infiltrating ROOT as casually as visiting a marketplace, his utter disregard for Konoha's security radiating sheer audacity.

This blatant arrogance ignited fury among the assembled clan heads and elite jonin.

Orochimaru wasn't just mocking Konoha - he was spitting in their faces.

"Orochimaru! What do you take Konoha for?"

"Orochimaru! Did you have something to do with Advisor Danzo's disappearance?"

Several clan heads spoke up one after another with stern questions.

"Don't wrongfully accuse me. Shimura Danzo's disappearance has nothing to do with me."

Orochimaru, who had been wearing a mocking smile, suddenly turned cold.

His icy gaze fell upon the clan head who had asked the question.

Under that piercing stare, the clan head felt a chill run down his spine, his body trembling uncontrollably.

It was as if he had been locked onto by a terrifying giant serpent.

"Whether or not Danzo's death is connected to you, now that you've shown yourself in Konoha, don't even think about leaving!"

The Third Hokage glared at Orochimaru.

"Teacher Sarutobi, you're not as young as you used to be. The current you can't stop me!"

Orochimaru's smile returned, as if the anger from moments ago had never existed.

"This old man isn't so decrepit that he can't move yet."

The Third Hokage snorted coldly.

He formed hand seals and summoned a shadow clone, which appeared beside him.

Both the clone and the original simultaneously performed ninjutsu.

The clone conjured a massive water dragon, while the original infused it with lightning-style techniques, wrapping the dragon in crackling electricity.

"Combination Ninjutsu: Thunder Water Dragon Bullet—"

A colossal water dragon wreathed in lightning surged toward Orochimaru.

The enormous purple serpent twisted its body, blocking the electrified water dragon with its rock-hard scales.

However, the combined might of the Third Hokage's water and lightning techniques was immense.

Where the thunder-infused dragon struck, large patches of the purple serpent's body were left scorched and blackened.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet—"

"Fire Style: Blazing Flame Technique—"

"Earth Style: Earth-Spear Spike—"

...

At the same time, a barrage of ninjutsu attacks rained down on the purple serpent from all directions.

Seeing the Third Hokage take action, the clan heads and elite jōnin among the civilian ninjas wasted no time, joining the assault with their own techniques.

Facing a rogue ninja of the village, there was no need for fair one-on-one combat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every attack carried the destructive force of an elite jōnin's power.

The purple serpent writhed in pain as the relentless assault landed.

Whoosh—

Enraged, the serpent swung its massive tail like a freight train, smashing toward the gathered clan heads.

"Multi-Size Technique!"

The red-haired head of the Akimichi clan, Chōza Akimichi, expanded his body into a towering giant.

He spread his arms wide and caught the serpent's tail mid-swing.

But the serpent's strength was overwhelming—even with his immense size, Chōza was forced back step by step under the impact.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu—"

Shikaku Nara activated his shadow techniques.

Dark tendrils of shadow slithered forth, coiling around the serpent's tail and easing the pressure on Chōza, finally halting its momentum.

With the tail restrained, the others unleashed another wave of ninjutsu upon the serpent.

"Ahhh—"

Injured and battered from the relentless attacks, the serpent let out a human-like scream, as if a person were trapped within its monstrous form.

"Orochimaru, don't forget your promise to me!"

It turned its head and snarled at Orochimaru, perched on its back.

Then, its body dissolved into a cloud of white smoke, vanishing without a trace.

It had dispelled the summoning jutsu.

Summoned creatures could escape by canceling their contract when severely injured.

Swish, swish, swish!

Orochimaru fell from the sky and landed on the ground.

The heads of various clans surrounded him from all sides.

"Orochimaru, you won't escape today!"

The Third Hokage stared coldly at Orochimaru as he spoke.

"Teacher Sarutobi, don't you find it strange? Up until now, I haven't even made a move."

Facing the Third Hokage's icy gaze, Orochimaru wore an amused expression on his face.