Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

Before Orochimaru could speak, the Third Hokage, upon hearing Natsuro's words, objected.

"Natsuro, we can't let Orochimaru escape, and the First and Second Hokage must be dealt with too! We can't allow him to keep disrespecting the previous Hokage like this!"

"Grandpa Third, you shouldn't die here. As for the First and Second Hokage, we can have the sealing team come later to seal them up," Natsuro replied, recalling how Edo Tensei was handled in the future.

"Sealing..." The Third Hokage hesitated for a moment.

People are inherently selfish. If there were no other options, the Third Hokage would have nobly sacrificed himself. But now that there was another solution, hesitation was only natural.

At this moment, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. The moment Natsuro appeared, Orochimaru knew his plan to kill the Third Hokage and destroy Konoha had failed.

Since Natsuro had used the Flying Thunder God to enter, he could likely also use it to take the Third Hokage out of the Four Violet Flames Formation.

Orochimaru also knew that the Konoha Anbu were waiting for him outside, but more importantly, Jiraiya was waiting too! Originally, Orochimaru thought that after killing the Third Hokage, with the help of the First and Second Hokage, dealing with Jiraiya wouldn't be difficult. But now, he would have to face the combined forces of Jiraiya, the Third Hokage, and Natsuro, who possessed the Flying Thunder God technique.

Hearing Natsuro's words to the Third Hokage just now, did the Third have a way to exchange his own life for that of Orochimaru and the Hokage?

This thought made Orochimaru feel a chill. He feared the unknown, and now he couldn't afford to hesitate. He needed to leave immediately!

When it came to self-preservation, no one was more dedicated than Orochimaru!

In the end, Orochimaru sighed and instructed the Sound Four to deactivate the Four Violet Flames Formation.

After dismantling the barrier, the Sound Four quickly gathered around Orochimaru and respectfully asked, "Lord Orochimaru, what should we do next?"

"Retreat!" Orochimaru ordered.

"Orochimaru!" At this moment, Jiraiya, with red eye markings and his body partially transformed into a toad, arrived with the two Toad Sages. He stared at Orochimaru with his toad eyes.

"Hm? You, a dropout, managed to master this mode? Unfortunately... it seems like you're still relying on external help, and it's not that impressive," Orochimaru remarked, licking his lips. He was surprised to see Jiraiya in Sage Mode but wasn't overly concerned.

Because, in the next moment, the Edo Tensei-revived First and Second Hokage charged at Jiraiya.

Yes, Orochimaru had decided to abandon the Edo Tensei Hokage and lifted some of their restrictions.

He had no choice. If he didn't make some sacrifices, he might really be stuck here. As much as it pained him to abandon the First and Second Hokage's Edo Tensei forms, Orochimaru valued his own life far more.

Jiraiya saw the First and Second Hokage charging toward him, and his eyes widened in shock. He had heard of this forbidden technique before, and now he roared in anger, "Orochimaru!!!"

"Heh, shout all you want. It won't change anything. If you want to catch me, you'll have to deal with them first," Orochimaru said with a smile, licking his lips with his long tongue.

Then his gaze shifted to the Third Hokage—no, it was focused on Natsuro. With a cold, sinister tone, he said, "Natsuro, is it? I'll remember you!"

"Good, remember me well, because next time we meet, I'll kill you with my own hands, Orochimaru," Natsuro replied, unshaken by the threat. He had no intention of pursuing Orochimaru.

In fact, Natsuro was low on chakra. Even after consuming two soldier pills, the effort to break through both a barrier and a seal with the Flying Thunder God technique had consumed far more chakra than expected. It had been the most taxing use of the technique in his experience.

If his chakra reserves had been sufficient, he would have wanted to try using the Rasenshuriken to see if he could stop Orochimaru. He believed there was a chance.

After all, the Rasenshuriken's principle involved cellular-level attacks. If it struck Orochimaru directly, even his Snake Clone technique might not work.

After all, if all the cells were destroyed, that would include the ones used for Orochimaru's Snake Clone technique...

But unfortunately, he couldn't run that experiment now. Even so, he doubted that killing Orochimaru outright would be easy. Orochimaru was like an immortal cockroach in the world of Naruto, always managing to survive no matter what.

"Heh heh..." Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh as he left. Without the Third Hokage's order, no one dared to pursue him. After all, Orochimaru still had considerable strength, and the Third Hokage was too exhausted to give chase.

"Jiraiya-sensei, hold them off for now," Natsuro instructed Jiraiya as he turned to the Anbu. "Go quickly and contact the sealing team. Bring the sealing materials. Edo Tensei requires sealing techniques to deal with it."

The Anbu hesitated for a moment, looking to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage nodded, saying, "Do as Natsuro says."

"Yes!" The Anbu quickly responded and disappeared.

At this point, the Third Hokage began to ask Natsuro about the situation in the village. Natsuro did not hold back and explained everything he knew.

Hearing his report, the Third Hokage showed a gratified expression. Natsuro's efforts had indeed played a key role in minimizing Konoha's casualties.

As the Third Hokage looked at Natsuro, he couldn't help but feel regret. Why hadn't he been born a few years earlier?

With that thought, the Third Hokage's body finally relaxed completely. The pain and exhaustion from Orochimaru and the Hokage's attacks overwhelmed him all at once, and the Third Hokage blacked out, collapsing forward.

"Grandpa Third?!" Natsuro caught the Third Hokage's body, his eyes wide with concern.

"Old man!!" Jiraiya, too, widened his eyes in alarm and rushed over.

Natsuro quickly checked the Third Hokage's condition and let out a sigh of relief. He had thought the original storyline couldn't be changed.

"Jiraiya-sensei, you stay here and keep these two occupied. Grandpa Third's condition isn't great, but his life isn't in danger. I'll take him to…" Natsuro began but stopped mid-sentence as he realized that most of the village's medical personnel were already busy. Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan had mobilized almost all of Konoha's available forces.

With a sigh, he pulled out another soldier pill and popped it into his mouth. The taste wasn't pleasant, and eating too many wasn't good for his body, but now wasn't the time to be picky.

Natsuro placed his hand over the Third Hokage's most serious wounds and used the Mystical Palm Technique.

To be honest, the Third Hokage's injuries weren't too severe, but factoring in his age, things didn't look good.

Even if he managed to heal him now, the Third Hokage would likely need a long time to fully recover. That was the unfortunate reality of aging.

Jiraiya, having heard Natsuro's words, also breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Natsuro begin healing the Third Hokage, he dispelled Sage Mode. After all, he couldn't maintain it for long, and it seemed unnecessary to deal with the two weakened Hokage.

After Orochimaru's departure, the abandoned Sound ninjas realized the situation and lost their will to fight. They tried to flee, but Kakashi and Might Guy had no intention of letting them go.

As for Baki in the center of the arena, seeing everything unfold from above, his bad feeling was confirmed. Their Kazekage had been impersonated by Orochimaru. So where was the real Kazekage?

Baki already had his answer. His face turned pale, and he lost all desire to continue fighting. If he dragged this out any longer, he might not be able to escape. Taking advantage of the fact that only Genma was blocking him, Baki decided to retreat.

Soon, the Anbu returned with the sealing team. Upon seeing the Third Hokage lying on the ground, they were startled.

"Lord Hokage!!"

"Stop shouting. The Hokage is fine. Instead of worrying about this, go help Jiraiya-sensei seal those two up," Natsuro said, hearing their alarm.

"Good to hear he's okay." The Anbu sighed in relief, then quickly led the sealing team over to assist Jiraiya.

Jiraiya, noticing their arrival, stepped up his efforts. With the help of Fukasaku and Shima, he managed to trap the Edo Tensei-revived First and Second Hokage.

The sealing team unrolled their scrolls and, taking advantage of the moment, successfully performed the sealing technique, sealing away the First and Second Hokage.

At that point, Jiraiya hurried over to Natsuro's side, looking down at the unconscious Third Hokage. His emotions were complicated as he gazed at the fallen Hokage...

He finally realized that the Third was truly old now—no longer the mighty Hokage who could effortlessly keep the three of them in check.

Just as Jiraiya was grappling with these feelings, Natsuro finished treating the Third Hokage. Jiraiya turned toward him, his voice a bit tense as he asked, "Natsuro, how's the old man?"

Natsuro sighed. Seeing Jiraiya's pale expression, he said, "The injuries aren't too severe, but Jiraiya-sensei, you know... Grandpa Third is very old. For a younger person, these wounds wouldn't be a big deal, but for him, recovery will be very difficult."

"It's a relief that he's alive. As for his recovery, there's plenty of time for that later," Jiraiya said, his eyes showing mixed emotions as he looked at Natsuro. If it hadn't been for him, even with his Sage Mode, he might have been too late.

"Thank you, Natsuro," Jiraiya said sincerely. Although he had his own frustrations with the Third Hokage, he couldn't deny the deep bond they shared.

"This is what I should do, isn't it?" Natsuro replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Jiraiya smiled back, feeling deeply satisfied with his student. He couldn't have been more pleased with Natsuro.

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Currently on Chapter 191 - Natsuro's Sage Transformation