[A/N] - Support & Read Up to 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!

  <><><><>

  Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the first seat to the right of the Hokage's desk.

  He kept his head down, taking deep puffs from his smoking pipe.

  From time to time, his gaze would drift toward the door of the Hokage's office.

  He was worried-worried that Minato Namikaze would return with a lifeless corpse in the sed. He was equally worried that Minato would bring news of Orochimaru successfully esg Konoha.

  That unworthy disciple... he must not be allowed to escape, but it's best if he doesn't die either... Strip him of his ninja abilities and imprison him deep within Konoha for life!

  With Advisojo as a "restraining influence," and if he handed over the st of his political capital... could he save Orochimaru's life?

  Hiruzen sighed deeply.

  Having been Hokage for most of his life, it was unrealistic to say he could pletely let go of power.

  But for the sake of Konoha, he had smoothly and willingly pleted the transfer of power to Minato. Although he still retained a small part, ensuring his position as an elder whose words carried weight at critical moments.

  Now... even that insignifit bit of selfish desire for power would have to be given up for his unworthy disciple.

  Click-

  The door of the Hokage's office opened.

  Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat; he instinctively turned his head.

  "Tsunade? You're back too."

  "Old man..."

  Seeing that Hiruzen was safe and sound, only with a few bandages on his body, Tsunade finally rexed her slightly tense heart.

  No one had died-that was the best oute... She didn't want to lose any more familiar people.

  Click-

  Tsunade closed the door of the Hokage's office behind her, crossed her arms, and leaned against the door, silently what was about to unfold like a boundary's sentinel-

  The Meeting

  The current Hokage, the former Hokage, and the future Hokage.

  Minato Namikaze sat at the head seat, with Gojo Kaigetsu on his left and Hiruzen Sarutobi on his right.

  Their gazes verged on Orochimaru, who was kneeling before them.

  The three people who held the highest authority in Konoha were gathered at this moment.

  "Ahem, since everyone is here, let's discuss the decisiarding Orochimaru's disposition," Gojo Kaigetsu took the lead, initiating the meeting.

  As Hokage, Minato was duty-bound to speak first: "Orochimaru has harmed his rades, with an astonishing t of sixty people. His crimes are unfivable and should be... executed!"

  The wrinkles on Hiruzen's face deepened. He knew all too well that his unworthy disciple deserved death. But he couldn't get past that hurdle in his heart!

  "If possible... I hope that, sidering Orochimaru's past outstanding tributions to Konoha, his life be spared."

  "Third Hokage, you have softened."

  Minato's gaze ierg; this time, he didn't grant Hiruzen any dignity.

  The opportunity fnity only es once.

  Hiruzen had let Orochimaru escape because of his softness, making Minato realize that his mentor's mentor-the hero of Konoha-was already old.

  Since he was old... it was time to follow the natural course and hand over his light ao the new Konoha!

  "Yes, I have softened," Hiruzen smiled bitterly. "I wished I could have killed Orochimaru on the spot, but at the moment I o strike the fatal blow, I realized that the bonds of a ninja are not so easily severed."

  "If you insist oing Orochimaru, Minato, I have nothing more to say," Hiruzen said solemnly.

  "I... though personally attached, also uand what's best for Konoha. Likewise, to atone for my softowards the rogue ninja Orochimaru, I will hand over all the Anbu units under my and and urge Danzo tn from his position as the head of Root, returning and of Root's ninjas to the vilge."

  The goal was achieved~

  Before Minato could react, Gojo Kaigetsu was already overjoyed inside.

  The remnants of the old Anbu and Root were probably the st bits of value that could be squeezed out of Hiruzen.

  Why did Hiruzen and Danzo have such profound political influen Konoha?

  Aside from their long tenure and the many policies enacted during their time that still affected various ninja s in Konoha, Root was the guarantee of their influence.

  Because of Root's existehe major ninja s in Konoha feared the dark forces lurking deep within the vilge. This fear transted into influence.

  If Root disappeared... how many of Konoha's elders would still remember the two aged remnants of the old era, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura?

  They would just be two powerful ninjas among many in Konoha.

  Hiruzen was willing to hand over and of Root... he was truly prepared.

  Afraid that soft-hearted Minato might ruin his pn, Gojo Kaigetsu cpped his hands to ease the situation:

  "Alright, alright, there's o make this so tense~"

  "Indeed, Orochimaru-senpai has itted unfivable crimes, but the blood and tears he shed for Konoha in the past are also real."

  "As an impartial observer with ed is, I have two points to make-"

  "First, whether Orochimaru-senpai is ultimately executed or allowed to live, he o longer show his face publicly in Konoha. The vilge's ninja sce boratory is his only destination."

  "To ehis, I'll ask Tsunade and the elite of the Sealio, from the perspectives of mediinjutsu and sealing teiques, disable Orochimaru's hands, rendering him uo form seals. This effectively strips him of his capabilities as a ninja."

  "Sed, we who live in this world don't have the final say oher tive Orochimaru-senpai," Gojo Kaigetsu said mysteriously.

  Minato uzzled: "We don't have the final say? Are you suggesting we sult those who died in Orochimaru's experiments? But the dead ot be resurrected."

  Gojo Kaigetsu shook his head: "In my homend, the Land of Flowers, there's an a ritual said to have been passed down from the time of the Sage of Six Paths. When people face major decisions beyond human judgment, they perform this ritual to seek the Sage's guidance!"

  Gasp-

  The Sage of Six Paths? This is serious.

  The other three instinctively exged gnces, seeing the surprise and uainty in each other's eyes.

  The Sage of Six Paths, acc to legend, loved to travel the ninja world, leaving his "holy relics" and legends everywhere.

  Given that, it's not impossible that he left rituals and stories in the Land of Flowers at that time.

  Minato hesitated aively asked, "Kaigetsu-kun, you're not referring to the divination popur among the on folk, are you?"

  "No, no, no, it's not that meaningless stuff."

  Gojo Kaigetsu shook his head repeatedly: "The ritual I'm talking about is called-"

  "Casting the Holy Cups"

  "Casting the Holy Cups is a way for people in the Land of Flowers to unicate and sult with deities. The cups are made of wood or bamboo, crafted into crest shapes with two pieces, each having vex and ft sides f a pair. The vex side is called 'yin,' and the ft side is called 'yang.' If one yin and one yang appear, it's called a 'Sacred Cup.'"

  "Therefore, 'Casting the Holy Cups' also be called 'Casting the Sacred Cup'!"

  "If both sides are yang, it's called a 'Laughing Cup,' indig that the Sage of Six Paths is undecided, and the matter is ambiguous. If both sides are yin, it's a 'g Cup,' meaning the matter is unfeasible, and the Sage does not approve-it could indicate the Sage is angry or that misfortune is immi."

  "If one yin and one yang appear, the 'Sacred Cup' sighe Sage's approval of the matter!"

  As Gojo Kaigetsu spoke, he took out two brand-new crest-shaped implements from his pocket: "During my time in the safe house, I wasn't idle and sidered the current situation in advance."

  "For this purpose, I took a small piece from the First Hokage's Wood Release relid crafted these yin-yang implements."

  "In this way, we are not only seeking guidance from the Sage of Six Paths but also sulting Lord Hashirama, the source of Konoha's Will of Fire."

  "If both of them choose tive Orochimaru, then perhaps his life should be spared."

  Minato's expression grew increasingly peculiar as he accepted the cups from Gojo Kaigetsu.

  The cups made from Wood Release had a unique feel, very different from the shuriken and kunai that ninjas usually train with. One could say that rigorous throwing teiques had no use in casting these cups.

  Perhaps only top-tier taijutsu ninjas could master the subtle differences in feel.

  This task was too delicate.

  It was truly nothing more than a simple and siual of praying to the deities.

  Gojo Kaigetsu tinued: "Generally, in the Land of Flowers, the number of times the cups are cast depends on the significe of the matter being sulted."

  "For major events, they usually cast once."

  "But for someone like Orochimaru-senpai, who has vioted taboos... I think we should cast imes! The highest level of casting."

  "I will pose the question, 'Should we five Orochimaru?' and seek guidance from the Sage of Six Paths and Lord Hashirama. If all nine casts result in Sacred Cups, Orochimaru be fiven!"

  "From then on, his ninja abilities will be stripped, and he will live secretly in Konoha."

  "What? imes?"

  Hiruzen, who had been feeling a bit pleased, was now stunned.

  This was a very formal ritual, with almost no possibility of human interferen the oute. In a way... it could indeed represent the will of the Sage of Six Paths.

  But to cast nine secutive Sacred Cups-no matter how you look at it, that's impossible.

  So, Gojo Kaigetsu inteo use the will of the Sage and the First Hokage to pletely bloy ce of Orochimaru's survival.

  Fet it...

  Hiruzen seemed to age aen years instantly, shrinking into his chair like a little old man, puffing clouds of smoke.

  Minato, however, uzzled.

  This wasn't acc to the script, was it?

  Wasn't one supposed to py the good cop and the other the bad cop, with Gojo Kaigetsu proposing to spare Orochimaru's life so he could serve Konoha, and then Minato relutly agreeing?

  Why propose such harsh ditions as "getting nine Sacred Cups in a row" as the dition for fiving Orochimaru?

  Wasn't this essentially deg to execute Orochimaru?

  Though filled with doubts, Minato hesitated but nodded, indig his acceptance of Gojo Kaigetsu's pn.

  Gojo Kaigetsu cpped his hands again:

  "Sino one has any objes, let's wait for Orochimaru-senpai to wake up and begin the Sacred Cup casting ceremony!"

  "Tsunade!" Gojo Kaigetsu called out. "Please e and heal Orochimaru-senpai."

  A faint green light shone in Tsunade's palms as she stepped forward, pg her hands on Orochimaru's sor plexus.

  The energy of life slowly flowed into Orochimaru, repairing his body, which had been severely damaged by both ninjutsu and taijutsu.

  Each harbored their own thoughts, silently waiting without further versation.

  For a moment, the Hokage's office fell into an eerie silence.

  As fojo Kaigetsu, he appeared fident of victory.

  Earlier, when instrug Gin in the safe house, his views on Orochimaru were her exaggerated nor baseless.

  Orochimaru was a rare talent in the field of stific resear the ninja world; it would be best if he could be used, but not in his current ambitious and unbroken state.

  To use Orochimaru, his entire belief system had to be shattered.

  Now, his physical bones had been broken by Tsunade; what remained were his spiritual ones.

  Gojo Kaigetsu had a deep uanding of Orochimaru; this guy's mental journey could be divided into three stages.

  Initially, Orochimaru was likely aionally rich but inexpressive ninja.

  At the very least, he genuinely cared for Nawaki. After Nawaki's death, Orochimaru might have shed tears alone in the dead of night.

  Nawaki's death cast a lingering shadow over Orochimaru's heart.

  It also made Orochimaru, who was dedicated to practig ninjutsu, lose faith in it to some extent. He began to see ninjutsu more as a means rather than a lifelong pursuit.

  Nawaki's death made Orochimaru realize that a ninja's life is fragile; status and position offer no prote in this dangerous world.

  He began to immerse himself in ninja sce research, obsessed with mastering loy and even immortality.

  His humaions began to be stripped away; societal expectations and bonds between people were discarded as he grew increasingly indifferent-a state that led to the current Orochimaru who had been captured.

  When Orochimaru thought that Kabuto, who he believed had ied all his will, dreams, and abilities, could achieve his ultimate dream, reality dealt him a heavy blow.

  Kabuto failed!

  Even after perfeg the Impure World Reination, transpnting all his rades' abilities into himself, and learning Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave... he still couldn't break free from the shackles of fate.

  At this point, Orochimaru suddenly looked bad saw the paths chosen by his close friend Jiraiya and his mentor Hiruzen Sarutobi: believing in others' strength was the ultimate solution in the ninja world.

  So...

  Orochimaru began to let go.

  He unditionally believed in Sasuke Uchiha, whom he oried to possess and who wasn't even borhe two who once fought to the death became a one-sided retionship where Orochimaru followed Sasuke's every word.

  How absurd!

  After reviewing Orochimaru's life, Gojo Kaigetsu uood that to utilize Orochimaru, his previous beliefs had to be destroyed.

  Currently, Orochimaru believed in ninja sce? Theroy his faith in sd impnt theology into his thoughts and will!

  The end of sce has always been theology!

  He wanted Orochimaru's vi to colpse and to excim, "Ninja sce does."

  As for how to achieve this?

  Gojo Kaigetsu's lips curled slightly-the casting of the Sacred Cups was his ultimate answer.

  For a ninja who had goray, the inprehensible mystery behind the Sacred Cups would bee their final spiritual support!

  "Done!"

  Tsunade's call pulled Gojo Kaigetsu back to reality: "I've temporarily severed the chakra pathway in his hands. Until he receives treatment, he 't form seals or use any ninjutsu."

  Gojo Kaigetsu nodded, sloroag Orochimaru, who was kneeling on the ground.

  Orochimaru's eyelids twitched slightly, appearing to be in a state betweey and dream.

  "Orochimaru, open your eyes. I am Nawaki."

  Tsunade: "?"

  "Ahem..." Gojo Kaigetsu cleared his throat, skipping that sensitive name. "Orochimaru! Do you want to uand the meaning of life? Do you want to... truly live?"

  Whoosh-

  Correct passcode!

  Having walked back from the gates of hell, Orochimaru opened his eyes. Almost instantly upon opening them, his snake-like pupils refocused.

  It felt as if he had a long, distant dream, where an old man g to be the Sage of Six Paths sat cross-legged, floating in mid-air. In a daze, it seemed the old man was saying something about "the meaning of life," "truly living," "live on! Live on! Live on!"...

  After that, Orochimaru woke up.

  The dim lights of the Hokage's office, the red of the ceremonial robe, and the red of the Adamaaff transformed from Enma filled his vision.

  His field of view seemed saturated with that hazy red light.

  At this moment, as if the dream had reappeared, he had e to hell.

  His pn to escape had ultimately failed... Orochimaru, rehroughout the ninja world, had bee a prisoner.

  A bitter smile appeared at the er of Orochimaru's mouth. He tried to move his fingers but found he couldn't even perform the most basic seal formations.

  Doesn't that mean...

  His abilities as a ninja were about to be stripped away.

  "Orochimaru!" Gojo Kaigetsu shouted sternly, "Do you want to uand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?"

  "Heh... Does it even matter now?"

  "In this ninja world, I desire to live more than anyone else. But my ninja way has already beeroyed by you all," Orochimaru said, giving up.

  Hiruzen's eyes filled with anger: "Orochimaru, even now you don't uand your mistakes! Why did I have a disciple like you!"

  "There's no need for meanialk," Orochimaru gnced around at the four people surrounding him. Realizing that his end was near, he chose to face death with his head held high, not showing any of the disgrace a prisht.

  He would die, but he died pursuing the ninja way of immortality.

  Walking this path, he had s!

  He was a martyr of the immortal ninja way!

  "Enough said; either kill me or let me go."

  Tsunade's fists ched tightly, uo uand what had happeo her close friend-why had he bee so twisted?

  He wasn't like this before! The Orochimaru who taught Nawaki wasn't like this!

  Gojo Kaigetsu, instead of being angered by Orochimaru's provocation, spoke in an increasingly mysterious tone:

  "Five you? Let you go? That's up to the Sage of Six Paths and the First Hokage."

  "All I do is let you meet them."

  "The Sage of Six Paths? The First Hokage?" Orochimaru was taken aback, instinctively thinking that Gojo Kaigetsu had mastered the perfect Impure World Reination.

  With a mog expression, Orochimaru said, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

  "If you want to kill me, just y head with a kunai. Why bring up those two? One is a ninja who has returo dust, the other is a figure that exists only in mythology."

  Gojo Kaigetsu held two cups, his faigmatid slowly squatted down.

  He pced the cups before Orochimaru.

  His voice was ethereal, vaguely resonating with the Sage of Six Paths in Orochimaru's dream:

  "These are the 'Cups' crafted from Lord Hashirama's Wood Release relics, and they're your st prehend the meaning of life!"

  Cups?

  Orochimaru looked puzzled, following the two cups on the ground-one yin and one yang.

  "Cast them imes in a row, to seek guidance from the Sage of Six Paths and Lord Hashirama oher you be allowed to live and uand the true meaning of life."

  "If the result is the 'g Cup' of double yin, it means the Sage and Lord Hashirama ot tolerate your existence!"

  "If it's the 'Laughing Cup' of double yang, it means your fate is undecided!"

  "Finally, if the number of 'Laughing Cups' exceeds 'g Cups,' you live on in fusion, never uanding the true meaning of life in your lifetime. versely, I will immediately execute you as a rogue ninja representing the Will of Fire!"

  "If all nine secutive casts result in the 'Sacred Cup' of yin and yang..."

  "It represents the embodiment of the Sage of Six Paths and Lord Hashirama's will! Their will hopes you live on, abandon your former will, prehend the true meaning of life, and with a heart of ato, spend your life making amends to those who died because of you!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu's voice was deep and profound, as if filtered through some mysterious lens, leaving Orochimaru utterly bewildered.

  He hadn't even had time to calcute the odds of surviving through this casting.

  Gojo Kaigetsu shouted again: "Now, cast!"

  Like a puppet on strings, Orochimaru struggled to hold the cups in his hands. Though his fingers couldn't move to form seals, his palms could still muster enough strength to throw something.

  It was as if the Sage of Six Paths was giving him one final trial.

  Orochimaru's head was a bit dizzy; he didn't have time to calcute his ces of survival. Holding the cups, he tossed them upward.

  Everyone present, except fojo Kaigetsu, focused their gaze on the cups tumbling in the air.

  With a ctter, the two cups nded-Sacred Cup.

  Orochimaru was momentarily dazed... The first cast was the Sacred Cup.

  The Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama wanted him to live and atone?

  Heh, what a joke. It's just a form of divination. Bringing up the Sage of Six Paths-is that supposed to make him abandon his ninja way?

  Don't be ridiculous!

  He was Orochimaru; how could his ninja way succumb to such ethereal tales of gods and spirits?

  A smirk appeared on Orochimaru's lips, as if mog fate's impotence. He cast the cups again-Sacred Cup!

  Another Sacred Cup?

  He cast again-

  Sacred Cup, Sacred Cup, Sacred Cup!

  Orochimaru's pupils unsciously dited, his gaze fixed on the cups that had yielded five secutive Sacred Cups.

  What kind of joke is this?

  Even if a yin cup appeared-even if he were to die-why were yin and yang cups appearing secutively?!

  For extreme ninjas like Orochimaru, sometimes death isn't the most scary thing. The most scary thing is... their ninja way betraying them.

  For Hiruzen Sarutobi, the betrayal of his ninja way was the betrayal by Orochimaru and Danzo; for Minato, it would be Konoha's betrayal; for Orochimaru, it was that "ninja sce" did, and that ninjas could never achieve immortality; as fojo Kaigetsu... he had no ninja way.

  Now, the secutive appearances of the yin-yang cups seemed to silently vey the will of the Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama:

  "You, Orochimaru, have been walking the wrong path from the beginning."

  "What kind of joke is this?! How could I be wrong?! What's wrong with pursuing ninja sd immortality?!"

  Having resigned himself to death, Orochimaru became agitated upon seeing this result-he was losing trol.

  His face twisted, eyes bloodshot, and he suddenly looked up at Gojo Kaigetsu: "What trick did you py?! Gojo Kaigetsu, did you manipute the cups with ninjutsu?"

  "Hey, hey~"

  "Please~"

  "We're all ninjas here; think before you speak, Orochimaru-senpai," Gojo Kaigetsu spread his hands. "There's no ninjutsu in the ninja world that remotely trol objects. Well, the Mag Release of Sunagakure barely ts."

  "But this is made from Lord Hashirama's Wood Release! It's impossible for ordinary ninjutsu to trol it."

  "Even if I had awakened Wood Release, did any of you sense any chakra fluctuations?"

  These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Orochimaru, snapping him back to reality.

  Indeed... This is Wood Release, ruling out the possibility of manipution. In a way, Gojo Kaigetsu was right; besides Hashirama, no one could trol Wood Release. These cups truly seemed to represent his will.

  Moreover, although Orochimaru's hands were sealed, he hadn't lost his ability to sense chakra.

  Even if Gojo Kaigetsu had awakened Wood Release, it was impossible for him not to leak any chakra.

  So...

  "Did the Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama really ma?"

  The fear of beirayed by his ninja way engulfed Orochimaru's heart, his chakra stimuting his brain. Soon, he calcuted how low the probability was of getting nine secutive Sacred Cups...

  Five hundred and twelve! It would take up to five hundred and twelve attempts for such a result to occur!

  What terrified Orochimaru even more was-

  It was Konoha's 51st year, and the Sacred Cup represehe bined will of the Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama.

  In the unseen realm, it correspoo the number 512.

  And that strange dream just now... Everything seemed to point to his fate.

  "Impossible, impossible, impossible! My ninja way won't betray me! What I've always adhered to is real!"

  Orochimaru was in a frenzy, his hair disheveled. This maddeate left Minato and Hiruzen exging gnces. Although five secutive Sacred Cups was statistically improbable, why was Orochimaru reag as if he'd seen something indescribably scary?

  He cast the cups again!!!

  Ctter-

  Sacred Cup, Sacred Cup, Sacred Cup!

  The appearance of three more Sacred Cups seemed to shatter Orochimaru's spine. He colpsed to the ground, chest heaving violently, even drooling snake venom from the er of his mouth-he looked like a gambler who had lost everything.

  This deraate had not appeared even when he faced mortal danger!

  "Hee hee hee~"

  "I, have realized~"

  "Ninja sce does~"

  "Once, I wandered aimlessly~"

  "What is the true meaning of life? How oruly live? Sage of Six Paths, Lord Hashirama, where is the answer?"

  Orochimaru muttered, and when he looked up again, his gaze tojo Kaigetsu had ged.

  It had bee inparably clear and fervent.

  It's hard to imagihis was Orochimaru... No, it's hard to believe that a ninja could show su expression-two inpatible emotions appearing simultaneously in his eyes.

  Such eyes, as if looking upon an ineffable guru.

  He was so devout, so longing. After his ninja way was shattered, he needed a new path to anchor his life...

  Gojo Kaigetsu's smile became increasingly gentle, but his words were merciless: "Orochimaru-senpai, you still have one final cast. Perhaps the st cast will be a g Cup, and you will be executed uhe Will of Fire."

  "That doesn't matter at all anymore!"

  Orochimaru casually cast the cups, unsurprisingly resulting in another Sacred Cup.

  Nine secutive casts-a miracle that occurs on five hundred and twelve attempts-the Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama had truly maed!

  Hiruzen, Minato, and Tsunade were all shocked!

  Heaven may not have a virtue of preserving life, but with such a miracle, it chose to let Orochimaru live and atone.

  "Now, tell me, where is the path?!"

  "The path is under your feet, Orochimaru!"

  "Believing irength of others is the ultimate solution in the ninja world!"

  "Go and prehend what 'love' is!"

  <><><><>

  Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!

  https://p-atreon./dragonnx

  (Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

  There is 8 Exg Fanfics already avaible on my Patreon!