Dropped into Naruto, Breaking the World Apart

Chapter 127: Chapter 14 – Oh No, I've Traveled Through Time Again



Orochimaru's expression was grim.

Bad luck had been tailing him relentlessly.

First the Cow-Cat found him, then he got dumped into Squid Game—he managed to tolerate all that. But then the temperature suddenly shot up to over a hundred degrees Celsius. That was where he drew the line.

The Squid Game scenario vanished without warning, and the air around him started to burn. Without wasting a single second, Orochimaru bolted toward the Dragon Vein.

Fortunately, his body had long since surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. When he started to roast, he simply shed his skin using the Orochimaru-style Substitution Technique and managed to escape the fiery hell in one piece.

...

Once again, he found himself in a brand-new world.

To be precise—it was still the Shinobi World.

Gone was that smug, self-assured smile he used to wear. Now, Orochimaru moved with extreme caution, like a soldier entering his first battlefield.

His experiences in the last two worlds had been nothing short of horrific. He was convinced this world might also be controlled by some shadowy manipulator—how could he afford to act cocky now?

Orochimaru went out of his way to lower his presence. He barely even used snake-style ninjutsu.

After a bit of preliminary investigation, he learned that the "Orochimaru" of this world was already dead—killed by Uchiha Sasuke.

He wasn't surprised. Sasuke was strong enough to kill him. But as long as the soul fragment within the Cursed Seal of Heaven remained intact, "Orochimaru" still had a chance to resurrect.

He wouldn't allow that.

One world only needed one Orochimaru.

In the last world, the Cursed Seal of Heaven had inexplicably lost its function. But in this world, Orochimaru could absorb it—and retrieve the memories of the previous "Orochimaru."

So, he made up his mind to sneak into Konoha and seek out Anko Mitarashi.

She was weak and not exactly sharp—Orochimaru wasn't worried about blowing his cover.

From Rōran all the way to Konoha, he picked up a few interesting tidbits along the way—for instance, the so-called "Konoha Crush Plan."

"This is it?"

They hadn't slaughtered everyone in Konoha, hadn't ruined the village's reputation beyond repair, and this half-baked scheme was being called a "crush"?

Orochimaru had seen real chaos. He'd witnessed with his own eyes how Sasuke from his world had dealt with Konoha—soul extraction, spirit forging, grave robbing... That was just the appetizer.

Compared to that, this world's "Konoha Crush Plan" felt like nothing more than some half-hearted attempt to prune away Konoha's rotting branches.

Then, passing through a certain town...

"Orochimaru? You're still alive?!"

A female voice snapped Orochimaru out of his thoughts.

A striking red-haired girl wearing glasses stared at him in disbelief. Internally startled, Orochimaru wore a confused look on his face.

"Orochimaru? Who's that? I think you've got the wrong person."

He was confident in his Vanishing Facial Copy Technique.

Unfortunately, he was up against Karin.

He'd never met Karin before and didn't know about the terrifying power of her Kagura's Mind Eye.

Uchiha Sasuke, Jūgo, and Suigetsu quickly surrounded him.

"What are you up to?" Suigetsu asked casually, hand drifting toward his sword.

"I sensed Orochimaru's chakra," Karin said, pointing forward.

Sasuke turned to look. All he saw was a plain-looking man with an ordinary face, cowering nervously—not even remotely like Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru is already dead," Sasuke said coldly.

Not long ago, he had fought Orochimaru in a battle for control over his own body and successfully killed him. He even absorbed part of Orochimaru's power, significantly increasing his own strength. Afterward, he formed Taka Squad, preparing to take revenge on Uchiha Itachi.

No way Orochimaru could've revived this quickly.

That would be absurd.

Sasuke didn't want to waste time on some random nobody. But Karin frowned. The man's chakra was at least 90% identical to Orochimaru's. There was definitely a connection.

Karin bit her lip. Orochimaru and Sasuke had been mortal enemies. If there was even a chance Orochimaru might return, he wouldn't let them off the hook.

But Sasuke was already growing impatient. Taka Squad weren't mindless killers. They weren't like Danzō—no need to kill someone just because they seemed suspicious.

In the end, Karin could only leave "reluctantly" with Sasuke.

Orochimaru let out a silent sigh of relief. But also... confusion. That Sasuke just now—was he... kind of dumb?

From what he remembered, Uchiha Sasuke was terrifyingly cunning, cold, and calculating. He had secretly awakened his Mangekyō under Konoha's nose without alerting anyone. The mastermind behind Konoha's collapse—his schemes ran deep. In the entire Shinobi World, few could rival his intelligence.

But the Sasuke he just met? All cold exterior, but empty inside. He had that dumb, brooding teenager vibe. Sure, he carried deep grudges—but there wasn't much actual killing intent.

The Sasuke Orochimaru knew had been a straight-up psychotic murderer.

The contrast couldn't have been starker.

There was a time when Orochimaru couldn't stand idiots. But after experiencing so much, his outlook had shifted. These days, he liked idiots—especially those who were dumb and kind.

Scheming bastards? He had no patience for them. Every last one was plotting some massive doomsday plan. Compared to them, Orochimaru practically looked like a saint.

Before reaching Konoha, he had mentally prepared for how hard it might be to sneak in. After all, the village had already endured one collapse. Its defensive barrier should've been...

Wait, what?

Nothing had changed?!!

With a look of disbelief on his face, Orochimaru waltzed right into Konoha.

It was hard to judge this place anymore.

The key nodes of the defense barrier were still in the same locations as before. Konoha was being way too arrogant. If Orochimaru could just walk in, so could any other rogue ninja.

No wonder Sasuke had been able to destroy Konoha.

The era of Konoha being the strongest in the Shinobi World... had long since passed.

Back then, when Kumogakure tried to abduct someone from Konoha and got killed in the attempt, they still managed to twist the story, forcing the Hyūga clan head's brother to commit suicide just to keep the peace. After something like that, who could possibly still see Konoha as an invincible force?

As Orochimaru walked down the streets he hadn't seen in years, he felt no nostalgia at all.

Turns out, if you live long enough, even the strongest bonds of friendship, family, and camaraderie erode over time.

Ten years might not be enough. But a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand years? Eventually, you forget everything.

Anko's residence was easy to locate. Over the years, she'd only ever been a Tokubetsu Jōnin. She still used snake-style techniques, probably because her connection to Orochimaru had stalled her growth. She hadn't learned any advanced jutsu and had no chance of becoming a full Jōnin.

Jōnin was a rank that usually implied power—but not always. To have once been chosen as Orochimaru's disciple, Anko had potential. Sadly, she'd wasted it.

Retrieving the Cursed Seal of Heaven went very smoothly. It involved three steps:

① Use genjutsu to knock Anko out.

② Absorb the soul fragments stored in the cursed seal.

③ Plant a new seal to overwrite the old one.

Simple, direct, and efficient.

Orochimaru came silently and left just as quietly—not even a wisp of cloud left in his wake.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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