At the critical moment when Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to sacrifice himself to seal Orochimaru, a tremendous palm strike descended from the sky. Its momentum was vast and its power was astonishing. After breaking through the barrier and shattering Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, it also destroyed the place where Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were standing!

Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru wanted to avoid the giant hand's attack after seeing the barrier shatter, but the giant hand seemed to have a powerful sealing and suppressing force. The two of them were unable to move as if they were being crushed by a thousand pounds, and could only be pressed down along with the ruins of the building.

The next moment, a huge palm print, half a meter deep and over a hundred meters in diameter, appeared on the spot. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru stood there dumbfounded, their faces filled with a sense of relief and existential doubt, unable to recover for a long time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, in particular, was shocked and puzzled that he had not died. That palm strike was clearly an attack from that so-called Uchiha Tajima. Why did he not only not kill him but also break the barrier to save him? Why would he be so kind?!

On the contrary, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, the two reanimated beings, regained their senses as their forms dissipated. Tobirama Senju was shocked and puzzled by the powerful force, and even in the final moments of his dissipation, he kept thinking about any clues he might have.

Compared to his younger brother, Hashirama Senju seemed carefree, completely ignoring his body gradually turning to ashes. Instead, he looked up at the sky with a bright smile and raised his dissipating thumb, as if praising the power of his palm strike.

Only then did the giant cloud and thunder palm collapse and dissipate, turning into wisps of smoke that drifted and swirled above the palm print.

Several seconds later, Orochimaru barely came to his senses and felt that the power he had been suppressing had disappeared. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said tentatively, "Hiss hiss hiss, I didn't expect there to be such a master in Konoha. It seems that I won't be able to see Master Sarutobi off today."

As he said this, Orochimaru's eyes were filled with complex emotions and regret, which vanished in an instant, and he returned to his cold demeanor.

"Traitor, you have been a defector for many years. How much do you really understand about the true nature of Konoha?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, struggling to maintain his limp body, stared at Orochimaru with an inscrutable expression, trying to intimidate him with words.

"Hehehe, is this really Konoha's strength? We didn't see any experts like this when Konoha faced crises before."

Orochimaru was filled with suspicion and uncertainty, but he dared not test the waters any further for the time being. That attack had shattered the Sound Four, and he wasn't about to be foolish enough to fight alone in Konoha without a barrier.

Just as they were bickering and testing each other, Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi simultaneously sensed a familiar chakra.

"Old man, are you alright?"

In what seemed like an instant, a giant frog, over ten meters tall, leaped from afar. Standing atop the frog was a burly man with long, white hair reaching his waist and wearing a headband with the character "油" (oil) on it—it was Jiraiya.

Jiraiya manipulated the giant frog to stand in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Seeing that Hiruzen was not seriously injured, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned around and stared at Orochimaru, his eyes filled with regret and anger, as well as some hidden joy.

"Orochimaru, how could you possibly want to kill Sarutobi-sensei?!"

Jiraiya was filled with shock and anger. He had been gathering materials at a pond dozens of kilometers outside Konoha Village. It was a place he had recently discovered, with cool, refreshing water where groups of young and beautiful girls often came to bathe.

Just as he was getting into the story, he noticed something was wrong in the direction of Konoha. Upon climbing to a higher vantage point, he saw a cloud of dust surrounding Konoha, with many giant snakes rushing towards the village!

Jiraiya rushed as fast as he could, but he was still a little short. If it weren't for that palm strike that came down from the sky, he might have been left to collect Sarutobi's corpse.

"Rotten things should be eliminated as soon as possible, so that time can stand still at its best moment."

Someone like me, treading the path to immortality, needs no superfluous emotions!

Orochimaru had an indifferent expression, showing no regret for what he had done; he was only disappointed that he could not achieve his goal this time.

“I know you’re not that kind of person; you still have feelings in your heart.”

Turn back, Orochimaru, before you make an irreparable mistake!

Jiraiya stared intently at his long-lost best friend, secretly determined that even if it meant breaking Orochimaru's arms and legs, he would keep him alive!

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi glared angrily at Jiraiya. "Why don't you look back at the ruined Konoha Village now, and at your teacher? Don't you feel guilty? Is this what you call not having committed an irreparable mistake?"

Does it have to wait until he kills me, the Hokage, before it's considered irreversible?!

Behind Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi was covered in mud and blood, looking disheveled and weak. He had only held on because he had nowhere else to retreat, relying on his last burst of bloodlust to try and trade his life with Orochimaru.

Now that there was hope, the courage that had been building in his heart vanished completely, replaced by endless fear and anger!

Having ruled Konoha for decades, he never expected that no one would save him in this critical moment, and he was almost killed by his former disciple.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was burning with rage. All he could think about was how to take revenge. Those incompetent ANBU deserved to die, the Konoha ninja who left him deserved to die, the Konoha clan who refused to help him deserved to die, and Orochimaru deserved to die even more!

Even Jiraiya is a bastard. Why couldn't he have come to save me sooner? Why did he have to let Orochimaru go back to Konoha?

As he thought this, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced back at the still-burning flames within the clan's territory, then suddenly felt two sharp pains shooting through his chest, which fueled his anger even more.

Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Orochimaru was at a loss for words. He knew exactly what he had done, so he could only awkwardly laugh and refuse.

"Hehehe, you're still as foolish as ever, Jiraiya."

Give up, I won't turn back. Konoha can't keep me here!

As Orochimaru spoke, he slowly retreated. He had already exhausted a lot of his chakra and had no chance of winning against Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sensei, not to mention there was a mysterious and unpredictable master in the sky.

"Orochimaru, you know I won't give up. Today, even if it means breaking your arms and legs, I will keep you here!"

As they spoke, Jiraiya activated his chakra to make his move, while Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru reacted swiftly, simultaneously activating their chakra and forming hand seals.

Just as the three were about to engage in a chaotic battle, the cloud of smoke that was gradually dissipating seemed to sense the fluctuation of chakra and stopped flowing. Then it gathered into a palm that was five or six meters in size and launched a powerful attack on the three of them at the same time!

"Ninjutsu: Needle Jizo"

"Escape. Earth flow wall"

"Spiritual Communication Technique: Triple Rashomon"

Jiraiya and his two companions reacted swiftly, simultaneously using defensive ninjutsu in an attempt to block the awe-inspiring power.