Chapter 35: If Someone Must Take the Fall, Why Not Jiraiya?

An explosion erupted into the sky!

Orochimaru's strongest move—White Snake Technique—was blocked head-on by Kazuya's Fireball Jutsu!

It was no joke.

Kazuya's fire element talent had reached the max level, with a 100% bonus to all fire-style jutsu damage!

On top of that, his chakra was on par with Orochimaru's.

If they were to go one-on-one, Kazuya would probably have the upper hand!

As the smoke and dust cleared, Kazuya appeared, supporting Jiraiya and flashing away to a safer distance.

"Kazuya-kun..."

Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly. "Good thing you showed up in time; otherwise, I'd have been in big trouble..."

It was an awkward situation.

To have Sage Mode wear off at such a critical moment...

"It's fine," Kazuya replied calmly.

He was used to it by now.

Jiraiya, Naruto, even a non-darkened Obito—all of them had the same reckless tendencies. It was almost expected.

Still, Kazuya couldn't just stand by and watch Jiraiya die.

Jiraiya was a key figure in future events, someone whose presence shaped the entire timeline.

Plus, Kazuya had always liked Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Kazuya said firmly, "Leave the rest of the fight to me. I'll bring Orochimaru back to the village, where he will atone for his crimes."

"Atonement, huh..." Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief at Kazuya's words.

"ANBU Kazuya, right?"

In the distance, Orochimaru's voice was cold. "I've memorized your name. A ninja of the Flying Thunder God Technique... I must never underestimate you."

But before Orochimaru could finish his sentence—

Whoosh!

A flash of white light.

Kazuya's figure disappeared from his original spot and reappeared in front of Orochimaru in the blink of an eye.

Splat!

The kunai struck right into Orochimaru's abdomen.

"Orochimaru-san..." Kazuya's voice was calm as he spoke from behind his mask. "It seems you've let your guard down."

"When did this happen!?" Orochimaru coughed up blood, his snake-like pupils filled with disbelief.

So fast!

Where did the Flying Thunder God mark come from!?

In his panic, he glanced down at his feet and found a Flying Thunder God kunai lying next to him.

Too fast!

There was no time to react!

Splat!

Orochimaru coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to his knees. He looked as though he were on the verge of death, his body ravaged and seemingly beyond recovery.

Kazuya's expression, hidden behind his mask, turned a bit peculiar.

Did a kunai just... kill someone?

It seemed almost absurd.

The scene brought to mind a moment from the original storyline—when the legendary First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, pretended to kill himself with a kunai in front of Madara Uchiha.

How ridiculous! The First Hokage, using a kunai to end his own life?

Even a dog wouldn't believe that!

And yet, Madara had fallen for it.

It's all just a game. One person plays along, and the other goes with it.

[You have picked up 200 points of chakra]

[You have picked up 200 points of chakra]

[You have learned the Jutsu: Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique]

[You have gained 1,000 points of Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique experience]

[Your Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique has leveled up to level 2 (0/1,000)]

Suddenly, a flood of golden light appeared.

In Kazuya's field of vision, he could see that the light was coming from the ground, growing fainter as it stretched further away.

"Orochimaru... well done!"

Kazuya couldn't help but praise him.

The snake had slipped away swiftly!

It was obvious what had happened.

After suffering a critical blow, Orochimaru used the Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique to escape underground, using earth-style jutsu to flee!

Well done, indeed.

What a perfect escape!

Orochimaru couldn't die just yet, or what would happen to all those future Edo Tensei experience packages?

However, despite understanding everything, Kazuya's expression remained unchanged. His tone was firm and righteous as he said, "Orochimaru, you've been captured!"

He reached behind him and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, ready to put them on Orochimaru.

"There's no need…"

At that moment, Jiraiya approached, his face heavy with disappointment. "Orochimaru has already escaped. What's left here is just the skin he shed."

"What did you say? Orochimaru escaped?" Kazuya's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes," Jiraiya sighed. "It's not your fault. This substitution technique is extremely sophisticated and rare. Besides me, no one else would know of it."

Kazuya was silent for a moment before speaking. "Jiraiya-senpai, did you… let Orochimaru escape on purpose?"

With that question, Kazuya deftly shifted the blame onto Jiraiya.

Orochimaru escaping… surely the Third Hokage's faction would be pleased with the outcome. But the mission's failure needed to be pinned on someone.

Who took the fall wasn't important—as long as it wasn't Kazuya himself.

Jiraiya let out a long sigh. "Kazuya, I'm sorry. Faced with an old friend of many years, I just couldn't bring myself to end it."

"I understand," Kazuya said in a sorrowful tone. "If it had been my sister Rin in Orochimaru's place, I would have hesitated too."

"No!" Jiraiya shook his head. "Kazuya, your sister was a hero of the village. Back then—"

He was about to explain what had happened in the past, thinking Kazuya didn't know the full story. But before he could finish, Kazuya interrupted.

"Jiraiya-senpai," Kazuya said seriously, "I'll take full responsibility for Orochimaru's escape in my report. You don't need to worry. Just tell the Hokage that you were too exhausted during the battle."

"No way!" Jiraiya vehemently refused. "Kazuya, this failure is on me. Don't speak of it again. A man who can't take responsibility is weak!"

"But…"

"No more!" Jiraiya insisted. "If you continue, I'll be really upset!"

"Well... alright then," Kazuya said, looking as if he had no choice but to agree.

Reluctantly accepting Jiraiya's offer to take the blame, Kazuya mentally thanked his new scapegoat—Jiraiya, the unsung hero of the day.