"Oh! This is the taste! Delicious!" Tsunade narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Hmm… This chicken wing, crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside… It's really good." Orochimaru savored it, giving a rare specific evaluation.
The three of them leaned against the wall at the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the giant statue of the First Hokage in the distance, enjoying a moment of peace.
"I wish it could always be like this, carefree…" Jiraiya sighed, his hands behind his head, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds.
"Who doesn't?" Tsunade pouted, the smile on her small face fading slightly. "I heard my great-uncle and grandmother say… it seems like there's going to be a war…" Her voice trailed off.
Jiraiya's heart sank. Right, the First Great Ninja War! In the original story, it was incredibly brutal, with the Kage of the major ninja villages almost completely replaced, and countless strong individuals falling. More importantly… if he remembered correctly, Orochimaru's parents, the couple Higashi and Nishi, died in that war! That tragedy was one of the key turning points that led to Orochimaru's change in personality and descent into darkness! But… what power did he, a four-year-old ninja academy student, have to stop the fate of two Chunin parents who were about to go to war?
"War… is it coming?" Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of an almost imperceptible tremor, and his usually calm golden snake-like eyes were now filled with uncertainty and deep worry about the future. His parents… would they go to war?
"Ah! Hahahaha! Don't worry, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya suddenly snapped back to reality, forcefully wrapping an arm around Orochimaru's shoulder, trying to dispel the gloom with his loudest voice. "Uncle Higashi and Aunt Nishi will definitely come back safely! He's still waiting to see you become a powerful ninja! Right?" He laughed extra loudly, extra exaggeratedly.
"Idiot!" Orochimaru glared at him in disgust, trying to break free from the overly enthusiastic embrace, but his tightly furrowed brow seemed to relax just a tiny bit.
In the afternoon, on the training ground, shuriken throwing test.
The sun scorched the dusty training ground. The first-year, first-class students were lined up, the atmosphere tense and expectant. Sarutobi Ueta stood by the throwing area, holding a record book with a serious expression.
"Uchiha Ika!"
A young man dressed in clothes embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest, with his hands in his pockets, walked to the throwing area with an arrogant swagger. He glanced at the target not far away and let out a soft snort from his nose. "Easy!" Before he finished speaking, he grabbed the six kunai from the table, not even bothering to aim, and casually flicked his wrist—
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Six streaks of cold light cut through the air, accurately embedding themselves in the bullseye! The action was fluid and seamless. He didn't even look at the result, put his hands back in his pockets, and coolly turned to walk back to the line.
"Wow—!"
"All hit the bullseye in one go?!"
"As expected of someone from the Uchiha clan!"
"Ika-kun is so cool!"
Gasps and whispers of admiration instantly spread through the line.
A hint of approval flashed in Sarutobi Ueta's eyes as he wrote heavily in the record book: "Uchiha Ika, perfect score! Next, Orochimaru!"
"Orochimaru! Go for it!" Jiraiya rubbed his sleepy eyes and immediately clenched his fists to cheer Orochimaru on.
"Hehe, Orochimaru, show them what you've got!" Tsunade also waved her small fists.
Orochimaru nodded slightly at them, a confident calmness on his face. He walked to the table and did not choose the Uchiha's flashy style. He steadily picked up three kunai at once, flicked his wrist deftly, and three dark streaks shot out. Immediately after, he turned sideways, his arm whipping out again like a whip, and another three kunai followed close behind!
"Thud thud thud! Thud thud thud!"
Six crisp impacts almost merged into one! The six kunai were equally precise, deeply embedded in the red circle of the bullseye!
"Beautiful!!! I knew you could do it! Orochimaru!" Jiraiya jumped up and down excitedly, more thrilled than if he had gotten a perfect score himself.
Tsunade also showed a brilliant smile, giving Orochimaru a thumbs up.
Sarutobi Ueta nodded in satisfaction: "Orochimaru, perfect score! Next, Tsunade!"
"Watch me!" Tsunade confidently ran forward. Her movements were standard and fluid, throwing one kunai after another. Although her speed was not as fast as the previous two, each one steadily hit the bullseye, also achieving a perfect score!
The test continued, Aburame Tenma, Hyuga Daiwan… The results varied, and no more perfect scorers appeared. The atmosphere gradually became a little silent.
"Kobayashi Seiichi, 9 points. Next," Sarutobi Ueta's gaze fell on the familiar name at the end of the list, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch, "Jiraiya!"
"Jiraiya! Go for it! Stay steady!" Tsunade immediately clenched her fists, cheering him on.
"Don't… embarrass yourself again." Orochimaru's voice remained flat, but a hint of an almost imperceptible warning seemed to hide in his slightly narrowed golden snake-like eyes.
"Well! Don't worry! Watch this big guy!" Jiraiya confidently shook his iconic white hair and strode towards the throwing area. He had been observing for a while; the target was only about ten meters away, and with his current (self-proclaimed) stamina and hand-eye coordination, passing would definitely not be a problem!
He took a deep breath, mimicking a cool pose, and grabbed two kunai. "Whoosh! Whoosh!" With a graceful flick of his right hand, the two kunai arced through the air and flew out. He didn't even look at the result, grabbed two more, and flicked again! The last two also flew out of his hand! The entire process was seamless, showing a bit of a "master's demeanor."
However, the entire training ground fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the area in front of the throwing zone.
Jiraiya looked triumphantly towards the target, his smile instantly freezing, his eyes almost popping out: "What the hell?! What… what's going on?!"
Sarutobi Ueta-sensei was currently standing in a safe position not far in front of the throwing area. However, his originally serious face was now flushed crimson, veins throbbing on his forehead, and his eyes burned with raging fury! Between his legs, on the ground to his left and right, three kunai were embedded, forming an extremely precise, extremely dangerous 'pin' shape, deeply stuck in the dirt! The landing points of the six kunai perfectly avoided all the targets, yet precisely aimed at another 'target'!
If he had reacted even a tiny bit slower to those six kunai, or hadn't instinctively retreated those few steps… the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Ji—rai—ya—!!!" Sarutobi Ueta's roar was like thunder, echoing across the entire training ground, startling birds from distant treetops. He pointed at the empty space in the center of the training ground, his finger trembling with anger. "Zero points! Zero points!!! Get to the middle of the training ground and stand there! Don't move without my command!!!"