"What?! The Chunin Exams?!"
At the training ground, Jiraiya, who had returned from Mount Myōboku, was shocked to learn that Hiruzen Sarutobi had recommended them to participate in the Chunin Exams.
"Jiraiya, do you lack confidence in your own strength?"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's shouting and yelling, a teasing smile on her face.
"How could that be! It's a piece of cake for Lord Jiraiya to participate in the Chunin Exams! On the contrary, you, flat-chested Tsunade, don't you dare hold me and Orochimaru back!"
Jiraiya pointed at Tsunade, a provocative expression on his face.
"Jiraiya, you pervert! Do you believe I'll kill you right now!"
Tsunade walked angrily towards Jiraiya, grabbing his collar.
"Come on, try it!"
Jiraiya, not to be outdone, tried to grab Tsunade's collar, but before he could touch her, he was repelled by the lightning flashing around Tsunade.
"This is... Lightning Release?!"
Jiraiya looked in surprise at the lightning flashing around Tsunade.
"Jiraiya, you don't think I only know how to punch people, do you?"
Tsunade put one hand on her hip, and the lightning flashing around her disappeared.
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and said, "There's still one month until the Chunin Exams. You won't be assigned any missions during this month. Prepare yourselves well. I look forward to your performance."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru with anticipation, expecting their active performance in the Chunin Exams.
A month without missions... so much money lost... Orochimaru preferred missions like eliminating bandits and robbers. They didn't take too long, and if she was lucky, she could confiscate a lot of ill-gotten gains and valuable items. The most boring were D-rank missions, which included miscellaneous tasks like finding cats and dogs, babysitting, moving things, and cleaning.
The most time-wasting tasks were escort missions; a C-rank mission could easily turn into a B-rank, and not everyone could afford the remuneration for a B-rank mission.
"Hiruzen Sensei, don't you think that with Orochimaru's and my strength, we're being a bit overbearing?"
Tsunade clenched her fist. In her Lightning Release: Lightning Stimulation state, she was very confident in her strength. Even a Jonin would be sent flying if struck by her fist!
"Hey! Tsunade! Don't ignore me! I'm really strong now!"
Jiraiya grumbled in dissatisfaction. Though he said that, he was slowly moving away from Tsunade, wondering what Ninjutsu she had just used and why he had never seen it before.
"Hmph! That was a Lightning Release Ninjutsu I developed."
Tsunade extended her hand towards Jiraiya, lightning flickering on it, and said eagerly, "Jiraiya, do you want to try it?"
Tsunade had never hit anyone in her Lightning Stimulation state before, and she didn't mind Jiraiya being the first to experience it.
"I, Lord Jiraiya, am not the type to get serious with girls!"
Jiraiya made excuses for his cowardice. It was a joke; he didn't know how many times he had been hit by Tsunade's fists. A fist imbued with Lightning Release Chakra would only be more terrifying.
"What?! Jiraiya, are you making excuses for being scared?!"
Here we go again… Orochimaru watched Tsunade and Jiraiya start arguing once more.
"Listen to me properly!"
Hiruzen's forehead throbbed with a visible vein, and he couldn't help but raise his voice.
"Hiruzen Sensei, it's all Jiraiya's fault!"
"Hiruzen Sensei, it's all Tsunade's fault!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya pointed at each other.
"Enough! Listen carefully, don't underestimate your opponents. Strength doesn't determine everything; teamwork and cooperation are also very important. Perfect coordination can often help you defeat enemies far stronger than yourselves."
Hiruzen said sternly. He didn't want his disciples to develop arrogant personalities. However, his words had little effect.
Cooperation… should be fine, right?
Orochimaru watched Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were arguing and about to come to blows again, curious about what the Chunin Exams of this era were like—were they similar to Kakashi's time or Uzumaki Naruto's time?
Bang—!
Tsunade and Jiraiya's argument escalated to blows, and without any surprise, Jiraiya was once again sent flying by Tsunade's punch.
Wow, he flew really high.
Orochimaru looked up at Jiraiya, who was spiraling higher than ever before, and glanced at Tsunade, whose face was flushed with anger.
She hadn't used Lightning Release: Lightning Stimulation, otherwise, Jiraiya would have flown even higher.
Hopefully, Jiraiya's training on Mount Myōboku had made his body sturdy enough.
Orochimaru prayed for Jiraiya for three seconds in his heart. It was his fault for always stepping on landmines so precisely, practically riding a toad recklessly through Tsunade's minefield. He deserved his failed confession.
Bang—!
Jiraiya landed with his butt sticking out again, his body twitching.
"That's all I have to say. Don't waste this month." Hiruzen raised a hand to his forehead. "If anyone needs help with their training, come find me at the Hokage Office."
After speaking, Hiruzen vanished with a whoosh, apparently using the Body Flicker Technique to leave.
"Hiruzen Sensei is already gone?"
Jiraiya picked himself up from the ground, dusting himself off. He was fine after taking a punch from Tsunade, only his right cheek was swollen.
"Oh, right, Orochimaru, thank you for your loving soldier pills!"
Jiraiya remembered the soldier pills Orochimaru had given him. If not for those soldier pills, he didn't know how many insect dishes he would have eaten on Mount Myōboku. He flashed a brilliant smile at Orochimaru, made a heart shape with his hands, and then stylishly flipped his head, striking a pose.
"I feel your strong affection! Let's go out, Orochimaru!"
"What?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.
What loving soldier pills?
What was wrong with Jiraiya?
Had Tsunade punched his brain out?
Something's not right. Shouldn't you be confessing to Tsunade? Why are you confessing to me?
Just because I'm cute doesn't mean I'd ever be interested in you!
Orochimaru's pupils dilated in shock, and a multitude of questions arose in her mind. Without any hesitation, she refused, "I refuse. You and I are impossible."
In Orochimaru's opinion, delaying the rejection of Jiraiya's confession by even a second would be a disrespect to herself!
"Ah… a clean, decisive refusal…"
Jiraiya lost all color, petrified on the spot. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to refuse so quickly, without even a hint of hesitation or conflict.
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, accusingly, "Tsunade, you're always so violent towards Jiraiya, you've broken his head."
"How about we send him to the hospital and have the Medical Ninja there examine him?"
Tsunade also felt she might have been too heavy-handed, perhaps damaging Jiraiya's already not-so-bright brain. Otherwise, why would he do something like confessing to Orochimaru?
It must be that his brain is broken!
Yes, his brain is broken!
Tsunade clenched her fists, making cracking sounds, as if an Hannya mask appeared behind her, glaring at Jiraiya with fierce eyes.
"Ah hahaha! I'm kidding, just kidding!"
Jiraiya quickly distanced himself from Orochimaru and Tsunade, letting out an awkward laugh and waving his hands repeatedly, afraid they would tie him up and send him to the hospital. He struck what he considered a cool pose and said, "Lord Jiraiya likes big sisters with great figures! Orochimaru, Tsunade, you two aren't my type!"
"Bastard! What are you kidding about?!"
Tsunade's angry iron fist once again sent Jiraiya flying.
Ah… my unstarted romance, it ends like this.
Jiraiya, spiraling into the sky, shed bitter tears.
The children in this world are too precocious.
Orochimaru looked up at Jiraiya, who was once again spiraling into the sky, this time with tears flowing. She thought of the little girls in the original story who screamed at handsome boys, and then of Uzumaki Naruto, who at 12 years old already knew how to use the Transformation Jutsu to steal Sakura Haruno's first kiss (he would have succeeded if he hadn't gotten a stomach ache from expired milk).
Only then did she realize that the children in this world were all very precocious. They knew about romance when they were in the Ninja Academy, and as Genin, they faced many dangers on missions, possibly even being killed by spies.
It was clear that the children of this world were all very precocious, and this world that made them precocious was also very cruel and realistic.
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara's dreams ultimately failed to come true. In one Ninja World War after another, young children had to go to the battlefield to fight.
Ultimately, Senju Hashirama was too idealistic. His strength supported his idealistic dream, but once he died, his dream shattered like a fragile soap bubble.
What a pity for Senju Tobirama, who dedicated everything, even his life, to his dream.
Speaking of which, Senju Tobirama was single until his death!
He was already a Grand Magister, no wonder he developed so many Forbidden Techniques. Is this the power of being single?
Orochimaru thought of this, and a strange expression appeared on her face.
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