In the Senju household's living room, Tsunade sat across from Orochimaru.
Just then, a little maid walked in, placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Tsunade, then silently backed out of the room.
"We're probably out of apples. Just make do with some tea."
Knowing that Orochimaru always ate apples whenever he visited, Tsunade casually explained when she noticed the maid hadn't brought any. She raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip, her eyes drifting out to the courtyard where "Jiraiya" was energetically chasing a mouse.
Orochimaru said nothing in response, simply lifted his own cup and took a sip. Only then did he speak.
"I've already handed your summoning jutsu over to Sensei Sarutobi."
"What did Sensei say?"
Tsunade instinctively tightened her grip on the warm teacup in her hands.
Tsunade was convinced that Jiraiya's disappearance had everything to do with the summoning jutsu. Even the husky had confirmed that the last traces of Jiraiya's chakra had been in the training area of Konoha—then it abruptly ended. Clearly, something had gone wrong with the jutsu she'd given him.
Tsunade knew that "products of the System are guaranteed top-tier," but that applied to her alone. At least, she'd never seen anyone else master the Transformation Jutsu to such an extraordinary level.
She'd once patiently taught her father the "Water Style: Water Formation Wall" she learned from the system, but when he used it, it was just the ordinary version. And yet he had the nerve to strut around proudly, as if he'd accomplished something great. It wasn't even on the same level as Tsunade's version, which could withstand dozens of tons of impact force.
Unfortunately, her water affinity chakra had disappeared, which greatly weakened all her water-based techniques. The chakra cost had skyrocketed, cutting her defensive abilities in half.
So, after much deliberation, she decided to hand over the summoning jutsu to Sensei Sarutobi to see if he could uncover something. After all, the Third Hokage was renowned for his vast knowledge—even nicknamed "The Professor of Ninjutsu."
"Summoning Jutsu is a type of space-time ninjutsu," Orochimaru began, "and those that call upon creatures to assist in battle usually operate through blood contracts. What you gave Sensei Sarutobi, while a bit different, is still structured on the same framework of a blood contract summoning."
"Skip to the point."
Tsunade had no patience for theoretical jargon. Making a poor student listen to a top student lecture was just plain showing off.
Orochimaru, interrupted mid-thought, licked his lips with his tongue and glanced at "Jiraiya" chasing a rat in the yard, falling into brief contemplation. He had, of course, studied Tsunade's summoning jutsu, and like Sarutobi, had reached the same conclusion: totally useless.
Naturally, he didn't say any of this out loud. Instead, he followed Tsunade's demand and relayed Sarutobi's conclusion:
"Your summoning jutsu is theoretically non-functional. And that so-called 'reverse summoning' effect you mentioned? Impossible."
Tsunade showed a "just as I thought" expression, then didn't press the topic any further. Instead, she changed the subject. "By the way, Orochimaru—what did Sensei say about Jiraiya? He's not really being listed as a rogue ninja, is he?"
"That's just a rumor spread by those trying to tarnish Sensei Sarutobi's reputation. He's already suppressed the issue. There's nothing to worry about."
Orochimaru was slightly amused. He never expected Tsunade, who usually seemed so sharp, to actually believe such a baseless rumor. Was this what they meant by "emotions cloud judgment"?
"Hmph, who has time to worry about whether that idiot lives or dies?" Tsunade huffed and drained her tea in one gulp. "Besides, it's not like an idiot like him would just die. Still, he is my little underling—him disappearing all of a sudden, it's only normal I'd ask."
"Jiraiya never acknowledged being your underling, though."
"That's because Jiraiya's a tsundere. He may say no, but deep down, he really wants to be my loyal little follower."
Tsunade curled her lip as she forcibly inserted the "tsundere" trait into Jiraiya's character profile.
Orochimaru couldn't help but let out a wry smile, silently deciding to give up arguing with her over such a meaningless topic.
Silence fell for a few moments.
Tsunade broke it first. "Did Sensei say what he plans to do about Jiraiya?"
"You really do care about Jiraiya, don't you?" Orochimaru replied evasively.
"No."
Tsunade flatly denied it without a second thought, wearing an expression of deadly seriousness. "It's just that if Jiraiya were to be listed as a rogue ninja, I'd personally request to become the tracker and take him down myself."
"What if I became a rogue ninja?" Orochimaru asked with a sudden spark of interest. "Would you come take me down too?"
"If you keep dodging my questions, I just might take you down right now!"
"…"
Orochimaru sipped his tea, unfazed by the threat. He had no plans of betraying Konoha. The question was merely a whim, a playful jab at Tsunade. Even if he did betray the village, Orochimaru was confident he could escape. As for Tsunade's threat? He wasn't worried in the slightest.
While he couldn't guarantee a victory over her, he was certain she wouldn't be able to stop him if he truly wanted to leave.
With that in mind, Orochimaru set his cup back on the short-legged table and looked at the now slightly annoyed Tsunade. "Sensei Sarutobi said that the Chunin Exams are extremely important. Every major village is watching the outcome. Konoha doesn't have any spare manpower at the moment, so they'll have to wait until the exams are over to send anyone to investigate Jiraiya's whereabouts."
"Oh."
Tsunade responded with little enthusiasm, her slender fingers absently tracing the rim of her teacup, clearly distracted.
She hadn't forgotten the original storyline in which Orochimaru eventually betrayed Konoha. It was one of the major plot points, after all. She vaguely remembered that Orochimaru's defection was due to being discovered conducting forbidden jutsu research.
And one of this month's missions was related to Orochimaru.
Mission: Arrogant Mad Scientist
Mission Summary: Some believe in bloodlines, some in spirit, others in the body, the eyes, innate gifts, or hard work… But only Orochimaru believes in science.
Mission Objective: Awaken Orochimaru's scientific soul. As long as life continues, so shall research!
Reward: 1 gold coin
Failure Penalty: 1 month of baldness
Deadline: 30 days
Despite the strange feeling that "just accepting this mission will somehow make me stronger," Tsunade was still very conflicted about whether to take it.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, judging from recent events, Orochimaru walking the path of a "great scientist" seemed inevitable. Whether she took the mission or not probably wouldn't change much. Besides, with her here keeping an eye on him, surely he wouldn't go as far as betraying the village, right?
"Big bro!"
Hearing "Jiraiya's" voice, Tsunade abandoned the mental dilemma of the mission and turned her head.
"Jiraiya" came trotting into the room, plopped himself down, and gave her a wide-eyed, eager look. "Big bro! I've finally decided what I want my name to be!"
"Oh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that the husky still didn't have a name. "What is it?"
"Ding Ding! Starting today, my name is Ding Ding!"
"No way!"
Tsunade instantly shut him down.
"Ehh? Why not?"
"Jiraiya" slumped, looking defeated.
"Because I don't want someone asking me where my Ding Ding went when I'm in a bad mood and eating dog meat."
What was she supposed to say? It's in the pot?
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, consider dropping a Power Stone or Support my work on Patreon and get early access?
✅ https://patreon.com/Aki_Sensei? —every little bit helps me keep the chakra flowing (and the slime jutsus coming)!
Help me reach 500 Power Stones by the end of the week, and I'll release 10 advanced chapters by Monday 🫶