"Damn, I actually forgot about Chiyo's old grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand."
The Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, slapped his forehead, frustrated with his own forgetfulness.
Now, Konoha was facing a difficult situation; it was a time when they needed allies.
If he told Chiyo about Sasori now, would Konoha get support from Sunagakure?
Even if Sunagakure didn't openly side with Konoha, the pressure from Kumo and Iwa would still be difficult to handle.
But at least when Konoha needed to buy minerals and other supplies, they might be able to get them at a slightly cheaper price, which would be enough.
The costs of hiring rogue ninja from the Bounty Station for Kumo and Iwa weren't cheap.
Jiraiya believed that as long as they got through this tough period, Konoha would surely emerge victorious.
"Once the video finishes playing, I'll send someone to Sunagakure to inform Chiyo and discuss about Sasori."
[Due to Gaara keeping wild raccoons as pets, this mission involves demolitions and capturing wild animals in Sunagakure.]
[When they arrived, Deidara told Sasori to guard the village entrance while he flew above Sunagakure, planning to capture One-Tail by himself.]
[However, as soon as he entered the village, Gaara caught him, though Deidara's ability to fly was an issue.]
[With sand chasing after him, Deidara swiftly dodged attacks by flying through the buildings, even setting off a few bombs on the way.]
[Seeing how fast Deidara could fly, Gaara also used his sand to lift off into the air.]
[Deidara was curious as to how Gaara had figured out he was from Akatsuki so quickly.]
[Gaara replied, "The rooster you're flying on, our village doesn't have that."]
[After saying that, Gaara used his sand sand hand to block Deidara.]
[But Deidara's strength lies in his compactness, with a fast enough speed, so the Sand Hand's attack didn't have much effect.]
[At the same time, Deidara's explosive clay was ready, constantly testing Gaara.]
[Deidara analyzed that Gaara mostly uses sand for defense, and since his speed is slow, he molded an explosive clay chick and successfully caught Gaara.]
[But Gaara quickly used the chakra sand inside his gourd to cover his whole body and watched Deidara through his sand eye.]
"This little kid carrying the gourd is in a bit of trouble."
In the Hokage office, everyone was watching this battle seriously.
Especially Jiraiya and the others—they were so focused it was like they wanted to take notes.
Both sides in this battle were considered famous strong fighters in their time.
One side is a member of the Akatsuki, a terrorist organization.
The other side is the One-Tailed Jinchuriki from Sunagakure, who also serves as the Kazekage.
Even Hashirama Senju was watching this battle very carefully.
"Grandpa, why do you say the One-Tailed Jinchuriki is in trouble? I think his defense is great."
Little Tsunade is still young, and their focus is on the battle itself.
From the light screen showing Gaara's earlier fight with Deidara, it's clear that both of them were giving it their all, and Gaara wasn't at a disadvantage.
However, the same battle, when viewed by the adults, reveals something different.
"Yes, the little kid with the gourd isn't at a disadvantage, but you need to look at the battlefield."
"Battlefield?"
Hearing this, little Jiraiya looked thoughtful and said, "So, you mean that fighting in Sunagakure is actually bad for the Kazekage?"
"Little Jiraiya is correct," Senju Hashirama nodded, acknowledging Jiraiya's words.
"But why? Logically, fighting in Sunagakure should give the Kazekage an advantage, since other ninjas from the village could support him."
It's just like the Nine-Tails incident during the Fourth Hokage's time. With the support of so many Konoha ninjas, even the Nine-Tails couldn't cause much damage.
"You're not wrong, but that's only under normal circumstances. Now, take a look at the light screen—where are the ones on birds and with gourd fighting?"
Little Jiraiya obediently looked at the light screen. Before he could speak, Tsunade, who was beside him, quickly said, "I understand what grandpa means. They're fighting in the sky, so normal ninjas can't assist."
"Haha, my little Tsunade is so smart."
"Of course."
Tsunade, pleased with the praise from Senju Hashirama, glanced smugly at little Jiraiya.
"Don't get cocky. I thought of it too," little Jiraiya grumbled.
He didn't dare argue with Tsunade, fearing she might invite him to go shopping again.
To protect his wallet, he could only mumble quietly.
"Tsunade, Jiraiya is not happy."
Unexpectedly, the usually quiet Orochimaru suddenly spoke up, betraying little Jiraiya.
"Orochimaru, you damn—"
"Jiraiya, shut up. Do you have a problem?"
"No, Tsunade, please let me explain."
"Hmph, I saw a new outfit I like yesterday. Jiraiya, are you going to buy it for me?"
"No, Tsunade, you can't do this."
"If you don't buy it, it means you don't like me."
Little Jiraiya: "..."
Watching the "intimate" interactions between little Tsunade and little Jiraiya, Orochimaru felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
At this point, Orochimaru, having been carefully taught by Tobirama Senju, was completely different from the version of him in the original story.
At the very least, he wouldn't, like in the original, desire immortality just to master all ninjutsu.
What mattered more to him now was the friendship between comrades.
Especially seeing the playful arguments and interactions between little Tsunade and little Jiraiya made him enjoy it immensely.
However, his enjoyment was often built on little Jiraiya's suffering.
[While Deidara was analyzing, he accidentally got caught in a sand binding jutsu, manipulated by Gaara, but the sand barrier was immediately blown apart.]
[As Deidara escaped the sand, he was repeatedly pulled by sand and flew around like a chicken, dodging left and right.]
[Gaara seized the opportunity, using chakra-infused sand to attack, tearing off one of Deidara's arms.]
[But this move also caused a shortage of sand protecting Gaara, creating a gap in the sand shield.]
[The sand ninja gathered below, doing nothing, but with an average eyesight of 2.0, they were all watching the distant aerial battlefield, cheering for Gaara.]
"Sunagakure is really in a bad spot."
In the Hokage's office, the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, couldn't help but sigh when he saw that in the battle between Gaara and Deidara, the other sand ninjas couldn't help at all.
"Yeah, even though the enemy can fly and has very agile movements in the air, they could at least use Wind Release jutsu to force Deidara to move around and help Gaara."
"Minato's right, who would have thought that one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Sunagakure, could only have the Kazekage fight against the invaders? The rest of the ninjas can't do anything at all."
"It's really a waste of Sunagakure's reputation as one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries."
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