Chapter 0016: The Intention to Take on a Disciple
"Interesting, truly an interesting child," Orochimaru said, breaking the silence with a grin. "With proper guidance, he might become the next Minato Namikaze. No, he might even surpass Minato."
"No way!" Jiraiya reflexively countered at the comparison to his proud disciple. "No one's talent can rival Minato's!"
"Oh, really?" Orochimaru sneered. "Tell me, did Minato have such strength at his age? Could Minato become an elite Chunin in just fifteen days?"
"No, that's not how you measure it!" Jiraiya's face turned red with frustration. "The growth of a ninja involves many factors. This kid's current talent is indeed astonishing, but what about the future? Besides, who knows if Shinji was even serious?"
"I believe someone like Shinji wouldn't make such a joke," Tsunade interjected, her voice firm.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, maintaining his calm, added, "But as Jiraiya said, the growth of a ninja involves various factors. It's hard to say how this kid will turn out in the future."
"If he has a great mentor, at least he won't go astray," Orochimaru said with a smile.
"So, after all this talk, you actually want to take him on as a disciple?" Even Jiraiya, typically slow on the uptake, realized what was going on.
"Is that a problem?" Orochimaru looked at him with a cold gaze.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and asked mildly, "Have you made your decision?"
Orochimaru nodded, ready to speak, but Tsunade suddenly interrupted. "I disagree! This child should come under my tutelage!"
Eh?
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya all stared at Tsunade in shock.
"What are you all looking at?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes and retorted, "Is it so strange that I want to take on a disciple?"
"Very strange."
"Extremely strange."
"Hard to imagine."
The three expressed their astonishment.
It was no wonder they found it strange. After all, ever since Tsunade's lover had died, she had shown a strong aversion to the ninja profession.
Not only had she withdrawn from high-level discussions in Konoha, but she had also stopped accepting missions, spending her days either gambling or drinking. The idea of taking on a disciple seemed like a distant notion. Hearing she had such an intention was truly shocking!
"Do you want to fight about it?" Tsunade's lips twitched. "Well, no matter what you say... I've already made up my mind."
In fact, if Orochimaru hadn't mentioned that the child might surpass Minato, Tsunade wouldn't have thought of taking on a disciple.
As one of the three legendary ninjas, the only female among them, Tsunade considered her strength to be on par with her two male counterparts. But every time Jiraiya praised his disciple in front of her, she felt a surge of irritation.
It was like being at a reunion where everyone bragged about their children, while she had none of her own.
Orochimaru might not care, but for someone as proud as Tsunade, this was intolerable.
However, as Jiraiya said, finding someone with Minato's level of talent among the younger generation in Konoha was nearly impossible. This made Tsunade's desire to take on a disciple resurface with a vengeance.
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally asked, "Are you serious?"
"Yes," Tsunade nodded, her gaze steady. "But I don't plan on having him graduate early. Also, before officially taking him on as a disciple, I need to understand him thoroughly. It's been a long time since I last acted as a mentor."
"Wait, wait, did I hear that right?" Jiraiya's voice trembled with disbelief. "You not only want to take him on as a disciple, but you also plan to be a mentor?"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Orochimaru replied indifferently.
Jiraiya couldn't help but snark, "You're feeling annoyed because Tsunade snatched the disciple you were eyeing, aren't you?"
"Compared to a mere disciple, I'm more interested in seeing my companions return to normal," Orochimaru said, giving Jiraiya a sideways glance.
"Well, you have a point there," Jiraiya admitted with a nod.
"You two..." Tsunade was slightly irritated, but felt a faint sense of warmth inside.
At that moment, the door to the room creaked open, and an Anbu ninja, dressed in dark attire, knelt respectfully on one knee. "Hokage-sama, I have top-secret intelligence from Sunagakure." He then produced a scroll from his robes and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took the scroll and opened it. With a single glance, his eyes widened in shock. "So it's true... The world of ninjas is about to change again."
Jiraiya hurriedly asked, "Old man, what's happening?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and placed the scroll on the table. "Take a look for yourselves."
Jiraiya immediately spread out the scroll on the table, with Orochimaru and Tsunade joining him. They all gasped in shock.
The contents of the scroll were brief but alarming: "Third Kazekage confirmed missing. Governance temporarily held by the leader of the militant faction—Chiyo."
Author's Note: For 30 advanced chapters - check out p@treon: https://www.patreon.com/NarutoWriter
You can access +1 FREE chapter. So, do check out. Offer: +5 readers subscribing to any tier = +50 chapters release as soon as tomorrow.