The wind was blowing gently on the street.
Orochimaru stared at Jiraiya, and Jiraiya stared at Orochimaru.
Tsunade glanced at both of them.
The atmosphere suddenly became... somewhat off.
The legendary Three Ninjas of Konoha hadn't gathered together in who knows how many years.
Yet, when they did, it didn't feel as familiar as it once was.
The peace lasted only for a short time.
The next second, Jiraiya's expression changed drastically, and he glared fiercely at Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, what are you doing here!?"
"You killed the Third Hokage, destroyed most of Konoha, and now you come here!?"
"I told you that if you ever laid a hand on Konoha, I would never forgive you!"
With that, Jiraiya immediately prepared to take action.
Orochimaru, while sneering, also asked, "Didn't you leave Konoha? Aren't you ignoring everything now? What's this? Are you sad the old man died?"
"Orochimaru!"
"The old man was still our teacher, and you cruelly killed our teacher!"
"Even if he had many faults, you shouldn't have…"
Hearing these words made one's blood boil.
What do you mean "even if he had many faults"? What if it was you who had to endure those faults?
If you haven't experienced someone else's pain, don't stand on your moral high ground and speak!
"I… don't want to hear your lengthy lecture. Shut up, Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya, blocked by Orochimaru's words, became even more gloomy.
But then, he suddenly thought of something and turned to Tsunade, "Orochimaru appearing here is probably to find you!"
After speaking, Jiraiya realized something was off. Tsunade's gaze towards Orochimaru didn't seem all that surprised.
This meant that Tsunade knew Orochimaru was here.
How could Tsunade be with Orochimaru!?
Had they met before without him knowing?
"Tsunade! You've known Orochimaru was nearby this whole time?"
Tsunade didn't answer.
No answer was the best answer.
Jiraiya was greatly surprised. How could Tsunade have contact with Orochimaru? This was absolutely, absolutely impossible!
"Orochimaru, do you plan to involve Tsunade too…"
"Jiraiya! I don't need to report to you about what I plan to do, and you don't need to know about my actions!"
Jiraiya's words made Orochimaru realize that maybe Tsunade hadn't even told Jiraiya about that matter!
Well, that makes sense. If she had told him, Jiraiya would have stopped it no matter what.
It had always been like that. Jiraiya was too self-righteous; not everything had only a bright side.
This world also had many dark places that the light couldn't reach.
"Orochimaru, no matter what you plan to do, I will never let you go after meeting you today."
"I'll capture you and take you to the Third Hokage's grave, where you'll apologize to the old man yourself!"
Although they were both part of the Three Ninjas, Orochimaru had never feared Jiraiya.
"You? Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya coldly looked at Orochimaru.
"It's been a long time since we last fought, hasn't it?"
"It seems like you want to test me now."
"Exactly!" Jiraiya said, throwing a punch.
The Three Ninjas all had roughly the same level of taijutsu, but Tsunade, because of her Senju clan's special abilities and monstrous strength, had become the strongest in taijutsu.
In terms of physical confrontation, Tsunade would definitely win, but Jiraiya and Orochimaru were on a similar level.
Orochimaru understood Jiraiya, and Jiraiya also understood Orochimaru very well.
He never expected to land a hit on Orochimaru with a single blow.
But what was interesting was that Orochimaru didn't counterattack; he just kept dodging.
It seemed like he didn't plan to strike back.
Jiraiya, who was somewhat confused, continued to chase after him.
The two of them quickly retreated towards the outskirts of the village, while still exchanging blows.
Tsunade sighed helplessly. "Are these two idiots ever going to finish?"
After saying that, she also chased after them.
Outside the village, Orochimaru stood on an open field, looking at Jiraiya.
"You're much slower now. Looks like the injuries left by Sasuke haven't healed yet!"
Although Orochimaru was mocking Jiraiya, there was also a trace of surprise in his voice.
Back then, Sasuke had injured Jiraiya to this extent.
...
Although Jiraiya probably didn't use his full strength.
After all, Jiraiya had trained at Myoboku Mountain for a long time and should have already learned Sage Mode.
But when Jiraiya fought Sasuke, he didn't activate Sage Mode.
Even so, Sasuke's strength still surprised Orochimaru greatly.
"Why aren't you fighting back? Orochimaru, do you think I'll let you go just because you're not attacking me?"
Not fighting back?
Orochimaru's expression darkened.
If it weren't for his hands being...!
Right now, he wouldn't just be dodging and not counterattacking.
"Orochimaru, I won't show mercy!"
"Today, I'll take you back to Konoha!"
...
With that, Jiraiya raised his hand and formed seals.
However, as he activated his chakra for the seals, the movement triggered his wounds, and for a moment, his ninjutsu didn't release properly.
"Hahaha! You can't even use ninjutsu now, and you still want to capture me and take me back to Konoha?"
"Cough cough!"
Blood spilled from Jiraiya's mouth, and the intense movement caused his wounds to tear open again.
Orochimaru's face also became a little pale.
With his hands out of commission, his condition was no better than Jiraiya's.
At this moment, Tsunade suddenly jumped out and landed between them.
"Orochimaru, don't make a move. Leave!"
"I can promise you that thing, but for now, get lost. I'll come find you later!"
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment. Hearing this, he became very confused. "Tsunade, I don't care what you've promised Orochimaru, but you absolutely can't go find him!"
Tsunade sighed softly. "This time, I'm afraid… I can't do as you wish, Jiraiya!"
Unexpectedly, Tsunade rejected him without hesitation.
Jiraiya's expression turned very ugly.
He looked at Orochimaru, his eyes narrowing slightly.
If that's the case, then even if it costs him his life, he had to... capture Orochimaru and take him back to Konoha…
Jiraiya's chakra surged wildly.
Orochimaru's face also looked grim. If things came to blows, then Tsunade would surely find out about the issue with his hands, and the treatment might...
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