Chapter 159: Orochimaru: "Sarutobi-sensei, you're such a hypocrite!" Part 1

Jiraiya returned to Konoha with two toads on his shoulders, though he was not in Sage Mode.

"It's been a long time since I've been to Konoha. It's truly nostalgic!" said the green-skinned toad elder, Fukasaku, with a long white beard, eyebrows, and hair.

"My dear, I think you've only been to Konoha twice, haven't you? Is a place you've only been to twice really worth feeling nostalgic for?" The other green-skinned toad, Shima, had a head of purple hair and natural purple lipstick.

"A toad..."

"It's talking!"

A sudden voice attracted the attention of Jiraiya and the two toads. "Lady Tsunade, those two toads are talking! Toads can talk! Hic!"

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya was startled, turning to see Tsunade helping a flushed, sake-reeking Shizune. Tsunade herself seemed a little drunk, but not as much as Shizune; her eyes were just a bit unfocused.

What a coincidence! But why was her student so utterly plastered? Jiraiya didn't recall Shizune being much of a drinker.

Tsunade was equally surprised to see Jiraiya there. She glanced at the two toads on his shoulders and casually explained the situation.

"I was in a bad mood today, so I went to the tavern to drink my fill. But Shizune here was worried I'd get too drunk and snatched the sake flask from me, chugging the entire thing."

"That was over fifty-proof liquor. I have to sip it slowly. For a kid who can't hold her liquor, drinking it all at once left her like this."

Jiraiya's eyes widened in understanding.

Then, Tsunade frowned and asked, "Those are toads from Mount Myoboku, aren't they? They look a little familiar... who are they?"

"Fukasaku-sama."

"Shima-sama."

Jiraiya introduced them. "You've met them before. They are the elder sages of Mount Myoboku, second only to the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru. They've lived for over eight hundred years."

Tsunade paused, trying to remember. She did have a faint recollection. "So, what's their purpose for coming to Konoha?" she asked.

"Well..." Jiraiya wasn't sure if he should say.

"The purpose is to meet Uchiha Izumi," Fukasaku-sama said with a smile, answering honestly. "The Grand Elder says there's a ninja in Konoha named Uchiha Izumi who has eyes that can see the future. We're just following his orders to see if it's true."

Tsunade pursed her lips. "The Grand Elder?"

"He means the Great Toad Sage," Jiraiya quickly clarified.

"Oh!" Tsunade's eyes lit up. "The Great Toad Sage who sent you on a wild goose chase and got you chewed out by Izumi, right?"

Jiraiya broke into a cold sweat. He quickly glanced from Fukasaku-sama to Shima-sama, terrified that Tsunade's blasphemous words would offend them.

"It's fine," Fukasaku-sama said, shaking his head. He then looked at Tsunade. "Uchiha Izumi also said the Child of the Prophecy exists, so why do you say the Grand Elder misled young Jiraiya?"

Shima-sama spoke up as well. "I recognize you. You're the one with the contract with the slug sage, Lady Katsuyu, of the Shikkotsu Forest, aren't you? Even Lady Katsuyu is not so disrespectful to the Grand Elder."

Tsunade, still helping Shizune, scoffed. "Isn't sending Jiraiya, that idiot, on a quest all over the world for a so-called 'Child of the Prophecy' a lie? It's ridiculous to entrust the future peace of the ninja world to some messiah."

"As that boy Izumi said, one savior alone cannot change the ninja world. When the ninja world gets better, everyone can become a savior. Only when countless saviors work together can there be true reform."

Tsunade paused, then continued, "Jiraiya, the ninja world can never be saved by a single person, but by a positive ideology that can gain everyone's approval. Like that boy's Absolute Justice."

"And yes, it is precisely because I am from the Shikkotsu Forest that I can speak of that great toad like this," Tsunade said with a 'tch.' "Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest—the three great sage lands have three sages, but only that one toad loves to cause so much trouble."

"A toad that has lived for so long and can't seem to stop. The other two sages aren't nearly as chaotic. Is he truly thinking for the ninja world, or is he just a greedy old frog?"

"Only he can say for sure!"

With that, Tsunade waved at Jiraiya, her arm wrapped around Shizune.

"I'll have to cut this short. I need to get this kid home. Stealing my sake and getting this drunk... I don't want some lecherous old man to find her."

Jiraiya thought, lecherous old man? Is she talking about me?

Watching Tsunade walk away, Shima-sama's eyes twitched slightly. "Young Jiraiya, my dear... are all the descendants of the Shikkotsu Forest so rude? Doesn't the slug sage vet their character at all when choosing her students?"

"Shhh! Shhh!" The terrified Jiraiya quickly whispered, "Shima-sama, you don't want to get on Tsunade's bad side when she's drunk! I'll be the one to get beaten up!"

Fukasaku-sama said slowly, "When the true Child of the Prophecy is found, and when he brings true reform to the ninja world, that girl will realize that the Grand Elder was right all along."

"Young Jiraiya, let's not be in a hurry to meet Uchiha Izumi. He's in the village; he can't run anywhere. Just give us a list of the children you think could be the Child of the Prophecy, and we'll take a look."

"Phew! All right." Jiraiya let out a breath of relief.

Inside the Ninja Academy.

"Finally, we're out of school!" Naruto excitedly ran out of the classroom, then turned to shout at Sasuke, "Come on, Sasuke, hurry up! We need to find Izumi-senpai so she can take us to do some justice around the village!"

"Don't yell so loud," Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly. He felt many eyes on them, making him uncomfortable. Didn't that dead-last realize how embarrassing he was?

He was about to follow when he suddenly stopped, turning to look at the elegant Ino Yamanaka with a small satchel a short distance away.

"Hey." Sasuke invited her. "Do you want to come with us?"

His small face was serious. "You understand justice more deeply than me and the dead-last. And from your attitude before, you seem to agree with Izumi-sensei's Absolute Justice, right? If that's the case, then we should be comrades. As comrades, we have an obligation to let you join us."

"Right, dead-last?" He looked at Naruto.

"Right!" Naruto nodded heavily, but then suddenly realized, gritting his teeth at Sasuke, "You've used that word 'dead-last' so many times today, you know?"

Sasuke looked away, a little guilty. But mostly, he used the word to hide the feeling of inferiority he felt in front of Naruto. Yes, after Naruto had a burst of Nine-Tails power in front of him, Sasuke felt an innate sense of inadequacy when it came to their strength. He didn't know why, but he instinctively didn't want to be inferior to Naruto. This strange instinct confused him, leaving him without an answer.

Maybe... it was a feeling of not wanting to lose?

"No, thank you," Ino said, shaking her head. Her face held a complex expression. "I need to hurry back to the Yamanaka clan compound to help my father and the others deal with the bodies."

"Bodies?" Sasuke was startled.

Ino explained, "Most of the villains Uchiha Izumi-sama kills, as long as their heads are intact, are sent to the Yamanaka clan. We use a secret clan jutsu to search the memories of the deceased criminals. We try to collect all the evidence of their crimes so the village can better deal with any of their illicit gains."

Sasuke roughly understood. In the realm of Absolute Justice, Izumi-sensei was responsible for investigating, solving cases, and killing villains. The Yamanaka clan worked behind the scenes, collecting more evidence and compiling crime reports.

"So..." Sasuke suddenly thought of something. "You... have you also seen the memories of the villains Izumi-sensei killed?"

If he remembered correctly, the heinous crimes of those villains were terrifying. He had only heard about them, and it sent a chill down his spine. What would it be like to witness them firsthand?

"No, I haven't learned that jutsu yet," Ino said truthfully. "I'm just helping my father."

With that, Ino left.

"No wonder she seems more mature than us," Sasuke muttered.

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Naruto asked, confused.

"She's seen things we haven't and has been exposed to darker matters than we have," Sasuke said. "Perhaps that's why she understands justice so deeply."

Naruto stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Ino... Ino!" Not long after Ino left the academy, a familiar voice made her stop. She turned to see Sakura Haruno jogging toward her, out of breath.

"Huff, huff..."

Sakura put her hands on her knees, catching her breath. When she looked up, her face was filled with confusion. "Ino... why don't you like Sasuke-kun anymore?"

"I, I feel..." Sakura pursed her lips, gathering her courage. "I feel like I don't know you anymore. You just don't seem like the Ino Yamanaka I remember."

"This change has happened recently. I've been watching you change. Did something bad happen to you?"

Their rivalry over Sasuke had made Sakura's heart feel all knotted up. Even though she cared about Ino's change, she was too stubborn to ask. It was only when she realized Ino no longer seemed to like Sasuke that she finally let go of that stubbornness.

"Nothing bad happened... well, except for being temporarily homeless. But my father and the elders are already in contact with the Konoha construction teams. I think the Yamanaka compound will be back to normal in a little over a year."

Ino shook her head, her young voice firm. "As for why I don't like Sasuke anymore..."

"I used to like boys who were just good-looking. Now I like boys who are good-looking and not immature. I get a strange feeling from boys who are too childish. I don't know how to explain it."

Ino was frank about being a "look-at-the-looks" girl. Of course, she now had a new condition. And it was clear that Sasuke currently didn't meet that condition.

"Sakura," Ino said, taking a deep breath. Since she had gotten over Sasuke, her view of Sakura had normalized. Ino spoke earnestly, without a trace of hostility. "I'll give you some advice! Your time at the Ninja Academy... is probably one of the few precious years you'll be isolated from the dark, sick ninja world. You... had better not waste this precious time on a useless, unrequited crush."

"Otherwise, when you graduate from the academy and become a Konoha genin, when you first come into contact with the darkness of the ninja world, you'll find it difficult to have enough strength to protect yourself from being corrupted, and a strong enough mindset to keep yourself from falling into darkness."

Ino paused, then added, "These are things my father once told me. I'm just telling them to you now."Chapter 159: Orochimaru: "Sarutobi-sensei, you're such a hypocrite!" Part 1Chaos

13 September

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