"Hey there, Orochimaru! Didn't expect you'd make time to come out. Some little girl was sticking up for you just now," said Shige.
Akaba had just finished handling some recruitment posters when Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived together.
The reason Orochimaru came wasn't clear, but Tsunade had come at his request.
"I'm curious about Might Duy."
Orochimaru and Tsunade slowly walked into the manga shop, completely ignoring how the manga affected him or others' gazes.
Evil?
Like he gave a damn!
"Oh, it's Orochimaru."
"He looks completely different from the manga. Seems cute and approachable."
"That's right. Lord Orochimaru even recreated the Sound ninja equipment from the manga. Many Genin have already started training with the devices."
Ninjas and villagers whispered amongst themselves.
These recent updates transformed the "Orochimaru" in the manga into a completely different villain. Yet in real life, the cute, smart, and capable Orochimaru received considerable public attention.
Therefore,
Orochimaru was taken aback and turned around to see a crowd gathering on the street.
They didn't hate him?
"Orochimaru, I told you not to worry too much about the manga."
Tsunade smiled slightly.
As a teammate and research partner, she understood Orochimaru all too well.
He seemed indifferent to everything, yet there were things he cared deeply about—like others' opinions.
He was one of the Third's disciples.
Given this identity, the current Orochimaru longed for the villagers' approval. Otherwise, why would he leave the lab and wander above ground due to emotional turmoil from the manga?
"I'm not worried."
Orochimaru spoke indifferently, but couldn't hide the hint of pleasure on his face.
At twelve years old, his scheming wasn't deep.
What he claimed to not care about, he actually enjoyed—the feeling of being liked and accepted.
Didn't every kid dream of being the Hokage—the village's greatest leader?
"Alright, alright. I still have a bit more work to do. If you're going to find Might Duy, wait a moment."
Akaba sped up his writing. To maintain speed, he even multitasked, using Puppet Technique to control two brushes simultaneously, quickly drawing two different posters.
"You're actually working? How interesting. Let me see what you're doing."
Tsunade leaned closer.
It had been quite a while since she last stuck close to Akaba; she hadn't realized how hardworking he'd become.
She thought it was a manga at first, but after coming closer, she discovered they were posters she couldn't quite understand.
Requirement: Chūnin or higher, proficient in various Taijutsu techniques. And what exactly is this supposed to be?
Tsunade asked in confusion.
This looked pretty serious—why on earth was Akaba doing this?
"Tsunade, you really are outdated. Before long, Akaba will become the training instructor for the Preparatory Division, responsible for training newly graduated Genin."
Orochimaru walked into the Private Chamber, smirking slightly.
"Is that so? Congratulations indeed."
Tsunade caught on quick and walked over with a mischievous grin of her own.
This guy was always looking for a chance to slack off, yet every time, he ended up forced by The Third and Danzo to do one thing after another. To outsiders like him, it was actually quite amusing.
But using puppet techniques to control a brush — that was truly impressive.
Akaba filed that away in his mind as something worth looking into.
Earlier, he hadn't paid much attention, but puppets were indeed pretty useful. They could help avoid injuries during certain experiments. Akaba should definitely learn how to use them later.
"Just a moment, there are a few more characters left."
Akaba quickly finished writing.
The content of these posters mainly focused on recruiting Taijutsu instructors, team leaders, and similar roles.
As for the Genjutsu Specialized Groups, aside from the Uchiha clan, nobody in the entire village could rival the Sakuma clan in genjutsu skill. Besides, Sakuma Goro would likely be more than willing to send instructors for the role.
That guy always cared deeply about power.
Besides, if necessary, Shinku Yuhi could occasionally come over to teach the children. No problem at all.
Akaba had everything figured out perfectly, so the number of people they needed to recruit here wasn't actually that high.
"Let's go."
Akaba stood up.
A few days ago, he had promised Might Duy that he'd help treat his leg injury, so he invited Tsunade along. However, he hadn't expected Orochimaru to follow along all the way.
The three exited the manga shop. As they walked through the streets, countless eyes turned toward them — mostly drawn by Orochimaru's unsettling presence.
"Come to think of it, the manga version of Orochimaru really is kind of interesting. And that guy Jiraiya too — his old age form looks great, though maybe a bit creepy."
Tsunade ranted as they walked.
She had been stuck doing experiments alone recently, aside from the occasional visit from some guy who'd drop off near-dead animals at her lab. She was practically dying of boredom.
"Don't worry, you'll appear soon too. Like we agreed before, I won't leave out any of you when borrowing your images."
Akaba said calmly.
"If you even think about drawing me however you want, I'll kill you!"
Tsunade shook her fists angrily.
What did women fear most?
Aging!
Agreeing to let Akaba draw her several decades into the future would require tremendous courage.
"You've already learned the Yin Seal, and you even know some medical techniques yourself. Why worry?"
Akaba chuckled softly.
After all, the Yin Seal alone couldn't preserve eternal youth.
Mito Uzumaki could maintain her current appearance partly because members of the Uzumaki clan had long lifespans and strong vitality, and partly because of the Yin Seal combined with her knowledge of chakra techniques, which kept her body rejuvenated.
Of course,
once she aged, it would also mean she no longer possessed the power to suppress Nine-Tails.
Although Tsunade had just recently mastered the Yin Seal, given her passion for researching medical techniques, sooner or later she would develop the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
"Exactly! Which is why I'm scared you'll totally butcher it!"
Tsunade acted tough, but an involuntary smile crept across her face.
Who doesn't like being complimented, after all?
The trio walked on until they reached the residential district of the commoners.
Last time, they had needed someone to guide them, but this time Akaba could easily find Might Duy's house.
Yet before stepping through the gate, Akaba heard a voice:
"One ninety-three… one ninety-four…"
Looks like he was training again.
This guy really was just like Guy and Lee — always pushing himself to the limit with relentless training.
Akaba sighed helplessly.
Lee had opened the Fifth Gate and was severely injured by Gaara. With one hand and one leg immobilized, he was still determined to train with the other hand and leg.
As for Guy, even after losing both legs, he continued training using his arms.
In short, these three simply hated idleness. They refused to stay idle, completely opposite to Akaba's mindset.
"They're really dedicated," Akaba muttered.
Orochimaru wasn't present, but through sensing alone, he could tell Might Duy was continuously moving inside.
"With injured legs, recklessly pushing yourself like this could easily cause irreversible damage."
Tsunade hurriedly pushed open the door and saw Might Duy walking back and forth upside down in a handstand.
She blinked slightly in confusion.
A handstand?
"Uh... who are you?" Might Duy asked, remaining in his handstand position while staring blankly at Tsunade.
Then, Akaba and Orochimaru entered one after another.
"This is such reckless behavior!"
Orochimaru facepalmed. Although not skilled in medical jutsu, he had recently studied the Eight Gates. Opening the Eight Gates required a certain level of physical fitness; otherwise, even the first "Opening Gate" would be difficult to unlock.
Duy's method did manage to physically strengthen his body quickly, but it also caused considerable physical harm. Without advanced medical techniques, he could end up with permanent, hidden injuries.
"Kid, are you trying to kill yourself? If your arms get ruined too, you won't just be unable to be a ninja—you won't even be able to function as an average person."
Tsunade snapped angrily.
"So you're Senior Akaba, and you two are Orochimaru Senior and Princess Tsunade?"
Might Duy changed his posture.
No longer in a handstand, he finally recognized the three people before him. When mentioning Tsunade, his expression clearly showed more excitement. As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she had always been the beloved Tsunade-hime of Konoha and the Land of Fire.
"As I mentioned earlier, I'll have someone treat your leg injuries."
Akaba pointed toward Tsunade.
Might Duy was even more surprised now. The medical expert his senior mentioned was actually the renowned Tsunade-hime?
Could this actually be happening? Am I dreaming!?
"Boy, lie down. Before treatment, I need to examine your injuries."
After a month of research, Tsunade's understanding of medical jutsu was no longer as rudimentary as before. Before employing chakra healing, she must first locate the injury and assess its severity, then choose the appropriate medical technique.
"I'll assist."
Orochimaru stepped forward and pressed Might Duy onto the bed.
Poor Might Duy felt like a lab rat, pinned down on the bed.
Watching this scene, Akaba couldn't shake off a strange feeling.
Was Orochimaru about to pull out a scalpel and start experimenting?
The thought sent chills down his spine—he couldn't bear to look!
Orochimaru pressed a specific area, and Might immediately let out a pained scream.
"Hmm, there's serious strain in this area."
"Hey, hey, he's not an experiment subject. Treat patients gently."
Tsunade immediately stopped him.
Then she gently rubbed Might Duy's leg, double-checking before finally confirming, "It's definitely a pulled muscle. Originally minor, but it has worsened significantly over these past few days."
"Worsened... worsened?! Princess Tsunade, don't tell me it can't be cured!" Might panicked.
Pain and injuries, he could endure them all. But if he were to be left with permanent, untreatable wounds, that would be an absolute nightmare.
"It's not that serious yet," Might Duy said, "but if you keep pushing yourself recklessly like this, you might end up with irreversible damage." Chakra began to gather around her as she spoke.
Unlike the commonly used chakra-stimulated healing techniques today, Tsunade's medical techniques were more precise and accurate, avoiding waste and unnecessary injury.
Whether it was chakra-stimulated healing or other medical jutsu, the fundamental principle was using chakra to accelerate cell division, thus achieving rapid recovery.
The more cell division there is, the more a person's lifespan tends to decrease.
Therefore, healing in such an accurate and meticulous way could minimize the side effects as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru took out a small notebook and seemed to be recording something on it.
Akaba, curious, leaned over for a look.
There were strings of incomprehensible data, but judging by the context, they must have been related to Might Duy's muscle strength and such.
While he himself relied on his System to quantify data, Orochimaru had already turned himself into a walking database.
At that moment, he truly understood the power of a scholarly prodigy.
Orochimaru noticed Akaba's gaze and gave him a wary glance before gesturing for him to keep quiet.
Akaba looked away and moved to the front.
Tsunade was highly focused, carefully controlling her chakra to repair the muscles. After quite a while, she retracted her chakra and said, "Okay, get down and try it."
Might Duy got off the bed, and joy gradually surfaced on his face.
Healed! Fully recovered!
He really wanted to shout, but recalling the three famous genius mentors in front of him, he quickly forced himself to stay calm.
Tsunade looked somewhat tired—this was her first time performing such healing on another person, and the mental pressure had indeed been great.
Fortunately, it had been successful.
"Let me check your hands."
Might Duy didn't dare resist; he stretched out his hand for Orochimaru to examine.
After a moment, Orochimaru nodded slightly and said, "You also have minor strains in your hands. It would be best not to engage in intense physical activity for now, Senior Orochimaru."
"Yes, Senior Orochimaru."
Might Duy voiced no doubt and respectfully agreed.
They probably gathered enough data by now.
Akaba cast a quick glance and stepped forward, saying, "In a few days the Preparatory Division will begin its work. You will be notified to report then."
"Yes!"
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