As soon as Jiraiya brought it up, all eyes immediately turned to Sasuke.
Because what Jiraiya said was true.
At the same time, Uchiha Hikaru was also thinking about the same question: should Sasuke become Orochimaru's disciple?
After all, although Hikaru had taken in Sasuke, Hayate, Hinata, and Shino as students, he was hardly what you'd call a true teacher. At most, he was like Kakashi had been to Team 7—maybe even less than that.
He'd only pointed them in the right direction for their future training.
That was completely different from how Jiraiya treated Naruto or how Tsunade intended to teach Sakura.
Only that kind of relationship—where the master truly commits to nurturing their student—could be called a real disciple bond. And honestly, Hikaru neither had the time nor the desire to put in that kind of effort. He still hadn't figured out a method to truly master Sage Mode and only had a few shallow theories.
"Sasuke," Hikaru asked casually, "how about I take you to Orochimaru and see if he's willing to take you as a disciple?"
He asked symbolically—after all, choosing a master wasn't a trivial matter. In the original timeline, Sasuke had only sought out Orochimaru to pursue power, lured by the man's promises. But now, there was no such temptation. Orochimaru had no contact with Sasuke whatsoever.
So, it was only right to ask Sasuke's opinion.
Faced with Hikaru's suggestion, Sasuke crossed his legs and frowned, deep in thought.
Orochimaru?
All he knew about the man was that he'd been brought back to the village by his older brother. Though it had been over three years since his return, Sasuke had only seen him a handful of times.
His clearest memory of him came from their ninja academy days—Orochimaru was always the example used in lectures about missing-nin and S-rank traitors.
After a while, instead of answering directly, Sasuke looked up and returned the question.
"What's his strength like?"
Jiraiya saw an opportunity to pitch his old friend. After all, Orochimaru stayed locked in his lab day and night. Yes, technically Anko was his disciple… but Anko was also Hikaru's...
Those who knew understood the situation. There was no way Orochimaru would pour everything he had into that apprentice.
But Sasuke—Sasuke was a golden opportunity.
"Even though that guy rarely leaves the lab, don't underestimate him," Jiraiya said seriously. "If we really fought, it'd be a close match."
"His snake-style ninjutsu is especially nasty—always catching you off guard. Even I'm not confident I could dodge everything if he went all-out."
"He's mastered almost all the elemental chakra natures, and he's even delved into Yin-Yang Release."
It all sounded impressive. But Sasuke had his own way of thinking.
What Jiraiya described made Orochimaru sound like a jack-of-all-trades—someone who had studied everything but mastered nothing.
Sasuke, on the other hand, excelled in Fire Style and Lightning Style. He had no intention of wasting time dabbling in things that didn't suit him. Why spend time learning other nature transformations when he could hone his strengths to perfection?
Just as Sasuke remained undecided, Hikaru noticed his hesitation and decided to speak again—this time more directly, trying to help Orochimaru win over this potential disciple.
"Don't look down on Orochimaru," Hikaru said. "He didn't learn all those chakra natures for battle. He learned them for research. His understanding of ninjutsu theory is probably on par with the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju—the creator of most forbidden jutsu."
"If he becomes your master, he can tailor a training plan suited to your exact chakra composition and physical condition. He might even give you the foundation to develop your own ninjutsu."
"In that area… even I'm not as skilled as he is."
That last line hit Sasuke hard.
Hikaru was the strongest shinobi in the world—his idol.
If even he admitted someone else was more skilled in a particular area… then Orochimaru really must be something special.
After a moment of silence, Sasuke nodded.
"Teacher Hikaru, if it's really as you say… then I'll take Orochimaru as my master."
As he spoke, Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
"Don't get too comfortable. I will develop a unique ninjutsu of my own, and when I do—I'll defeat you."
Naruto's competitive fire flared up immediately. He jumped to his feet, eyes blazing.
"Sasuke, I won't lose to you!"
"I'll develop something even stronger than your jutsu!"
Sasuke leapt up as well. The two stared each other down, foreheads pressed together like two riled-up bulls.
"I'm going to win!"
"No! I won't lose!"
"You're definitely going down!"
"No way—you'll never beat me!"
Finally, Tsunade had enough. She stood up, cracked her knuckles, and slammed both fists down on their heads.
Bang~!
Bang~!
"You two brats are so damn noisy! Can't I eat in peace!?"
"If you wanna fight, go do it outside! (╬≖_≖)"
With two massive bumps on their heads, Naruto and Sasuke sank back into their seats, groaning in pain.
"Gomenasai~ Lady Tsunade!"
Both bowed and apologized like scolded schoolchildren.
...
After the barbecue, Jiraiya and Naruto left together to pack and begin their training journey outside the village.
As the sun began to set—around seven in the evening—Uchiha Hikaru glanced at the sky and gently tugged Tsunade's arm.
"It's still early. Why don't you take Sakura to do that entry test now?"
"If you go home this early, Grandma Mito will definitely lecture you."
Tsunade had planned to head back and rest, but at the mention of Mito, her heart tightened a little.
"…Mm, you're right."
"Sakura, are you ready? If so, I'll take you to the Medical Corps now."
"Once you pass the test, you'll officially be my disciple~"
Sakura's eyes lit up, and she nodded immediately.
"No problem, Lady Tsunade!"
"I'm ready!"
As Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura walked off toward the medical department, Uchiha Hikaru leapt onto the rooftop, waved goodbye to Sasuke, and headed for the Senju compound.
After all, now that the Ninja Association was beginning to take shape, small shinobi villages were flooding in with letters asking to join.
All those trivial matters had been giving Tsunade a migraine lately.
So Hikaru had no intention of involving her in the crisis with the Ōtsutsuki.
After all… she's my woman. It's my job to protect her.
Even if something truly dangerous were to happen during the battle—there was no need to worry.
Old man Hashirama, Uncle Tobirama, and Grandma Mito were all reincarnated bodies. As for the rest?
They were Uchiha.
At worst, they'd activate Izanami… lose an eye rather than their lives.
(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
-------
Send Power Stones
Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated 🫂