Orochimaru, whose wallet had shrunk yet again, glanced at Tsunade, who let out a satisfied burp beside her. If she had known Tsunade's appetite was so exaggerated, she would never have treated her to a meal.
After all, Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter. Surely no one would let her go hungry? Besides, the Senju Clan had seemingly disappeared from Konoha, but in reality, they had given up the Senju surname and completely integrated into Konoha.
"Hey, why do you have such a bitter expression?"
Tsunade looked at Orochimaru's pained face, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"You know perfectly well."
Orochimaru rolled her eyes at Tsunade's smug smile. Not only had her manuscript fees been gambled away by Tsunade, but the money in her wallet had also taken a fatal hit. All of that had been saved from previous missions!
Tsunade saw that Orochimaru regretted treating her to a meal, and with a hint of displeasure, she said, "Orochimaru, if you didn't want to treat me, you should have just said so! Regretting it after treating someone is useless!"
"I don't regret it. I'm going to the training ground. What about you?"
Orochimaru shook her head slightly and asked.
"I'll go see how you train, I guess?"
Tsunade said with interest. Hiruzen-sensei had praised Orochimaru to her and Jiraiya more than once. She admitted Orochimaru was excellent and was curious about how Orochimaru trained.
Training Ground
"Why are you two here?"
Jiraiya, who was sitting cross-legged and refining Chakra, looked at Tsunade and Orochimaru as they arrived at the training ground. Then he showed an 'aha' smile and said, moved, "So you two care about me so much! I understand your feelings!"
With that, Jiraiya stood up and walked towards Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Jiraiya is a bit too confident, isn't he?
No, this isn't just confidence, it's arrogance.
Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya speechlessly.
"You understand nothing!"
Tsunade clenched her fists, stepped forward, and punched Jiraiya, sending him flying.
On the clear lake, fish swam.
Orochimaru sat cross-legged on the grass, looking down at the Ninjutsu scroll. A Shadow Clone, carrying an even larger rock, walked step by step across the lake surface.
"You're training with a Shadow Clone?!"
Tsunade looked in disbelief at Orochimaru's Shadow Clone, which was walking on the lake carrying a huge rock, then at Orochimaru, who was sitting on the grass reading a scroll.
"The experience and fatigue accumulated by a Shadow Clone through training will return to the original body when the Shadow Clone is dispelled."
Orochimaru explained, placing the Ninjutsu scroll aside. She had already memorized the five Ninjutsu in the scroll: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm, Lightning Release: Earth Run, Earth Release: Earth Shore Return, and Water Release: Wild Water Wave.
Among the five Ninjutsu, the most useless was undoubtedly Lightning Release: Earth Run. It had power, and the current had a paralyzing effect on enemies. However, it required a combination with Water Release or an environment with conductive materials to unleash its full power.
"But using a Shadow Clone for training requires a lot of Chakra, doesn't it?"
Tsunade had some understanding of the Shadow Clone.
"Indeed, using a Shadow Clone to assist training requires a certain amount of Chakra. The maximum I can currently handle is three Shadow Clones."
As Orochimaru spoke, she created two more Shadow Clones.
"Tsunade, if you have a large amount of Chakra, you can also train this way. Using a Shadow Clone to assist training can achieve twice the results with half the effort."
Orochimaru stood up, forming hand seals according to the sequence recorded in the scroll.
Dragon - Ox - Rabbit... "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Orochimaru's cheeks puffed out slightly, and she spat out a stream of water from her mouth, like water from a squirt gun.
"Hahaha! What's wrong with your Water Release...?"
Tsunade was amused by Orochimaru's Water Release. She had seen her great-uncle use Water Release. Before she could finish her sentence, the stream of water squirted onto her face.
"Although the stream is a bit small, I can still squirt it in your face."
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, whose face was covered in water, with satisfaction. She was very pleased with this level for her first use of Water Release: Wild Water Wave.
"What a joke!"
Tsunade kicked, Orochimaru picked up the scroll from the ground, and a Shadow Clone clapped its hands on the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
Bang--!
A large stone slab that had flipped up from the ground was shattered by Tsunade's kick.
"Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!"
A strong gust of wind blew from the side, making Tsunade stumble. The fragments of the large stone slab she had kicked shattered were blown by the wind and hit her body.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade turned and punched, but Orochimaru's Shadow Clone dodged her fist. "Do you just know how to run around?"
"Tsunade, no one will stand still and wait for you to hit them."
Orochimaru's voice came from above. Tsunade looked up and saw Orochimaru forming the Tiger hand seal.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Oh no!
Just as Tsunade was about to dodge, a tiny flame shot out from Orochimaru's mouth.
"..."
Orochimaru froze for a moment, seemingly surprised that her first attempt at Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique had failed.
Seeing this, Tsunade smiled brightly, jumped up, and punched Orochimaru in the abdomen.
Orochimaru let out a cry of pain and dissipated into a puff of white smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?"
Tsunade looked around for Orochimaru. Just as she was about to charge, the original body of Orochimaru stepped out.
"That's enough, Tsunade. I still need to continue my Ninjutsu training."
With the Shadow Clone dispelled, Orochimaru had indirectly experienced what it felt like to be punched by Tsunade. She didn't want her remaining Shadow Clones to be blown away by Tsunade.
I won't lose to them. I'll make Orochimaru and Tsunade look at me with new eyes!
Jiraiya watched Tsunade and Orochimaru's brief exchange, feeling a sense of urgency. He concentrated his Chakra and formed hand seals.
Indeed, Orochimaru is a true genius!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was secretly watching his students train, had a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to master the Ninjutsu in the scroll so quickly.
"Wait! Jiraiya! You're using a Space-Time Ninjutsu without a contract yet! The consequences are unpredictable!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed what Jiraiya was doing and shouted anxiously, trying to stop him.
"Go!"
Jiraiya slammed his right hand on the ground under Hiruzen Sarutobi's almost desperate gaze.
Bang--!
A large amount of white smoke appeared. As the smoke dispersed, Jiraiya was gone.
"Jiraiya!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly walked over. Before Jiraiya, no one had ever used the Summoning Technique without first forming a contract with a summoned beast.
"Hiruzen-sensei! What happened? Where's Jiraiya?"
Tsunade and Orochimaru came to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.
"What Jiraiya just used was the Summoning Technique. Isn't that only usable after forming a contract with a summoned beast?"
Orochimaru walked to where Jiraiya had been, looking at the lingering traces on the ground.
"It's my fault. I didn't warn Jiraiya in time about the consequences of using a space-time Ninjutsu without a contract with a summoned beast."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, blaming himself. He never dreamed that Jiraiya would directly use the Summoning Technique.
"Hiruzen-sensei, the Summoning Technique is a space-time Ninjutsu that summons a summoned beast. If the user hasn't formed a contract with any summoned beast… is it possible Jiraiya went to where the summoned beasts live?"
Orochimaru analyzed calmly. She didn't think Jiraiya would be in trouble. It was highly likely that this reckless action led him to form a contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku.
"Isn't that even more dangerous?"
Tsunade held her head in her hands, scratching it in frustration. "What's wrong with that Jiraiya guy?!"
Meanwhile, Jiraiya arrived at a strange place and saw a large snake and a large toad in a standoff. Full of confidence, he charged forward.
Facing the large snake, which was at the top of its food chain, the still-young Gamabunta was drenched in cold sweat.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, but in this battle, I, Lord Jiraiya, am sure to win!"
As soon as Jiraiya struck a pose, the large snake hissed and lunged at him, opening its mouth to bite.
Jiraiya easily dodged the large snake's attack, grabbed its tail, and threw it away.
"Hmph, a small fry is only capable of this much."