Konoha, Izakaya.
The Sannin, rarely together, were drinking and chatting idly in the pub.
The dim yellow lights of the izakaya swayed in the sake cups. Tsunade's knuckles were slightly white as she gripped her cup. Orochimaru's golden slit pupils flickered in the shadows, like a venomous snake coiled in the darkness.
"I saw it with my own eyes, you know." Jiraiya swirled his sake flask, ice cubes clinking against the ceramic walls. "Last week at Training Ground 3, the way you were teaching that black-haired brat the Chakra Scalpel—"
"That was medical guidance!" Tsunade raised her voice suddenly, causing the bartender's hand to shake behind the counter. Ice cubes rattled in the shaker. She stared at the plum pit resting at the bottom of her cup. "That child now..." A familiar rusty taste rose in her throat, and the image of Nawaki covered in blood flashed before her eyes from years ago.
Orochimaru's sneer slithered past her ears like a snake's tongue. "Letting someone who suffers from hemophobia be a teacher? Admirable courage." The kunai spinning on his fingertip left a blur, carving a deep scratch into the wooden table. "Why not hand him over to me..."
"Don't even think about it!" Two voices rang out simultaneously. Jiraiya slammed his palm on the table, knocking over his sake flask. The amber liquid dripped through the cracks in the table. Tsunade grabbed a towel to wipe the splash from her cuff, suddenly realizing her hand was shaking.
The shouts of drunkards drifted from the alley behind the izakaya, moonlight leaking through the gaps in the sliding doors. Jiraiya scratched his messy white hair. "I say, if that kid can learn the Chakra Scalpel, it proves his talent is..."
"He needs more than just medical ninjutsu right now." Tsunade interrupted him, poking at the grilled saury on her plate with her chopsticks. "Yesterday, when he asked me if I knew any lethal Taijutsu, I realized..." The fish bone made a harsh scraping sound against the porcelain plate. "I can't teach him anymore."
Orochimaru's pupils constricted suddenly. He remembered passing the Konoha Hospital three days ago and seeing the black-haired boy practicing Kenjutsu on the roof. The trajectory of the blade slicing through the morning mist looked exactly like a certain silver-haired man.
The night wind rustled the door curtains, and the lantern outside the izakaya suddenly went out. In the darkness, Tsunade's muffled voice came through: "Hey, Jiraiya. How about you teach him for a while? You've got nothing to do right now anyway, right?"
Jiraiya's cup froze in mid-air. He was dumbfounded. He never expected that coming for a drink would land him with a burden.
Before Jiraiya could agree, Tsunade stood up, tossed some coins on the table, and said, "It's settled then. Come on, let's go see him."
Jiraiya remained in a state of confusion...
The river at the training ground reflected the afterglow of the setting sun. Taiichi was practicing Chakra control on the water's surface. A sudden whistling sound behind him made him instinctively flip and leap away. Three shuriken grazed his hair and embedded themselves into the tree trunk.
"Reaction speed: passable." Orochimaru's raspy voice came from the treetop. As Taiichi looked up, he saw Tsunade squatting on a rock by the river, a Chakra Scalpel formed at her fingertips slicing through the rushing waves.
Suddenly, Jiraiya's Great Fireball attacked from the left. Taiichi retreated rapidly across the water. Where the flames passed, the river steamed into a white fog. The power was immense. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" The boy's clear shout pierced the mist, and a whirlwind wrapped around the fire dragon, shooting straight into the sky.
"Beautiful dual-nature coordination!" Jiraiya laughed heartily, stepping out from behind a tree, his forehead protector glinting in the sunset. He noticed Taiichi's wrist-turning posture—it was identical to the Kenjutsu stance he had seen through his telescope three days ago.
Tsunade suddenly grabbed Taiichi by the collar, a Chakra Scalpel pressed against his throat. "Where should a medical ninja protect the most?" Her voice smelled of alcohol, but her fingers were as steady as surgical forceps.
"Chakra pathways," Taiichi answered without hesitation. Green light flared at his fingertip as he tapped Tsunade's inner elbow. The moment their Chakra collided, a splash of water three meters high exploded from the river surface.
Orochimaru's applause startled the birds in the forest. "Perfect counterattack. Pity..." His long tongue swept over his lips. "Chakra volume is down by thirty percent."
When Tsunade let go, Taiichi stumbled and sat down in the shallows. The pebbles hurt his palms. He saw Tsunade's back trembling slightly in the twilight—the shudder of a hemophobia attack.
"From today on, this trouble is yours." Tsunade suddenly pushed Taiichi toward Jiraiya. The boy bumped into the white-haired man's sturdy chest, smelling a heavy mix of alcohol and ink.
Jiraiya's hand pressed on Taiichi's shoulder, warmth transmitting through the soaked ninja outfit. "Kid, do you know what true Ninjutsu is?" His other hand suddenly formed seals, and a massive whirlwind of fire scorched the entire river channel black.
Firelight danced in Taiichi's pupils. Compared to his own Fire Style, Jiraiya's was magnitudes more powerful.
"I..." The boy started to speak but was interrupted by Orochimaru's cold voice. "What stage have you reached with the Chakra Scalpel?"
The air by the river suddenly solidified. Jiraiya felt the shoulder under his palm tense up instantly—an instinctive reaction of an animal meeting a predator. He was about to speak when he saw a solid, dazzling blade of light form at Taiichi's fingertips.
"Stage three. Just learned to sever Chakra threads." Taiichi's voice was breathless. Sustaining high-density Chakra made sweat bead on his forehead, but his hand holding the blade remained rock steady.
Orochimaru's golden slit pupils contracted into lines in the twilight. He recalled a rainy night when Danzo showed him a Root report that read: "Suspected mastery of Yang Nature Transformation." The light blade before him now was even sharper than the report described.
Jiraiya suddenly laughed loudly, breaking the deadlock. Like a magic trick, he pulled out a frog wallet from his robe. "As a meeting gift, I'm treating you to ramen tonight!" The wallet opened its mouth and spat out three coupons, perfectly covering the Chakra threads Orochimaru was secretly extending toward Taiichi.
Tsunade's back had already disappeared deep into the woods. Looking in the direction she left, Taiichi noticed inch-deep finger marks on the stone by the riverbank—clawed out by Tsunade's bare hands as she suppressed her hemophobia. Perhaps she left early to avoid losing composure.
"Let's see your Chakra control level first." Jiraiya's voice suddenly became serious. He stamped his foot lightly, and Chakra rippled across the water in perfect circles. "Stand on the river like this until the moon rises to..."
Before he could finish, Taiichi was already standing steadily on the crest of a wave. Moonlight shone on his soaked pants. The Chakra glow was fainter than before, but more continuous and enduring. Jiraiya's pupils dilated slightly; he saw the spiraling ripples under the boy's feet—the effect was exactly the same as his own water walking.
Orochimaru's sneer floated over the river surface. "Interesting little fellow." His figure turned into blue smoke with a Body Flicker Jutsu, the last thing to dissipate being his cold gaze fixed on Taiichi's back.
...
After a series of tests, Jiraiya understood Taiichi's level. Overall, he was equivalent to a newly promoted Chunin. However, considering his age and medical ninjutsu, this level was quite exaggerated. Mentoring such a genius boy for a while wouldn't be too much trouble.
Next, Jiraiya took Taiichi to Ichiraku Ramen. This was Taiichi's first time here. Before, he had no money; later, when he had money, he had no time. Today, he finally visited this famous Konoha "landmark."
"Boss, give me a large Tonkotsu Ramen." He didn't forget to add to Taiichi, "Order whatever you want. My treat today."
"Boss, I'll have the same."
"Coming right up! Just a moment!"
While waiting, Jiraiya explained to Taiichi that Tsunade had asked him to mentor Taiichi for the upcoming period.
Taiichi was speechless upon hearing this. Compared to Jiraiya, an outsider, Taiichi understood Tsunade's journey during this time much better.
From her initial enthusiastic teaching and constant attention to gradually becoming impatient, sometimes smelling of alcohol when Taiichi found her... Although Tsunade had always been responsible when teaching him, in other aspects, it was hard to say. Maybe she really was getting impatient and wanted to quit, and it just so happened that someone capable of taking over—Jiraiya—appeared.
Of course, this was just Taiichi's speculation, and he certainly couldn't say it to Jiraiya. Regardless, Tsunade had done right by him.
...
At the same time, Konoha Casino.
Tsunade was currently commanding the table, surrounded by people. "I don't believe it! This round has to be 'Small'!" As she placed her chips on 'Small,' every other gambler slammed their chips on 'Big.' A vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead watching them.
Suddenly, Tsunade sneezed loudly. "What was that? Don't tell me that brat Taiichi is talking about me..." Tsunade thought.
"Whatever. Dealer, open!" And with that, Tsunade threw herself back into the fiery business of "losing money."