Jiraiya had imagined many things about his future disciple—power, glory, heroism. But the idea that his student might change the entire world? That thought alone made him grin like an idiot.
Still, something bothered him.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecy…
White Snake…
And the way Fukasaku and Shima nearly choked when he mentioned it…
Could that White Snake really be… Orochimaru?
The more Jiraiya thought about it, the more tangled his brain became. Orochimaru had indeed changed Konoha drastically. He'd even founded the now-famous White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Corporation, a massive multinational corporation with customers in every major nation. They didn't involve themselves in wars, remained strictly neutral, and took in displaced people—like survivors from Uzushiogakure and the Chinoike clan.
A benevolent snake?
A world-changing snake?
His imagination spun uselessly.
"Never mind—thinking hurts," Jiraiya grumbled, giving his head a shake as if ejecting the prophecy from his skull.
He straightened up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and gave a final nod to Hiruzen, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
It was time for him to officially begin his journey.
---
Hokage Building
"A prophecy, huh…" Hiruzen exhaled softly as he watched Jiraiya prepare to leave. In the old man's eyes flashed faint images of a white-haired boy with too much energy, a boy who used to run through the Academy corridors yelling about heroism.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
"Go," Hiruzen finally said, "but travel undercover. Don't parade around with your Konoha forehead protector shining like a beacon. You'll just attract unnecessary trouble."
"Teacher, I'm not an idiot!" Jiraiya protested. "I know how dangerous it is. Tsunade and Orochimaru got ambushed, didn't they?"
Hiruzen inhaled deeply.
You're not stupid? Really?
But he swallowed the comment. Comparisons were unfair—Orochimaru was simply far too brilliant. Jiraiya's brain worked… just not in linear fashion.
Hiruzen cleared his throat and tossed him a small pouch.
"What's this?" Jiraiya opened the pouch and froze. "Rebirth pills? The life-saving miracle medicine? Teacher Hiruzen… you're giving these to me?!"
For once, he actually looked touched.
Hiruzen puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course. Who do you think I am?"
Jiraiya nodded vigorously.
"When severely injured, eat one of those. And I mean severely. Do not pop one because you stubbed your toe, understand?"
Jiraiya winced. He 100% would have done that.
"Got it! I'll say goodbye to Tsunade and Orochimaru, then head out!"
He bounded away like an overexcited child.
Hiruzen sighed again as he watched his student leave.
Emotionally and logically, he didn't want Jiraiya to obsess over the prophecy. But every person has their own path, and this was Jiraiya's.
---
Outside Konoha — Farewell Scene
"You're really going to wander around the world?" Orochimaru leaned against a tree, arms crossed casually, watching Jiraiya adjust his backpack.
"Do you still remember what I told you?" he added.
"What? You say so many things. My brain can't hold all that." Jiraiya waved him off, pretending to forget deliberately.
Orochimaru clicked his tongue. Transparent as ever.
"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy speaks only of possibilities," Orochimaru said. "Don't twist your life to fit a prediction. If you force yourself to become the person in the prophecy, then your life is no longer yours. It belongs to the prophecy."
Jiraiya swallowed.
Orochimaru was annoyingly good at cutting straight to the truth.
Still, there was one thing he had to say.
"Orochimaru… the prophecy mentioned the White Snake. You might be the White Snake of destiny."
"The White Snake? Impossible."
Orochimaru rejected it instantly. He didn't believe in the Great Toad Sage's prophecies at all. To him, the old sage was just that—an old sage. One who interpreted events however he pleased.
If anything, Orochimaru believed the Great Sage nudged people rather than predicted them.
A glorified fortune-telling amphibian.
Jiraiya panicked. "I'm serious! The Great Toad Sage said my disciples and the White Snake will change the ninja world! Orochimaru, you have to believe—!"
"What do you want me to believe?!"
A voice thundered from behind them. Tsunade stomped forward, fists clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked.
Her first assumption?
Jiraiya was making a love confession.
Again.
To Orochimaru.
Death flashed before his eyes.
Tsunade marched like a goddess of destruction, and Jiraiya instantly dove behind Orochimaru for cover.
"S-Speak calmly! Let's solve this peacefully, okay?" he squeaked.
"Calmly?" Tsunade's chakra leaked like an angry volcano, cracking the ground beneath her. "Tell me—are you confessing to Orochimaru again?! Give it up! Orochimaru will never fall for you!"
"WHAT?!"
Even Orochimaru froze. How… did he become the center of this melodrama?
When did he get dragged into a love triangle?
"Confess?! I don't even—! Tsunade, listen!" Jiraiya puffed up in outrage. "I've moved on! I'm not chasing you anymore! In fact—" He struck a ridiculous macho pose. "Lord Jiraiya prefers mature older women! Big sisters with curves in all the right—ACK!"
He didn't finish.
Tsunade's punch landed with enough force to send him spiraling into the sky like a human firework.
"WooaAAAaAH—!"
Orochimaru watched his teammate fly. He normally kept a cold demeanor, but this time—
Pfft.
He burst into laughter.
Jiraiya's mid-air pose, limbs flailing like a lost chicken, was just too much.
A moment later—
THUD!
Jiraiya crashed into the ground nearby, face buried, rear sticking comically up. His entire body twitched.
"Hmph! That should straighten him out," Tsunade said proudly.
Orochimaru nearly doubled over laughing.
Time seemed to rewind, just for a moment—back to when they were young genin training under the sun, arguing and bickering like children. A flood of nostalgia washed over him.
Jiraiya groaned and sat up. He spotted Orochimaru laughing and couldn't help grinning sheepishly.
Then he glared at Tsunade. "Is this why you thought I wanted to travel the world?"
Tsunade coughed awkwardly. "Well… you're unpredictable. Who knows what you're thinking?"
"I'm thinking… ow." Jiraiya touched the new bump on his chin. "You punch like a demon."
"Anyway," Tsunade said with a flick of her hair, "good luck."
"That's it? That's your heartfelt goodbye?" Jiraiya stared, betrayed.
"Well, once you leave, no one will fight me for Orochimaru's cooking anymore. It's a win-win!" Tsunade grinned triumphantly.
Jiraiya suddenly reconsidered going on a journey. This felt too cruel.
Orochimaru stepped forward.
"Jiraiya… if you run into trouble, you can ask for help from the White Snake Pharmaceutical Company. I still have authority there. But remember—my company will not participate in any wars."
He gave Jiraiya a pointed look.
"I'm not stupid!" Jiraiya declared proudly.
To Orochimaru, he looked extremely stupid.
Jiraiya suddenly received two more pouches—one of rebirth pills, the other soldier stimulant pills.
"Use them wisely," Orochimaru said.
Then Tsunade pushed forward her own gift—a medical emergency kit, freshly developed but not yet popular in Konoha.
"You better not embarrass us," she warned. "We're all students of Teacher Hiruzen."
Jiraiya clutched the gifts tightly. His eyes turned red, his voice choked.
"You guys… you're so annoying… Just like Teacher Hiruzen!"
He turned away so they wouldn't see his expression.
"Goodbye."
He began walking.
"YOU CALLED ME NAGGY?!" Tsunade exploded. "GET BACK HERE AND RETURN MY KIT!"
"Nope! Mine now!" Jiraiya bolted like a man fleeing for his life.
---
Konoha Gate
"Hey! You didn't register before leaving!" the gate guards shouted helplessly as Jiraiya and Tsunade sprinted past them like a pair of lunatics.
Orochimaru approached calmly.
"My apologies for the trouble," he said politely.
The guards nearly melted.
"Lord Orochimaru, please, don't apologize!"
"You're so respectful! Not like those proud clan heirs!"
Their admiration poured out like a fountain. Orochimaru blinked, confused. He had merely done something basic.
He filled out the forms for both Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Tsunade returned triumphantly, holding a single white hair between her fingers.
"You caught him?" Orochimaru asked.
"Of course!" she huffed, blowing dramatically on the hair.
Orochimaru nodded approvingly. "Six seconds. Not bad."
Tsunade smirked.
Then her expression softened slightly.
"Do you think that idiot Jiraiya will be okay?"
Orochimaru looked at the gate where his teammate vanished.
"He'll be fine," Orochimaru said quietly. "He's Jiraiya, after all