Jiraiya lay sprawled on the ground, dazed but otherwise unhurt, despite the thunderous punch Tsunade had just landed on him. He shook himself like a wet dog and sprang to his feet as if nothing had happened.
A polite cough drew everyone's attention. Hiruzen Sarutobi held out his hand. Two small silver bells dangled from his fingers, chiming with a cheerful ting-ting in the morning air.
"There are two bells," Hiruzen said evenly. "You know what they represent."
He didn't bother explaining further; every academy graduate knew the infamous Bell Test and what happened to those who failed.
Jiraiya eyed the bells and quipped, "If we don't get one… do we get burned at the stake?"
"You're very perceptive, Jiraiya," Hiruzen replied with a faint smile.
Jiraiya grinned and turned to Orochimaru instead of Tsunade—apparently even he wasn't reckless enough to tease her twice. "If I ring a bell, will you go on a date with me?"
Orochimaru blinked, confused. Is he… talking to me? He glanced around. Both Hiruzen and Tsunade were staring directly at him.
"Huh? Are you talking to me?" he asked at last.
"Who else?" Jiraiya huffed. "That violent woman over there?"
"Who are you calling a violent woman, you pervert!" Tsunade's fist clenched with dangerous intent.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jiraiya pointed dramatically at her.
"Say it again!"
"I won't!"
Orochimaru stood between them, a bead of cold sweat forming. He was far more worried about Tsunade's monstrous strength than Jiraiya's antics and prayed she didn't accidentally hit him while aiming for their teammate.
Hiruzen sighed, amused despite himself. These three bickered like litter-mates, but he could already see the potential for a bond strong enough to outlast war. "Enough," he said, clapping his hands for attention. "The exercise begins now. Fail to get a bell, and you'll be tied to a post and starved. Attack me with the intent to kill."
The instant his words ended, all three genin vanished into the trees like dark streaks of motion.
---
Waiting Game
The Bell Test was an old trial. Hiruzen himself had once faced it against Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado under the Second Hokage. It tested more than speed or strength: teamwork, strategy, and the will to fight like true shinobi.
The First Shinobi World War had ended only recently. Though peace nominally reigned, Hiruzen knew conflicts still smoldered beyond Konoha's borders. He wanted to see if these students possessed the qualities that real ninja needed.
He waited. Birds sang. Leaves rustled. No attack came.
With a small chuckle he set one bell on the grass in plain sight, then opened a neatly wrapped lunch. Surely the temptation of an unguarded target would flush someone out.
Hidden in a bush, Orochimaru watched with growing fascination as Hiruzen calmly ate his bento. What's so delicious about that anyway? Maybe it's a loving-wife bento… Still, the sight of the bells gleaming beside the meal made his fingers itch.
High above, Tsunade crouched on a branch, scanning the clearing. Her sharp eyes soon spotted Jiraiya peeking from behind another tree. Of course. He'll move first.
As predicted, Jiraiya launched himself at the seemingly defenseless Hiruzen, hand outstretched. A rope trap snapped tight around his ankle, yanking him skyward like a hooked fish.
---
Planning an Ambush
"Teamwork?" Tsunade muttered under her breath. "How exactly are we supposed to cooperate?"
Dropping silently to the ground near Orochimaru, she asked, "Any ideas?"
"Surprise attack," Orochimaru whispered. He flashed through hand signs, summoning a puff of smoke that left a perfect Shadow Clone beside him. The real Orochimaru transformed into a shuriken, which the clone caught deftly.
"I'll draw his attention. Find a way to keep sensei from noticing the shuriken."
Tsunade nodded, a rare spark of excitement in her golden eyes. "Understood. Operation begins now."
The clone leapt from hiding, flinging the disguised shuriken with uncanny precision. It sliced cleanly through the rope holding Jiraiya and then split into several more shuriken, whistling toward their target.
Jiraiya crashed to the ground with a grunt.
Hiruzen dodged every blade with casual grace.
"Got him!" Tsunade burst from her cover and aimed a thunderous punch.
Crack!
The shuriken stuck in a nearby tree exploded into smoke, revealing the real Orochimaru mid-strike, aiming straight for the bells on Hiruzen's hip.
Thunk!
But the Hiruzen they attacked dissolved into a shattered log—Substitution Jutsu.
Tsunade blinked in surprise. Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat. He yanked a smoke bomb from his pouch and slammed it to the ground, fogging the area.
Through the swirling smoke, Jiraiya glimpsed a bell lying unattended and lunged for it—only for the earth to split beneath him. Two hands shot up, clamping around his ankles.
"Earth Release: Underground Headhunter Technique!"
Jiraiya yelped as he was dragged underground until only his head stuck out, flailing helplessly.
From the tree line, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. Falling for the same trap twice was an achievement only Jiraiya could manage.
The "bell" Jiraiya had been reaching for shimmered and morphed into Orochimaru, who now held the real bell securely. Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. So the smoke wasn't just cover—he swapped the bells mid-cloud.
A faint cracking sound came from below. Pale hands erupted from the ground around Hiruzen's own feet—another Earth Release: Underground Headhunter Technique.
"Now!" Tsunade seized the opening and snatched the second bell from his belt.
---
Aftermath
"Orochimaru, when did you learn Earth Release?" Hiruzen asked, genuinely impressed.
"You used the jutsu earlier, sensei," Orochimaru replied coolly, taking the bell from his clone as it dispersed.
Hiruzen chuckled. "You really are a prodigy."
"Tch…" Jiraiya grumbled, glaring from his uncomfortable position.
Moments later he was tied to a post, scowling as Orochimaru and Tsunade stood victorious.
"What's with that face?" Tsunade teased, dangling her bell just out of reach. "The last man without a bell!"
"Shut up, you wild, flat-chested gorilla!"
"What did you call me, you pervert!"
Their bickering resumed instantly. Orochimaru, half-amused, half-baffled, glanced at Tsunade's chest, then at his own slender frame. An A-cup is perfectly fine, he told himself dryly. No need to turn into some… oversized sheep.
"Enough," Hiruzen said, though he was smiling. "Tsunade, Orochimaru—you two can head back first."
"See you later!" Tsunade waved cheerfully, stuck out her tongue at the trussed-up Jiraiya, and grabbed Orochimaru by the wrist, dragging him toward the village.
"Why are you dragging me?" Orochimaru asked, bemused.
"Come on! I'm treating you."
Orochimaru hesitated only a moment. Tsunade's grip was iron; even if he tried, he doubted he could break free. "All right… my dear teammate," he said with a wry smile.
---
Evening Reflections
By dusk the sky blushed crimson. A thin crescent moon peeked through the fading light as Orochimaru walked home alone, finally released from Tsunade's enthusiastic hospitality. He paused outside his small house, tilting his head toward the silver disc above.
That moon… He remembered suddenly that it was no ordinary moon but the very one Hagoromo and Hamura Ōtsutsuki had created to imprison their mother, Kaguya.
Even if he left Konoha behind, could he truly escape the destiny of this world? The Fourth Shinobi World War lay far in the future, but the shadow of the Ōtsutsuki clan loomed over all.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya… the Ten-Tails… the Sage of Six Paths…
A chill ran down his spine. He doubted he could ever surpass the original Orochimaru, no matter how hard he worked. Still, he could—and would—push his power as far as possible. Survival demanded nothing less.
---