Orochimaru glanced at the young boy before him — a child from the Uchiha Clan. The boy stood with hands on his hips, chin slightly raised, dressed in clothing marked with the gunbai crest. To appear taller, he had even placed a few books under his feet.
"Are you the Third Hokage's student, Orochimaru?" the boy asked, his tone dripping with condescension and arrogance.
The boy pointed directly at Orochimaru with a smirk on his face.
"Administrator! Please come over for a minute! Someone is stepping on the books!" the boy shouted toward the counter.
Orochimaru turned toward the counter and called out to the female library manager.
"Hey! You there! Is this how the Third Hokage's disciple behaves?!"
As the manager approached with a sullen expression, the boy immediately panicked.
"I told you! Please don't step on the books!"
"Ah! I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" he stammered, bowing his head repeatedly.
Orochimaru stared at the boy, who was being scolded and apologizing under the manager's glare. He calmly picked up the books from under his feet, placed them back on the shelf, collected his notebook, and silently left the library.
---
Chapter 20: Jiraiya, the Scapegoat
As Orochimaru was about to head home, he noticed the Uchiha child trailing behind him. He paused for a moment, then suddenly broke into a run toward the distant forest.
He was fast—very fast!
The boy's eyes locked onto Orochimaru's figure. He quickened his pace, determined to catch up. He wanted to see how powerful someone could be if they were the Third Hokage's student.
"Are you not running anymore?" the boy called out with a smile of triumph as he saw Orochimaru stop.
"I brought you here on purpose. Did you think I didn't notice you following me?" he added, grinning.
"What?!" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
The boy's smile vanished when he realized Orochimaru was serious.
"If I kill you here, no one will suspect me."
A fierce gust of wind burst from Orochimaru's body, fueled by chakra. The sudden blast struck the boy's face, sending a cold sweat breaking out on his skin.
So scary… The boy forced himself to remain calm and looked at Orochimaru with steely eyes. "Uchiha Youka, let me test the power of the Third Hokage's student!" he shouted.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
With a flurry of hand signs, Uchiha Youka unleashed a massive fireball from his mouth.
It hit!
The Third Hokage's student wasn't that powerful after all… A gleam of triumph danced in Youka's eyes.
"Wind Release: Night Wind."
Orochimaru's voice rose from beneath the trees. The raging wind collided with the fireball. The flames wavered but, fed by the wind, formed a towering column of fire, twisting like a flame vortex.
"Ah! Aahhh!" Youka screamed in horror, unable to withstand the intense heat.
Whirr...
The fire column suddenly collapsed. Streams of water burst from the ground, extinguishing the flames instantly.
"You haven't even awakened your Sharingan, and yet you challenge me?"
Orochimaru's figure rose from the ground, calm and composed. He looked at Youka, who was sprawled on the ground, gasping heavily and filled with terror. The female manager who had accompanied him earlier watched in astonishment, wondering how this boy dared to challenge such a person.
If he truly had strength, this would be a different matter. But he was nothing more than a weak boy unable to even awaken a single tomoe of his Sharingan.
"Ninja Academy teaches that wind can overpower fire! Why did your Wind Release defeat my Fire Release?" Youka recovered his composure and asked in surprise.
"The basic advantage matters only when both powers are comparable. My mastery of chakra nature transformation and shape manipulation far surpasses yours," Orochimaru replied.
Without waiting for a response, he vanished into a cloud of smoke.
"Shadow Clone?!"
Youka's pupils shrank suddenly. His eyes darted toward the spot where Orochimaru had just stood. He was stunned. He hadn't expected that Orochimaru's clone alone could defeat him so completely in a single move. It was an utterly humiliating defeat.
After Youka left, Orochimaru emerged from behind a tree. He stared in the direction the boy had gone, his face thoughtful.
This level of stimulation isn't even enough to awaken the Sharingan? Awakening the Uchiha Clan's powers seems harder than I thought… or is this boy simply a waste?
---
That evening, Orochimaru sat in the kitchen holding a knife as he carefully scored the cleaned fish — a spotted mackerel, also known as the Spanish mackerel — to better absorb its flavors. Tsunade, eager to help, rolled up her sleeves and stood nearby.
"Would you rather stay for dinner instead of going home?" Orochimaru asked. "Don't you know you eat most of my money every time?"
He trailed off before finishing the last part aloud. Tsunade didn't often prepare free meals, though she did so occasionally.
"Don't worry," she smiled. "Grandma knows I'm here with you."
She waved her hand casually and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Tsunade, just wait for dinner…" Orochimaru replied, recalling how messy the kitchen became whenever she helped out. He didn't want to deal with the cleanup.
"Oh, right. I heard someone from the Uchiha Clan gave you trouble. What happened?" Tsunade asked, recalling what she had overheard from others.
"It's nothing. He just wanted to challenge me," Orochimaru said, adding after a pause, "I won."
"The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan is a very powerful bloodline limit. You didn't get into trouble, did you?" she asked with concern.
"The one who challenged me didn't even use his Sharingan during the fight. It looks like he hasn't awakened it yet. Don't worry, Tsunade. Just don't stand too close — be careful of the hot oil splattering."
Orochimaru adjusted his apron and gestured for her to wait at the dining table.
"All right, dear!"
Tsunade cheerfully walked toward the table. As she approached, she saw a stack of papers covered in dense writing.
What… what… isn't this the book Sarutobi-sensei often reads?
Her pupils widened. Glancing at Orochimaru from the corner of her eye, she noticed him carefully frying the fish. Slowly, she picked up the stack of papers.
The second volume?!
Could it be… no, it can't be!
Her heart began to race uncontrollably. Her trembling hand reached for the first page, as though it was opening a new world.
As she read through the pages, her face flushed deeper and deeper. At last, she understood why this book was marked for readers aged 18 and above and why Sarutobi-sensei loved it so much.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru fried the mackerel until it turned golden brown on both sides before setting it aside. With a glance, he noticed Tsunade had forgotten to pick up the manuscript. Realizing this, he froze for a moment, then acted as if nothing had happened.
Embarrassed? Why would I be embarrassed?
Writing adult novels was simply a way to earn money. Even if Tsunade knew, it wouldn't mean much to her. To him, some missions were far less respectable than writing adult novels.
There were even missions that involved investigating extramarital affairs — utterly ridiculous!
Orochimaru suspected that perhaps Sarutobi-sensei had given him the task thinking he was too absorbed in training.
Three dishes and a bowl of soup were placed on the table. Steam rose from the freshly cooked rice, releasing its aroma.
Using a bamboo rice paddle, Orochimaru scooped a mountain of rice into a bowl.
"Tsunade, dinner's ready."
Seeing her still reading, he walked over and touched her shoulder.
"Ah!" Tsunade jumped, screamed, and instinctively threw whatever she was holding.
Orochimaru pressed her shoulder with one hand, stood up swiftly, and blurred his fingers to grab each manuscript page. As the last page fell toward the table, he opened his mouth slightly, inhaled, and sucked the papers with a powerful gust of breath. The manuscript flew into his mouth with a whirling sound.
Mastering chakra nature transformation to the wind element made this trick easy.
"Really, why feel guilty?" Orochimaru chuckled as he neatly stacked the manuscripts he'd caught. Seeing Tsunade's bright red face, he grinned.
"I didn't expect you to understand this!"
"You, you, you! Orochimaru, you…"
Tsunade stared at the manuscript, then at Orochimaru, unable to form a complete sentence.
"Let's eat first. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
Orochimaru placed the manuscript on the table and hung his apron on the hook by the wall.
Pat!
After dinner, with his stomach full and his mind clear, Tsunade slammed her hand on the table and glared at Orochimaru.
"Why did you write such a book?! I never thought you'd be the biggest pervert!"
She had often seen Jiraiya secretly peek into Sarutobi-sensei's hidden books. She never suspected that Jiraiya's favorite novel had actually been written by Orochimaru!
"It's because the money I earn from missions isn't enough. I make money this way," Orochimaru replied, casually addressing the accusation.
Was saving money easy for him? Either he was dragged into casinos or living off free dinners.
Besides, he had already found a way to make money at the casino with Tsunade. It involved joining her in gambling with others. Tsunade's luck was abysmal, while the other players' luck was excellent!
He could win money with his eyes closed!
"I'm not a pervert! I only made minor changes and improvements based on the contents of the forbidden books in the bookstore!"
Orochimaru pointed his finger and explained that he hadn't really produced adult novels, but simply acted as a carrier of the flow of nature.
"B-books? Bookstore?!" Tsunade froze, then clenched her fists and ground her teeth.
"It must be that pervert Jiraiya corrupting you!" she spat.
Ah… that… no! What does that have to do with Jiraiya?
I never even mentioned him!
Orochimaru gawked as Tsunade grabbed a black bowl and hurled it at him with perfect aim, hitting Jiraiya's head far away in the Hidden Leaf's secret Mount Myōboku training grounds.
---
Mount Myōboku
Jiraiya sat on a square stone slab perched at the peak of a sharp mountain ridge. Meditation required a focused mind, but the constant swaying made it difficult to stay balanced. One slip could send him tumbling down the valley.
"Ah… ah… ah! Ahuuu!"
Jiraiya suddenly sneezed, breaking his concentration and upsetting his precarious balance. His body lurched.
"Not good!"
He struggled to steady himself, but the wobbling grew worse. His slab flipped, and he tumbled off.
Nearby, Fukasaku, who assisted Jiraiya's training, darted forward. He coiled his tongue around Jiraiya's waist. With a grunt, he formed a human-shaped dent in the cliff wall.
"Little Jiraiya, let's end this now."
Fukasaku rubbed his nose as he scolded Jiraiya.
"Lord Fukasaku, please stay with me a little longer!"
Jiraiya grinned, feeling confident he could continue.
"Training can't be rushed. You need balance, calmness, and harmony with nature."
Fukasaku sighed helplessly. Jiraiya's determination was more than double that of anyone else who had ever trained on Mount Myōboku.
"If I endure a bit longer, I feel I'll grasp the key. Please, stay with me a little longer!"
Jiraiya showed no sign of giving up in the face of difficulty. With a confident smile, he gave a thumbs-up.