In the Hokage Office, everyone looked at the bewildered Jiraiya with exasperation.
Good grief, can't you understand plain language?
"Stop making a fool of yourself! Idiot!"
Seeing Jiraiya's foolish expression, Tsunade couldn't help but throw a straight punch, sending Old White Hair sprawling on the floor.
Thud!
Old White Hair lay sprawled on the floor in a starfish shape, still lifting his head to argue defiantly:
"What's wrong with asking? Can't I ask questions if I have them? Is that unreasonable?"
Thud!
A flying kick landed squarely on Jiraiya's head.
Old White Hair saw stars and finally quieted down for the moment.
Ye Chen watched, stifling his laughter, feeling amused inside.
Is this the same unrestrained man who would cry out before his death: 'The roaming dragon should enter the sea, but the sea does not welcome me, Jiraiya!'?
How has he become so... pathetic?
But then again, it fits Jiraiya's personality.
This Old White Hair is only serious when handling official business; usually, he seems to have a screw loose.
Moreover, this Jiraiya is still in his prime, even more foolish than the older Jiraiya who appears later in the main story.
Tsunade looked down impatiently.
Old White Hair, still lying on the floor, wriggled like a worm, stubbornly refusing to get up.
Could Tsunade's explosive temper tolerate this? She immediately shouted a threat:
"Get up and answer the question right now, or you'll face the consequences!"
"Alrighty!"
Without another word, Jiraiya scrambled up nimbly, acting as if nothing had happened, a silly grin on his face.
After Nara Shikaku's earlier analysis and Hiruzen Sarutobi's candid explanation, the answer had already surfaced; they were just waiting for Jiraiya to answer.
After all, it was agreed earlier that this round of questions about Orochimaru would be entirely Jiraiya's responsibility.
Everyone stared at Jiraiya, waiting for him to answer, but Jiraiya just scratched the back of his head and asked doubtfully:
"Why are you all looking at me? Tell me the answer!"
Good grief, so you didn't understand a single thing all this time, huh?
Even Tsunade was left speechless by Jiraiya's stupidity and urged him weakly:
"The answer is 'd', go answer it!"
"Oh, you should've said so earlier."
Jiraiya retorted, not waiting for Tsunade to get angry, and immediately turned to look at Ye Chen, answering loudly:
"Esteemed Sir, my answer is 'd': All of the above!"
"Congratulations, correct answer!"
Finally! All five questions answered correctly!
High-tier prize pool!
Double rewards!
Sage Body! Sage Eyes!
Ten-Tails Jinchuriki!
Truth-Seeking Orbs!
Wait obediently in the prize pool, here I come!
Ye Chen felt a surge of excitement inside but remained outwardly calm, smiling lightly as he congratulated Jiraiya on his successful answer.
Hearing this answer, everyone felt a mix of joy and sighing.
They all felt a pang of sorrow regarding Orochimaru's complex mindset and the tragic conflict between master and student.
After all, no matter what, Orochimaru was a Ninja trained by Konoha.
Once one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, a commander who held his own in the war.
"Alright, do you want to see the visual material for this question?"
Ye Chen was itching to rush home and draw the prizes immediately, but he still had to complete the process, so he promptly reminded them.
"Yes!"
Jiraiya quickly shouted.
After watching so many scenes last time, Jiraiya had become increasingly interested in this kind of 'peeking' into others' lives.
As evidenced by the multiplied frequency of his trips to spy on the women's bathhouse during this period.
Without further ado, Ye Chen waved his hand, and the text on the light screen disappeared, replaced by new visuals.
[The scene shows a cemetery somewhere in Konoha.]
[A small figure with smooth black hair and pale skin holds a bouquet of flowers, placing it before a tombstone.]
["Father, Mother."]
[The small figure is naturally the young Orochimaru. At this time, Orochimaru looks incredibly tender, with none of the cold-blooded, ferocious, or eerie appearance he would later have.]
[Orochimaru is four years old here. His parents have already passed away. Judging by the tombstone's location, it can be inferred that Orochimaru's parents were civilians, as deceased Ninja are buried in Konoha's Martyrs' Cemetery.]
[For the young Orochimaru, the loss of his parents was undoubtedly a harsh blow. Already somewhat gloomy by nature, Orochimaru became even more eccentric after his parents' death left him an orphan.]
[In the scene, Orochimaru kneels gently before the grave, looking at the engraved photos of his parents on the tombstone. His eyes show a faint trace of longing, but more prominently, confusion and unease.]
["What exactly is... death?" A gentle breeze passes by as Orochimaru lowers his head, murmuring to himself.]
Seeing this scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
He was well aware of Orochimaru's background. After all, as the Hokage, if he were to take a child from the Village as his disciple, investigating their background information was something he would never neglect.
According to the intelligence he received, Orochimaru's parents were just civilians in the Village, working for a merchant caravan.
During the First Ninja World War, Orochimaru's parents were conscripted by the Village to transport supplies to the front lines.
They ultimately died at the hands of Ninja from Iwagakure, the Hidden Stone Village in the Land of Earth.
"If Orochimaru's parents were still alive, perhaps he wouldn't have become what he did later?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi lamented inwardly.
Although, if such a tragedy hadn't occurred, Orochimaru might never have had the opportunity to become a Ninja. Instead, he might have followed his merchant parents, learning from them and perhaps inheriting the family business.
He would never have become Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple.
After all, the Ninja Academy had not been established for long back then, and due to resistance from the various Ninja Clans in the Village, it could only accept children from Ninja Clans. Among civilians, only orphans who had lost both parents had a chance to enter.
"That outcome would have been better than the present."
Compared to letting Orochimaru become the universally despised figure he is now, Hiruzen felt it would have been better for him to become a merchant.
[The scene continues. Time passes. Orochimaru graduates from the Ninja Academy and, along with Jiraiya and Tsunade, becomes Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple. Their bonds deepen through continuous study and missions.]
[Orochimaru, whose personality tended towards gloominess, is gradually influenced, becoming more human and understanding the meaning of comradeship.]
[However, precisely because of this, during the raging Second Great Ninja War, Orochimaru fights on the front lines, watching his comrades die one after another, their bodies mutilated. The question that arose in his childhood gradually amplifies.]
[The scene shows a forest vast as an ocean, with the corpses of Konoha Ninja and enemy Ninja scattered across the battlefield.]
[Orochimaru, bearing wounds, walks over to a Konoha Ninja with whom he had a decent friendship and gently crouches down to close the Ninja's eyes.]
[Looking around, the entire battlefield resembles a giant meat grinder. Both Konoha and Iwagakure feed countless living beings into it, and with the grinding, crunching sound of the machine, they are pulverized into blood and debris.]
["Is this what life is? Heh." Suddenly, Orochimaru murmurs to himself, letting out a laugh with an unclear meaning.]
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