"Hokage, huh? I remember you used to look down on the Hokage position quite a bit. How did you change your mind now? Is it because of him, or her?" Orochimaru did not know about Tsunade's misunderstanding, but even if he did, it would not matter. He did not care about these things anyway.
"I am the village's Hokage now, and you are a rogue ninja. I have no obligation to answer your questions."
Tsunade had no intention of continuing to trade verbal barbs with the other party. As she spoke, she prepared to attack again. However, just as she made a move, Orochimaru retreated far away, clearly no longer planning to fight.
"Manda, hold them off. Let us withdraw first, then you can release the summoning technique and retreat on your own."
"Orochimaru, have you lost your mind? You want me to face them all alone while you escape first? Do you really want to die?"
Hearing Orochimaru's demand, Manda's eyes immediately filled with rage. Tsunade's earlier punch had already confirmed to him that she had recovered. The one called Jiraiya also seemed fine.
Add in that kid, and he would have to face all three at once. Did they really think he was an immortal summoning beast who could not die? What a joke.
"You don't get a say in this. If you don't agree, then forget about seeing even one of those three hundred sacrifices."
Looking at the furious Manda, Orochimaru felt a rare sense of satisfaction. This beast had been disrespectful to him from the moment he appeared. Now he was finally paying it back.
"You! Get lost already!"
If thoughts could kill, Orochimaru would probably have died hundreds of times in Manda's mind by now. But to avoid coming here for nothing, Manda could only grit his teeth and accept it.
Cover them, fine. Anyway, once he took enough damage, the summoning technique would automatically release. He would not die - it would just hurt a bit. To not leave empty-handed, this was the only way.
"Hmph hmph, that's good then. I'll leave it to you, Manda."
Although Manda's tone was extremely unpleasant, to Orochimaru it sounded incredibly pleasing. Making this beast so angry was truly delightful.
"Don't even think about running!" Jiraiya and the others were not deaf. They naturally heard the conversation between Orochimaru and Manda. They would not allow the other to leave so easily.
However, after agreeing to Orochimaru, Manda truly fulfilled his duty. His massive body blocked between both sides, giving them no chance to attack Orochimaru. By the time Tsunade punched Manda back, Orochimaru and Kabuto had already slipped away.
It could only be said that when it came to preserving his life, few people in the entire ninja world could compare to Orochimaru.
"Next time we meet, I will definitely kill you all. Remember that, you lot."
Under the combined attack of the three, Manda was quickly beaten until his body was covered in wounds. He no longer cared whether Orochimaru had reached safety. After throwing out a harsh threat, he hurriedly released the summoning technique.
"Hm, then you listen up too, beast. Next time we meet, even if I have to chase you all the way to your home, I will take you down. I guarantee it."
Before Manda disappeared, Furina also threw out a harsh threat. No, actually, it could not even be called a threat - it was simply a statement.
Right now, she could not stop the other from escaping. If she really chased him to Ryuchi Cave and faced the White Snake Sage, she had no confidence either. But next time would be different. With her powered-up strength, let alone Manda - flipping the entire Ryuchi Cave would not be a problem.
"Haha, although I also hate that guy, he doesn't represent all of Ryuchi Cave. The sages there should still be decent. Furina, don't actually chase him there."
"Mm, I know. I was just throwing out some harsh words."
Although Jiraiya's reminder was well-intentioned, Furina always felt a bit uncomfortable hearing it. He seemed to value those beasts too much. That pretentious toad was one thing, and now this old white snake too.
It could only be said that in this regard, she had more in common with Orochimaru. But since Jiraiya meant well, Furina still nodded in agreement.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about such unhappy things. By the way, I didn't expect you to be so impressive, kid. You fought that guy Orochimaru to a standstill."
Tsunade seemed to sense the slightly awkward atmosphere and quickly clapped her hands to change the subject. As for why she shifted to this topic, it was because in her view, someone Furina's age - no matter how mature - still liked being praised by others.
What did it mean to prescribe the right medicine? This was prescribing the right medicine. Did they understand what a divine doctor was?
"It was just luck. The main reason is that his arms were sealed by the Third Hokage. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to fight him to that extent. Speaking of which, can the current me catch up to you back in your prime, Lady Tsunade~?"
"Hah?" Tsunade clearly had not expected the topic to shift back to herself after trying to change it. This was completely different from what she had just imagined. Shouldn't you be happy and then modestly thank her? What was going on here?
Could the current you catch up to me back then? You were doing this on purpose, right? After hearing the question, Tsunade actually thought about it seriously for a moment, but she stopped thinking the next second.
Back in her day, she had indeed been one of the best among her peers. But comparing to the current Furina? Looking at the boundless water all around, Tsunade felt the question had been asked backward.
It should be: "Could my past self catch up to the current Furina?" After all, if they were seriously discussing it, she was the one challenging.
"Mm. Compared to medical ninjutsu, your strength is indeed more outstanding. You're about on par with me back then."
Although Tsunade's mind was filled with countless thoughts and she had already realized Furina was teasing her, how could she admit inferiority at a time like this? She, the newly appointed Hokage, still had her pride.
"Is that so? Looks like I'll need to work twice as hard from now on. After all, Lady Tsunade, you're one of my goals too."
Although Furina's words felt full of teasing, being treated as a goal by a genius like Furina still made Tsunade's mood extremely pleasant.
But the word "one" made Tsunade a little unhappy again. There were others? In the female ninja world, who else could compare to her? Could it be a man?
"Lady Tsunade, you've misunderstood. That person is also a woman, but she's not a ninja. I'm just treating her as a goal in a certain aspect."
Although Furina's answer to her question was vague, Tsunade did not suspect anything. Having traveled outside for so many years, she did not think ninjas were necessarily superior to ordinary people. Ordinary people had admirable qualities too.
The most obvious example was that even as Hokage, she could not out-gamble many people. Although she hated to admit it, she knew about the "fat sheep" nickname others had given her. It had depressed her quite a bit back then.