"A terrible performance?"
Jiraiya froze, looking as if he had been turned to stone.
"Idiot!" a voice roared from above. "Didn't you realize he knew who you were from the very beginning? He was just playing with you!"
A woman dropped from the sky. She wore a vibrant green coat over a grey kimono top and sported blonde pigtails. Without hesitation, she smashed her fist right into Jiraiya's head.
Bam!
"Tsunade?" Jie Uchiha was taken aback.
What were the odds? The legendary Sannin, who had been away from the village for years, were suddenly popping up in Konoha one after another.
"So, you're the Fifth Hokage, Jie Uchiha? The one personally appointed by my grandfather?"
Tsunade completely ignored Jiraiya. The Toad Sage currently lay paralyzed on the ground with his eyes rolling back and a comical, throbbing bump on his head. Instead, she crossed her arms tightly under her chest and stared down at the young Uchiha.
Seeing the way her arms squeezed her figure, Jie inhaled sharply.
If he weren't currently stuck in a ten-year-old's body, that simple gesture alone would have guaranteed a nosebleed.
"Truly one of the top kunoichi in the world," Jie couldn't help but praise. "This 'strength' is formidable indeed!"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. It sounded like a compliment, but why did it feel like something was off?
Noticing her dangerous, questioning gaze, Jie quickly looked away and coughed into his fist.
'No, I can't keep staring', he thought. 'If I get a nosebleed right now, it would be way too embarrassing.'
Regaining his composure, he asked calmly, "Tsunade, Jiraiya... weren't you two traveling outside the village? Why the sudden return?"
"As a Konoha ninja, shouldn't I come back to see the village crown a new Hokage?" Tsunade replied evenly.
However, her gaze was complex as she looked at him. She couldn't suppress the memory of what had happened just days prior.
Ever since the Third Great Ninja War ended, Tsunade had been wandering the world with Shizune.
But a few days ago, at a casino in the Tanzaku Quarters, she had bumped into Jiraiya. She hadn't seen him in years.
Initially, she thought he just wanted to catch up. She never expected him to drop an absolute bombshell right out of the gate...
"The old man is dead."
That single sentence shattered the coping mechanisms Tsunade had clung to for years.
Ever since the Senju clan was decimated in the Second Great Ninja War, she had stopped calling Hiruzen 'Sensei'. To her, he was simply 'the old man.'
Later, during the Third Great Ninja War, the consecutive losses of Nawaki and Dan Kato had triggered a crippling case of hemophobia, making it impossible for her to ever step foot on a battlefield again.
Broken... she had taken Dan's niece, Shizune, and fled Konoha to drown her sorrows.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Hiruzen Sarutobi—the man who had held absolute power in Konoha for forty years—would suddenly die.
Worse, he had died at the hands of the Uchiha clan. The Senju's historical mortal enemies.
If that had been the end of the story, Tsunade might have coldly remarked that he died well. But what she absolutely could not accept was the rest of the news— 'the Fifth Hokage was a ten-year-old boy'.
Konoha was the lifeblood of her grandfather and granduncle. She would never sit back and let the Uchiha clan run amok and ruin it.
So, without a second thought, she resolutely followed Jiraiya back to the village.
However, after sneaking into Konoha and contacting her old subordinates, the intel she gathered nearly made her jaw hit the floor.
Jie Uchiha's position as Hokage had been personally mandated by her own grandfather, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Even more shockingly, her granduncle, Tobirama Senju—a man who had spent his entire life strictly guarding against the Uchiha—had actually agreed to it.
The entire situation was downright absurd.
Tsunade had decided to keep a low profile, intending to investigate the matter thoroughly before passing judgment. She just didn't expect that before she could uncover the truth, Jiraiya would get caught red-handed peeping by the new Hokage himself.
Now, Tsunade didn't quite know how to handle the ten-year-old Hokage standing before her.
"If that's your only reason," Jie said, a faint smile playing on his lips, "then what reason do I, as the Fifth Hokage, have to refuse the return of two of the Sannin?"
He knew perfectly well that their sudden return wasn't that simple. They had obviously heard about Hiruzen's death. They were here to scout the situation and test his qualifications to lead.
But since they were here, he wasn't about to let them leave.
Right now, Konoha was in ruins and desperately waiting to be rebuilt. He was in dire need of highly capable pawns. And a top-tier asset like Tsunade—whose abilities were on par with a Kage—was an opportunity he absolutely wouldn't let slip away.
Even if she did nothing else, having Tsunade in the Hokage's office as an aide would be fantastic.
Sure, she was a middle-aged woman in her forties. But thanks to the Yin Seal, she looked like a stunning beauty. And having a gorgeous woman around was much better than staring at Shikaku Nara's tired, grumpy face all day.
His smile grew a fraction brighter at the thought.
"Since you're both back, let's go meet an old friend," Jie offered. "Perhaps you'll have more to talk about with him."
Hearing this, Jiraiya dropped the dead act. He performed a smooth kip-up, landing firmly on his feet. His expression was dead serious.
"Is Orochimaru still in the village?" he asked sharply.
Thanks to his intelligence network, Jiraiya knew the truth behind the recent internal strife. It was a collaboration between Orochimaru and the Uchiha clan.
Orochimaru had used the Edo Tensei to summon the First and Second Hokage, which allowed Tobirama Senju to personally clean house and disband the Elder Council.
But for Orochimaru to still be casually hanging around the village? That was insane.
Jie just chuckled. Without a word, he turned on his heel and led the two Sannin toward the back mountain of Konoha, heading straight for the former Root base.
After the plan was executed, Orochimaru needed time to adapt to his newly transferred body. So, Jie allowed him to stay within Konoha's borders. He even gifted him Kakuzu's corpse and the immortal Hidan to play with.
After all, Orochimaru's scientific research abilities were unparalleled in the ninja world. Handing over unique specimens to him was a guaranteed return on investment.
Furthermore, Danzo had been completely exposed, taking the brunt of the blame for all of Konoha's darkness. Compared to him, Orochimaru almost looked like a victim.
Taking advantage of the situation, Jie had directly revoked Konoha's S-rank bounty on the Snake Sannin, reinstating his status as a Konoha shinobi.
The current Orochimaru was now the Head of Konoha's R&D Department, personally appointed by the Fifth Hokage. Root's former subterranean base had been entirely repurposed into his exclusive laboratory and headquarters.
Jie led Jiraiya and Tsunade straight into the dim, clinical depths of the lab. He looked toward the snake-like man, who was currently up to his elbows in an experiment, and smiled.
"Orochimaru, look who's here."
"Did you bring me some fresh experimental materials, Jie?" Orochimaru asked.
His hands never stopped their precise movements, and he didn't even bother to look back. He finished his task, wiped his hands, and finally turned around.
Upon seeing the figures standing in the doorway, his pale face stiffened for a fraction of a second. Then, it twisted into that familiar, sinister smile.
"Tsunade. Jiraiya," Orochimaru hissed softly...
"I knew you two would return to Konoha eventually."
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