"Jiraiya, wait. Your injuries..." Hearing Tsunade's voice, I put my only good arm on her shoulder.
"Give me a second. These guys might escape and wouldn't be good."
Our voices rang out through the damp cave.
In this cave, six Genin lay tied, together near the far wall. Their bodies are motionless, but I would bet my life one of them is conscious at this moment.
Remembering the technique to escape ropes. Other measures must be taken to ensure they don't turn on us and take our scrolls. Especially since both teams have the tools to track us.
'The poison.' I thought of walking towards the fainted Orochimaru. He was softly laid out with my own pouch being his pillow. Taking a good look inside, there was a small jar that neatly fit inside.
Taking some senbon and opening up the lid, I dip each one in.
Tsunade knelt beside me.[1]
"Stop being so stubborn, you're still bleeding." She says with a tired sigh, the battle finally catching up with her.
The bottom part of my left arm, which wasn't covered by my armour, was cut open. It was shallow but long. The sting burned as she tightened the bandage, her fingers quick and precise even though her own hands trembled faintly.
"Say, you looked pretty reliable there, Jiraiya,"
I blinked, caught off guard by the small smile on her face. Coming from Tsunade, that was as close to praise as I'd ever get.
Still, I stayed silent, not sure what to answer with.
She looked up from my arm and frowned at my right hand. The swelling had spread all the way to the wrist, skin already purpling. It was broken, no doubt about it. I flexed it once out of habit, but pain shot up my arm so fast I nearly bit my tongue.
"Don't," she said sharply, setting my hand back down. "You'll just make it worse. If I knew medical ninjutsu, this wouldn't have been so bad..."
"Thanks," I muttered, now looking at the tied-up Genin.
Now with the senbon dipped in some sort of paralyzing poison. I walk up to each Genin and gave them each a stab on their shoulders.
*Shlick*
"Ugh..."
A few of them grunted, which made my decision to do this solidify even more.
Walking back to Orochimaru, Tsunade was close by lying by the wall. Almost nodding off, which looked adorable.
Getting next to her, I leaned my head back against the wall, letting my body finally relax.
"Once Orochimaru wakes up, we'll go. For now, let's rest up for a little bit." Taking my only good hand, and put it on her head. I gently push her toward my shoulder to rest up."Mmm."
Tsunade didn't resist, already starting to drift off. Taking the time to just rest up, I casually stare off to the entrance of the cave in case an enemy team enters.
'My arm is broken, but when we move, I should still be able to summon Gamabunta. The soldier pills will come in handy.'
Feeling the reserves I currently have, I'm able to summon that guy at least one more time. After that, though, I'll be forced to use soldier pills for the rest of the trip. Which is a small cost to be able to secure the second round.
Half an hour passed before Orochimaru finally stirred awake.
I could hear his breathing change before his eyes even opened. Slow, measured inhales, then a faint hiss through his teeth as he pushed himself upright. His face was pale, his usual calm expression cracked with exhaustion.
"You're awake," I said, shifting to sit up straighter. My body protested the movement, but I ignored it.
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he glanced around the cave, taking in the sight of the six paralyzed genin tied up near the wall, seeing the senbon on their shoulders. His gaze lingered on the Aburame, whose insects were still scattered and sluggish from the poison.
Then he stood up and started heading for the poor guy.
Tsunade, who had started to wake up from her small nap, murmured. "Oh Orochimaru... Are you fine now?"He didn't reply.
The guy crouched beside the Aburame and grabbed his leg. He took his own leg and put it in a leverage position against his knee. This guy was about to do what I think he was going to do.
*Crack*
"Damn," I said quietly, but there was no heat in my voice.
"If they can't die, they must be disabled." Hearing his cold words, I nod. Hey man everybody needs their get back. It's not like I was any different when I got my hands on that guy's teammate anyway.
Tsunade turned away, hiding her face on my shoulder. I could see her hands clench at her sides.
'If these guys weren't Konoha shinobi, would she react the same...' I thought of squinting my eyes.
When he was done, Orochimaru came back and sat down heavily beside me, the exhaustion returning to his face like a wave. He reached into a pouch and pulled out a small soldier pill, biting it in half before swallowing.
"Good stuff." Holding my hand out, he gives me a fist bump.
He gave a faint smile. "Do you have enough chakra to summon the toad? If so, we should start heading out."
I nodded, pushing myself up with my good arm. "Let's go, then."
Orochimaru led the way out into the dim forest light. The air smelled of rain, heavy and sharp, washing away the scent of battle as we began our slow march toward the tower.
My right arm throbbed with each step, stiff and useless against my side. Tsunade leaned against Orochimaru's back, her arms around his shoulders as he carried her through the undergrowth.
The kunai wound in her thigh had hindered her movement, so with my broken arm. It was Orochimaru's job to carry her.
Despite his own troubles, he didn't complain once, even though the fight had drained him just as badly as us. The silence between us wasn't awkward anymore. After everything we'd gone through, there wasn't much left that needed to be said.
I bit my thumb, kneeling for a second and pressing my left hand against my right to form the seals.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram
[Summoning Jutsu]
The explosion of smoke made Orochimaru stop in his tracks. Gamabunta's voice thundered across the clearing.
"You again, brat? You've got some nerve calling me this many times in one day."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, forcing a tired grin. "Just one more ride. We're almost at the tower."
"Next time you summon me, it better be for a battle. The last one wasn't too bad but it was boring." Gamabunta grumbled, squinting down at us. His eyes shifted to Tsunade, resting on Orochimaru's back.
We climbed onto his palm, and a moment later the forest fell away beneath us.
The rush of air burned my lungs, but it felt freeing. Each leap sent waves of leaves and dust flying in every direction. The three of us clung tightly as Gamabunta bounded across the treetops, covering more ground in a minute than we could in half an hour.
On the way, the occasional large insect was a quick meal for him.
After several jumps, he slowed near a small pond ringed with moss and stones. "Summon me again when you have chakra. My time's up."
Before I could respond, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the three of us standing by the water's edge.
The pond shimmered with reflected sunlight, the air thick and calm. Tsunade slid off Orochimaru's back and sat by the water, breathing hard but smiling faintly. "At least it's quiet here."
"We have to be vigilant," I said, crouching beside her. "Just be careful."
I helped Orochimaru set up a small fire with one hand while he fished with a wire thread. The smell of roasted fish filled the clearing, warm and familiar.
For a while, none of us spoke. We just ate, the crackle of fire and the soft splash of water filling the silence. Even after everything, sitting there together felt right. Not every situation with people around you needs a conversation.
After a short rest, I let my chakra recover and bit my thumb again. "I'll eat a pill, guys, let's go."
Orochimaru stood, adjusting his pack. "Alright."
Taking a soldier pill from my pouch, we all stood around the pond again, as we didn't bother to clean up our camp. Gamabunta would get us to the tower this time with the solider pill giving him more time.
*Chip*
After a couple of seconds of taking the pill. My body started to feel invigorated and a little shaky; my chakra eventually came back.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram
[Summoning Jutsu]
*Poof!*
Gamabunta appeared once more, but he didn't talk this time. It was pure business as he crouched down. With another mighty leap, the forest blurred beneath us, and for the first time in hours, the thought of reaching the tower felt real.
Each leap made small tremors on the ground.
*Bang* *bang*
By the time Gamabunta landed in front of the tower, my head was pounding and my chakra reserves felt scraped raw. He huffed once, setting us down roughly before vanishing in a cloud of smoke that scattered through the forest.
We stood there for a moment, silent, staring up at the looming structure. My right arm hung uselessly at my side, throbbing with every heartbeat.
"Finally! We did it!" Tsunade screams out in relief. To the side, even Orochimaru and I were grinning ear to ear.
I pushed open the tower doors, and the echo of creaking hinges carried down the long, dim corridor. The air inside was cool and dry, a welcome change from the thick humidity of the forest.
We walked through the hall until we reached a wide, open room with stone floors and old banners on the walls.
My gaze went straight to a specific banner right in front of us.
[If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are opened together, the path will be righteous forever.]
"We made it," I said, my voice rasping. "Now we open the two scrolls."
"You sure about this?" Orochimaru asked with a raised brow,
"Let's trust Jiraiya," Tsunade says right after, having my back.
We each grabbed one scroll, the Heaven and Earth, and opened them at the same time.
The ink symbols inside began to twist and swirl. Seeing this, we drop them on the floor overlapping each other, as a puff of smoke exploded from the ground, forcing us to step back.
Through the haze, a familiar figure appeared.
"Sensei!" The three of us sit in excitement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before us, pipe in hand, with a wide grin.
He took one look at our state and had a smug grin.
"Two and a half hours, you guys did amazing!" Gathering us into a hug, he whispered to himself, which none of us could hear. "I won the bet, pay up hehe..."
Although at this moment I had different problems.
"Ah! Sensei, my arm." I groan out in pain, getting out of the group hug. Making him get an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, Jiraiya, I'll treat you guys to some barbecue after this..." His words made any pain I had go away.
Call me a big back, the way food solves all my problems.
Tsunade exhaled sharply and dropped to sit on the floor. Orochimaru gave a small nod, his usual composure finally cracking into something that might have been satisfaction.
"I'm proud of you three for getting this far. Although it was expected of my students." He murmurs the last part with a small cough. "Someone will guide you three to your rooms, and Jiraiya, I'll have someone take you to the Konoha hospital. Sit tight."
*Poof*
It was a clone.
[1] They're 7, no horni >:(