The instant the white mist rose, Gisei Shiraishi took out more than a dozen shuriken and threw them straight at Orochimaru and Tsunade.
These were his specially made shuriken, and naturally, they were all connected to steel wires.
Gisei was actually quite excited about this unexpected battle. If you were to ask why, it was simply because he had wanted to do this for a long time.
During the practical training at the Ninja Academy, he had been thoroughly thrashed by these three. Especially Tsunade—she was his nemesis. If he said one thing wrong, he got a punch, beating him until he didn't dare utter another word.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru, at least, could be reasoned with, so he held relatively less resentment toward them.
Seeing the shuriken shoot out from the white mist, Orochimaru sneered, formed hand seals, and stood his ground without moving. Tsunade did the same, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
In the next instant, lightning flashed.
Gisei's detestable face appeared right in front of Tsunade.
"It's ove... Holy crap..."
Gisei flew backward, tumbling into the smoke.
When the white mist cleared, Gisei stood up clutching his stomach, his face a mix of green and red.
In that split second just now, Gisei had intended to incapacitate Tsunade instantly. Who knew that when he appeared, Tsunade's fist would already be there to greet him?
Is Tsunade's taijutsu so strong that she can keep up with the speed of lightning?
Gisei's face was full of disbelief.
It was only when he saw that both Orochimaru and Tsunade had moved far away from where the shuriken had landed that he understood.
His Lightning Body Flicker had been seen through—or rather, his method of using it had been seen through.
It was impossible for Tsunade to keep up with the actual speed of lightning, but the shuriken he threw didn't have that kind of speed. Knowing the secret of the Lightning Body Flicker, as long as they predicted the trajectory of the shuriken, they could roughly guess where he would appear and instantly counterattack.
This kind of combat wisdom... should he say "as expected of the legendary Sannin"?
Gisei smiled bitterly; he really had been too arrogant.
And judging from the force of the blow to his stomach, that monster Tsunade must have already started training in Chakra Enhanced Strength.
Trying to slap someone in the face only to get slapped himself—Gisei coughed twice, then scanned his surroundings.
Jiraiya had disappeared ever since he used the Fire Style technique. Even after the smoke cleared, he didn't see Jiraiya anywhere.
Did he run away?
Impossible.
Gisei closed his eyes and used the sensing ability he had never used before. Immediately, he sensed a mass of chakra tiptoeing toward him.
Gisei opened his eyes and stared at the location, but he couldn't see anything.
Is this the Transparent Escape Technique?
He suddenly remembered that as a peeping expert, the Transparent Escape Technique was Jiraiya's specialty.
Gisei began to take deep breaths, regretting his impulse once again.
Even the idiot Jiraiya wasn't that easy to deal with. Wanting to fight three against one—was he under a genjutsu?
The name of this genjutsu should be "I think I can do it again"...
A man who aspired to be a supporting character actually wanted to fight three protagonists now... Indeed, he had gotten carried away!
After thinking it over, Gisei pretended not to have discovered Jiraiya. With a blank look on his face, he said aloud, "Did that guy Jiraiya run away?"
Jiraiya was still tiptoeing toward him, and upon hearing this, he immediately snickered in his heart.
When he finally got close to Gisei and was about to strike, lightning lit up on Gisei's hand.
Without even looking, he thrust his hand backward.
Naivety is a disease that needs to be cured. How to cure it? Naturally, with electric shocks and lightning strikes.
Amidst crackling sounds, Jiraiya fell to the ground, smoking black. His originally spiky hair was now even more explosive.
Gisei didn't use a heavy hand; at most, he would twitch on the ground for a few minutes.
The scene went quiet for a moment.
All three looked expressionlessly at Jiraiya, who was twitching incessantly on the ground.
Sure enough, the one who suffers is always the idiot.
...
The four of them were taken to the Hokage's office.
It was naturally impossible for a big fight in the village to go unnoticed. In less than two minutes, Anbu ninjas had surrounded the four of them and brought them here.
The Third Hokage looked at the disheveled Jiraiya and sighed, then looked at Gisei, who wasn't much better, and sighed again.
"Orochimaru, tell me, what happened?"
Orochimaru, as a child, really was the Third's favorite. For this kind of thing, he didn't even ask Jiraiya but let Orochimaru speak.
But before Orochimaru could say a word, Tsunade shouted, "It was all because of this idiot Jiraiya. He insisted on competing with Gisei-kun. Orochimaru and I couldn't stop him even if we tried."
Orochimaru kept his mouth shut and didn't make a sound.
Gisei's mouth twitched as he looked at Tsunade with a strange expression. Although he didn't know the reason for Jiraiya's attack, aren't you teammates? Throwing the idiot out to take the blame just like that, and clearing yourself in the process?
Plastic teammate friendship?
Sure enough, the one who suffers is always the idiot.
The Third obviously knew Tsunade's tactics; it seemed this wasn't the first time she had done this.
"Gisei, what happened between you and Jiraiya?"
Gisei thought about it and felt that since Jiraiya was definitely taking the blame anyway, pouring a little oil on the fire didn't seem like a big deal.
"I don't know. Jiraiya suddenly attacked me, and I had no choice but to fight back."
Is it Jiraiya after all?
The Third stared at Jiraiya, who was still trembling incessantly, and his gaze gradually became stern.
"Orochimaru, Tsunade, take Jiraiya outside. Gisei, stay."
After they went out, the Third stared at Gisei and said, "I originally asked Orochimaru to notify you to come here. I didn't expect something like this to happen. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay."
Actually, he wasn't okay at all. Tsunade's fist was on a different level from when they were in the Ninja Academy. If it were before, that punch just now would have probably made him spit blood. Even now, there was still a dull pain.
"That's good. Do you know why I called you?"
Gisei hesitated for a moment. "Is it because of my graduation intentions?"
Thinking it over, Gisei could only come up with this answer.
"Correct."
The Third took out two documents from the drawer and handed them to him. "Take a look at this."
Gisei took them and started reading.
The first one was about his application to enter the hospital. The second one was about him joining a ninja squad, with two photos of ninjas attached to the back: Anna Takemoto and Rumi Kawai.
Gisei put the documents back on the table, not knowing what the Third meant.
The Third didn't explain either, and took out two more documents to hand to him.
Gisei took them again. They were still documents for Anna Takemoto and Rumi Kawai. Only these were their applications to enter the hospital.
"They want to enter the hospital too?"
After saying this, Gisei felt it was inappropriate. Wasn't this blatantly showing dissatisfaction with those people?
Sure enough, the Third laughed. "They are both excellent ninjas of the village, and your ninja talent is even above theirs."
"I asked you to come today to ask you about your own wishes face to face. Don't have any concerns, say whatever you want to say."
This should be considered a test by the Third. After figuring out the Third's intention, Gisei breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Hokage, entering the hospital is my own wish. As for the ninja squad, let's forget it."
"Can you tell me the reason, Gisei?"
"I didn't have the talent to be a ninja in the first place. Entering the hospital can be considered making use of waste."
"Don't be too humble. With talent like yours, entering the hospital would be the waste. If you agree, I can arrange for you to join the Anbu."
Anbu—that was the heart of the village. Someone who became Hokage was indeed generous.
Unfortunately, the flirtatious wink was thrown to the blind.
"Lord Hokage, I really want to enter the hospital to study medical ninjutsu. I prefer curing diseases and saving people to killing."
The Third took a puff from his pipe and slowly exhaled the smoke.
"You really are kind-hearted. You held back during the graduation exam just now, didn't you? That kind of ninjutsu couldn't possibly only have that much power."
Gisei nodded and said, "We are all ninjas of the same village, and besides, that was just an exam."
The Third was satisfied hearing this sentence.
"I understand. You can go back first. I will approve your request."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Pushing open the office door, Gisei saw the Sannin standing against the wall. Gisei walked past them with a blank expression, treating them as mere passersby.
"Why?"
When passing by Orochimaru, Orochimaru suddenly spoke.
Gisei pretended not to hear him.
"The hospital will only bury your talent. I know that you never do meaningless things."
Orochimaru still didn't give up, trying to make his deskmate return to the "right" path.
Gisei stopped in his tracks.
He looked at Orochimaru, and Orochimaru stared back at him intently.
"If it's because of the clan, that's truly regrettable. I thought you weren't that kind of person."
Orochimaru's words finally provoked him.
Gisei leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Orochimaru, the current me is an existence you cannot understand no matter what."
"Because you are still just a young snake that hasn't experienced the pain of shedding its skin."
"When you know the pain of shedding your skin and start searching for the truth, you will understand my existence."
"I am looking forward to that day."
"Don't disappoint me, Orochimaru."
Turning to leave, Gisei didn't drag his feet. Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.
As disciples of the Hokage, their status in the village would be transcendent in the future. And since he refused to join the Hokage's faction, he was destined to be silent in the village.
From now on, they were people of two different worlds.
They were the sunlight on the water's surface, and he was the fish beneath it. The sunlight would occasionally shine through the surface onto the fish, and the fish might occasionally jump out to feel the warmth.
That would probably be their only intersection in the future.