Chapter 5 : The Bell Test

The loud noise suddenly startled Jiraiya, who was sitting on the table, causing him to fall down and land face-first, which resulted in an embarrassing moment.

"Wow~ Who dares to attack the great and handsome Jiraiya-sama?" exclaimed Jiraiya, rubbing his head as he gracefully backflipped to his feet. With his eyes accentuated by red eyeliner, he scanned the surroundings with a fierce gaze until he locked onto his target.

"Oh, who do we have here? It's none other than the princess of the renowned Senju clan—"

Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest, raised her chin, and wore an arrogantly smug expression as if to say, "You know who I am."

However, before she could finish, Jiraiya interrupted, "—Princess Tsunade!"

"What?!?" Orochimaru...

"Jiraiya! Prepare to meet your doom!" Tsunade shouted with a loud bang, her face flushed with anger as she swiftly charged towards Jiraiya. Her small, pink fist packed a tremendous amount of power and struck Jiraiya's abdomen with a direct hit, leaving him gasping for air!

"Ugh...!" Jiraiya whimpered, feeling as if his stomach had been completely crushed. He collapsed in front of Tsunade, lying on the ground like a beaten dog, whimpering in pain.

Tsunade turned her head, scanning the area fiercely. Those few friends who had felt the impending danger had tight sphincters and had already made their escape.

Orochimaru silently wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

"What's with you, Jiraiya? Years from now, you'll undoubtedly regret your shortsightedness and mediocrity," Orochimaru thought to himself, contemplating the situation.

At that moment, Orochimaru caught a glimpse of a silent student with white hair. However, there was an aura emanating from him that even Orochimaru perceived as sharp.

"Hatake Sakumo!" Orochimaru whispered under his breath. This was the renowned Konoha's White Fang in the future, and his strength surpassed even the Sannin!

It seemed like some sort of connection existed between them, as Hatake Sakumo also glanced at Orochimaru.

"Why does Orochimaru seem different all of a sudden? I sense a threat from him," thought Sakumo, relying on his keen senses as a kenjutsu ninja wielding a ninja sword.

Indeed, Sakumo was the strongest among their class of students, but he remained low-key. The Hatake clan had taken special care of him, and he never revealed his true strength to the teachers.

"Quiet down!"

Just then, their Chunin teacher entered the scene, followed by a few ninjas.

"Pay attention, everyone. The next class is about to begin," the teacher announced, taking out a form.

"The first group consists of Shimura Yu, Kazegiri , and Rakuenai . The second group is Yamanaka Yuri, Akimichi Ryou, and Nara Shizuka. The third group..."

"The seventh group is Orochimaru, Senju Tsunade , and Jiraiya."

"No!" Tsunade and Jiraiya expressed their disdain.

Orochimaru used his mental power to perceive the ninjas standing far away.

"These ninjas must all be Jonin, and their chakras are incredibly strong. And this one... this one must be the strongest."

Orochimaru peeked over and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi!

The twenty-five-year-old Sarutobi, exuded an air of authority. At that moment, Sarutobi even made eye contact with Orochimaru!

"..." Feeling embarrassed, Orochimaru casually turned his head away.

Sarutobi was likely at his peak by now, possessing incredible strength.

Once the teams were assigned, a Jonin shouted, "Second group, gather at the second training ground!"

Everyone immediately dispersed to their respective homes, seeking out their respective mothers.

At the seventh training ground, Sarutobi leaned lazily against a tree.

"My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, your Jonin team leader. I will be responsible for your training until you become Chunin."

"Okay, okay!" Jiraiya exclaimed with excitement. "Sensei, I'm extremely talented. I'll definitely become the strongest ninja in the world. Please teach me an S-rank ninjutsu!"

Sarutobi glanced lightly at Jiraiya. "Actually, if you want to become my student, you still have to pass a small test." Sarutobi produced two bells...

Orochimaru listened blankly as Sarutobi delivered various threats, while Jiraiya stood there, holding back laughter like a fool, as if he was an overly dramatic actor.

"Let's begin now."

As soon as Sarutobi finished speaking, three figures rushed forward.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!" Orochimaru took the lead, launching an attack with six or seven snakes that quickly lunged at Sarutobi.

"Nice ninjutsu," Sarutobi praised. He swiftly moved his hands like a ghost, gracefully dancing and slicing through the air with his knives. The three snakes closest to him immediately lost their heads. Sarutobi sidestepped, easily evading the remaining snakes.

"Shannara!" Tsunade seized the opportunity to get closer and threw a powerful punch at Sarutobi. However, he swiftly turned his head to dodge and kicked the sneaky Jiraiya behind him.

Jiraiya screamed and tumbled into the grass, while Tsunade relentlessly continued her onslaught of punches and kicks. Yet, Sarutobi easily dodged her attacks.

"Take this punch!" Tsunade's fist was enveloped in a layer of chakra as she jumped high into the air, aiming for the bell on Sarutobi's waist.

Sarutobi finally utilized a body flickering technique to dodge, showing Tsunade some respect.

With a loud bang, the trunk of a large tree behind Sarutobi was smashed into a gaping hole, causing leaves to rain down. Tsunade stood beneath the tree, panting heavily.

As Sarutobi landed gracefully after his Shunjutsu, the two seemingly ethereal figures attacked him with precision, as if they had been prepared for this moment.

"Huh? Is this a coincidence?" Sarutobi immediately took cover.

However, the two figures collided at that very moment, and one of them accelerated towards Sarutobi's waist, aiming for the bell at a faster speed!

"Oh, so Orochimaru would try this," Orochimaru thought. Evading this was incredibly difficult. He shouted, "Jiraiya, now!"

With a swoosh, Jiraiya burst out of the grass and swiftly performed hand seals. He then shouted, "Fire Release - Great Fireball Technique!" A gigantic fireball surged towards Sarutobi from a different angle!

"Not bad." Sarutobi easily deflected Orochimaru's figure and clapped his hands on the ground, causing earth to erupt around him like dancing flower petals. The three remaining figures heading towards him were easily immobilized. Sarutobi sidestepped, and Jiraiya's fire technique merely caused sparks to fly against the protective wall.

"Tian Shu's Kick!" Tsunade, who had regained her composure, jumped high and aimed a fierce heel strike at Sarutobi's head.

"This isn't the real Sarutobi!" Orochimaru realized, focusing his mental power on Sarutobi.

With a loud bang, smoke enveloped the area, revealing shattered pieces of wood.

Tsunade's expression turned to one of astonishment. Sarutobi emerged from behind the earthen wall, waved his hand, and sent Tsunade flying.

"Damn," Tsunade muttered as she stood up. "I couldn't even see his movements clearly. This teacher is incredibly strong. He's no ordinary Jonin!"

As the princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade had already sensed the gap between them, feeling a bit frustrated.

However, Tsunade was smart and never worried about the assessment itself. This was her advantage—she had great foresight.

"Sensei, we were so close!" Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru with an expression of dissatisfaction. "Orochimaru, give it your all, whether you've eaten or not!"

"This is just a test. Don't worry."

"This Orochimaru isn't easy," Sarutobi glanced at Orochimaru, then checked his watch.

"It's noon. We'll continue the test after lunch."

Orochimaru chuckled. It was time to put on a show!

"I have two meals here. Only those who perform well can have them, and you must not leave the training ground. If I find out that you are unqualified, you'll have to wait until you return to school!" Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya, who instantly clenched his buttocks!

"Jiraiya, you won't get to eat!"

"Huh?! Sensei Sarutobi, I'm so good. Why...!?"

Sarutobi waved his hand triumphantly and left!

Jiraiya felt a chill run down his spine. Retribution had struck so suddenly!

The three of them glanced at each other, and the atmosphere grew slightly awkward.

"Jiraiya, you can have my meal," Tsunade said with a regal air. As a princess, she possessed true magnanimity!

Jiraiya stood there, dumbfounded, ready to express his disdain and ridicule to save face. However, before he could speak, Orochimaru interrupted.

"No need, Jiraiya. You can have all of mine."

"What???" Orochimaru's words confused Jiraiya. These two individuals were still strangers to each other!

Tsunade was equally puzzled.

"I brought my own food," Orochimaru said calmly, pulling out a bag of packaged meals from the haystack. He began eating, a mocking smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.

"My naive teacher, setting up a time traveler like me... Tsk, tsk. You're still too young, after all," Orochimaru thought, his mind filled with amusement.

*****

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