Chapter 59

Although Konoha is enjoying a relatively peaceful period, the war only ended less than a year ago. Diplomacy with neighboring countries isn't as friendly or stable as it would be during more peaceful times, like in the 60th year of Konoha. Because of this, the upcoming Chunin Exam will only have participants from within Konoha itself.

The Chunin Exam was scheduled to take place in half a month, and during that time, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade focused on their training in preparation.

At the training grounds, Orochimaru was sparring with Jiraiya while Tsunade sat off to the side, watching the battle with an amused expression. Every time Jiraiya was knocked back, Orochimaru would calmly offer advice.

"You're already stronger than most Genin," Orochimaru said as Jiraiya was sent flying once again. "You don't need to push yourself this hard."

"Ugh… you're my goal…" Jiraiya replied, panting as he lay sprawled out on the grass, struggling to catch his breath.

"Come on, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya said determinedly, despite his exhaustion. "I've figured out how to break your illusions! This time, you won't get me!"

Tsunade walked over, shaking her head at Jiraiya's stubbornness. "Jiraiya, I think you should rest. Your chakra's almost completely depleted. If you push any harder, you'll just hurt yourself."

Chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energy. It's drawn from the 130 trillion cells in a ninja's body, used to perform ninjutsu and stored within their body for use. Once a portion of chakra is expended, a ninja can recover it by resting or taking special pills. However, when a ninja's chakra reserves run completely dry, their body is pushed to its limits.

Overexertion in such a state can be dangerous. The body starts to draw from its remaining reserves of physical and mental energy, potentially causing mental and physical breakdowns that could even lead to sudden death. In most cases, ninjas are careful to save some chakra for emergencies to avoid these dire consequences.

When chakra runs out completely, exhaustion sets in. It's a dangerous state, especially during combat, where fatigue can leave a ninja vulnerable. If a ninja still tries to use ninjutsu by overexerting their chakra, it's akin to borrowing against their life force. Pushing too far, like Kakashi did during the Great Ninja War, could result in death.

Tsunade's concern wasn't unfounded, and Jiraiya's situation wasn't ideal. She knew that if he continued, it would be dangerous.

"Hey, Tsunade, are you worried about me?" Jiraiya perked up, his eyes lighting up at the possibility.

"What? Don't flatter yourself," Tsunade responded with a roll of her eyes. "I just don't want to be stuck with dead weight during the Chunin Exam."

Jiraiya sighed dramatically and flopped back onto the ground, staring at the sky. "I knew it… but you're right. I'll rest up and recover my chakra. Hey, Orochimaru! You've been using more ninjutsu than me, but you don't seem tired at all. What's your secret?"

It had taken Jiraiya this long to realize that something was unusual about Orochimaru's chakra reserves. Given the intensity of their training, he should have been tired by now too. But Orochimaru seemed fine, his movements precise and deliberate as always.

Jiraiya had never noticed before because they had never trained this hard. But after pushing himself to his limit, he finally realized that Orochimaru's chakra capacity was far beyond his own.

Orochimaru responded calmly, "I have more chakra than you."

This stunned Jiraiya.

But ever since Orochimaru had undergone his physical enhancements, particularly using the gene enhancement serum, his body had grown far stronger. Now, his chakra capacity had more than doubled.

"More chakra than me…?" Jiraiya blinked in disbelief before slumping back to the ground, staring up at the sky in defeat. "I can't believe this. How can this be happening? I've trained so hard, and now I can't even compare to you in terms of chakra?"

"I'm not accepting this! This isn't fair!" Jiraiya shouted dramatically, using the last of his energy.

"You don't have to accept it," Tsunade chimed in, delivering a well-timed jab. "Orochimaru is a genius, and you're just… a weakling."

That hit Jiraiya hard, causing even more mental damage than Orochimaru's sparring had caused physically. At that moment, he felt something inside him shatter as he stared up at the sky, letting out a frustrated scream.

"I am not the guy who just gives up!"