Chapter 213

"Wait for me, Yahiko!"

"Haha, I'm first! I'm first!"

A group of children were running and laughing, chasing one another around the village.

Yahiko led the pack, with Nagato and Konan close behind him. Despite the carefree atmosphere, they weren't just playing. Even during moments like these, they were training, building their physical strength to protect themselves in these chaotic times.

Among the three, there was a natural sense of competition. Yet, in every training session or test, Yahiko always came out on top. Whether it was because of his innate ability or because the other two held back for him, no one could say for sure.

Jiraiya sat on a large rock nearby, arms crossed as he watched the three of them with a slight smile. He had been in this village for more than three years now and had seen these kids grow up before his very eyes. Seeing the happy smiles on their faces now filled him with pride.

"Orochimaru, that guy... he's truly something else," Jiraiya murmured to himself. "He actually managed to build a place like this all on his own."

Chana, sitting beside him, nodded in agreement. "Yes. If not for him, I can't imagine what my fate might have been," she said softly.

Chana, now twenty years old, wasn't particularly striking in appearance, but she exuded a comforting warmth and friendliness. Her calm and gentle demeanor could put anyone at ease.

Jiraiya glanced at her and smiled, about to say something, when—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of rushing footsteps interrupted him. His head snapped toward the noise, and in the distance, he saw a figure in a purple coat sprinting toward the village at full speed.

Jiraiya squinted, his eyes widening slightly as recognition dawned on him. "Wait… Tsunade?"

The figure came to an abrupt stop, landing firmly in front of him. It was indeed Tsunade.

The sudden arrival caused the surrounding clones to tense up and prepare for action, but Chana quickly raised a hand, signaling them to stand down.

"Tsunade? What are you doing here?" Jiraiya asked, still surprised.

Tsunade didn't waste any time. Ignoring the clones around her, she locked eyes with Jiraiya and demanded, "Where's Orochimaru? Is he here?"

Jiraiya blinked, still processing her abrupt arrival. "He… he was here before, but—"

"Where is he?" she interrupted, her tone urgent, cutting Jiraiya off mid-sentence.

Her intensity made Jiraiya instinctively swallow. "Tsunade, calm down—"

"Just answer me!" Tsunade snapped, her voice sharp.

"Uh… He left three days ago," Jiraiya finally stammered out, still caught off guard by her outburst.

"Left?" Tsunade froze for a moment, her brow furrowing.

Jiraiya quickly nodded. "Yes, he went southwest. He took someone with him."

"Someone?" Tsunade's sharp gaze zeroed in on him. "What kind of person?"

Jiraiya scratched his chin, trying to recall. "A woman. She wore glasses and looked very refined—elegant, even. She had the same kind of calm presence as Chana," he said, motioning toward the girl beside him.

Tsunade's expression darkened as her gaze flicked briefly to Chana. "That bastard…" she muttered under her breath.

Jiraiya, sensing where her thoughts were headed, quickly raised his hands. "Tsunade, there's nothing going on between them! Really!"

Tsunade, however, waved him off dismissively. "Save it. I don't need you to defend him. Just tell me exactly how they left and what happened."

Jiraiya sighed, seeing no way out. Reluctantly, he recounted the details of Orochimaru's departure.

When he finished, Tsunade frowned. "So you're saying he took twenty subordinates with him?"

"That's right," Jiraiya confirmed.

"And you have no idea where they were heading?"

"He didn't say," Jiraiya admitted with a shrug.

Tsunade nodded, clearly dissatisfied but resigned. "Got it. Thanks. Take care of yourself, Jiraiya."

"Wait—are you leaving already? Don't you need to rest?"

"No time," Tsunade replied curtly.

Before Jiraiya could say anything else, Tsunade disappeared in a blur, her speed leaving him speechless.

"What's with those two lately?" he muttered, shaking his head in bewilderment.

—

West of Konoha, near the border of the Fire Country, Orochimaru and Nono were scouting locations for a new underground laboratory.

With Nono's orphanage now established, Orochimaru's laboratory was nearly operational. The bulk of the construction had been handled by twenty clones, and Nono wouldn't need to concern herself with the cloning process. Her job would simply be to oversee the facility, ensuring everything ran smoothly.

This was an easier task than what Chana managed, as there was no armory involved. Nono's role was to supervise a single cloning lab, a task well-suited to her medical expertise.

Unlike Chana, who had taken nearly half a year to fully grasp the technology, Nono only needed a month to learn everything Orochimaru taught her. Her sharp mind and experience made her an ideal candidate.

As they walked outside the orphanage, Orochimaru's raspy voice broke the silence.

"Clones don't require food, they only need a nutrient chamber to sustain them," he explained. "With the technology I brought back from the Land of Sound, you'll be able to produce most of the food and medicine you need locally. As long as no major ninja village targets this place, you'll be able to care for a large number of people."

"That's true," Nono agreed, looking up at him. "Lord Orochimaru, even though I've been involved with this for a while now, I still find your vision incredible. You… truly are an extraordinary person."

"Enough with the flattery," Orochimaru said, waving her off dismissively. "I'm leaving this place in your hands. Don't disappoint me."

"You can count on me," Nono said, bowing respectfully.

Orochimaru nodded, giving her a few final instructions before turning to leave.

The underground lab was extensive, with space for roughly two hundred incubation chambers, enough to produce 200 clones every six months. With Nono overseeing operations, Orochimaru felt confident in the lab's success.

But just as he turned to go, a sharp voice cut through the air.

"Orochimaru!"

The sudden shout made him pause. A moment later, a purple blur darted out from behind a nearby boulder, closing the distance in an instant.

Tsunade.

Her fist flew toward him with devastating force before he had time to react.

Bang!

The punch landed squarely in his chest, sending him flying backward.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Orochimaru's body smashed through several large trees before finally coming to a stop.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Nono, who hadn't gone far, immediately shouted in alarm and sprinted toward him.

Meanwhile, Tsunade stood frozen, her fist still clenched.

"That impact… It felt real," she murmured, disbelief flashing across her face. "Did I… actually hit him?"