"Seriously..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, still young and full of sighs, stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Jiraiya tied to a log.
"Why do you always fall for such obvious traps?"
"Because..." Jiraiya muttered under his breath.
"Take a page out of Orochimaru's book," Sarutobi said casually. "That kid's way ahead. Compared to him, you—"
He caught himself. Complaining about your own students was human nature, especially when they made you want to kneel in defeat. But before he could finish, Jiraiya suddenly exploded.
"Every time it's 'Orochimaru this' or 'Orochimaru that'! You sound just like him, Sensei! It's annoying!"
Sarutobi blinked, caught off guard. That wasn't like Jiraiya at all. Did he actually feel hurt?
"I even mastered an amazing escape technique for spying!" Jiraiya added proudly.
"...Spying? Escape technique?"
Sarutobi stared at him blankly.
"I call it the Transmittance Technique! So far, I've never been caught!"
The Third Hokage rubbed his temples and exhaled.
...Amazing? No. But maybe it's better to play along and spare the kid's pride.
"I see... Since you're so confident..." Sarutobi looked up at the sky, slightly blushing from secondhand embarrassment. "I'll go with you next time."
Silence. A long, awkward silence.
"...Sarutobi-sensei, you're a total pervert."
"You little brat!!"
Sarutobi exploded, smacking Jiraiya square on the head. The blow sent tears flying as Jiraiya clutched his skull.
"Really now... No more dumb mistakes next time." Sarutobi sighed, then added, "Let's go get a big dinner. My treat."
Tsunade and Orochimaru had already gone ahead. They were probably at the restaurant by now.
"Awesome!" Jiraiya perked up immediately.
Sarutobi chuckled and untied the rope. "Really now..."
---
Meanwhile, back at the Senju compound, Mito was still addressing the newly formed Second Squad.
"To celebrate the team's formation—let's have a big dinner!" she said with a bright smile, clearly looking forward to it herself.
Though elderly, Mito still carried the youthful energy of a cheerful girl.
Naori and Hitomi exchanged glances.
Wait... was that all they came here for?
A meal?
Something about the day felt accomplished... yet absolutely nothing had been done.
"Grandma Mito, the sealing technique," Maki reminded pointedly.
They couldn't leave empty-handed, after all.
"What's the rush?" Mito waved it off, still smiling. "You won't master it in a day anyway. Enjoy the rare day off—training all the time is boring!"
She added, "Didn't we agree to meet again tomorrow with Naori? For now, take the day and enjoy yourselves."
Naori's eyes lit up—Mito was awesome.
Maki just sighed and rubbed her forehead. No point pushing it. When Mito had her mind set, going along was the best move.
Hitomi, on the other hand, looked a bit lost.
Play? What kind of play?
"But before that," Mito added, "you do have a bit of homework."
She called out, "Taohua!"
The proud kunoichi returned, carrying three books. Originally, she had brought only two, but Mito had decided to include a third.
"Mito-sama," Taohua said, handing them over.
Mito distributed the books. "You must memorize all the incantations inside."
Maki flipped through hers. Despite bracing herself, the pages were full of strange diagrams and symbols that still made her head spin.
Naori, meanwhile, nodded. "This is fine. Just memorization, right?"
Hyuga Hitomi held the thick book in her hands, her expression one of utter confusion.
"Wait... wasn't I here to learn medical ninjutsu? What is this nonsense I can't even read?"
"This is the most basic foundation," Mito said calmly. "They'll teach the same principles in school."
It was sealing theory—fundamental but completely incomprehensible to Hitomi.
And just to make things worse, Mito had handed her the advanced edition.
"Alright then, put those away! Let's go!" Mito announced, already standing and heading for the door.
Maki and the others exchanged glances but could only follow.
In recent years, Mito had rarely walked through the village, perhaps out of nostalgia for the familiar faces. But many of the younger villagers no longer recognized her. She moved without drawing attention, blending into the lively streets filled with chatter and energy.
The sun was hot overhead, casting harsh light on the path. In the distance, Hokage Rock loomed. Mito looked up at it with a quiet smile.
"Where are we eating, Grandma Mito?" Maki asked. The midday sun was beating down hard.
"Secret~" Mito sang with a playful grin.
Eventually, she led them to a small barbecue restaurant.
In the fifteenth year of Konoha, the village's commercial district wasn't all that developed. Most shops sold essentials—grain, oil, and other household goods. Beyond a few izakayas and the occasional casino or hot spring inn, there weren't many entertainment options. Maki had never even seen a movie theater here.
There was a theater hall, but it wasn't exactly what you'd call "fun."
Food options were limited too, though decent enough. Despite being called a village, Konoha was more like a small town, home to over 100,000 residents. About two-fifths were shinobi; the rest were civilians. Most shinobi stayed in or moved through larger, busier cities.
This street, however, was bustling—filled with shops, locals, and travelers. It wasn't surprising when two groups happened to run into each other.
Inside the restaurant, across the aisle, Tsunade glared at Maki with barely contained irritation.
"Well, what a coincidence, Mito-sama," Hiruzen said flatly.
"What a coincidence indeed, Hiruzen," Mito replied with an amused smile.
The adults chatted casually while Maki, disinterested, stayed silent.
Coincidence? Yeah, right. This was clearly planned.
Naturally, the two groups were seated at the same long, low table atop tatami mats. The Third Hokage and Mito took seats at opposite ends. Maki, Naori, and Hitomi sat on one side; Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya on the other.
For a moment, the air turned cold.
Orochimaru sat stone-faced. He noticed the tension but didn't care.
Jiraiya, unusually flustered, found himself sitting across from Hitomi—whose delicate features were too cute for him to handle. As for Tsunade… Jiraiya didn't even want to acknowledge her as a girl right now. Just a violent, flat-chested monster.
A cute monster, but still…
He had no idea where to look.
Atmosphere? What atmosphere? He didn't know. But it was… intense.
Hitomi, however, picked up on it immediately. Her perception was sharp.
Starting with Tsunade, there was a strange sense of rivalry in the air.
"Hahaha…" the Third laughed nervously. "Let's all get to know each other. From now on, you'll be teammates—Konoha shinobi going on missions together!"
"No need!" Tsunade shot back. "We already know each other! Right, you pervert Jiraiya?!"
"Ah? Ah—yeah!" Jiraiya stammered.
Maki glanced at him, then casually reached out her hand. "You're practically drooling. Hungry? Want a bite?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened at the bug she held up and he shook his head violently.
A vein twitched on Tsunade's forehead. He's ignoring me… again?!
Even after tying yesterday?! This guy is so infuriating!
She slapped him hard on the head.
"Why'd you hit me?! Flat monster girl!!" Jiraiya shouted.
"Take your eyes off her, you idiot! Haven't you stared enough?!"
This was the closest they'd ever been, and it was chaos.
Jiraiya clutched his head. "Ow…"
"Tsk," Maki chuckled.
Hitomi looked down, blushing slightly. She regretted sitting across from the white-haired boy.
She hadn't expected Jiraiya to be like this.
It wasn't the first time they'd met, but this left a lasting impression.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, stared intently at Maki.
Noticing his gaze, Naori tugged on Maki's sleeve.
He's staring at you. Like, really staring.
Maki wasn't concerned. Her mask didn't have any flowers on it, after all.
But being targeted by a snake...
It's always the gifted ones that draw predators.
Even if it was their first meeting, Orochimaru looked oddly frail.
Maki didn't say a word.
The hunter often appears as the prey. You think you're targeting me?
No. I'm targeting you.
She had plans for that clever little snake head of his.
Mito watched the subtle exchanges at the table and smiled mysteriously.
The Third Hokage, meanwhile, was just praying Tsunade wouldn't flip the table before the food arrived.
________________
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