Chapter 105: Chapter 27:The legendary Sannin!
Orochimaru chuckled darkly, his slitted golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "Well, well... I must say, I didn't expect Jiraiya and Kakashi to suddenly appear here," he mused, licking his lips as his sharp gaze flickered between the newcomers.
Manda, who had been battling Sora and Gamabunta, let out an irritated hiss before disappearing into the ground. In a flash, the enormous serpent re-emerged behind Orochimaru, towering over the battlefield protectively.
Jiraiya grinned, crossing his arms. "Heh, you underestimate me as always, Orochi. I got my hands on some juicy intel, and my gut told me to check it out. Looks like I was spot on—you're really here, huh? Bakaorochi."
Orochimaru's smirk remained, but his fingers twitched slightly, betraying his irritation. He hated that nickname.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Deidara and Naruko had been engaged in an increasingly ridiculous explosion contest. However, the moment Deidara caught sight of Jiraiya and Kakashi, his confident smirk faltered slightly. While he took great pride in his abilities, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could take on Jiraiya, Kakashi, and an entire team of skilled Genin's, who appeared to be atleast Jounin level, all at once.
Making a quick decision, he flicked his fingers, causing a small clay bomb to detonate in front of Naruko. The unexpected explosion made her yelp and recoil, momentarily distracted.
"Tch! Damn you, Bastard!" Naruko cursed as she waved the smoke away.
By the time she looked up again, Deidara was already speeding away on his clay bird, his laughter echoing behind him. "Hmph! I'll let you off this time, yeah!" he taunted before disappearing into the horizon.
"Coward! Come back and fight me properly!" Naruko yelled, stomping her foot in frustration.
Hitomi sighed, rubbing her temple at her teammate's antics. "You were really about to waste more chakra over something that stupid?"
"It's not stupid! He ran away before I could show him the ultimate explosion!" Naruko protested.
The massive dragonfly they had been riding began to descend, sensing that the battle was reaching its end. With a puff of smoke, it disappeared as soon as Naruko and Hitomi hopped off its back.
As the two kunoichi regrouped with Yuto, Kakashi and Jiraiya positioned themselves behind the Genin, forming a protective front. Gamabunta and Sora loomed just behind them, adding to the sheer pressure their side radiated.
Orochimaru observed the scene with an amused yet calculating glint in his eyes. The tension in the air was palpable. He could sense the shift in the tide of battle, and while he didn't fear Jiraiya, he had no interest in an extended fight with him right now—especially not with Kakashi, Sora, and Gamabunta in the mix.
A thin bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, though his smirk never wavered. His gaze lingered just a second longer on Yuto and Hitomi before he let out a low chuckle. "Well, as much as I would love to continue this little game, I believe I'll take my leave for now. Jiraiya, our reunion will have to wait—I have no desire to fight you just yet."
Before Jiraiya could react, Orochimaru and Manda suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, the telltale sign of a reverse summoning.
"Damn it!" Jiraiya growled, clenching his fists. "That damn snake! He just slipped away like that again!"
Yuto exhaled, his grip on his sword tightening for a moment before he slowly lowered it. 'That guy...The way He was watching me. What the hell does he want?'
Kakashi turned to his team, his lone visible eye curving in approval. "Good job, Yuto. Sending that message and keeping Naruko and Hitomi from getting themselves recklessly killed was well done."
Yuto nodded calmly, but before he could say anything, Naruko and Hitomi immediately protested.
"Oi, sensei! We weren't reckless!" Naruko argued, crossing her arms.
"Exactly! We had it under control!" Hitomi added, huffing.
Jiraiya chuckled at their antics, shaking his head in amusement. "Hah! You kids are a riot."
Naruko's eye twitched at the unknown man's laughter. A large tick mark formed on her forehead as she pointed at him. "Oi, who the hell is this old geezer?!"
Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head while sweatdropping. "This 'old geezer' is one of the legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, the Toad Sage."
Naruko blinked. "Legendary Sannin? What's that?"
A proud smirk had just started forming on Jiraiya's face, but the moment he heard Naruko's question, his legs gave out, and he crashed to the ground face-first.
Hitomi, however, looked surprised. "I've heard of the Sannin before!" she said. "They're said to be the three ninjas trained by the Third Hokage. Each of them reached Kage-level, and their teamwork was so powerful that they could take on two entire village armies together."
Yuto nodded in agreement. "The one standing before us is Jiraiya, the Toad Sage," he said before turning to Naruko. "The one I fought earlier was Orochimaru, another one of the Sannin. He defected from Konoha, which is why he's a rogue ninja now."
Naruko's eyes widened. "Wait… that snake freak was a Sannin too?!"
"Yeah," Yuto confirmed. "As for the third Sannin, Tsunade Senju, I have no idea where she is."
Jiraiya had just gotten back up, looking proud again, but Yuto wasn't done. With a smirk, he added, "It's also said that the Sannin have… some rather disturbing hobbies."
Jiraiya froze mid-smirk.
Yuto continued. "Jiraiya is known as a huge pervert who peeks at women in bathhouses and is the author of all those perverted books Kakashi-sensei and many men read."
Jiraiya's face paled.
"Tsunade, on the other hand, is called the 'Legendary Sucker' because she has a terrible gambling addiction. Rumor has it she's lost at least half of the Senju Clan's fortune."
Hitomi and Naruko's eyes twitched.
"And lastly," Yuto finished, his voice turning sharp, "Orochimaru is infamous for his human experiments. He's also rumored to be a pedo who preys on young kids."
A heavy silence fell upon the group.
Then—
THUD!
Jiraiya collapsed face-first again, groaning in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Hitomi and Naruko wordlessly took two steps back, putting distance between themselves and Jiraiya while their faces twisted in disgust.
Naruko made a gagging noise. "We should probably leave before the pervert tries anything."
Hitomi nodded rapidly. "Agreed."
Jiraiya instantly shot up, waving his arms frantically. "O-Oi! I am NOT a pervert!"
Kakashi sighed, trying to calm him down. "Jiraiya-sama, maybe you should—"
But before he could finish, Jiraiya suddenly struck a ridiculous pose, puffing out his chest and pointing at the sky.
"I AM NOT JUST A PERVERT!" he declared loudly. "I AM THE GREATEST PERVERT IN THE WORLD!"
Naruko and Hitomi turned on their heels and bolted. "NOPE! WE'RE OUT!"
Yuto burst into laughter as he ran alongside them, thoroughly entertained.
Kakashi, meanwhile, stared at Jiraiya for a long moment before casually pulling out a book from his pouch—Icha Icha: Sister's Love.
"While we're at it," he said, holding the book out, "can I get an autograph?"
Jiraiya instantly stopped his dramatic posing. His face lit up with pure joy. "Ahh! Finally, someone with taste!"
And as Team 7 ran ahead, trying to escape the eccentric Sannin, Kakashi remained behind, happily holding out his book like a true fanboy.