A Certain Pervert's Interest

"Hmph... a bunch of ants."

Orochimaru glanced at the crystal ball, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Ever since he was young, this man had worn such a contemptuous smile on his face, which was one of the reasons many people feared him. Coupled with his eerie aura, full of wickedness, it was as if the words 'stay away' were written all over his face, so it was no wonder he wasn't well-liked.

However, it was still somewhat human of him when he was with Tsunade and Jiraiya!

Tsunade, on the other hand, immediately spotted two familiar faces and looked up at Hiruzen in surprise, a vague guess forming in her mind.

"Hey, aren't these those little rookies?" Jiraiya had good eyesight too, and with Minato and Katsuki sporting such distinctive hair colors, they were quite recognizable. "I say, Teacher Hiruzen, you're not planning on having us babysit these brats, are you?"

Hiruzen's mouth twitched. You could call Jiraiya stupid, but at critical moments, he was as sharp as a monkey, often getting straight to the point. Yet, you could also call him smart, given his usual flippant and undisciplined demeanor, making him seem like an idiot no matter how you looked at it.

"Hey, hey, no way, I don't want to play with these little brats." Jiraiya was shocked when Hiruzen didn't speak. Could it be that he was right?

"Everything I'm about to say is a top secret of the village. Your mission is indeed as Jiraiya said, it's like babysitting, but you're not protecting everyone, only these two children from the Uzumaki Clan." Hiruzen took a deep breath, formed a hand seal, and the light within the crystal ball rippled like water. After two to three seconds, the figures of Katsuki and Kushina were magnified and appeared on it.

Tsunade gasped, it was indeed related to these two kids.

"These two brats... Teacher Hiruzen, you were watching them that day!" Jiraiya smacked his head.

"The Uzumaki Clan?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes suddenly changing. A flicker of brilliance appeared in his hazy, snake-like pupils.

"It must be related to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Hiruzen looked at his most valued disciple with admiration, who was infinitely smarter than a certain idiot.

"Mito-sama's health is declining, and the Ninja World is currently in turmoil. To ensure the stability of the village, we need the Nine-Tails to deter those with ill intentions. These two children are candidates for the next generation of Jinchuriki." Hiruzen tapped the crystal ball with his pipe.

"Grandma Mito."

Tsunade felt a heavy heart. Unlike Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Mito Uzumaki was not only the village's Jinchuriki, but also one of her few close elder relatives. Even though she knew this day would come, discussing such matters still made her uncontrollably sad.

"In a week, a new batch of supplies will be sent to the Land of Rain. You will be responsible for escorting the supplies and observing these two children, monitoring their every move. I need a detailed report. Mito-sama needs to decide on the Jinchuriki candidate."

Hiruzen revealed the true purpose of the mission and then began to puff on his pipe, scrutinizing his three disciples.

The decision for the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki ultimately did not rest with him, the Hokage. Mito-sama held the primary authority. As Hokage, he was naturally the leader of Konohagakure, but that didn't mean he could do as he pleased, let alone with Danzo constantly provoking him.

Mito-sama, the elder, was still alive. As the First Hokage's wife, she was an undeniable elder to him and the current Konoha leadership like Danzo. In front of her, he could only stand and talk.

Currently, Mito-sama was also troubled about which of the siblings to choose. If there were only one child from the Uzumaki Clan, there would be no choice. But now there were two, leading to this "happy dilemma." Fortunately, he came up with this idea: observe their words and actions through a mission, and then decide on the next Jinchuriki candidate based on their performance.

With Mito-sama's approval, the students from the Ninja Academy were mobilized for the battlefield.

To be honest, Konoha was currently one-sidedly beating up the Land of Rain, that ignorant thorn in their side. They had more than enough manpower. A mere Amegakure, if not for that freak Hanzō, wouldn't have been worth Sakumo's presence on the front lines.

The war had dragged on for five months. Although the Konoha ninja complained about the Land of Rain's terrible weather, they were generally managing. The Rain Ninja, however, were already suffering. The war had disrupted the Land of Rain's trade routes, drastically reducing the country's income. Amegakure was struggling, and if it continued, its finances would collapse. They wouldn't even be able to pay the salaries of the living, let alone provide subsidies for the fallen ninja.

Of course, Hiruzen chose this exact moment to train his three disciples and simultaneously determine the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki candidate.

It could be said that he was killing two birds with one stone.

This was something skilled ninja were very adept at.

"I understand. I will take good care of them," Tsunade was the first to nod.

"Going to the Land of Rain? I wonder if there are any beautiful ladies there?" Jiraiya's thoughts drifted again.

Orochimaru chuckled and looked at the scene in the crystal ball. "Judging by the way these kids are acting, they seem to be preparing for training. Why don't we take them all on, Teacher Hiruzen?"

The Uzumaki Clan, legendary for possessing sealing jutsu capable of controlling Tailed Beasts and known for their longevity, were the most steadfast allies of the Senju Clan. He was now very interested in these two children.

Of course, this interest was purely curiosity. The current Orochimaru had not yet developed the habit of dissecting living people or putting children in nutrient solutions. He was simply curious about powers he had never encountered before.

Hiruzen, however, misunderstood slightly. He pointed at Katsuki in the crystal ball. "There's one thing I need to tell you. This kid is Sakumo's disciple, so don't lay a hand on him. As for the others, if you're interested, taking them as disciples wouldn't be a bad idea. You are all Jonin now, you have the qualifications."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a little surprised. He was Sakumo's disciple? That meant this kid had caught Sakumo's attention? This made things even more interesting!

"Tch, I'll only take on a disciple if I deem them worthy," Jiraiya scoffed.

Tsunade didn't say anything. Although she didn't know Sakumo had taken Katsuki as a disciple, it didn't concern her much. She had no intention of taking on disciples; her mind was entirely focused on mastering Medical Ninjutsu.

"Whether you take disciples or not is up to you. I won't interfere. However, since you're going to train these kids, you can handle it as you see fit. Just be careful not to go too far; they are still students, after all," Hiruzen cautioned his three disciples, afraid they might get carried away, especially giving a stern look to Jiraiya, that idiot who was always lazy and liked to peek... he didn't know where he picked up such bad habits.

He didn't know that in the future, Jiraiya would be the best at teaching disciples among the three. However, at present, Hiruzen's most favored disciple was Orochimaru, his prize student.