A Qualified Tool

The next day, Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived at the training grounds on the outskirts of Konoha early in the morning.

Calling it a training ground was generous—it was really just an open field set aside for the Senju Clan's training.

"Orochimaru, are you sure you want me to go all out? You know what my fists are like."

Tsunade confirmed it with Orochimaru once more. Although she had been bottling up quite a bit of frustration, she was also afraid of hitting too hard and seriously hurting him.

"Don't worry. Go all out. I have my own way of dealing with it."

What a joke. The original Orochimaru might not have wanted to clash head-on with Tsunade, but now, he could hardly ask for more.

After hearing Orochimaru's words, Tsunade no longer hesitated. This was far from their first spar, and she immediately closed in, throwing a punch at his face.

For a moment, fierce winds swept through the area as force surged in every direction.

Before the fist even arrived, the wind from the punch was already bearing down on him. Tsunade's legendary monstrous strength was no empty reputation.

Orochimaru did not dodge, but he had no intention of taking it with his face either.

Although Tsunade's movements were incredibly fast, they looked like slow motion in Orochimaru's eyes.

He easily blocked her attack with his forearm. The instant their bodies made contact, Orochimaru's body suddenly began to tremble.

Like a spring, he swayed from side to side, leaving behind afterimages.

When Tsunade saw Orochimaru take her attack without dodging, she secretly held back some of her strength. Still, she was surprised to see that he only swayed slightly before quickly returning to normal.

"Heh... you still haven't gone all out."

Seeing Orochimaru act as though nothing had happened, Tsunade stopped holding back. Another heavy attack came crashing toward him, even more ferocious than before.

Orochimaru's body rapidly absorbed the kinetic energy, but after only three punches, the energy he had absorbed had already reached its limit.

He did not simply sit back and take it. His hands began to strike back as well.

"Watch out."

Before the words had even faded, Orochimaru leaped into the air and brought his leg down in a chopping kick. Tsunade easily jumped aside.

The next moment, the previously intact ground was kicked into a massive crater.

"Since when did you learn monstrous strength too?"

Tsunade stared at the huge pit Orochimaru had made and spoke in disbelief.

Monstrous strength was sometimes inborn, but it could also be awakened through acquired training. Tsunade's monstrous strength was innate, while Sakura in the Original Work learned it through hard training.

"This is the Mind-Body Technique I just developed. Now I can finally have a proper fight with you!"

Facing Tsunade's surprise, Orochimaru smiled faintly. Absorbing and releasing energy caused very little loss. He could release it bit by bit, or store it up to the limit before unleashing it all at once.

If he chose the latter, the power he unleashed would be two or three times greater than Tsunade's. After all, his ability could stack.

"Hmph, then I can rest easy. That was just a warm-up. Let's see how I beat you flat. You weren't very polite a few days ago!"

Tsunade cracked her fingers with a series of pops. It looked like she intended to settle all their old scores. Women really could hold grudges.

The next moment, Tsunade and Orochimaru tangled together again. Every punch landed solidly, and their movements grew faster and faster until they were even leaving behind afterimages.

Tsunade had accumulated a bellyful of grievances during this time. Once she realized Orochimaru could completely withstand her attacks, she stopped holding back.

Orochimaru also gradually became familiar with and adapted to rapidly absorbing and converting energy. At first, he mostly dodged, but as the battle continued, he counterattacked more and more often.

The two darted and maneuvered across the training ground, quickly reducing the entire area to an unrecognizable mess.

"Ha..."

Tsunade punched Orochimaru flying. His body slammed into a boulder, and the rock had an intimate encounter with his head.

This happened from time to time. If Orochimaru could not release the energy in his body in time and his energy absorption reached its limit, he would not force himself to absorb more. That was how situations like this happened.

"I'd say you aren't going all out—you're trying to kill me!"

Orochimaru struggled to climb to his feet. He looked a little disheveled, but there were no obvious wounds on him. Only a huge bump had suddenly risen on his forehead.

That was after he had absorbed most of the energy. Otherwise, a bloody head wound would have been the least of his problems.

Tsunade, panting heavily, burst into laughter when she saw him like that. Yet as she laughed, tears began to stream down her face.

Seeing her laugh and cry like a madwoman, Orochimaru understood what was happening.

He walked over and gently hugged her. Tsunade did not resist. Instead, she leaned against his chest and sobbed, completely lacking the fierce, tyrannical aura she had displayed moments ago.

During this time, she had cried every day and drowned herself in alcohol every day. Even in her sleep, her brows remained tightly furrowed. She had truly been under immense pressure.

"Alright, alright. Things will get better. I'm sure he wouldn't want to see you suffering like this. You need to live happily so that he can rest easy."

Orochimaru lightly patted her back. Like comforting a wronged young girl, he spoke to her in a gentle voice.

"Come on, let's go back and eat. I'll make you a few special dishes for lunch today."

After Tsunade had cried herself out, Orochimaru helped her wipe away her tears and rubbed her head.

That head pat finally snapped Tsunade out of it. She slapped his hand away, then turned and headed toward the village.

"Heh, women. When they need you, they go all teary-eyed. Once they're done with you, they turn their backs on you. She really treated herself like a tool."

Orochimaru smiled bitterly. He had thought he might get to hold her a little longer and enjoy that soft sensation a little more.

My old man's maiden heart...

After lightly brushing the dust off himself, Orochimaru followed Tsunade.

For lunch, Orochimaru made three dishes and a soup: braised pork, Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms, a plate of greens, and Egg Drop Soup. Both his predecessor and the original Orochimaru had liked eggs quite a bit.

After fighting all morning, the two had long since exhausted their strength. Orochimaru was doing alright, since converting energy did not consume much physical stamina. Tsunade, on the other hand, had been relying on real, raw physical strength.

Before all the dishes had even been served, Tsunade had already picked up her chopsticks. Although she had never particularly liked fatty meat, after taking one bite of Orochimaru's braised pork, she could not stop.

She praised the Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms that came afterward even more lavishly. Fortunately, Orochimaru had bought an entire chicken, or there truly would not have been enough for the two of them.

After lunch, Orochimaru dragged Tsunade off to find study materials for him. Content that progressed from easy to difficult would allow him to learn twice as fast with half the effort.

In his previous life, Orochimaru had conducted biological research—not the kind involving agricultural products, but research into viruses, cells, animals, genetic engineering, medicines, and the like.

With that foundation, he learned quickly. His knowledge also continued to combine with and verify the knowledge of this world.

Whenever he encountered something he truly did not understand, he asked Tsunade. She showed no impatience, though she was somewhat surprised by the more advanced questions Orochimaru raised.