Sensing the powerful Chakra emanating from the other, the two no longer hesitated.
Tsunade broke the Yin Seal first, and black lines covered her face, ruining her beauty but making her look even more heroic.
Jiraiya needed some time to enter Sage Mode, so Tsunade rushed forward to fight Orochimaru, with both of them using only Taijutsu to attack.
While Tsunade's Taijutsu is strong and her speed is quite fast, her attacks are too one-dimensional and she lacks long-range attack methods, making her less well-rounded than the Fourth Raikage.
However, after her physique was enhanced, her Taijutsu also improved significantly. Her explosive power before the seal was broken was comparable to her original state after the seal was broken.
Now that the seal has been broken, she could probably fight the Five-Tails Kokuō, but Orochimaru would still handle it with ease.
Over the years, he has never stopped improving, while his opponent and Jiraiya are either out having fun or on their way to have fun.
"Oh...!"
At this point, Jiraiya had entered Sage Mode, also joined in, and the battle between the two sides became even more intense.
The three fought their way from the edge of town to the deep mountains and forests. Orochimaru seemed tireless and showed no mercy in his attacks. As the fight progressed, he gradually developed a bit of real fighting spirit.
"Summoning Jutsu!" x3
Three enormous Summoning Beast were summoned: Manda, Katsuyu, and Gamabunta.
"Is this all you've got? If that's all you've got, then Konoha probably won't survive!"
Standing atop Manda, Orochimaru, panting heavily, glanced at the two people in front of him. Tsunade and Jiraiya more exhausted, their stamina expenditure no less than his.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's slightly threatening words, the two men's expressions changed once again.
"Hmph! If you dare come, I'll beat you into a pulp!"
It was Tsunade who spoke, but she had clearly misunderstood Orochimaru. Orochimaru meant to refer to Pain's massacre of the village.
However, he didn't offer any explanation; he simply focused on doing his own thing.
"And you, Jiraiya! So many years have passed and you still haven't made much progress. You disappoint me!"
Jiraiya was Jiraiya enraged by the tone of an elder lecturing a junior. Just because you're a bit stronger doesn't mean you can be so arrogant.
Orochimaru really wanted to tell him, "Sigh... having power makes you so arrogant! You can do whatever you want!"
He's right. Although Jiraiya's current strength has reached the ceiling of ordinary ninjas, it's still not enough.
If the plot continues as it is, he still won't be able to defeat Pain, and in the end he'll have to clean up his mess himself. Otherwise, he can't just stand by and watch him die, can he?
Unfortunately, both of them ignored good advice and only listened after being severely beaten.
After catching their breath, the three of them clashed again, their Summoning Beast also getting entangled in the fight, with Katsuyu and Toad battling the Manda together.
However, Manda is the strongest of the three beasts in terms of combat power, and it will not be defeated in a short time.
The three fought for a whole afternoon, only stopping when night fell.
By now, both of them had almost exhausted their Chakra. Even though Orochimaru had amazing physical abilities, he couldn't withstand the excessive use of various Ninjutsu.
"What... is there to do?"
The three, exhausted and sprawled on the ground, leaned against rocks and looked at each other. From their previous exchange, they had already sensed that Orochimaru had held back.
Whenever they were at a disadvantage, Orochimaru never used his full strength. Even if the opponent did it very subtly, he would eventually notice it after a while.
There aren't that many coincidences in the world. Too many coincidences mean they're not coincidences anymore; it means the other party is deliberately letting them win.
"There's a mercenary organization in the Ninja World called Akatsuki. Have you heard of it?"
Orochimaru posed the question first, Jiraiya and Tsunade were both somewhat puzzled, but they still nodded.
Although the Akatsuki is not as active in the Ninja World as it was in the previous life, they have still made a name for themselves over the years as they have traveled all over the country.
"You all know about the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha, right?"
Upon hearing this, Tsunade and Jiraiya's expressions changed, and they both sat up, glancing to the side intentionally or unintentionally.
Seeing that they had perked up, Orochimaru also became a little more serious. With a flick of his finger, a section of the thick, broken tree trunk between the three of them was set ablaze.
The Hikari illuminated the three figures, casting long, long shadows behind them.
Not far from the three of them, a Hikari also rose, which was Naruto and Shizune who had come looking for traces of the battle.
However, they were stopped by Orochimaru's clones; it wasn't the right time for them to know these things.
Seeing that the three of them didn't make any more moves, Naruto gave up the idea of going over. Meanwhile, Orochimaru's clones had already brought back a lot of ingredients.
There were fish, pheasants, wild boars, and so on, and everything had already been prepared, as if Orochimaru had planned it all along.
The two of them helped Orochimaru's clone by standing aside, since they couldn't fight anyway, and they had been hungry all day.
"You mean the Nine-Tails' Attack was Akatsuki?"
Jiraiya spoke up, saying that he had lost his best disciple Minato Namikaze, in that turmoil!
"Does this mercenary organization really possess such formidable strength?"
Tsunade also said with some doubt, "If it's true, are the Five Great Nations blind and deaf?"
But thinking about the nature of those ninja villages makes it all clear; they all have their own ulterior motives.
"I spent some time inside before..."
The two looked at each other strangely after hearing this. Orochimaru had been an undercover agent before?
However, as the other party recounted their story, they gradually came to understand how terrifying this organization was.
"Itachi, Hiruko, Sasori of the Red Sands are all inside, and their leader is no weaker than I have shown today, perhaps even stronger! And the ultimate goal of this organization is to destroy the Six Great Nations!"
Both of them were somewhat surprised when they heard the three names, but they were even more surprised by what came next.
Not only are the members incredibly strong, but their ideas are also so dangerous. Sure enough, nothing good ever comes from a group of villains getting together!
Orochimaru only revealed these three names, without mentioning others such as Nagato, Konan, and Obito.
If this were said now, given Jiraiya's impulsive nature, he would probably go and clean house, since he knows where his disciples are.
"Does what you're saying have anything to do with your actions?"
As he said this, Jiraiya's gaze sharpened, and he stared intently at Orochimaru, clearly referring to his attack on Konoha.
Orochimaru ignored his piercing gaze and picked up a piece of wood.
"Under the teacher's leadership, Konoha has been quiet for a long time. Although it has been peaceful, there has not been much change in the past few decades!"
As he spoke, he looked at Tsunade. Noticing Orochimaru's gaze, Tsunade met his Orochimaru.
She seemed to have guessed Orochimaru's intention, and at the same time, her heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, his next words confirmed her guess.
"To cope with the grim situation ahead, Konoha needs to change and reform, but the Third Hokage is old and, seeking only stability, lacks the courage to do so!"
Upon hearing these words, the two of them had to accept reality, even if they didn't want to admit it. They had been living a stable life for too long and were no longer in that position, so naturally they had never worried about such things.
Seeing their silence, Orochimaru continued:
"Konoha is like this campfire; to reignite it, it needs this new kindling!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru threw the firewood in his hand into the dying fire.
"In my opinion, Tsunade is the new spark; only she can lead the great ship of Konoha to continue sailing through the waves!"