Foolish Jiraiya

Hearing this loud noise, Hyuga Matsuba also stopped in his tracks, looking at the split earth. Those fragmented pieces of ground of varying sizes were quite visually striking. Peering down, it was bottomless—he couldn't even see the end.

"Really settling things with fists! If I'd taken that punch just now, I'd probably be pushing up daisies right now." Hyuga Matsuba swallowed his saliva.

Even though Hyuga Matsuba was born with a system boost and had a year of training under his belt, his age was still too limiting. An attack of that magnitude was something he couldn't possibly achieve at this point.

And even now, Tsunade was holding back, not showing her full strength. Who knew just how powerful this young Tsunade really was?

Sneaking a glance at the troublemaking Jiraiya, Hyuga Matsuba decided that discretion was the better part of valor. This place was a powder keg—not somewhere to linger. After all, he hadn't started the trouble, so he'd better make a quick exit.

"Tsunade, you're missing the point. It was that brat who looked down on you."

Jiraiya, shaken by the spectacle, started trying to shift the blame onto Hyuga Matsuba. Shameless—using a kid as a shield!

Hyuga Matsuba broke out in a cold sweat. He swore that once he grew up and reached the level of the Milk Cow Chariot, the first thing he'd do was give Jiraiya a thorough beating.

"Old-timer, you should have some evidence when you talk. Which eye of yours saw me mocking such a beautiful lady? I was just surprised that someone this pretty would be walking with a geezer as ancient and ugly as you."

Since Jiraiya hadn't left him any room to back down, Hyuga Matsuba didn't need to hold back either. He knew from before his transmigration that Jiraiya was usually easygoing, so even this wouldn't make him truly angry.

Hearing what Hyuga Matsuba said, Jiraiya was practically fuming. Who would've thought this little brat would dare say that about someone as handsome and dashing as him?

"Haha." Tsunade, who had been angry just moments ago, was now laughing.

Tsunade slowly approached Hyuga Matsuba, finding him oddly cute. "Little guy, where are you from? Did you eat sugar? Why are you so sweet-talking?"

Tsunade pinched his cheek without holding back. Even though his face was already sore, Hyuga Matsuba kept his composure on the surface. "I'm just telling the truth! Kids don't lie!"

He wasn't lying, really. Though Tsunade was still young, the title of "Milk Cow" didn't fit her yet—her chest was pitifully small, barely noticeable, like an airport runway. But if you looked at her face, it was absolutely stunning.

"Sis knew it. You're such a cute kid!" Tsunade's lips curled up uncontrollably.

For the first time in her life, Tsunade received such praise. Even though she acted like a boy and did things recklessly without thinking, deep down, as a girl, she still craved compliments.

"Heh, hehe." Hyuga Matsuba felt like Tsunade was getting carried away. Women—terrifying.

Now Jiraiya wasn't scared anymore. He sneered disdainfully. "Tsunade, you're so gullible. Look at this brat—he's obviously lying. Talking about the truth? He's just spouting nonsense!"

Jiraiya hadn't cooled down yet, scheming to mess with Hyuga Matsuba and teach him a lesson. And he was in his prime—who was calling him an old geezer?

Sure, this was still a snot-nosed kid, but what he said was infuriating. He hadn't wanted to get angry, but the kid went too far.

"What? So, old-timer, you say I'm lying? But I just praised Sister Tsunade for being pretty. Does that mean you think Sister Tsunade is ugly?"

Hearing this, Tsunade, who had been delighted moments ago, suddenly turned cold again, glaring icily at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya felt a chill from that cold stare. The little brat was even making faces at him now. He was like a mute swallowing bitter medicine—unable to voice his grievance.

Jiraiya never imagined he'd lose to a little kid today. Had his brain gone soft?

The atmosphere grew awkward. No one dared to speak. Snake-sensei, seeing this, coldly dropped a line: "All idiots."

That "idiots" perfectly described the situation. Even though he was insulted, Jiraiya didn't retort—he just shut up.

He was questioning his life right now. He'd lived all these years, eaten so much rice, and today he'd been beaten by a little brat? Had he wasted all those years?

"Don't play dumb with me! Come on, explain yourself! What do you mean?" Tsunade's anger flared as she saw Jiraiya still silent.

Jiraiya realized the danger he was in, worried things would spiral out of control. He forced an awkward smile onto his face.

"Tomorrow... I still have a mission to complete. Sis, can you go easy on me?" Jiraiya knew he couldn't escape this time, just hoping to survive in one piece.

"Jiraiya, I'm telling you, your time is up!" Tsunade said viciously.

"Pretty lady, go easy on him. Look at this old-timer—he didn't even react when called an idiot just now. His brain must be really fried. Cut him some slack!" Hyuga Matsuba decided to save Jiraiya this once.

"Pfft."

Hyuga Matsuba made Tsunade laugh again. This kid really knew how to talk. She reached out and ruffled his hair.

"You little rascal, you're just too cute. How do I like you so much!" Tsunade couldn't help praising him again.

Hyuga Matsuba felt very uncomfortable. He'd used his age to win Tsunade's favor, but as an adult, being patted and touched by a little girl—it was a strangely frustrating feeling!

"Hmph, interesting." Orochimaru gave Hyuga Matsuba a faint glance.

Tsunade had been genuinely angry just now. Even an elite genin would've been scared in that scene, but this kid showed no fear at all. Orochimaru, sharp as ever, noticed everything.

Hyuga Matsuba didn't realize that this small detail had caught Orochimaru's attention.

Even if he knew now, he probably wouldn't care, because the current Orochimaru couldn't compare to the future one.

Right now, Orochimaru wasn't exactly cheerful or outgoing, but he wasn't taciturn either. At this time, he wasn't interested in research at all—his heart was set on his village.

Even if Orochimaru had a problem with Hyuga Matsuba and decided to act, he might not be a match for him. Their levels were about equal.

Jiraiya had dodged a bullet, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat. He quickly slipped away. Losing to a kid like this was too embarrassing.

"Already not much to look at, now he can't even show his face." Hyuga Matsuba watched Jiraiya run off, a look of disdain on his face.

"What did you say, brat? You want me to beat you to death?" Jiraiya finally snapped, standing up abruptly.

"Hmph." Hyuga Matsuba didn't even bother acknowledging Jiraiya, just snorted coldly through his nose.

Tsunade and Orochimaru were now getting frustrated with Jiraiya's intelligence. How did he suddenly become so stupid?

"What do you two mean by that?" Jiraiya was clearly still out of the loop.

"Idiot!"

"You're this old, and you're picking a fight with a kid still in diapers? You're really something!" Tsunade rolled her eyes at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya finally realized—Hyuga Matsuba was just a child. If they fought, winning wouldn't be glorious, and losing would mean he was worse than a kid.

Then his face would be thrown straight into the trash. How could he show himself?

And it wasn't just about him losing face—his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would lose face too.