The Toad, Snake, and Frog

Konoha had a real headache. A huge one.

Originally, the three great nations had an unspoken understanding in this war: no matter the outcome, the Land of Rain had to collapse.

Although they had reached an understanding, the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind were plotting to drive out the tiger and swallow the wolf.

They hoped to deal with the Land of Rain while also making arrangements for Konoha.

That was why Konoha was currently holding off three nations at once.

Although it was fighting three against one, the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind had not yet entered a wartime footing. None of them intended to crush anyone right away.

They had merely come out to test each other and assess the others' condition.

But Konoha was already fighting in earnest.

Konoha's forces in the Land of Rain were currently divided into two groups. One was led by the Sannin and was responsible for dealing with Iwagakure and the Sand Ninja.

The other was led by Danzo and White Fang, and was responsible for opposing Hanzō and his Rain Ninja.

The Sand Ninja had opened a new battlefield along the border between Fire and Wind, so only a garrison remained in the Land of Rain to observe the situation.

Their energy was focused on the Fire-Wind Battlefield.

Thus, the only nations truly fighting in the Land of Rain were Rain, Earth, and Fire.

Relying on their formidable Taijutsu and speed, along with Tsunade's antidote, Danzo and White Fang were barely holding off Hanzō.

That was why the Sannin hoped to break open the situation at Iwagakure as quickly as possible.

Especially after receiving definite intelligence about Kumogakure, Konoha increased its offensive even further, waiting for Kumogakure to send out its troops.

"Not here. Not here either..."

Hyuga Ao was searching for the Sannin.

Konoha had just fought a major battle, and the troops had been scattered. The Sannin had stayed behind to cover their retreat and lure away the enemy, and their lives or deaths were currently unknown.

After arriving at the battlefield, Hyuga Ao encountered Kunugi Mokume. Kunugi Mokume asked her to take a squad to search for and rescue the Sannin.

Hyuga Ao refused because she could get there faster alone.

Hyuga Ao activated her Byakugan, extending its range ten kilometers. Like a high-powered radar vehicle, it continuously illuminated the map.

Elsewhere, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had been trapped inside a cavern in a small mountain.

Jiraiya was severely wounded, and Tsunade was continuously treating him.

"Rumble..." Outside, the Iwagakure forces kept bombarding the mountain with Rock Iron Cannon.

The mountain was on the verge of collapse and seemed as if it could be blasted down at any moment.

At that moment, the Sannin were putting on an annual drama of mutual restraint.

Jiraiya breathed with difficulty while Tsunade gathered the Mystical Palm Technique to heal him. Her delicate face was filled with solemnity. Jiraiya had to regain his ability to move quickly, or all three of them would be trapped here.

Orochimaru walked out from behind Tsunade, his footsteps echoing through the empty cavern.

"Give up, Tsunade," Orochimaru said hoarsely.

"Iwagakure's Earth Release will destroy this mountain sooner or later."

"If we want to escape, we can't hesitate. You and I have to leave immediately."

Tsunade turned her head and retorted, "What about Jiraiya?"

Orochimaru's brows furrowed, and his expression turned cold and severe. "It's impossible to escape while taking Jiraiya with us!"

Tsunade looked back into Orochimaru's eyes and said unhappily, "That's why I'm using Medical Ninjutsu..."

But before she could finish, Orochimaru interrupted her. His brows furrowed even more tightly, squeezing his purple eyeshadow into thin black lines.

He urged her, "Tsunade, this is wartime. We can't lower our chances because of uncertain personal feelings!"

Tsunade demanded, "What chances?"

"Our chances of survival," Orochimaru replied coldly. "One person won't make it. Two people can barely escape. As for three people..."

"They'll all be wiped out!"

Tsunade's eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open. She could hardly believe Orochimaru had said such a thing.

"Keep treating his wounds." Orochimaru seemed to have made some sort of decision. He drew his Kunai and clenched his teeth. "It's fine. I'll send Jiraiya on his way!"

Tsunade lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression, but her voice rang out.

"If you take one step forward, I'll kill you!" Tsunade declared firmly.

Orochimaru fell silent. For a moment, the three of them remained locked in a standoff.

Outside, the Iwagakure bombardment continued without pause. The Rock Iron Cannon had nearly brought down the mountain.

Tsunade broke the silence. "Looks like the three of us are restraining one another."

Orochimaru retorted, "What are you talking about? You and I are simply waiting to see who strikes first."

He tightened his grip on the Kunai, his tone heavy. "Jiraiya is already..."

What he was thinking at that moment was: Rather than let a severely wounded Jiraiya be killed by a bunch of nobodies later, I might as well put him out of his misery myself.

But then Orochimaru saw Jiraiya raise a trembling yet unwavering hand. Jiraiya's eyes were tightly shut, and he grinned as he held up a V sign for him.

Orochimaru was momentarily speechless.

"Jiraiya trusts you from the bottom of his heart." Tsunade stared directly at Orochimaru. "That trust is enough to make you unable to strike!"

Orochimaru's brows knitted tightly as he ground his teeth. The bond between the three of them and his own principles clashed violently within him.

"How boring!" Orochimaru said in embarrassment and anger after being seen through. He waved the Kunai in his hand as though trying to prove something. "I..."

Boom! The rock wall exploded, interrupting Orochimaru.

"Teacher Orochimaru, reinforcements are here!"

Hyuga Ao jumped inside and looked at the scene before her in confusion.

As the dust cleared, Orochimaru was holding a Kunai pointed at Jiraiya, Tsunade stood in front of Orochimaru, and Jiraiya was smiling with a V sign raised. He clearly did not believe Orochimaru would really kill him.

"You three? What are you doing?"

Hyuga Ao teased them.

She had never expected to witness this scene with her own eyes.

The toad ate the snake, the snake ate the frog, and the frog ate the toad.

At that moment, the Sannin's relationship was revealed in all its glory!

The three remained locked in place for a while, as though they had not noticed Hyuga Ao's arrival at all.

After a while, Orochimaru snorted, put away his Kunai, and left.

Tsunade glared fiercely at Orochimaru, gave a delicate snort, and turned back to support Jiraiya on her own.

As for Hyuga Ao, who had come to rescue them, no one paid her any attention.

Hyuga Ao followed behind the Sannin and helplessly shrugged.

She had no desire to meddle in the Sannin's family affairs.

However, she had never expected to witness with her own eyes a scene that had originally taken place on screen.

The clash between the Sannin's ideals and personalities at that moment was incredibly fascinating.

"But..." Hyuga Ao stroked her chin in thought. "I remember that it was originally Konoha's troops who arrived and rescued the Sannin. I didn't expect to be the first to arrive and rescue them instead."

"The butterfly effect, huh," Hyuga Ao sighed.

Earlier, Hyuga Ao's Byakugan had seen more than thirty Iwagakure ninja gathered together and casting Ninjutsu toward a small mountain. When she moved closer, she indeed saw Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya's chakra.

She had then quickly gone back for reinforcements. While Konoha drove away the Iwagakure ninja, she broke through the rock wall and rescued the Sannin.

At that moment, the squad that had driven away the Iwagakure ninja returned.

One of the Jonin from the Yamanaka Clan approached and patted Hyuga Ao on the shoulder approvingly. "Not bad. You found Orochimaru and the others so quickly."

"How are you three? Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya—are you all right?"

The arrival of the Yamanaka Clan Jonin broke the tense atmosphere between the Sannin.

Tsunade replied, "We're fine. Jiraiya's just a little seriously injured."

She waved Hyuga Ao over to her.

"Thank you for finding us so quickly. Earlier, Orochimaru wanted to teach you the Yin Seal, and he even used quite a few good things to make the exchange."

As she spoke, she shot Orochimaru another fierce glare.

"Come to me after we return. I'll apply the Yin Seal for you then."

Happiness had arrived so suddenly that Hyuga Ao sweetly thanked Tsunade while secretly watching Orochimaru's reaction.

Sure enough, Orochimaru's originally stern expression froze before gradually relaxing.

Tsunade really is different when it comes to Orochimaru.

Hyuga Ao recalled a scene from her previous life.

"You heal my hands, and I'll revive the person you love most."

Now that she thought back on those words, they really did not seem like an empty promise.

Uncle Snake is such a tsundere, Hyuga Ao secretly grumbled to herself.