What Kind of Trash Are You

Hanfu moved like a bolt of lightning, reaching the spot where he had just encountered the old woman in under a few minutes. Unfortunately, there wasn't a soul in sight.

"This is..."

Suddenly, Hanfu noticed a small, circular crater on the ground not far away. It was twenty centimeters deep and a meter in diameter, filled with dense, spiderweb-like cracks as if it had been struck by a meteor.

Hanfu walked over to the crater and crouched down to examine it, discovering two faint footprints within the web of cracks.

An image flashed through his mind: a woman standing there, fists clenched and gathering strength. When she unleashed it, the immense power combined with Chakra instantly compressed the ground, forming this crater.

Was it Tsunade?

Hanfu recalled the old woman he had met earlier—with her withered yellow hair, wrinkled face, and hunched posture, it was truly difficult to associate her with Tsunade.

Could she have used the Transformation Technique?

For a ninja of Tsunade's caliber, even the most basic Three Body Technique would be impossible for the current Hanfu to see through.

But Hanfu couldn't fathom why someone of Tsunade's status would bother using the Transformation Technique on students like them.

Hanfu stood up and continued to scan the surroundings, but found nothing else.

Strange.

Hanfu frowned. Regardless of whether that old woman was Tsunade or not, the crater and the loud noise from earlier confirmed that she had taken action. But who had she attacked?

Why were there no other signs of a struggle nearby?

Hanfu wandered around for a while but discovered nothing.

"Hanfu, Hanfu! Come down quickly, it's ready to eat!"

"Woof, woof woof!"

Inuzuka Sa and the puppy Shiromaru had come looking for him.

"Oh, coming!"

Hanfu put his thoughts aside and turned to head down the hill.

On the other side of the small hill, Tsunade was leaning against a tree with one hand, holding her forehead with the other, her face somewhat pale.

"I didn't expect you still haven't overcome your fear of blood."

Orochimaru stood behind Tsunade. His right shoulder was slightly sunken, and scarlet blood seeped through his clothes, staining the area around it.

"No wonder you haven't taken on any missions for all these years." Orochimaru's eyes flickered. "Tsunade, I can help you overcome your Hemophobia."

Tsunade remained silent.

Orochimaru understood what Tsunade meant. Although he felt somewhat unwilling, there was nothing he could do about her.

His purpose for coming to see Tsunade today was simple: now that Konoha and Sunagakure were at war, Orochimaru wanted the Sannin to return to the battlefield to drive the Sunagakure Ninja out of the Land of Fire. But unfortunately!

Orochimaru had previously contacted Jiraiya, but Jiraiya said he was tired of war. Unless the Sunagakure Ninja attacked the village, he would not return to the battlefield. He even claimed he was going to search for some bullshit savior who could completely end all wars, acting like a lunatic.

Then he came to find Tsunade, only to discover that her Hemophobia had not improved at all, and she had even given up on treatment. What could Orochimaru do?

In his melancholy, Orochimaru suddenly recalled the Second Great Ninja War. Although the three of them had not yet reached their peak at that time, the days they spent carrying out missions, fighting, and killing together were truly nostalgic.

It was just that... at this moment, Orochimaru suddenly had a strong premonition that he would likely never be able to fight side-by-side with Tsunade and Jiraiya again.

By the time he left Beishan, the injuries on Orochimaru's body had already mostly recovered.

Returning to his home, Orochimaru had just stepped into the entryway when his footsteps came to a halt. "Why are you here, Danzo?"

In the shadows, that man stood with his head bowed, asking in a deep voice, "How did that matter go?"

Orochimaru shook his head.

"Both Jiraiya and Tsunade refused you?"

Danzo was very dissatisfied. "Hmph, these two guys don't do any proper work all day after becoming famous. Bastards!"

When the war broke out, Danzo had anxiously discussed a 'perfect' plan with Orochimaru: to have the Sannin reappear on the battlefield.

With the immense strength of the Sannin, they could completely lead the Konoha ninja to sweep the Sunagakure Ninja out of the Land of Fire like a hot knife through butter!

This was the fastest way to end the war. Not only would it minimize Konoha's losses, but it would also deter other nations and hidden villages, making them afraid to act rashly. Of course, most importantly, if the Sannin really went to the battlefield, Danzo could pull off some aggressive maneuvers back in the village to make Orochimaru the number one 'trending topic,' thereby gaining fame and prestige far exceeding that of Tsunade and Jiraiya, and using that to compete for the position of Fourth Hokage.

In Danzo's view, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not yet know that his own personal disciple, Orochimaru, had formed an alliance with him. So, if Danzo sang Orochimaru's praises, Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly wouldn't stop him. By the time Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi realized what had happened, it would be too late to change anything!

Unfortunately, the plan had died in the cradle before it even began.

"So, what do you intend to do next?" Orochimaru asked.

"With two of the Sannin missing, you alone cannot defeat the Sunagakure Ninja in a short period of time."

Danzo analyzed, "Therefore, you must not go to the battlefield until the final decisive moment!"

Danzo's meaning was clear: Orochimaru should either stay off the battlefield, or if he did go, he must settle the outcome in one fell swoop to gain extraordinary fame and prestige.

Orochimaru nodded, appearing somewhat distracted. Having been 'rejected' by Jiraiya and Tsunade, he was feeling a bit disheartened and wanted to be left alone.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

Seeing that Orochimaru seemed to be in a bad mood, Danzo did not say anything more. His figure retreated into the shadows and slowly vanished.

At the foot of Beishan.

Hanfu and the other boys had no interest in sweets, so they set their sights on the various dango. They were especially drawn to the spicy beef dango, with Hanfu and his friends each grabbing two skewers.

However...

After Hanfu ate one spicy beef dango, he felt like his mouth was about to explode!

What the hell! This is way too spicy!

Hanfu hurriedly ladled a bowl of sweetened red bean soup to soothe his tongue.

"Anko!!"

Iruka ate one as well and was sticking his tongue out, panting. "You did this on purpose, didn't you! Why is the beef dango so spicy?!"

Anko huffed in dissatisfaction. "You guys were the ones who kept saying you wanted it spicy, so I told the shopkeeper to add chili. Now you're blaming me? Fine, I'm never buying spicy dango again!"

"Could you try not to laugh while saying that?"

Hanfu gritted his teeth and retorted.

"Nonsense, I wasn't laughing!"

Anko adjusted her expression and said with a straight face, "Now you know how good the red bean soup is, right?"

Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were also chugging the red bean soup to combat the heat. Hearing Anko's words, they didn't know whether to put their bowls down or keep holding them.

Inuzuka Sa sat on the grass, sipping her red bean soup and eating octopus balls with a beaming smile. "Iruka, Hanfu, Izumo, Kotetsu, you guys should just accept your fate."

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Shiromaru sat beside Inuzuka Sa, its little tail wagging as it waited expectantly for its mistress to give it an octopus ball.

Aside from the ultra-spicy beef dango, the six of them chatted, laughed, and goofed around until they had finished all the red bean soup and dango they had brought. By then, it was past five-thirty, and the sky was gradually darkening.

"It's about time to head home."

Inuzuka Sa looked up at the sky, picked up the little puppy—who was looking unhappy after only getting two dango—and said, "Everyone, let's clean up."

Kotetsu Hagane immediately shoved all the trash into a bag, ready to find a bin to toss it in.

Seeing this, Hanfu hurriedly stopped him. "Kotetsu, what, what, what are you doing, just throwing all that trash together? That won't do. Dry waste, wet waste, and recyclables must be separated!"

"Eh?"

Kotetsu Hagane looked bewildered. Why couldn't he understand a word Hanfu was saying?

"Let me handle it!"

Hanfu stepped in personally, dividing the trash in the bag into three piles: dry, wet, and recyclable. Only then did he hand the three bags to Kotetsu Hagane, saying earnestly, "Waste sorting is everyone's responsibility!"

So many books have been 404'd lately; my survival instinct is on point~

Asking for recommendation votes~