Different Paths

The moment the white mist rose, Shiraishi Yoshijo pulled out a dozen shuriken and fired them straight at Orochimaru and Tsunade.

These were his specially crafted shuriken, and naturally, they were all connected to steel wires.

For this unexpected battle, Shiraishi Yoshijo was quite excited.

If you ask why, it was because he had wanted to do this for a long time.

During the practical training at the ninja academy, he had been pinned down and rubbed into the dirt by the three of them more than once.

Especially Tsunade, who was practically his nemesis; if he said one wrong word, she would throw a punch, hitting him so hard he didn't even dare to speak much.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru could at least listen to reason, so he held relatively less resentment toward them.

Seeing the shuriken flying out of the white mist, Orochimaru sneered, formed hand seals, and stood his ground without moving.

Tsunade did the same, a meaningful smile on her face.

In the next instant, lightning flashed.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's detestable face appeared right in front of Tsunade.

"It's over—oh, crap!"

Shiraishi Yoshijo flew backward, disappearing into the smoke.

When the white mist finally dissipated, Shiraishi Yoshijo stood up, clutching his abdomen, his face a mix of blue and red.

In that split second, Shiraishi Yoshijo had intended to instantly incapacitate Tsunade, but who knew that the moment he appeared, Tsunade's fist was already waiting for him.

Tsunade's taijutsu was this strong? Could she keep up with the speed of lightning?

Shiraishi Yoshijo's face was full of disbelief.

It wasn't until he saw Orochimaru and Tsunade standing far away from the shuriken scattered on the ground that he finally understood.

His Lightning Body Flicker had been seen through, or rather, the way he used it had been figured out.

Tsunade couldn't possibly keep up with the speed of lightning, but the shuriken he threw didn't have that kind of speed.

Once the secret of the Lightning Body Flicker was known, as long as one predicted the trajectory of the shuriken, they could roughly determine where he would appear and instantly counter.

This kind of combat intelligence—could it be said that they were worthy of being the legendary Sannin?

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave a bitter smile; he had truly been too arrogant.

And judging by the force coming from his abdomen, that woman Tsunade must have already started practicing the Strength Enhancement Fist.

Having failed to slap their faces and getting slapped instead, Shiraishi Yoshijo coughed twice and then scanned his surroundings.

Ever since Jiraiya used his Fire Release, he had vanished.

Even now that the smoke had cleared, he still couldn't see a trace of Jiraiya.

Did he run away?

Impossible.

Shiraishi Yoshijo closed his eyes and used a sensory ability he hadn't utilized until now.

He then sensed a mass of chakra creeping toward him on tiptoe.

Shiraishi Yoshijo opened his eyes and stared at the location he had sensed, but he couldn't see anything.

Is this Transparent Escape?

He suddenly remembered that as a master of peeping, Transparent Escape was one of Jiraiya's signature skills.

Shiraishi Yoshijo began to take deep breaths, regretting his impulsiveness once again.

Even an idiot like Jiraiya wasn't that easy to deal with; was he under a genjutsu to think he could take on three people at once?

The name of this genjutsu should be "I Think I Can Do It Again."

The man who aspired to be a supporting character was now actually trying to fight three protagonists.

He had truly gotten carried away!

After a moment of thought, Shiraishi Yoshijo pretended he hadn't noticed Jiraiya, put on a confused expression, and said, "Did that guy Jiraiya run away?"

Jiraiya, still creeping toward him, couldn't help but snicker to himself upon hearing this.

Just as he finally got close to Shiraishi Yoshijo and prepared to strike, lightning flared on Shiraishi Yoshijo's hand.

Without even looking, he thrust his hand backward.

Naivety is a disease, and it needs to be cured.

How to cure it? Naturally, with an electric shock.

Amidst the crackling sounds, Jiraiya fell to the ground, emitting black smoke.

His already spiky hair became even more explosive.

Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't use his full strength; at most, Jiraiya would be twitching on the ground for a few minutes.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

The three of them watched Jiraiya twitching incessantly with expressionless faces.

Sure enough, the ones who suffer are always the idiots.

The four of them were brought to the Hokage office.

It was only natural that a brawl in the village would be discovered.

In less than two minutes, Anbu ninjas had surrounded the four of them.

And then they were brought here.

The Third Hokage looked at the disheveled Jiraiya and sighed, then looked at Shiraishi Yoshijo, who was in no better shape, and sighed again.

"Orochimaru, tell me, what is going on here?"

Orochimaru as a child was truly the Third Hokage's favorite.

He didn't even bother asking Jiraiya about such a matter, choosing instead to let Orochimaru explain.

Before Orochimaru could speak, Tsunade shouted, "It's all that idiot Jiraiya's fault! He insisted on sparring with Yoshijo-kun, and Orochimaru and I couldn't stop him no matter how hard we tried."

Orochimaru kept his mouth shut.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth twitched, and he looked at Tsunade with a very strange expression.

Although he didn't know the reason for Jiraiya's attack, weren't you guys teammates?

Just like that, you throw the idiot under the bus to take the fall, while conveniently washing your own hands of it?

Plastic team friendship?

Sure enough, the ones who suffer are always the idiots.

The Third Hokage clearly knew Tsunade's routine; it seemed this wasn't the first time she had done something like this.

"Yoshijo, what is going on between you and Jiraiya?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought for a moment, figuring that since Jiraiya was already destined to take the blame, pouring a little oil on the fire wouldn't be a big deal.

"I don't know. Jiraiya suddenly attacked me, and I had no choice but to fight back."

So it really was Jiraiya, then?

The Third Hokage stared at the still-shivering Jiraiya, his gaze gradually turning stern.

"Orochimaru, Tsunade, take Jiraiya outside. Yoshijo, stay."

After they left, the Third Hokage stared at Shiraishi Yoshijo and said, "I originally had Orochimaru notify you to come here, but I didn't expect something like this to happen. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

In truth, he was not fine at all; Tsunade's punches were no longer on the same level as they were back at the Ninja Academy.

If that punch just now had happened in the past, he feared he would have been coughing up blood.

Even now, it was still throbbing with pain.

"That's good. Do you know why I asked to see you?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Is it because of my graduation preference?"

After thinking it over, this was the only answer Shiraishi Yoshijo could come up with.

"That's right."

The Third Hokage took two documents out of his drawer and handed them to him: "Take a look at these."

Shiraishi Yoshijo took them and began to flip through.

The first was regarding his application to join the hospital.

The second was about him joining a ninja squad, with two ninja photos attached to the back.

Takemoto Anna, Kawaigawa Rumi.

Shiraishi Yoshijo placed the documents back on the table, unsure of what the Third Hokage meant.

The Third Hokage didn't explain, instead pulling out two more documents and handing them to him.

Shiraishi Yoshijo took them once again.

They were still the files for Takemoto Anna and Kawaigawa Rumi.

Except these were their applications to join the hospital.

"They want to join the hospital, too?"

As soon as Shiraishi Yoshijo said this, he felt it was inappropriate.

Wasn't this obviously expressing dissatisfaction with those people?

Sure enough, the Third Hokage laughed: "They are both excellent ninjas of the village, and your ninja talent is even greater than theirs."

"I had you come here today to ask you your own wishes in person. Don't have any concerns; just say whatever is on your mind."

This should be considered a probe by the Third Hokage. After figuring out the Third Hokage's intentions, Shiraishi Yoshijo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Hokage, joining the hospital is my own wish. As for the ninja squad, let's just forget about it."

"Yoshijo, can you tell me the reason?"

"I never had the talent to be a ninja, so entering the hospital is just making use of a waste."

"Don't be too modest. With your talent, entering the hospital is what would be a waste. If you agree, I can arrange for you to join the Anbu."

The Anbu—this was the heart of the village. Someone who had become Hokage was indeed generous.

Unfortunately, those flirtatious eyes were cast upon a blind man.

"Lord Hokage, I truly want to enter the hospital to study medical arts. I prefer healing the sick and saving lives over fighting and killing."

The Third picked up his pipe, took a puff, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"You are indeed kind-hearted. You held back during the graduation exam just now, didn't you? That kind of ninjutsu couldn't possibly have only that much power."

Shiraishi Yoshijo nodded and said, "We are all ninjas of the same village, and besides, it was only an exam."

The Third was satisfied upon hearing this.

"I understand. You may go back now; I will approve your request."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Pushing open the office door, Shiraishi Yoshijo saw the Sannin standing against the wall.

Shiraishi Yoshijo walked past them with a calm expression, still treating them like passersby.

"Why?"

As he passed by Orochimaru, Orochimaru suddenly spoke up to ask.

Shiraishi Yoshijo acted as if he hadn't heard the question.

"The hospital will only bury your talent. I know you—you never do anything without a purpose."

Orochimaru still didn't give up, attempting to make his desk mate see the error of his ways.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stopped in his tracks.

He looked at Orochimaru, and Orochimaru stared intently back at him.

"If it's because of your clan, that would truly be a pity. I had thought you weren't that kind of person."

Orochimaru's words finally provoked him.

Shiraishi Yoshijo leaned toward his ear and whispered, "Orochimaru, the me of now is an existence you could never understand."

"Because you are still just a young snake that has yet to experience the pain of shedding its skin."

"When you come to know the pain of shedding and begin to search for the truth, you will understand my existence."

"I am quite looking forward to the arrival of that day."

"Don't disappoint me, Orochimaru."

Turning around to leave, Shiraishi Yoshijo did so without the slightest hesitation.

Those with different paths cannot make plans together.

As disciples of the Hokage, they would hold a transcendent status in the village in the future.

And since he had refused to join the Hokage's faction, he was destined to remain obscure in the village.

From this day forward, they were people of two different worlds.

They were the sunlight on the surface of the water, and he was the fish beneath it.

The sunlight would occasionally shine through the water to reach the fish, and the fish would occasionally leap out of the water to feel the sunlight.

That would likely be the extent of their intersection from now on.