The First Meeting of the Sannin

Walking on the way to the designated training ground, Orochimaru looked around with great interest.

Because the First Shinobi World War had only recently ended, Konoha still looked somewhat desolate.

Moreover, judging by the population distribution, there were very few young and middle-aged men...

Orochimaru sighed, once again lamenting the cruelty of this world.

The reason for this phenomenon was naturally the war, as a large number of the prime-age population had died during the First Shinobi World War.

This had resulted in a large number of war orphans like himself...

This was likely the reason why students of his generation at the Ninja Academy were graduating at the age of six.

One reason was that the number of Konoha shinobi at this time was insufficient, making it impossible to sustain the economic system built upon mission commissions.

The second was that Konoha's finances could not support a large number of orphans like him.

All things considered, the best and simplest solution was the current one: let them graduate quickly from the Ninja Academy and start taking missions to earn money.

Otherwise, why would the dignified Third Hokage personally step down to serve as a lead instructor?

In a sense, this First Shinobi World War was likely the most tragic one, because the fuse for this war was the death of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

During Hashirama Senju's lifetime, in order to maintain peace in the shinobi world, he had distributed the Tailed Beasts among the various shinobi villages.

He hoped that the power of the Tailed Beasts would act as a deterrent, preventing the villages from acting rashly.

But what truly kept the other shinobi villages from making a move was clearly Hashirama Senju, who could suppress several Tailed Beasts single-handedly.

Otherwise, why did the First Shinobi World War break out the moment Hashirama Senju died? And why did it last for several years?

It must be said that this God of Shinobi was still a bit too naive.

After walking for a while, he arrived at the designated training ground.

Because he had deliberately left early, the large training ground was empty, with only three wooden stakes standing alone in the clearing.

Orochimaru was not in a hurry; he found a clean patch of grass, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

He then began to organize the basic cultivation methods from the world of Under One Person in his mind; after all, as far as he could see, this was something he could actually use.

The cultivation methods of Foundation Strengthening and the Dual Cultivation of Life and Nature... these were far more sophisticated than the crude and simple Chakra Refinement Technique of the Naruto world.

Perhaps he could try to combine them and learn from each other's strengths?

Just as he was pondering, a slightly arrogant female voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, you got here pretty early, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru opened his eyes, and what came into view was a head of brilliant blonde hair.

The person who had arrived was none other than Tsunade.

She stood with her arms crossed, her chin slightly raised, looking like a "this young lady is amazing" type of person.

"Not bad."

Orochimaru responded indifferently, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

So this was the future "Legendary Sucker" and "Medical Sage"?

Tsunade seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Orochimaru's coldness, pouted, and didn't say anything more.

After all, this guy was pretty much the same at school...

She walked to the other side on her own, leaned against a large tree, and stood there, her eyes occasionally darting toward the entrance, looking somewhat impatient.

After another while, a figure appeared at the entrance of the training ground right on time.

The person who arrived was their instructor, the current Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Unlike the kindly old man in the manga, Hiruzen Sarutobi at this time was in his prime and still carried a bit of edge.

His sharp gaze swept across the training ground, and when he saw that only Orochimaru and Tsunade were there, his face darkened immediately.

He was a dignified Hokage, personally stepping down to serve as a Jounin instructor, yet someone actually dared to be late?

These brats had some nerve!

His gaze lingered on Orochimaru for a moment longer; this child was indeed as steady as the records said, not like a child at all.

As for Tsunade... hmm, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, gifted with talent, though her temper was a bit hasty.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was evaluating them to himself, a noisy voice accompanied by rapid footsteps approached from afar.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm late!"

A brat with spiky white hair rushed in, covered in sweat, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed expression as he ran.

"Phew... I ran into a black cat crossing the road on the way here, and to avoid it, I took a bit of a detour..."

Jiraiya explained, panting, his reason sounding so fresh and refined.

Pfft—

Hearing this classic excuse for being late, Orochimaru almost couldn't keep a straight face.

Good grief, this reason was practically cut from the same cloth as a certain masked white-haired guy who always goes fifty-fifty!

No wonder that guy Kakashi would become obsessed with Icha Icha Paradise written by Jiraiya in the future; so the root of it all was right here!

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at this "problem student" of his, the corners of his mouth twitching before he finally shook his head helplessly.

Forget it, forget it; as a dignified Hokage, there was no need to lower himself to the level of a brat...

"Alright, since everyone is here.

From today on, I will be your jonin instructor, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Before we begin training, let's follow tradition and start with self-introductions.

Tell me your names, things you like and dislike, and... your dreams."

Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat; his voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Me first, me first!

My name is Jiraiya! The things I like are... hehe, beautiful women!

As for things I dislike... I don't think I have any!

And my dream! My dream is—to become a Hokage who surpasses all the previous Hokage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiraiya couldn't wait to jump out, hands on his hips, chest puffed out, shouting at the top of his lungs with all his might.

His voice was booming, filled with the ostentatious and... silly nature typical of a hot-blooded shonen manga protagonist.

Hearing the words "become Hokage," Tsunade, standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Tch, a dead-last wants to be Hokage?

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she naturally understood the weight and significance of the word "Hokage" better than anyone.

Orochimaru couldn't help but cover his face; although Naruto was indeed a shonen manga, it was truly awkward when the manga became reality...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched. He had, of course, read the files on these three children.

Jiraiya was the problem child among them, with abysmal grades in theory and only low-to-average marks in practical combat—a classic dead-last.

Become Hokage? This dream... seemed a bit out of reach...

Still, having a dream was always a good thing.

"Hmm, very spirited!

But just thinking about it isn't enough to become Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded noncommittally and turned his gaze to Tsunade. "Next."

"My name is Tsunade. The thing I like is... gambling! I hate losing money!

My dream is to become a great... medical ninja like my grandfather! To protect the people who are important to me!"

Tsunade huffed, stepped forward with her arms still crossed over her chest, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

When she reached the end, thinking of her two deceased grandfathers, her eyes became exceptionally firm...

"Huh? A medical ninja?

What's so great about medical ninjas?

They're soft and weak; they can't even beat an enemy!"

Hearing this, Jiraiya immediately started making a fuss, his face showing a bit of disdain.

In his simple understanding, medical ninjas were just support characters who hid in the back.

A real ninja should be charging into the front lines, crushing enemies with powerful ninjutsu!

"What do you know! Medical ninjas can save lives!

They can also protect their comrades! They're much better than an idiot like you who only knows how to brag!"

Tsunade immediately flared up, glaring at Jiraiya.

Orochimaru watched the two of them bickering, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Tsunade's talent for medical ninjutsu was beyond doubt; one could even say she was a generation ahead of everyone else.

Without the solid foundation and firm belief built from a young age, it would be impossible to reach such heights.

For this kid Jiraiya to dismiss someone's dream right off the bat—no wonder he couldn't beat Dan Katō even with the advantage of being close to her...

"Alright, alright, quiet down."

Seeing the two of them arguing, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly stepped in to mediate, then looked at Orochimaru, the last one. "Your turn."

"My name is Orochimaru. As for things I like... I suppose it's researching the unknown.

I dislike being disturbed...

My dream... is probably to exhaust all the truths of the world and turn everything unknown into the known."

Orochimaru said thoughtfully; he wasn't lying.

He loved the process of exploration; the feeling of parting the fog to glimpse the essence of things was what fascinated him.

Whether it be ninjutsu, biotechnology, or that mysterious and profound energy known as qi.

In a certain sense, he and Orochimaru were actually quite similar...

"To research the unknown... to exhaust the truth..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded thoughtfully, a trace of approval flowing through his eyes.

This child's way of thinking was truly unique.

Very well, everyone has their own path to follow.

"Very good, it seems each of you has your own goal.

Then, next, comes your first test."

Hiruzen Sarutobi composed his expression, his face becoming serious.

As he spoke, he took two small golden Bell from his ninja tool pouch, shaking them at his fingertips to produce a crisp, ringing sound.

"Do you see these two Bell?

Today's training content is very simple: before noon, snatch these two Bell from my hands.

Only those who manage to snatch them will be considered qualified and can officially become genin."