Jiraiya Had Led Akiyama Shun Astray

As Akiyama Shun finished speaking, a dense swarm of snakes began surging toward Yoshioka Yusuke.

Their conversation carried clearly to Yoshioka Yusuke.

The casual way they talked about his life left him seething, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Even so, he didn't let his frustration slow his hands. Orochimaru still hadn't made a move, and Yoshioka might actually escape if he wasn't careful.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Arrow!"

Several bolts of white lightning struck the swarm. The snakes hit by the attacks let out a hiss and collapsed to the ground, the stench of burnt flesh rising from them.

In an instant, the entire room filled with the pungent smell.

At first, Yoshioka Yusuke had been able to hold the snakes back. But now, he was desperate.

He had more than just Orochimaru to worry about. If he let his guard down, the kid in front of him might kill him!

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a snake burst through the floor and lunged at him. It quickly coiled around his thigh and bit down.

Along with the pain came a wave of dizziness.

Snake venom!

Damn it!

Yoshioka Yusuke hurriedly yanked the snake off him and tossed it into the swarm, then killed it with a Thunder Arrow. He immediately began forming Hand Seals.

"Fire Style: Flame Whirlwind..."

Unfortunately, he couldn't finish the Hand Seals this time. Fire Style: Flame Whirlwind required four seals, but after he formed just two, a snake coiled around his body, leaving him unable to move at all.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Once Akiyama Shun had restrained Yoshioka Yusuke, the swarm from the Mandara Formation quickly engulfed him. He didn't even manage to scream.

"Looks like he was a Special Jōnin specialized in intelligence. Nicely done, Shun."

Orochimaru's body returned to normal, and he jumped down from the rafters.

"Thank you for the praise, Lord Orochimaru."

Akiyama Shun replied politely, then had the snakes disperse.

Orochimaru walked over to Yoshioka Yusuke's corpse and searched him. He pulled out several letters and gave them a careful look.

"He was a spy from Kumogakure. That Third Raikage certainly does like to meddle."

Kumogakure. The Third Raikage.

Akiyama Shun knew both of those names well. Kumogakure had played a part in the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War.

The Third Kazekage had just been killed by Sasori, leaving Sunagakure vulnerable. The Third Raikage had seized the opportunity to attack, making Kumogakure one of the villages to fire the first shot in the Third Shinobi World War.

"Take these letters and turn them in with your mission report."

As he spoke, Orochimaru tossed all the letters to Akiyama Shun.

The letters contained important intelligence. If Akiyama Shun submitted them, his evaluation for this mission would be even higher.

Akiyama Shun understood, of course. He took the letters and thanked Orochimaru.

The mission was now completely finished.

"What do you think? Wasn't that A-rank mission easier than you expected?"

Orochimaru looked at Akiyama Shun.

"Having Lord Orochimaru here put a lot of pressure on Yoshioka Yusuke. Otherwise, even if I could've won, it wouldn't have been this easy. The fight would've lasted longer than two moves."

Orochimaru chuckled at Akiyama Shun's answer but said nothing.

"Not every A-rank mission involves opponents of this caliber. Sometimes, you'll run into a genuine jōnin. You'll need to be careful then."

"I understand, Lord Orochimaru. I value my life."

At the words "value my life," Orochimaru's sharp ears perked up. He cast Akiyama Shun a sidelong glance, careful not to let it show.

"Valuing your life is a good thing."

As Orochimaru said this, his gaze seemed to drift back to the past.

They chatted as they made their way to the casino where Tsunade had been earlier. After searching for quite some time without finding her, they had no choice but to ask one of the gamblers.

"You mean that walking jackpot? Hahaha! She's a real godsend. She's already handed everyone here a fortune. Seems like she owed the casino a ton of money, then ran off."

Akiyama Shun: "..."

"Heh. Looks like Tsunade really likes it here. That's all right. We'll stay here for a while. It's been a long time since I came here, too."

Orochimaru chuckled darkly and turned to leave. He wasn't worried about Tsunade.

He might not care, but as Tsunade's student, Akiyama Shun still felt he should check on her.

Akiyama Shun searched through various casinos and izakayas. At long last, he found Tsunade in an izakaya.

When she saw Akiyama Shun, Tsunade didn't seem worried at all about her debt. She looked perfectly relaxed and was even eating and drinking to her heart's content.

"Don't worry. Before I started gambling, I paid for our accommodations. At least we won't be left with nowhere to stay."

Akiyama Shun: "..."

Was he supposed to praise her for that?

The three of them stayed in the capital of the Land of Fire a while longer. After Akiyama Shun paid off all of Tsunade's debt, they finally set out for the village.

During that time, Akiyama Shun and Orochimaru had become a little more familiar with each other.

At least they knew each other now; they weren't complete strangers like they'd been at first. But that was as far as it went.

Akiyama Shun didn't want to get too close to Orochimaru just yet. After all, the snake was already on the path to madness.

For now, it was best if Orochimaru was a little curious about him, but no more than that.

That way, Akiyama Shun could enjoy the benefits of knowing Orochimaru without having to give anything in return.

After returning to Konoha, Akiyama Shun settled into a fairly regular routine.

The most important part was taking on missions. He didn't take any S-rank missions; they were tied up in far too many events and were a real hassle to deal with.

He took on B- to A-rank missions most often.

Tsunade deliberately chose each mission for Akiyama Shun, helping him raise his various ratings as much as possible so he could be promoted to jōnin as quickly as possible.

Every so often, he ran into Jiraiya or Orochimaru while they were on missions. When they teamed up, having an expert along made the missions much easier.

The next priority was his relationship with the Sannin, mainly Jiraiya's teaching and looking after Tsunade.

Looking after Tsunade was the most troublesome part. Jiraiya's lessons were easier.

Then there was Uzuki Yugao. She really was talented and was almost ready to graduate.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was holding a sheet of paper.

It contained the opening of a new book Jiraiya had written recently, which Sarutobi Hiruzen had obtained through special means.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

Akiyama Shun had taught him how to write so earnestly, and this was what he'd written?

If this kept up, wouldn't he lead Akiyama Shun astray?