Orochimaru's Expectations

The people in the meeting room dispersed.

The battle at the Third Training Ground was also nearing its end.

He couldn't reveal his elementalization or Sharingan, and inventing the Rasengan at the age of five would be downright shocking. There were no Wood Release techniques he could use, either. He had already shown just about everything he could.

"Hmm... If I don't use Laser, I don't have any better attacks. I'll use this move to bring the battle to a close."

Minato held out his right hand. Light gathered in his palm, and in the blink of an eye, a magnificent Light Sword appeared in his grip!

"What kind of move is that now...?"

Nawaki stared blankly, his mouth hanging open.

To be honest, when Minato had just beaten him, he'd felt a little unconvinced.

Then, after seeing Minato fight Jiraiya and realizing that Minato really was stronger than him, he'd grown a little jealous of Minato's talent.

After that, when Minato revealed his Light Release, he'd calmed down again. Bloodline abilities weren't something you could simply ask for, and the gap between them was just too great.

But when Minato used Wood Release and revealed that he had two bloodline abilities, Nawaki couldn't muster even a hint of jealousy anymore. Put simply, his mind had gone blank...

Looking at the Light Sword in Minato's hand, Jiraiya grew interested. "Oh? You can even form it into a weapon? I wonder how strong it is."

"This move... I'll use it on you, Senior Orochimaru."

Minato swung the sword in his hand, pointing its tip toward Orochimaru.

At that, Orochimaru chuckled. "Oh? Does that mean that, in Minato's eyes, I'm a more reliable opponent than Jiraiya?"

"What? Minato, is that really what you think?"

Jiraiya suddenly looked as if he'd been betrayed, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

He'd spent half the day training with Minato and had nearly been cut down, only for Minato to think Orochimaru was more reliable than him?

"Y-you're both reliable, haha..."

Minato laughed awkwardly, unsure what to say.

He only thought Orochimaru had stronger means of staying alive than Jiraiya...

Looking at the entire Naruto series, people might argue over who was the strongest, but there was no debate about who was best at staying alive: Orochimaru was unquestionably the best!

"A Light Sword?"

Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, studying the sword in Minato's grip with interest. "When it comes to swordsmanship, Orochimaru is definitely the expert."

"Tsunade, even you..."

"Shut up! Don't make a fuss!"

"Okay."

Jiraiya immediately fell silent.

With the two of them watching expectantly, Minato gripped the Light Sword. His figure suddenly flickered, and he appeared in front of Orochimaru, swinging the sword toward his waist!

Here it comes!

Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat two steps, drawing a Kunai to counterattack. But then Minato's movements suddenly halted, the sword tip pointing toward Orochimaru's lower abdomen.

"This is... Oh, no!"

Noticing Minato's unnatural movement, Orochimaru twisted his waist sharply.

At the instant he dodged the direction Minato's sword tip pointed, the tip of the Light Sword suddenly blazed with light, and a long blade of light extended out of thin air. It scraped across the side of Orochimaru's Chunin vest, leaving a charred patch!

"Just as I thought..."

Jiraiya shook his head with a wry laugh and clapped. "Underhanded! That was way too underhanded!"

"You idiot! How can you say that about a child?"

Tsunade punched Jiraiya on the head, making him stagger.

On the other side, seeing Minato make no move to continue the attack, Orochimaru quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the ten-meter-long Light Sword in Minato's hand, feeling at a loss as to whether he should be annoyed or amused.

"Minato has excellent combat instincts."

Low EQ: underhanded!

High EQ: excellent combat instincts.

"Ha..."

At that, Minato smiled sheepishly.

"Hmph, when it comes down to it, you're just lacking experience."

Tsunade pulled Minato over to her and ruffled his soft blond hair. "If it's a Light Sword, isn't it only natural that it can extend?"

"That makes sense. I was constrained by what I thought was possible."

Orochimaru chuckled, unbothered. "Minato, could you show me how strong your Light Sword is?"

Minato nodded, took out a Kunai, and struck it against the Light Sword.

The moment the two collided, the edge of the Kunai turned bright red. In just a few seconds, the intense heat contained in the Light Sword melted it apart!

"Splendid..." A glint of excitement flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Phew..."

Once the Kunai had melted, Minato dispelled the Light Sword and let out a breath.

Maintaining the Light Sword continuously drained his stamina, far more than Laser did. With his small frame, he couldn't keep it up for long.

"All right, that's enough for today."

Tsunade smiled at Minato. "You did great. I'm very pleased! To celebrate, we're going out for barbecue today. My treat!"

"Oh!!"

At the mention of barbecue, Nawaki immediately perked up.

Minato's eyes lit up too. He hadn't had barbecue in a while, and the thought of it made his mouth water.

"Come to think of it, shouldn't you have been treating us anyway?"

Jiraiya rubbed the lump on his head and muttered under his breath.

He and Orochimaru had come for the barbecue in the first place.

"I only said I'd treat you to barbecue. I never said when."

Tsunade gave a snort and waved her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Treating you six months from now would be just as good, wouldn't it?"

"Then you'd have to pay interest..."

"Hm? Got a problem with that?"

"N-no, not at all... Haha! What could be better than barbecue?"

Jiraiya laughed it off, and the group made their way to the barbecue restaurant, chatting and joking as they went.

Minato and Nawaki sat on either side of Tsunade, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru sat across from them.

Soon, several plates of barbecue arrived. Fresh meat sizzled as it hit the grill, its aroma filling the air and making everyone's mouths water.

"Let's eat!"

As soon as the first piece of meat was cooked, Nawaki and Jiraiya eagerly reached for it with their chopsticks.

They dipped it in sauce, gave it a couple quick blows, and shoved it into their mouths. Then they hissed and sputtered at the heat, making Tsunade chuckle at their ridiculous expressions.

Minato watched quietly, a faint smile on his lips.

Suddenly, a piece of barbecue was placed on his plate. Minato turned to look at Tsunade, who smiled gently. "What are you thinking about?"

Minato shook his head. "Nothing. I just feel like it's been a long time since things were this lively around me."

"I see..."

A soft, fair hand gently rested on Minato's head. Tsunade's gaze was tender. "It'll always be like this from now on."

Minato nodded and smiled.

His smile was as warm and sunny as before, but Tsunade still sensed something different about it.

More genuine, and more tender...

"Oh?"

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows and grinned.

Orochimaru wore a faint smile. There was less of his usual coldness in it, and a touch more warmth.

Ever since he'd first met Minato, Orochimaru had felt as though he was looking at his former self.

Handsome, exceptional, and with a heart as elusive as a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water.

But now, it seemed that while the two of them were similar, they were not the same.

Minato not only had even greater talent, but also seemed to possess qualities in certain respects that were entirely different from Orochimaru's.

That made Orochimaru even more curious about Minato's future, and filled him with anticipation...