The Sannin's Attention

"Boom!"

The earth split open with crack after crack, and the civilians nearby scattered quickly. Jiraiya swallowed, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

Even Orochimaru, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"What did you say?" Tsunade glared furiously at Jiraiya.

The Sannin's Attention

Hearing the commotion, Hyuga Shin turned his head and looked at the spiderweb of cracks beneath Tsunade's feet. He sized it up. The damage had to be ten meters across!

"She's violent! If I took a hit like that, I'd be crippled for sure!" Hyuga Shin wiped at the nonexistent cold sweat on his face.

Although Hyuga Shin focused on training in Taijutsu and had a supreme training manual like the Six Powers, his age was a limiting factor. Taijutsu alone simply couldn't produce an attack that powerful.

Besides, Hyuga Shin knew Tsunade hadn't gone all out. He had no idea how strong she'd be if she did.

He shot Jiraiya a sympathetic glance and decided it would be best to slip away for now. He couldn't afford to provoke her yet. He'd deal with this once he grew stronger!

"Tsunade, that brat who mocked you is trying to run away."

Jiraiya, drenched in cold sweat under Tsunade's stare, shamelessly used Hyuga Shin as a scapegoat.

Hyuga Shin stopped in his tracks. If he could, he'd have loved to strangle Jiraiya right then.

"Hey, mister, when did I ever mock this beautiful lady? I was just wondering how someone as beautiful as her could be walking around with an ugly bastard like you."

Since Jiraiya had no shame, Hyuga Shin didn't hold back either. He knew Jiraiya well enough to know he wouldn't get angry.

At his words, Jiraiya turned ashen. "Mister" and "ugly bastard" echoed through his mind.

Tsunade burst out laughing.

Then she walked over to Hyuga Shin and pinched his cheek. "Whose kid are you? You sure know how to talk!"

Suppressing his irritation at having his cheek pinched, Hyuga Shin put on a cute expression and said, "I'm only telling the truth! You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, big sister."

Hyuga Shin wasn't lying about that. Tsunade might have a small chest right now, but she was undeniably gorgeous—the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in either of his lives.

"I love little kids like you who tell the truth!" Tsunade said happily.

Hyuga Shin was the first person ever to call her pretty. Even though Tsunade acted like a tomboy, what girl didn't like being told she was beautiful?

"Heh... hehehe..." Out of Tsunade's sight, Hyuga Shin's mouth twitched. She really wasn't humble at all!

Jiraiya recovered from his stunned silence and said indignantly, "Tsunade, don't let him fool you. That brat lies through his teeth. He's not honest at all."

He was only fourteen, and he was very unhappy about Hyuga Shin calling him a mister.

Besides, Jiraiya thought he looked pretty good. He wouldn't hold it against Hyuga Shin for calling him an ugly bastard, but it still bothered him.

"Oh? So, mister, you're saying I'm lying. Does that mean you think big sister isn't pretty?" Hyuga Shin asked with a smile.

Tsunade's delighted expression changed in an instant. Dark clouds gathered over her face as she stared coldly at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya met Tsunade's icy gaze and Hyuga Shin's smug look, and felt like crying.

He couldn't believe a little kid had just outsmarted him. For a moment, Jiraiya began to doubt his own intelligence.

After a long silence, the quiet, easily overlooked Orochimaru said coldly, "Idiot."

That insult was perfectly timed. Usually, when Orochimaru called him an idiot, Jiraiya would shout back. This time, he said nothing and fell silent.

Jiraiya was questioning his life and wondering if he really was an idiot. How else could he have lost to a kid?

"Jiraiya, stop playing dumb. What did you mean by what you just said?" Tsunade's hair floated up.

Jiraiya snapped out of it and saw Tsunade's fury. A bitter smile spread across his face.

"We have a mission tomorrow. Could you go easy on me?" Jiraiya swallowed and asked with difficulty.

"Hehe. What do you think?" Tsunade said with a cold smile.

"Big sister, just let this mister off the hook! He doesn't look like he's pretending to be dumb to me." Hyuga Shin walked over and tugged at Tsunade's arm.

Seeing Hyuga Shin speak up for him, Jiraiya looked grateful. Maybe this kid isn't so annoying after all, he thought.

But he reached that conclusion too soon. Before he could even thank him, Hyuga Shin's next words froze his expression.

"I think he's actually stupid, not pretending. His brain's out of credit. He should go top it up."

Tsunade burst out laughing again.

Hyuga Shin's words made her laugh, and she reached out to ruffle his hair.

This little guy's hair is so smooth. It feels nice to ruffle, Tsunade thought to herself.

Hyuga Shin felt a little annoyed. He'd acted cute and played up his age, and his body really was that of a four-year-old, but that didn't change the fact that he had the mind of an adult.

He hated having his head patted like that, even if it was a beautiful woman doing it.

"Heh, how interesting." Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Shin, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Tsunade's presence had just burst forth. Even an elite Genin would have trembled in fear, yet Hyuga Shin hadn't reacted at all. That caught the observant Orochimaru's attention.

Hyuga Shin had no idea that this incident had caught Orochimaru's attention.

Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. Orochimaru wasn't the same as he would be in the future.

Orochimaru wasn't exactly cheerful at this point, but he wasn't so gloomy either. He hadn't started his research yet, and he still felt a strong sense of belonging to the village.

Even if Orochimaru really did attack Hyuga Shin, he wouldn't be afraid. He couldn't beat Orochimaru, but Orochimaru wouldn't be able to take him down either.

With tears as thick as noodles streaming down his face, Jiraiya ran to a corner and drew circles. Hyuga Shin had clearly gotten to him.

"You were already ugly, and now you've turned into a toad." Hyuga Shin kept up his verbal assault as he watched Jiraiya.

"Hey! You brat! I challenge you to a duel!" Jiraiya sprang to his feet in anger.

"Hehe." Hyuga Shin gave a mocking laugh and looked at Jiraiya as if he were an idiot.

Tsunade and Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya the same way Hyuga Shin did.

"What's wrong with you all?" Jiraiya asked, bewildered.

"Idiot!"

"Picking a fight with a little kid? You're really making a name for yourself, Jiraiya." Tsunade glared at him.