The Daily Lives of Friends

Walking with Orochimaru toward Training Ground 77, Xian Yu felt a little awkward, while Orochimaru's cheeks were flushed.

If they had been a boy and a girl, anyone who saw them would probably have wondered whether the little boy in front had done something to the little girl behind him.

"Actually..." Orochimaru began, then continued, "If it's you, Xian Yu... even if you saw... that, I don't mind. Please don't worry about it."

Xian Yu let out a breath of relief and finally smiled. "You should've said so sooner. You had me on edge for ages... I mean, I snooped through your diary and got caught red-handed. Then you kept quiet, so I thought I'd made you mad."

"I'm sorry... I didn't realize I was making you uncomfortable." Orochimaru looked apologetic. He'd only fallen silent because he'd been startled and hadn't known how to react.

Just imagine it from his perspective. It was as if you'd written in your diary that, out of childhood curiosity, you'd licked dog shit... and even described how it tasted. Your best friend had also seen all your values and outlook on life. But you liked that friend too much to be angry. Instead, you were a little afraid they'd look down on you now.

That was more or less how Orochimaru felt at the moment.

"Heh, Orochimaru, you're really considerate. I actually understand you very well. I've been through a lot of the same things you have. Really." Now that they'd cleared the air, Xian Yu stopped holding back. In his previous life, he really had gone through some of the same experiences as Orochimaru. But he couldn't exactly tell him he'd been reincarnated, so this was the best he could say.

Orochimaru was clearly taken aback, unable to understand. He knew Xian Yu's family background, so why did he sound as if they'd both suffered the same misfortune? After studying Xian Yu's eyes and expression, he confirmed that Xian Yu wasn't just saying it to comfort him. Then he nodded. "Thank you."

He really was grateful. The main reason people avoided getting too personal too soon was that some friends who seemed to get along well might part ways the moment you revealed too many of your personal beliefs and values, and they clashed with theirs.

And clearly, Xian Yu snooping through his diary was even worse than seeing him completely naked. But if the other person accepted him anyway, then they could have a deeper conversation.

For example: How many times did you wet the bed as a kid? Have you ever liked a girl? What kind of girl do you like? What do you think of me? Ahem! Of course, not that sort of thing!

Rather, they could talk about things like what they thought life was all about, learn from each other's strengths, point out each other's flaws, and help each other improve—so they could live happier, brighter lives.

Before long, the two arrived at the training ground. Two figures were already working out.

"One thousand three hundred and twenty-one. Hey, Xian Yu, Orochimaru, you're here. One thousand three hundred and twenty-seven." Might Duy was wearing several times more weights than before. His strength seemed to have improved quite a bit lately.

"Xian Yu, Orochimaru, what took you so long? Duy and I are almost done with today's routine." Jiraiya was sweating profusely as he did weighted squats. He was wearing less than half the weight Duy was.

With Xian Yu around, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were both much stronger than they'd been at the same point in the original story. Orochimaru now had the combat ability of a top-tier Genin. That meant combat ability, not overall strength.

In other words, even without much mission experience or many real battles to the death, he could still hold his own against an experienced Genin.

Tsunade was about as strong as Orochimaru. She already had the best conditions for training, and with all her teammates striving to improve, the atmosphere had spurred her on too. She was also much stronger than her counterpart at the same point in the original story.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, lagged behind. He only had the combat ability of an ordinary Genin, though he was still a rank stronger than his counterpart at the same point in the original story.

With just a little more mission experience and real combat experience, he'd be able to fight like an experienced Genin.

After all, he was the weakest of the Sannin in the original story. To be honest, Jiraiya's talent couldn't match Orochimaru's or Tsunade's. It wasn't until he received the Toad Sage's summoning and went to Mount Myōboku that he had the crucial opportunity to rapidly improve, catch up to Orochimaru and Tsunade, and even start to surpass them.

As for Might Duy, it was hard to say how strong he was with the Eight Gates open. But during normal training, his Taijutsu alone let him go toe-to-toe with Jiraiya.

Still, when he sparred with Hatake Sakumo, he got thrashed. He just put up a much better fight than before.

Hatake Sakumo was probably about as strong as Orochimaru and Tsunade. Even if he was a little stronger, the difference was small. His strength probably wasn't far from what it was in the original story.

After all, Sakumo himself was a very hard worker, unlike Tsunade.

"Heh, here, one for each of you. You can use these to contact one another, but only within the village. They won't work outside it." Xian Yu took the pack off his back, unzipped it, and pulled out three brick phones.

"Huh? What's this?" Jiraiya was clearly curious. He picked up the Brick Phone and fiddled with it nonstop.

"Hmm... My number is 111, Tsunade's is 120, Orochimaru's is 113, Hiruko's is 112, Jiraiya, yours is 115, and Might Duy's is 116. Enter the number using the keypad, then press this button to call. Like this." Xian Yu gave his friends their numbers, called Jiraiya right then and there, and explained how to use the phones in detail.

"Why is Tsunade's number different from ours? Xian Yu, do you like Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked as if it were just a casual question, without a care in the world.

Orochimaru also turned to look at him.

"Hiruko picked the numbers at random. Go ask him. That's pretty much it. I'm going to start my routine." Xian Yu began putting on his weights, then climbed onto a wooden post to do push-ups.

Xian Yu had now reached the level of a newly promoted Chunin. With several powerful Wind Release techniques, he could even go toe-to-toe with an experienced Chunin. Against an ordinary Chunin like Black Wind, he could take him down with only minor injuries—or even without being hurt. Of course, that depended on whether his opponent had some way to escape or save his own life. With Spirit Rice helping him lately, Xian Yu had been working even harder.

"What's this Fruit Slot Machine?" Might Duy had been fiddling with the Brick Phone ever since he'd gotten it, like a kid with a new toy. Now he finally asked.

As he worked out, Xian Yu answered, "Tap it, then look in the top-right corner for a question mark. There's a detailed explanation of how to play."

Meanwhile, Tsunade had once again lost all her coins.

She didn't go to Xian Yu again. Instead, she called Hiruko at 112.

"Brr... brr... brr..."

"Hello... who is it?" The Brick Phone rang for a while before Hiruko finally answered.

"It's Tsunade. Hiruko, there's something wrong with your Fruit Machine!" Tsunade said solemnly.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Xian Yu just gave me eleven thousand coins—the recharge card with serial number 1–11. He begged me to test whether it had that... bug or whatever, so, because of our friendship, I reluctantly agreed. I'd only played a few rounds when all my coins suddenly disappeared. It must've triggered that bug. Hurry up and send me a few more recharge cards..."