What? Tsunade, Completely Unexpected.

"You idiot Jiraiya, hearing you say that finally puts my mind at ease."

Lin Zi rolled his eyes and licked his lips with his tongue.

"Even someone as dense as you should have figured it out by now, right? This Seat has absolutely nothing to do with that snake you all know."

Jiraiya was stunned. "Not the Orochimaru from our world... what is that supposed to mean?"

Lin Zi did not answer immediately.

He tilted his head, his golden slit pupils crossing Jiraiya's shoulder to look toward the distant direction of Konoha, his tongue flickering in the air as if catching a scent.

"It means exactly that."

He withdrew his gaze, shot Jiraiya a meaningful smile, and then pointed at his own chest. "I am merely a traveling wanderer, entrusted by someone to come and find an old hag."

After the two exchanged words for a long while, Jiraiya finally grasped the situation.

Jiraiya plopped down onto the ground and looked up at the sky. "So, after all that, you really did fall in from another world?"

Lin Zi sat on the grass nearby, looking at Jiraiya with a speechless expression. "What else? If I were that snake you know, that Big Ball Rasengan from just now would have already dismantled you into spare parts."

"Then why did you tell me to confess my crimes? You even put on that look of heartbroken disappointment."

"Hahahahahaha, Jiraiya, don't dwell on such trifles."

Lin Zi's expression betrayed a stifled laugh, looking much like someone suffering from constipation.

"After all, I couldn't be entirely sure at first, so just consider it a minor detail we can skip over."

"Orochimaru, you really are..."

Jiraiya then looked up at the three toads.

"Sage Fukasaku, Sage Shima, and Gamabunta," he bowed with rare seriousness, "thank you for your help this time."

The mountain-like Gamabunta lowered his head, his copper-bell eyes scanning back and forth between Jiraiya and the sprawled-out Lin Zi. He put his pipe back into his mouth and muttered vaguely, "...Are you sure? That guy's scent is even more sinister than the one from before."

Sage Fukasaku, perched on his shoulder, was so anxious he began to hop about, opening his mouth to speak: "Little Jiraiya, listen to me."

"Sage Fukasaku." Jiraiya raised his head, the unserious smile on his face fading, though his eyes shone with startling intensity. "I know what I am doing. Can you give me some trust?"

Fukasaku's words were choked off in his throat.

He looked down at the child he had watched grow up, then glanced at Lin Zi, who was lazily licking his lips on the grass, his golden slit pupils half-closed as he studied the sky. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

"...Fine." The old toad's voice was laced with helplessness. "You've been stubborn since you were a child. But remember, if that guy dares to turn on you, summon us immediately."

"I know, I know." Jiraiya returned to his usual grinning self and waved his hand.

Sage Shima poked her head out from the other shoulder and added, "And don't mention today's events at Mount Myoboku, lest the children have nightmares."

"Summoning: Release!"

Poof—

Three massive clouds of white smoke exploded simultaneously. Gamabunta's colossal form vanished first, followed quickly by the figures of Fukasaku and Shima dissolving into the mist.

The mountain breeze swept the white smoke away, leaving the grass clean, save for a few deep indentations.

Jiraiya stood where he was, looking at the empty clearing, before suddenly turning to Lin Zi with a grin. "Alright, the meddlesome old folks are gone. Shall we have a proper chat now?"

"Indeed. I must admit, seeing you like this still feels quite peculiar. Can you understand that?"

Jiraiya froze for two seconds before suddenly slapping his thigh and roaring with laughter. Lin Zi couldn't hold it back either, joining in with a chuckle.

Jiraiya laughed until tears almost came to his eyes, reaching out to clap a heavy hand on Lin Zi's shoulder. "Though I don't know what to call you, Orochimaru, you are much more interesting than the original."

"Screw you." Lin Zi pulled Jiraiya into a headlock, pressing his head against his own shoulder. "I think you're quite agreeable too, at least better than that dead-faced one from our side."

"What is the Jiraiya of your world actually like?" Jiraiya wiped the corner of his eye, his interest piqued.

Lin Zi held up a finger and shook it. "First, you have to promise to keep it a secret. Even though I feel like anyone could tell I'm not the original, I still have to go through the motions."

"No problem, Orochimaru! Tell me, tell me!"

Lin Zi sat cross-legged, a flicker of memory passing through his snake-like pupils. "The you in our world... is a rather gloomy fellow. He defected under the guise of researching mechanics, spending all his time holed up in a lab tinkering with iron contraptions."

"Mechanics? What kind of thing is that?" Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"I don't fully understand it either; it's probably something like the scientific ninja tools you have here."

Lin Zi shrugged. "Anyway, in my world, you're just a freak who deals with gears and steam in a room."

Jiraiya's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.

He looked down at his own calloused hands, then at Lin Zi's pale face, his voice suddenly dropping. "And in our world... you are still a bastard who toys with corpses and researches immortality."

The wind on the grass died down.

Jiraiya lowered his eyelids, his fingers unconsciously picking at the turf. "But I don't believe it. I think he just... took the wrong path."

"Jiraiya, you really have no backbone." Lin Zi nudged him with his elbow. "You should be like me, keep chasing forward. Whether it's the wrong path or the right one, just start running first."

"Screw you!" Jiraiya pushed him away, laughing and cursing. "Anyone has the right to say that to me, but you, a fake from another world, certainly don't!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the guy suddenly changed his expression.

The sentimental look from a moment ago vanished instantly, replaced by a lecherous expression as he raised his eyebrows high. "What about Tsunade? How is the Tsunade in your world?"

Lin Zi stroked his chin, feigning deep thought. "Tsunade, huh... That woman doesn't know what kind of bizarre ninjutsu she researched, but she's been stuck looking like she's twelve years old. She has absolutely no mature feminine charm. Even though she's gentle, she talks way too much. She runs to the medical department every single day, busy with work and nowhere to be seen."

"T-twelve years old?!"

"Yeah, twelve," Lin Zi nodded, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Flat as a board, and not even half my height."

Jiraiya gasped, as if something in his mind had just shattered.

He stood dazed for three seconds before suddenly slapping Lin Zi on the shoulder. "I can't even imagine it... So, what are you going to do now?"

"Didn't I just tell you?" Lin Zi rolled his eyes.

"I was entrusted by someone to find the Tsunade of this world. I originally thought I could pry some information out of you, but who knew you'd come at me with killing intent right from the start?"

"Then I'm coming with you!" Jiraiya jumped up, not even bothering to brush the dust off his clothes. "We'll find Tsunade, then head back to Konoha together! I, for one, want to see the look on everyone's faces when they see you."

Lin Zi looked up at him, the sunlight reflecting in his golden vertical pupils, and suddenly grinned. "Sure, that would be for the best."

He reached out his hand, and Jiraiya gripped it firmly, shaking their hands in the air.

"Jiraiya," Lin Zi said, "the you of this world is actually pretty decent."

Jiraiya laughed heartily and pulled Lin Zi up from the ground. "Stop being so mushy, Spirit Snake Sage! Let's get moving!"