You can scream if it hurts

"That yellow-haired brat, what was his name again?"

"Minato Namikaze."

The Third Hokage had failed to arrive at the battlefield at the agreed-upon time, so Jiraiya and the others went to rendezvous with him, chatting along the way.

Jiraiya laughed, "I noticed that kid a long time ago. He has astonishing reflexes and a rare talent for spatial perception."

"I specifically begged the old man to let him try touching that technique. Once the war is over, I'm going to teach him properly."

"I have a premonition—Minato will definitely be able to catch up to Kaminazuki!"

"Heh."

Orochimaru smiled with a hint of disdain, "Forget it, that's impossible."

"What do you mean by that, Orochimaru! Minato is a true genius. That technique we couldn't even begin to understand, he..."

"I'm not doubting his potential," Orochimaru said indifferently. "I'm simply looking down on your teaching ability."

"That's even more insulting! You weren't like this before!"

Selecting disciples was a mandatory task given to them by the Third Hokage; Sarutobi Hiruzen took the inheritance of the Will of Fire very seriously.

Whenever they returned to the village, they would stroll through the Ninja Academy to scout for promising talent.

Tsunade didn't have much interest in this, nor did she take Sarutobi Hiruzen's instructions very seriously.

The candidate she favored most in her heart was Uzumaki Kushina; she had both the personality and the talent, and in terms of kinship, she was her distant younger sister.

Unfortunately... her status as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki meant she could not receive standard instruction and could not leave the village at will.

With no one at home, Kushina wouldn't be lonely, would she...

Lost in thought, Tsunade turned her head and said to Orochimaru, "Don't just focus on that stuck-up Uchiha brat; put some effort into teaching Nawaki too. That guy hasn't even learned the Shadow Clone yet!"

Orochimaru smiled faintly, "Everyone's talent is different. Nawaki isn't used to such a rushed pace; let's take it slow."

"When Jiraiya was his age, he was even worse."

"Orochimaru, I'm starting to hate you more and more!!"

"Is that so? That's great."

Whoosh--!!

A blinding white light in the distance made the group stop in their tracks, their faces filled with shock.

"That is..."

--

--

The dense jungle was gone, replaced by a massive, sunken, yellowish-brown rock bed with a crater rim rising around it.

On the crater rim were several cylindrical deep pits over ten meters in diameter, their edges so smooth they looked as if they had been cut by the most precise blade; even the texture of the rock was clearly visible.

Ōnoki stood at the high point of the crater, leaning on a rock with one hand and panting, his Tsuchikage robe in tatters.

Blood seeped from the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, dripping onto the rock surface—which was scorching hot from the intense fire—and sizzling upon contact.

On the other side of the crater, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat slumped against his Adamantine Staff, his chest heaving violently.

His black combat suit was damaged from the battle, revealing a sturdy torso covered in dense scars, sweat sliding down the crisscrossing marks.

"Ugh--"

Ōnoki gritted his teeth and let out a muffled groan, pressing a hand to his waist.

That shameless Sarutobi Hiruzen had actually used that black staff to jab him in the kidney, hitting an old injury and worsening his condition.

It was a wound left behind from his battle with Madara Uchiha, one that had yet to fully heal even now.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, "If it hurts that much, you can scream. Don't hold it in."

"None of your business! You say that as if you were the one who did it; this is an old wound from when I fought Madara Uchiha for an entire night!"

"You can say that to the next generation if you want, but don't we both know the truth?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long breath and stood up, grinning, "Facing a person like that, just surviving is impressive enough."

Ōnoki's expression softened slightly, and he snorted, "You're far worse than the First Hokage!"

"How could I ever compare myself to Lord First?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped his Adamantine Staff and spoke slowly, "However... bearing the name of Hokage, I have things I must do as well..."

"Ōnoki, I will never let you step foot into the Land of Fire!"

Ōnoki's brows furrowed slightly.

When it came to ninja strength, the two were evenly matched; perhaps only a fight to the death could determine who was superior.

He possessed a lethal weapon like Dust Release, and although it had been dodged many times, as long as he kept up the attrition, he had a chance of victory.

But the greater probability was that he would end up like Lord Mu and that brain-dead Second Mizukage, perishing together.

He did not possess the same resolve as Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Ōnoki was the invader, here to plunder, which was different from Sarutobi Hiruzen, who stood as the defender.

In a battle between powerhouses, the role of willpower is magnified infinitely; a moment of hesitation can lead to a fatal situation.

Having fought until now, Ōnoki had already developed thoughts of retreating, but his inner pride prevented him from making the decision easily.

When he followed the First Tsuchikage to attend the Five Kage Summit, this little monkey didn't even know where to play with mud...

Just at this moment—

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!!"

As the roar erupted, Ōnoki jerked his head to the side, dodging the swarm of snakes sweeping toward him.

He hovered in the air, feeling a sense of alarm in his heart.

From the moment he sensed danger to the appearance of the snake hands, how could the speed be so fast!

If he hadn't heard the voice...

Looking at the three who had appeared, his gaze fell upon Orochimaru, and he sneered, "Who taught you to shout out your ninjutsu? Are you a child?"

Orochimaru did not answer.

Although speaking the ninjutsu aloud served as a warning to the opponent, after many attempts, he found that this practice of adding "incantations" did indeed slightly increase the speed and power of the technique.

It should be the influence of spiritual energy, accelerating the flow of Chakra. There was a very small probability it could also serve as a deterrent; overall, the pros outweighed the cons.

He would not be foolish enough to tell an enemy such important intelligence.

"Old man, to be beaten so miserably, you really are useless."

Tsunade appeared behind Sarutobi Hiruzen, her mouth unforgiving, while her hands were honest as she pressed them against his back to perform the Mystical Palm Technique.

"The opponent is the famous Third Tsuchikage, and he didn't have it easy either." Jiraiya rubbed his hands together, "A long-lost team-up between master and students..."

Very well, there was an exit strategy.

Ōnoki slowly ascended to create distance, and the four did not dare to relax in the slightest.

Signaling for Tsunade to let go, Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly, "There is no need to speak of the power of Dust Release; you must absolutely not be hit!"

"You have no means of flight; I will use the Adamantine Staff to close the distance, cover me!"

Ninjas never had an obligation to fight one-on-one. The reason the ninjas on both sides hadn't approached earlier was because coming would only cause chaos.

Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were not ordinary Jonin; with their addition, Sarutobi Hiruzen was fully confident he could defeat Ōnoki!

Just as he prepared to mount his staff and ascend, Ōnoki's voice drifted down from the sky, growing fainter.

"I have no interest in playing with children; let us decide the victor next time, Hokage..."

Ōnoki flew away.

"This..." Jiraiya's face was full of indignation, "Even for the Tsuchikage, saying something like that is looking down on people too much!!"

Having been belittled by Orochimaru all the way, and now being belittled by his opponent, Jiraiya was very angry.

"Fool."

Orochimaru said softly, too lazy to explain.

Isn't it obvious that he saw the situation was unfavorable and retreated? He just threw out a harsh word before leaving; only a guy like you would take it seriously.

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh, took a pipe from his tattered ninja tool pouch, and lit it.

He took a fierce puff to recover his strength, and after a moment, he said.

"These guys are all unwilling to stay quiet... Danzo is holding off Kumogakure, and I have to guard against Ōnoki; the Land of Rain can only rely on you."

"When necessary, Orochimaru, you may act as the temporary commander of the battlefield."

"By the way, is Kaminazuki not with you?"

Orochimaru paused for a few seconds and gave a wry smile, "Teacher Hiruzen, didn't you promise him that you wouldn't let Mikoto go to the battlefield? He is very angry right now."

"He saw Mikoto in the Land of Rain?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed tightly, "How could that be? That kid asked me with such politeness for the first time, and I have always kept it in mind."

"And... Kaminazuki is the only Uchiha acting alone. Even if Mikoto really went to the battlefield, she would be with the Uchiha troops in the east!"

Orochimaru's pupils shrank violently.

"Not good!!"