First Meeting with Orochimaru, Jiraiya

"I'm full, let's go."

Shin wiped his mouth, then wiped Kushina's as well. Kushina couldn't help but smile triumphantly, casting a provocative glance toward Uchiha Mikoto.

Uchiha Mikoto didn't seem to mind Kushina's provocative look; instead, she offered a gentle smile in return, leaving Kushina feeling stifled. It seemed she didn't care about the provocation at all.

Moreover, after spending time together, Uchiha Mikoto's gentle personality made it difficult for Kushina to continue showing hostility toward her.

"Wait."

Just as Shin and the others were about to leave the ramen shop, the Uchiha Clan ninja called out to stop them.

Shin frowned slightly and turned his head to look at the man.

Although he had just copied the Sharingan's ocular power from him, allowing his own one-tomoe Sharingan to skip the two-tomoe stage and evolve directly into a three-tomoe Sharingan, Shin had no fondness for this guy.

Because this guy acted as if he were the center of the universe, and no one would have a good impression of someone like that.

"You're from the Uchiha Clan, right? Why are you walking with someone from the Senju Clan?"

The Uchiha Clan ninja questioned Uchiha Mikoto.

Uchiha Mikoto kept her head down, saying nothing, her face turning slightly pale.

Seeing Uchiha Mikoto like this, Kushina immediately felt annoyed with the Uchiha Clan ninja and couldn't help but say, "What does that have to do with you?"

Kushina was also exceptionally displeased with this Uchiha Clan ninja.

"What did you say?"

The Uchiha Clan ninja stood up, his blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan fixed on Kushina, causing her to hide behind Shin in fear.

He was a Jonin who had killed many people, and he carried a thick aura of slaughter. Now, with his Sharingan activated and a murderous expression on his face, his killing intent was truly terrifying.

If Kushina hadn't experienced the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan and seen major events, she might have been scared senseless.

Cold light flickered in Shin's eyes. Sometimes, to hide his strength, he could endure.

But there were times when he couldn't, or he would be too spineless.

Just as Shin prepared to make a move, a voice very familiar to him drifted over.

"Little Shin, little Kushina, and Nawaki, what are you doing here?" Tsunade walked over, and standing beside her were two others.

With a pale face and an icy aura radiating from his body, like a venomous snake hiding in the darkness, this was Tsunade's teammate, Orochimaru.

The other one, with white hair and two red markings under his eyes, was Jiraiya.

"A conflict?"

Tsunade noticed the Uchiha Clan ninja standing to the side with his three-tomoe Sharingan activated and a murderous look on his face.

"A Jonin intimidating children? You're really bringing honor to the Uchiha Clan. What's your name?" Tsunade asked coldly.

Seeing Tsunade, the Uchiha Clan ninja felt extremely awkward. Seeing her cold gaze fixed on him, his heart faltered.

"I... I am Uchiha Ryota."

He knew Tsunade. How could a Konoha ninja not know her? He could be arrogant in front of others, but he truly didn't dare to be in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade didn't fear the Uchiha Clan, and the key was that she actually dared to strike. If she beat him into a serious injury with one punch, even the head of the Uchiha Clan would be helpless.

So, how could he not back down? If he didn't, he would end up in the hospital.

The point was that as Konoha's top medical ninja, Tsunade had immense prestige at the Konoha Hospital. If he ended up there, all Tsunade had to do was give an order, and he would never be able to leave.

"Get lost. If you dare to provoke them again, I'll cripple you," Tsunade said coldly.

Uchiha Ryota slunk away. Even if he was a genius of the Uchiha Clan, the clan wouldn't offend Tsunade for his sake.

Mainly because Tsunade was the disciple of the Third Hokage; offending her was equivalent to offending the Third Hokage. If the Third Hokage caught them in a trap, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have a good outcome.

The current Third Hokage was not the weak, senile old man of the future; he was still quite formidable.

"Kushina, are you okay?" Shin asked.

Kushina shook her head. Because Shin was by her side, she wasn't that afraid.

"When there's a chance later, I'll dig a hole and bury him."

Shin watched Uchiha Ryota's retreating back, his eyes as if looking at a dead man.

If this weren't Konoha, his corpse would already be ready for burial.

Shin didn't believe his strength wasn't enough to kill a Uchiha Clan Jonin. He wasn't confident against an elite Jonin, but a regular Jonin? Shin was confident.

"Pfft, hahahaha, what did you just say, kid?" Jiraiya laughed as he looked at Shin.

Shin looked at Jiraiya, smiled faintly, and said, "I said when there's a chance, I'll dig a hole and bury you."

Jiraiya's face turned awkward.

"Big sister, thank goodness you came just now, otherwise it would have been trouble," Nawaki said with a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault," Uchiha Mikoto apologized, blaming herself.

"It has nothing to do with you, Mikoto. It's just that guy who likes to meddle in other people's business with that punchable face. If I could beat him, I would definitely land a heavy blow right on his face," Kushina said, patting Mikoto on the shoulder.

Shin glanced at Kushina, then looked at Mikoto again. When did Kushina and Mikoto become so close?

Wasn't Kushina full of hostility toward Mikoto before?

In truth, Kushina had seen Mikoto's fragile appearance earlier and felt a surge of sympathy, causing her hostility toward Mikoto to vanish.

"Are you from the Uchiha clan?" Tsunade asked, looking at Mikoto.

"Y-yes, I am."

Mikoto looked at Tsunade, feeling somewhat nervous.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you. But you really are different from the other Uchiha clansmen." Tsunade observed Mikoto, unable to find a trace of the Uchiha clan's arrogance in her.

One had to know that members of the Uchiha clan, regardless of age or gender, were basically full of arrogance or wore an insufferably cocky expression.

They were a typical "Dragon Overlord" family that loved to stir up hatred everywhere they went.

Tsunade had a good impression of Mikoto and did not hold any negative views toward her just because she was from the Uchiha clan.

"Let me introduce you. This is my teammate Orochimaru, and the dead weight, Jiraiya."

Tsunade pointed at Orochimaru and Jiraiya as she introduced them.

Shin looked at the two of them. In fact, he had recognized them the moment he saw them, as these two were far too iconic.

"Dead weight? Are you referring to me?" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, feeling depressed. How was he a dead weight?

Orochimaru remained silent, though his gaze was fixed on Shin.

Shin also looked toward this scientist, noticing that Orochimaru had been staring at him the whole time. What was going on? Could it be that Orochimaru had already embarked on the path of researching scientific truths? And had he set his sights on him?

Impossible, impossible. At this point in time, Orochimaru certainly hadn't started his research yet.

But why was Orochimaru staring at him?

Being stared at by Orochimaru made Shin feel quite uncomfortable, as if he were being targeted by a snake.

"Interesting." Orochimaru suddenly offered a faint smile toward Shin.

Shin furrowed his brows slightly. Orochimaru smiling at him—this probably wasn't a good sign.