Tsunade lowered her head, rarely offering no rebuttal.
Orochimaru remained expressionless, but the pen in his hand paused for a moment.
Hearing this, Jiraiya suddenly perked up.
He raised his hand. "Sensei! What about the second half? The part where I showed up!"
A ripple of quiet laughter went through the classroom.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him and nodded. "Yes, there's the second half as well."
He picked up the chalk again and drew a new diagram on the blackboard.
"In the latter half of the mission, Team 7 encountered an unexpected enemy—an expert possessed by an otherworldly being.
"This enemy's strength far exceeded the level anticipated for the mission."
His tone turned serious.
"In that situation, what was the correct course of action?
"Immediately retreat, contact headquarters, and wait for reinforcements.
"But the circumstances were unusual—they were trapped inside a sealed barrier and unable to withdraw.
"So they could only fight head-on."
He began explaining the course of that battle in detail.
"Tsunade and Orochimaru were the first to engage the enemy.
"Although the gap in strength was enormous, they bought time through cooperation.
"What deserves recognition here is that they kept looking for the enemy's weakness instead of blindly fighting head-on."
Tsunade lifted her chin slightly.
Orochimaru remained expressionless, but his hand stopped turning the page.
"Later, Jiraiya arrived."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the white-haired boy, who was now sitting perfectly straight.
"His arrival did indeed turn the tide. The Mount Myōboku toad he summoned bought them precious time."
Jiraiya's face lit up, and he practically floated with pride.
"Exactly!"
He could not help but speak up.
"I was the key man back then! I saved our three-man team from disaster!"
The surrounding students all looked at him. Some laughed, while others looked envious.
Tsunade rolled her eyes