Orochimaru: Can you cut off my head?

Thump!

Tsunade rapped Jiraiya's white-haired head with her knuckles.

The dull thud echoed through the chamber.

Jiraiya clutched his head, grimacing in pain, his face full of grievance.

"Are you an idiot?"

Tsunade shot him an exasperated glare.

"I've learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. I can teach it to you as soon as we leave. Why waste a pick on the same thing?"

Silence hung in the air for a second.

Jiraiya's hand froze against his head, and his eyes slowly widened.

"You can do that?!"

He whipped around and stared straight at Hiruzen Sarutobi across the table.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched twice.

This girl was plotting how to milk the Hokage Building right in front of the Hokage?

Did she think the Book of Seals was her family's market stall?

He gave a heavy snort and turned his back on the three troublemakers.

He would pretend he had seen and heard nothing.

That was as good as permission.

After all, she was the last remaining member of the Senju.

As long as she stayed away from those few extreme forbidden techniques that defied life and death,

he couldn't be bothered to make an issue of it.

Besides, even if he refused, Tsunade would teach Jiraiya the moment they left. Could he stop her?

He might as well be generous.

"So it really works?"

Seeing Hiruzen's reaction, Jiraiya broke into a wide grin and chuckled.

Beside him, a gleam flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

He edged half a step closer to Jiraiya and poked him in the side.

His pale face wore an expression of utter sincerity.

"Jiraiya," Orochimaru said, lowering his raspy voice, "I suggest you choose the Fivefold Rashomon."

Jiraiya gave him a suspicious sidelong glance.

"The Fivefold Rashomon is the ultimate defensive ninjutsu. It suits your reckless fighting style perfectly."

Orochimaru analyzed it with a straight face. "It would greatly improve your chances of survival."

Jiraiya curled his lip.

He might usually look like an idiot, but he wasn't actually stupid.

"Bullshit! You're the one who wants to learn it!"

"Yes, I do."

Orochimaru nodded frankly, making no attempt to hide it.

Then he dangled the bait.

"You can teach it to me. In exchange, I'll teach you the Eight Branches Technique."

Earnestness shone in Orochimaru's golden slit-pupiled eyes as he began painting Jiraiya a rosy future.

He tempted him in a low voice:

"Think about it. Eight heads, eight fields of vision, a full three hundred and sixty degrees with no blind spots."

"Next time you peep at the women's bathhouse, you won't have to worry about missing a single detail. Your efficiency will increase eightfold."

The temperature in the chamber seemed to drop eight degrees.

An image sprang unbidden into Jiraiya's mind.

A snake covered from head to tail in white toad warts.

Eight white-haired human heads rose from it as it sprawled over the wall of Konoha's women's bathhouse, drooling like mad.

The image... was too much.

Jiraiya shuddered violently, goose bumps rising all over him.

Get lost!

If I learned that, what pretty girl would ever let me near her again?

Go play with your snakes yourself!

You sick freak!

Jiraiya shoved Orochimaru away and shouted at Hiruzen Sarutobi's back.

"Old man! I'm listening to Tsunade! I choose Dragon Flame Song!"

A clear flash of disappointment crossed Orochimaru's eyes.

He shook his head and sighed.

What a shame.

I thought the lure of eight fields of vision would win that idiot over.

Tsunade watched Orochimaru's setback, the corners of her mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.

She hadn't told Jiraiya to choose that technique on a whim.

At this point, Jiraiya was nowhere near developing the Rasengan.

His ninjutsu hit hard enough, but it took too long to launch.

He lacked a truly fast-moving, high-burst killing move he could unleash in an instant.

Dragon Flame Song was different.

It let him breathe out four dragon-shaped streams of fire in one burst.

They sealed off every escape route: above, below, left, and right.

Its power might not be exceptional.

But it was blindingly fast and superb at breaking through defenses.

It filled the gap in Jiraiya's current arsenal perfectly.

More importantly, once he entered Sage Mode in the future,

Senjutsu Chakra would multiply the technique's killing power exponentially.

When they went to the Land of Whirlpools, he would become a top-tier source of suppressive fire.

That was right!

She was taking them to the Land of Whirlpools!

Ever since the first day Tsunade decided to save the Land of Whirlpools,

she had run through this plan countless times in her head.

The battle that wiped out the Land of Whirlpools was no minor local skirmish.

It was a joint operation to slaughter the Uzumaki for their tremendous vitality and Sealing Jutsu.

The ninja villages involved, the troops they committed, the plots hatched in secret—

all of it formed a horrifying meat grinder.

It was an outright war of annihilation!

She was strong, and she would grow stronger.

But take on several allied major nations by herself?

What a joke.

If she got dragged into an endless series of battles, the moment her Chakra ran dry

would be the moment she died alongside the Land of Whirlpools.

Only an idiot would choose to go it alone when it could get her killed at any moment.

Right beside her stood two prodigies destined to reach the pinnacle of the Shinobi World.

She would be a fool not to use them!

She had to bind Orochimaru and Jiraiya to her cause, with no way out!

She had to turn them into monsters capable of shaking a battlefield on that scale.

Strong as they were now, they were nowhere near ready.

They needed a heavy dose of pressure.

Push them to their limits.

Letting them get their hands on forbidden techniques early was the first step.

Tsunade turned her head.

Orochimaru was staring intently at the Eight Branches Technique on his scroll, his pale finger tracing slowly over the formula.

The feverish hunger he held in check had almost taken physical form in his eyes.

That was the look of a true research fanatic who had found treasure.

In the original timeline, Orochimaru hadn't fully mastered and used the Eight Branches Technique until much later.

Now he had received the key to the door of immortality many years ahead of time.

What unimaginable theories would that twisted mind of his come up with?

Matter reconstruction?

Cellular regeneration?

Fusing Hashirama Cells?

Or would he create some absurd mutant snake outright?

Tsunade looked forward to it.

She didn't mind in the slightest.

Once she unleashed this monster early on the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools, how many enemy throats could he tear out?

And if Orochimaru eventually slipped out of her control?

He could take that up with her fists when the time came!

The three finished choosing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tossed each of them a small scroll containing a handwritten copy.

Then he slammed the massive Book of Seals shut.

The clank of heavy chains echoed through the basement.

They had to memorize their copies. None could leave the building, and all had to be destroyed by tonight.

Orochimaru cradled his scroll.

His fingers rubbed at its edges with nervous intensity.

Time passed bit by bit.

Orochimaru slowly turned his head, his golden slit-pupiled eyes fixing on Jiraiya, who was still studying the hand signs.

"Jiraiya."

Excitement made Orochimaru's voice tight.

"What?"

Jiraiya looked up impatiently from his study of Dragon Flame Song.

Orochimaru raised one pale finger and tapped the artery in his neck.

"Once I've learned the basics of the Eight Branches Technique, I need to test how quickly my nerves reconnect after my head is physically severed."

With utter seriousness, Orochimaru made his request.

"Could you cut off my head?"