Orochimaru: Can You Cut Off My Head?

Thump!

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

The dull thud echoed through the sealed room.

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

"Are you an idiot?"

Tsunade glared at him.

"I've learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. I can teach you once we're outside. Why waste a pick on the same thing?"

The room fell silent for a second.

Jiraiya's hand froze against his head. His eyes widened bit by bit.

"We can do that?!"

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched twice.

This girl was working out how to squeeze extra value out of the Hokage Building right in front of the Hokage?

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

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

He would pretend he had seen and heard nothing.

That reaction was as good as permission.

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

As long as she kept away from those extreme Forbidden Jutsu that defied life and death,

he could let it slide.

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 through Orochimaru's eyes.

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

His pale face wore an utterly sincere expression.

"Jiraiya," Orochimaru said in a low, raspy voice, "I suggest you choose Fivefold Rashomon."

Jiraiya shot him a suspicious sidelong glance.

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

Orochimaru continued his solemn analysis. "It could greatly improve your chances of survival."

Jiraiya curled his lip.

He might look like an idiot most of the time, but he wasn't actually stupid.

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

"That's right. I do."

Orochimaru nodded frankly, making no attempt to hide it.

Then he dangled his bait.

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

His golden slit-pupiled eyes were earnest. He even began painting Jiraiya a rosy future.

He whispered enticingly:

"Think about it. Eight heads, eight fields of vision, a complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view."

"Next time you spy on the women's bathhouse, you won't miss a single detail. Your efficiency will go up eightfold."

The temperature in the sealed room seemed to drop eight degrees.

An image sprang unbidden into Jiraiya's mind.

A snake covered from head to tail in white toad-like bumps.

With eight white-haired human heads, it sprawled across the wall of Konoha's women's bathhouse, drooling like mad.

The image was... far too vivid.

Jiraiya shuddered violently, goosebumps rising all over his body.

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 going with Tsunade's choice! Dragon Flame Song!"

A flicker of unmistakable 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.

Watching Orochimaru's plan fail, Tsunade let the faintest smile touch her lips.

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

At this point, Jiraiya was still a long way from developing the Rasengan.

His ninjutsu had plenty of power, but it took too long to prepare.

He lacked a truly fast, instantly unleashed finishing move with explosive force.

Dragon Flame Song was different.

It unleashed four dragon-shaped streams of fire in a single breath.

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

Its raw power might not be exceptional.

But it struck incredibly fast and excelled at breaking through defenses.

It filled the biggest gap in Jiraiya's arsenal.

Most importantly, once he unlocked Sage Mode in the future,

Senjutsu Chakra would multiply the technique's destructive power many times over.

When they reached the Land of Whirlpools, he would be a top-tier source of suppressive fire.

That was right!

She was taking them to the Land of Whirlpools!

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

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

The battle that would wipe out the Land of Whirlpools was no minor local clash.

It was a coordinated slaughter aimed at the Uzumaki's immense vitality and Sealing Jutsu.

The ninja villages involved, the troops they committed, the schemes laid in secret—

together, they formed a terrifying meat grinder.

It was a war of annihilation!

She was strong, and she would grow stronger.

But take on several great nations by herself?

What a joke.

If she got dragged into an endless battle of attrition, the moment her Chakra ran dry

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

Only an idiot would choose a path that could get her killed at any moment.

She had two exceptionally gifted fighters right beside her, both destined to reach the peak of the Shinobi World.

She would be a fool not to use them!

She had to bind Orochimaru and Jiraiya to her cause, come what may!

She needed to turn them into monsters capable of changing the course of a battle on that scale.

They were strong now, but nowhere near strong enough.

They needed a drastic push.

She had to force them past their limits.

Letting them study Forbidden Jutsu 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 its formulas bit by bit.

The fervor he held in check was almost palpable.

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

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

Now he had obtained the key to immortality years ahead of time.

What outlandish theories would that twisted mind come up with?

Matter reconstruction?

Cellular regeneration?

Fusing Hashirama Cells?

Or would he create some absurd mutant snake?

Tsunade couldn't wait to find out.

In fact, she didn't mind at all.

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

And if Orochimaru eventually slipped beyond her control?

He could answer to her fists when the time came!

The three had made their choices.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tossed each of them a small, hand-copied scroll.

Then he closed the enormous Book of Seals with a heavy thud.

The rattle of thick chains echoed through the basement.

"You must memorize what's written on those copies. The originals cannot leave this building. Every copy must be destroyed tonight."

Orochimaru held his scroll.

His fingers rubbed its edge with nervous intensity.

Time passed, bit by bit.

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

"Jiraiya."

Excitement had tightened Orochimaru's voice.

"What?"

Jiraiya looked up impatiently from Dragon Flame Song.

Orochimaru raised a 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 the nerves reconnect after my head is physically severed."

Orochimaru extended his invitation with utter seriousness.

"Would you cut off my head?"