Orochimaru had appeared behind Tetsuya at some point, his hands transforming into several large white snakes that lunged to bite him.
Tetsuya dodged, but one of the white snakes twisted around and sank its teeth into the Scroll of Seals strapped to his back.
"Got it!"
Orochimaru yanked hard, pulling the Scroll of Seals straight back to him.
Seeing the Scroll of Seals in Orochimaru's hands, Tetsuya could not help letting out a sigh of admiration.
"As expected of the smartest of the Sannin. Were you after the Scroll of Seals from the very beginning?"
"Heh, you've held a clear advantage over that idiot Jiraiya for several exchanges. I didn't think a sneak attack would work on you, so retrieving what belongs to Konoha was enough."
Orochimaru chuckled twice in his distinctive voice, then summoned a snake as thick as an arm. It swallowed the Scroll of Seals and burrowed underground.
"Is that so? But don't you think I might do something rather crazy now that I don't have the Scroll of Seals?"
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
"You don't seem like that kind of person. You may be wearing that idiot Jiraiya's face, but I know you're no madman."
"Hey, Orochimaru, what's that supposed to mean? Why are you calling me an idiot in front of an enemy? And are you saying I'm a madman?"
"Shut up, idiot Jiraiya."
Tsunade arrived on the battlefield as well, bringing the Sannin together once more. The last time the three had assembled, they had confronted Hanzo of the Salamander head-on and made their names known throughout the shinobi world. This time, they faced an enemy whose identity was unknown.
Many Konoha ninjas arrived alongside Tsunade. Seeing all three Sannin present, they realized that the village's intruder was probably