Shocking: Orochimaru Was Actually a Dead Last!

Tsunade, who had been lying on her desk wrestling with her bangs, glanced at Hoshi and nodded without much hesitation. The Ninja Academy did not belong exclusively to the Senju Clan, and besides, Tsunade was not some aloof person.

Other than a seat as close as being desk mates, positions like the desks in front or behind did not really matter, as long as the person was not someone she disliked.

After getting her permission, Hoshi sat down, arranged his things, and quietly looked out the window. He did not take the initiative to strike up a conversation with Tsunade. He only planned to become friends with the Sannin, not prey on little girls. There was no need to launch an offensive in such a rush.

Besides, long-term campus life was different from chatting someone up on the street. Since they would see each other every day at school, there was no need to rush.

Forcing a conversation might even lower the other person's first impression of you. That was a very unwise choice.

He could simply wait for a topic that interested them both, then use it as an opening to bring them closer.

One after another, the students entered and chose their seats. Tsunade's desk mate was a girl named Kazematsuri Ayako.

The two of them had stayed together throughout the Placement Assessment. From Hoshi's observations, there seemed to be a faint master-servant dynamic between them.

Combined with Kazematsuri Moegi from Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, who could use Wood Release, Hoshi felt that there had to be some hidden story behind this.

Just as Hoshi was speculating about the relationship between the Kazematsuri family and the Senju Clan, a loud, careless voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, Hoshi, what are you thinking about over there?"

Jiraiya's booming voice startled Hoshi. Coming back to himself, he replied irritably, "Why are you yelling so damn loudly?"

Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly and gave a Naruto-like foolish grin. "Hehe, I saw you didn't have a desk mate, so I came to keep you company."

The truth was that most of the clan kids in the class looked down on him, and he had no interest in dealing with those stuck-up brats either. So other than Hoshi, he had nowhere else to go.

Hoshi did not expose him and simply continued chatting with Jiraiya on and off. As they talked, Hoshi suddenly realized that something was off.

He looked around the now-full classroom, then turned to Jiraiya. "During the Placement Assessment, did you hear the name Orochimaru?"

"Orochimaru? Never heard of him."

Jiraiya scratched his head in confusion, indicating that he had not heard the name.

Hearing that, Hoshi was confused too. That should not have been possible. If everyone had been ranked by their scores, there was no reason Orochimaru would not be here. Had the flap of his Butterfly Wings somehow blown Orochimaru away?

Or was he not in the Naruto World at all, but some other Parallel World? With that thought, he spoke again.

"You said you had underlings in Class B and Class C, right? After class, help me ask whether there's anyone named Orochimaru in their classes."

Jiraiya could not understand why Hoshi was so fixated on someone named Orochimaru, but he still patted his chest and promised, "Leave it to me. As long as this Orochimaru is in the Ninja Academy, I'll definitely find him for you."

Because he kept thinking about Orochimaru, Hoshi lost focus during the very first lesson of the school year. His mind was a mess as he thought about what he should do in the future if this world was not the Naruto World.

The moment class ended, Hoshi urged Jiraiya to ask around about Orochimaru. When Jiraiya returned, he said to Hoshi with a look of disdain, "You were in such a hurry to ask about Orochimaru that I thought he was some impressive character. Turns out he's just a Dead Last."

Hoshi was thoroughly stunned by that. If he remembered correctly, was that not the term Orochimaru used to describe Jiraiya? He hurriedly asked Jiraiya what exactly had happened.

Jiraiya shrugged. "I asked around Class B for ages and didn't hear anyone named Orochimaru. In the end, I only found out where he was from one of my underlings in Class C. Apparently, he's among the very bottom students in Class C. In the Placement Assessment, he and some guy named Might Duy came in last and second to last in Class C."

After hearing Jiraiya's words, Hoshi was dumbfounded. He repeatedly asked whether they might have run into someone with the same name. Jiraiya grew impatient and waved him off.

"Just come with me after school and see for yourself."

The instant the dismissal bell rang, Hoshi dragged Jiraiya to the entrance of Class C. The two pretended to be waiting for someone so they could secretly look inside. Hoshi spotted the figure sitting in the corner at a glance.

Black long hair, purple eyeshadow, and pale skin all confirmed that person's identity. That frail figure, who looked as though a gust of wind could blow him over, was Orochimaru.

Jiraiya nudged Hoshi from the side. "Want to go in for a closer look?"

Hoshi shook his head. "No need. Let's go."

In the nearly empty classroom, Orochimaru silently packed up his things alone. His face still bore wounds left behind by his opponent during the Placement Assessment.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he raised his head and looked toward the doorway. But outside the classroom were children hurrying home. Who would pay attention to an insignificant person like him?

Shaking his head, thinking he was probably overthinking things, Orochimaru slung his bag over his shoulder and hurried out of the classroom. What no one noticed was the deep unwillingness hidden beneath his lowered eyes.

At the school gates, Jiraiya was looking at Hoshi strangely.

"You've been asking about that Orochimaru all day. Why did you leave after taking one look when we got to his classroom? Don't tell me... you have a crush on him!"

Jiraiya jumped in front of Hoshi with an expression that said, "Aha, I've uncovered the key detail," and naturally received an irritated punch from Hoshi in return.

Seeing that Jiraiya was truly curious, Hoshi casually made something up. "Nothing. I just heard someone say he was a genius before, so I wanted to see for myself."

Jiraiya looked utterly unconvinced. "Give me a break. What genius would be in Class C?"

Hoshi instead wore a profound smile. "Maybe there'll be one soon enough. All right, let's go. I said I'd compensate you with a piece of clothing."

Now Jiraiya could no longer spare any thought for Orochimaru. He hurriedly waved his hands. "No need, I already said I don't blame you."

But Hoshi unusually grabbed Jiraiya and pulled him along. "Come on. If I say I'm compensating you with a piece of clothing, then I'm compensating you with one. After we buy it, we'll go eat ramen. Consider it a celebration of our first day knowing each other."

With that, he dragged Jiraiya toward Konoha's shopping district without another word.

They casually found a clothing store, and Hoshi pulled the reluctant Jiraiya inside. He picked out a garment in a similar color to the previous one, paid without giving him a chance to object, and left. As he stuffed the clothing into Jiraiya's arms, he took the opportunity to lean close and whisper, "Take it. Act natural and follow me. Someone's following us from behind."