Orochimaru leaned against a wooden post, his golden slit pupils gleaming coldly in the faint morning light.
The Sealing Jutsu scroll in his hand had long since been closed. He looked languid yet dangerous.
Opposite him, Maki, Nawaki, and Nonō stood ready.
"Today's training is very simple."
Orochimaru casually set the scroll atop the post. A small gray-scaled snake slid out of his sleeve and coiled around his wrist.
Its slender tongue flickered constantly, its soft hisses particularly clear in the quiet, open Training Ground.
"There are no restrictions. Ninjutsu, tactics, tricks-use everything you have."
"If I haven't knocked all of you down within fifteen minutes, you pass. If you fail, all of you will do fifty laps of frog jumps around the Training Ground."
Nawaki quietly swallowed, then leaned toward the other two and muttered under his breath.
"It's Orochimaru against the three of us. What's there to fear? We've got an expert who beat Hanzō!"
"Four of us fought him together, and he had us on the back foot the entire time," Maki corrected him on the spot, his tone calm.
"Besides, Orochimaru was there the whole time. He knows every one of our weaknesses, openings, and fighting habits."
"Nonō, keep your distance throughout the fight. Your Medical Ninjutsu won't be any use at close range."
"Nawaki, get your Earth Flowing Wall up faster. Don't wait for him to attack before defending. Orochimaru is faster than you think."
"I don't need you to remind me!"
Nawaki talked tough, but his hands didn't slow for a moment. He completed his hand seals in an instant.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
A thick, sturdy earthen wall rose from the ground, standing firmly in front of the two boys.
The wall was perfectly straight and even, without the slightest tilt-a textbook defense