Up on Hokage Rock, three-year-old Tsunade was tending a cow.
She rode on its back, watching white clouds drift in from afar. The big cow named Reserve Rations swished its tail, lowered its head to chew at the grass roots, and lazily swished its tail again. Life as a cow could hardly have been more comfortable.
"That one's cake, and that one's hot pot. Ugh, I'm so hungry..."
As little Tsunade watched, the clouds in the sky turned into one delicious dish after another in her eyes, making her drool on the spot.
She patted the big cow beneath her. Looking at all that sturdy beef, she was already plotting to turn Reserve Rations into an actual beef feast.
Unfortunately, this cow belonged to Shingetsu. If Tsunade dared stew it, Shingetsu would dare stew her and serve her up in a clay pot with rice!
"Tsunade, we're back!"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who were also three this year, ran up to Tsunade carrying bags upon bags of snacks, panting for breath.
The moment she saw food, Tsunade lit up with delight. She immediately jumped off the cow, snatched the snacks from Jiraiya's hands, then swung around and tossed him onto its back!
Jiraiya's face fell as he slammed into the cow's solid back, terrified that his looks had been ruined.
"Aaaah! You violent-"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing at all!"
Clutching his aching nose, Jiraiya glared tearfully at Tsunade. He had been about to call her a violent girl, but under the threat of her iron fist, weak little Jiraiya dared not say a word. He could only tend the cow in aggrieved silence.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru's destinies remained intertwined. Even in a shinobi world that Shingetsu's butterfly effect had long since changed beyond recognition, they had still met early