Give me your disciple, and we can talk about anything.

When encountering ground collapse, remember not to panic. You should immediately move away from the collapse zone to prevent it from spreading outwards and to protect your own life safety.

Rumble...

Due to Uchiha Itachi's explosive actions, the underground vacuum base finally began to collapse, and the sound of the ground caving in was deafening... Jiraiya and Orochimaru watched the scene before them, falling into silence...

It seems there's no way to refute this.

As the master, he must take responsibility for what his disciple has done... Deep down, Jiraiya actually wanted to give his disciple a thumbs-up, but they were currently facing an increasingly agitated Orochimaru.

So, it's better not to provoke him?

"Hehehehe..."

Orochimaru staggered to the edge of the collapse zone, as if talking to himself or perhaps accusing: "Do you know what you've destroyed..."

"...Orochimaru, come back to Konoha with me!" Jiraiya stood beside Itachi, patted the young boy's shoulder, then turned to look at his former teammate.

Hearing Jiraiya's words, Orochimaru snapped back to reality. His painstakingly built base was irrevocably lost, so he might as well try to get something else to compensate...

Like that expressionless little brat ninja...

"Jiraiya, what you're saying is ridiculous!" His snake-like eyes swept over Uchiha Itachi before settling on Jiraiya. He spread his hands and said, "What I pursue, he will never acknowledge. Go back... to wait for death?"

The old man played the emotional card: "The old man misses you..."

After hesitating for a moment, Jiraiya added, "I met Tsunade..."

Tsunade is currently heartbroken, and nothing but alcohol and dice can move her. As long as Konoha isn't destroyed, pretty much nothing concerns her.

In the half-day he spent with Tsunade, she showed no interest in anything in the village and was even somewhat tired of Jiraiya's nagging.

"Hahahaha! Jiraiya!" Orochimaru abruptly interrupted Jiraiya: "We are all walking on our own paths of pursuit. Those pathetic pasts, there's no need to mention them..."

Jiraiya fell silent: "..."

The relationship between Tsunade and Orochimaru is complicated, with too many things intertwined...

They undoubtedly trusted each other. In all of Konoha, the person Tsunade trusted most was Orochimaru, even more than some others... Before Senju Nawaki's sacrifice, Orochimaru had never disappointed Tsunade.

After all, such a friend is strong, talented, rich, handsome, and attentive. Aside from not liking to talk about feelings, he was almost perfect.

After the topic of Tsunade was interrupted, Orochimaru seemed uninterested in communicating with Jiraiya. Dragging this out would be useless... They had long since recognized their own paths, and neither of them could easily give up.

It is both the path of the strong and the direction of the heart.

And Orochimaru, having suffered a great loss, would have to start from scratch after tonight... This means the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes...

"Leave Uchiha Itachi... Jiraiya, I can let you and those children leave."

Orochimaru's greedy gaze was unleashed without any pretense. He had coveted the young boy for too long and had never felt such intense desire.

Especially tonight...

The first one who definitely wouldn't agree was Beiyuan: "...Caw..."

Why are my cubs always targeted? No matter who they meet, everyone seems to have different intentions towards Uchiha Itachi... And this applies regardless of gender.

"Orochimaru, stop talking nonsense!" Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru and said sternly, "It seems a battle between us tonight is unavoidable..."

"When I saw Uchiha Itachi, the outcome was already decided," Orochimaru said with a light laugh. "I need him very much..."

"..."

Jiraiya fell silent again. He had thought that after some harsh words, the other side would offer a way out or make a condition... He had even been prepared to bend his principles and help Orochimaru with a few small favors.

But this guy was fixated on his disciple and refused to let go. Back then, when everyone advised him to take on a disciple, Orochimaru reluctantly chose a beautiful girl...

Now, he's set his sights on a pretty and cute young boy...

Uchiha Itachi looked at the dejected Jiraiya and couldn't help but speak up to comfort him: "Teacher Jiraiya, are you okay..."

"Yes..." The old man glanced weakly at his disciple, then turned to look at the row of little sprouts and said in a low voice, "If you have a chance, take these children and leave... If you absolutely have to, escape by yourself first!"

"I can stay and help!" The young boy touched his ninja forehead protector. Even though he knew he was no match, he wouldn't back down like this!

If you can't win, find a way; if there's no way, create difficulties and push forward... Itachi had never experienced a life-or-death battle since awakening his Three Tomoe Sharingan, and he was confident he wouldn't drag them down...

The kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan always gave them confidence...

Jiraiya shook his head forcefully: "No! Because once I engage Orochimaru, it will be difficult to focus and protect you all... You are my disciple, and more importantly, my subordinate. Obey my orders!"

The battle between the Konoha Sannin was not something ordinary people could intervene in... nor was it something they, at the center of the conflict, could afford to be distracted by.

"Caw!"

Beiyuan glared at Jiraiya. Did he look down on them?

You tell us to escape first, do you think we'll really just leave like that? Do you know what I did tonight? I was just a little bit away from being able to peacefully raise my cubs...

The crow's powerful combat strength was not very noticeable. Its minor flaws concealed its brilliance, and in fact, it had never shown its full potential in front of Jiraiya and Itachi.

Except when tormenting Shisui...

"Beiyuan..." Uchiha Itachi soothed the crow, then looked up at Jiraiya and said, "I will obey Teacher's orders."

"I'll find a way to keep him occupied..." Jiraiya nodded, stroking Uchiha Itachi's hair, and said softly, "Remember! If you have no other choice, escape on your own!"

"Yes!"

Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction at Uchiha Itachi's assurance. He truly felt uneasy, as this was the first time he would be facing Orochimaru in a real battle...

In their past sparring matches, Jiraiya's outcomes were rather bleak. Every time he developed a new ninjutsu and confidently went to fight Orochimaru...

The end result was always... Tsunade being quite busy.

However, he wasn't entirely without his trump cards. In the past two years, besides traveling all over, he had also occasionally gone to Mount Myōboku to train, acquiring some decent techniques. If he had the chance to use them, and if he could use them successfully...

As Jiraiya thought about it, his unease only grew...

Uchiha Itachi quickly retreated, directing the group of stunned children to leave...

Orochimaru watched the kindergarten class president's actions, chuckled, and licked his lips. "Jiraiya, thank you no matter what. You've brought me a very desired gift..."

"But you're quite greedy, aren't you? Wanting to leave with all these children intact... Summoning Technique!"

"No need to test each other! Let's settle this directly!"

A giant purple serpent materialized out of thin air as Orochimaru spoke, suddenly landing on the ground, making the earth tremble once more...

This chapter is a bit filler, I just reread it... it's not ideal, I forgot to revise it.

Shamelessly asking for some votes...

I need to add some plot points.