Inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage sat behind his desk. Standing before him were Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, six Anbu, and a little pink pig.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand and instructed the Anbu, "You did very well. You may leave."
"Yes!"
Six wisps of smoke drifted past, and the Anbu vanished in the blink of an eye.
Once the Anbu had left, Jiraiya and Tsunade dropped the act and plopped straight onto the sofa as they pleased.
"Old man, it's been years. You're looking healthy..."
"Heh... Jiraiya, you've filled out quite a bit yourself..."
"Enough, enough, Jiraiya! Do we really need these pointless pleasantries between us? Old man, what exactly happened that made you call us both back?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi drew in a deep lungful of smoke. "I called you back to deal with Orochimaru..."
He told his two beloved students everything that had recently happened within Konoha, along with his concerns, in full detail.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, their expressions unruffled. Before coming, both of them had already prepared themselves mentally.
"My inadequate teaching back then has led Orochimaru to go further and further over the line. To eliminate any future trouble for good, I intend to deal with my wayward student..."
"There's a spy working for Orochimaru in the village, named Kabuto. I put Uchiha Xia Yu in charge of him, but there still haven't been any results... Jiraiya, can you find Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "If I put some effort into it, probably... But do we really have to go this far?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "I know you still have feelings for Orochimaru, but he's gone too far. I have no choice either."
Jiraiya said, "All right, but when I see him, I want to get things straight before taking action."
Hiruzen Sarutobi