At Tanzaku Quarters, Jiraiya was drinking, holding girls in his arms, and laughing boisterously.
The gallant Jiraiya, carefree and uninhibited.jpg.
Then, Orochimaru arrived.
As he entered the private room and saw Jiraiya, flushed and watching the dancing ladies, Orochimaru remained expressionless, while the women were visibly nervous and uneasy.
After all, by shinobi world standards, Orochimaru was undeniably a cold and beautiful man, and as a top-tier ninja, he naturally exuded an intimidating pressure—something no ordinary working girl could endure.
To them, his arrival was like a storm on the horizon.
But Jiraiya wasn't fazed in the slightest. Seeing Orochimaru enter, the already drunk man blinked and said, "Huh? Orochimaru? What're you doing here? Ahahaha, perfect timing! Come drink with us! Hehehe, lovely ladies, keep the music going! Keep dancing! Hahahaha\\~!"
He laughed heartily, raising his glass.
The girls exchanged glances, unsure whether to continue. Orochimaru, however, said in a calm voice, "You can all leave."
Relieved, the girls quickly bowed out and dashed away at lightning speed.
Seeing them go, Jiraiya's face twisted in despair. "Ah\\~ Don't go! Ladies! I—I still wanted to watch!"
His voice was so pitiful, it was like watching a man robbed of his beloved.
Even Orochimaru, who was long used to his old comrade's antics, couldn't help but twitch slightly. He silently produced a prepared bottle and splashed its contents right in Jiraiya's face.
Jiraiya jolted up from the tatami mat.
"What the hell?! Orochimaru, what's your problem?! Cough, cough—what kind of water is this?! It burns!"
Orochimaru calmly put the bottle away. "It's a sobering agent—something from my lab. Highly effective. Just a splash is enough for anyone who's not totally blacked out. You're the first high-level ninja I've tested it on. It seems to work."
Wiping his face with a tissue, Jiraiya scowled. "You used me as a test subject, didn't you?"
Now fully sober, he sighed. "So, what brings you here anyway? Were you just on a mission nearby and thought we'd catch up?"
Orochimaru looked at him seriously. "By order of Acting Hokage Tsunade, I'm here to retrieve the Sannin who's been holed up in Tanzaku Quarters for ten days—Jiraiya."
Jiraiya froze with the tissue still in hand, confusion sweeping across his face, then horror. "Uh… Orochimaru, what did you say? Acting Hokage? Tsunade? When—when did this happen? Why is Tsunade acting as Hokage? Did something happen to the old man?!"
For a moment, it felt like he had traveled through time, into a world he no longer recognized.
Orochimaru sat cross-legged in front of him. "Hiruzen-sensei is fine. Tsunade simply made up her mind to become Hokage. I supported her. She asked the old man for the role, and after watching her for a few days, he approved. He even appointed her as a Hokage advisor. Her duties are essentially the same, so calling her Acting Hokage isn't wrong."
Jiraiya was dumbfounded.
From what he knew of Tsunade, she'd always rejected the Hokage title—traumatized by the deaths of her lover and brother.
Now she was the Hokage?
And Orochimaru, the one most obsessed with becoming Hokage among the three of them, had just… given it up? That made no sense!
But Orochimaru patiently explained. After all, the bond between them was one of the deepest in Konoha.
In canon, it was Jiraiya's death that triggered a massive shift in Orochimaru's character. Some fans online even joked about him turning into Aunt Orochimaru.
Point is: the friendship between these two was the epitome of Konoha's generational bonds.
That's why, even though he lacked patience with most people, Orochimaru was willing to slowly explain everything to Jiraiya.
"I gave up on being Hokage. I've found something more important—the pursuit of the truth behind the universe itself. Being Hokage would only get in the way of that goal. I have no desire for the position anymore."
He spoke calmly, as if chatting casually.
But Jiraiya, knowing him well, understood that Orochimaru meant every word.
Scratching his head in disbelief, Jiraiya muttered, "Feels like I've been gone way too long. The village's changed so much I barely recognize it."
Orochimaru nodded. "You're not wrong. The past two months have seen more change than the previous twenty years combined. Even though you've only been away for less than a year, the pace of change makes it feel like twenty."
"If you keep drifting around , you're going to get left behind."
Jiraiya blinked, scratching his head. "You're exaggerating. It can't be that dramatic, right?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "That's just what I know. Who knows what else has changed? Jiraiya, you need to return to the village immediately. Things are moving fast. Even your student, Minato, has been appointed as Tsunade's personal guard—and likely future head of the ANBU and Hokage advisor."
"It's also preparation for him to become the Fifth Hokage. Tsunade needs you back in the village—do you get it now?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Huh—Fifth Hokage? We haven't even officially gotten a Fourth and we're already talking about the Fifth? Isn't that a bit much?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "Tsunade has to be the Fourth. You know her. She won't hold the position long—four or five years, tops. So unless something unexpected happens, Minato will likely become the Fifth before he turns twenty-six."
Jiraiya gasped. "The Fifth Hokage at twenty-six?! Isn't that too early? Minato's not even fully seasoned yet!"
He was referring to Minato's strength. In his mind, the kid was still a prodigy—not a Kage-level force. The source of thɪs content is 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥
Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then sighed. "You really are unreliable sometimes. You don't even know your own student's current strength."
Jiraiya perked up immediately. "Wait, what happened?"
With a reluctant look, Orochimaru explained how Minato had already reached Kage level, having fully mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. He ended with a sharp evaluation:
"If this were wartime, Minato's destructive power on the battlefield would surpass everyone in Konoha. None of us—me, you, or even Hiruzen-sensei—could compare."
"As a shinobi, you were right. He really is a super genius who makes other geniuses look average."
After hearing this, Jiraiya was stunned but couldn't hide his pride. A mix of astonishment and gratification filled his face. This wasn't just satisfaction—it was a mentor's pride.
Grinning from ear to ear, he recalled something Orochimaru had said earlier and asked curiously, "By the way, why did you say Tsunade *had* to become Hokage?"
Orochimaru gave him a long, meaningful look.
Jiraiya started to feel uneasy. "Is my question that hard to answer?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "No, it's easy. But once you know\\... it'll hurt."
Orochimaru: "Because Tsunade's fallen for Kei-kun. And Kei-kun likes her too. They're probably going to end up together. It's a union of Uchiha and Senju—just like Hashirama-sama and Mito-sama."
"You know exactly what that means in terms of politics and clan dynamics."
His face went pale. The sky felt like it was collapsing.
Who would've thought that in less than a year, the woman he thought would stay single forever... was getting married?
For Jiraiya, it was like a nuclear bomb dropped on his heart. He collapsed to his knees, wailing tragically: "Nooooo\\~\\~\\~!"
Somewhere in the distance, a sad melody—like "Snowfall Drifts"—began to play, echoing Jiraiya's misery.