With Hoshiyomi, a reincarnated otherworlder, and the ever-clownish Jiraiya around, Orochimaru quickly loosened up.
Right now, he was still just a six-year-old kid—nothing like the cold, unreachable figure he would become in the future. Thanks to Hoshiyomi's guidance, a few words were enough to get him talking.
What's worth mentioning is that Orochimaru, who was still somewhat reserved when talking to Hoshiyomi, was already trading jabs with Jiraiya like they'd been rivals for years.
After chatting for a while outside the Academy gates, Sakumo started getting antsy. He was the type who got uncomfortable if he wasn't training. Hoshiyomi noticed immediately.
He gave Sakumo a subtle look to stay calm, then turned to Orochimaru and said:
"We're about to start our daily training. Want to come with us, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru hesitated. The pace of things today felt too fast—it was a little unsettling for him.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up at the suggestion. Having Orochimaru join their training was a great idea. Up until now, it had always been just the three of them, and he'd always been the one getting beaten up.
Now, with someone who was even greener than him, didn't that mean he could enjoy being the one dishing it out for once?
Grinning, Jiraiya threw an arm around Orochimaru's shoulder and said,
"Come on, let's go train! I'll show you what the great Jiraiya-sama is capable of! And don't go thinking you're hot stuff just because you beat that Saitō guy."
"Compared to me, Saitō's like... like an ant versus an elephant. You get me?"
Orochimaru scoffed, brushing off Jiraiya's arm.
"Fine. I'm curious to see just how strong you really are, idiot."
Watching the usually aloof Orochimaru get pulled in so easily, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but think—ah, the power of bromance.
Their usual training spot was a quiet stream near the edge of the village, a place rarely visited. As the group arrived and began warming up, a sharp whistle suddenly echoed from upstream.
Jiraiya blinked. "What was that? Some kind of animal?"
Sakumo shook his head. "No… That was a signal whistle. Someone's up there."
Orochimaru frowned. "Isn't it normal for people to be in the village?"
Hoshiyomi explained, "We've been training here for two months and never encountered anyone. That whistle's out of place."
Jiraiya's curiosity flared. "Let's check it out! Who knows, maybe there's a beautiful woman bathing upstream!"
He flashed his trademark pervy grin. The others groaned. Orochimaru deadpanned,
"Idiot. Who whistles that loud while bathing, trying to attract an audience?"
Still, the odd sound had piqued everyone's curiosity. It wasn't normal for anyone to be up there—especially not after two months of silence.
The four of them quietly moved into the dense forest, heading upstream.
Five minutes earlier, upstream.
A scruffy man dressed like a beggar was rummaging around. Finding a crooked tree with a marked trunk, his eyes lit up. He placed his fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp, clear whistle.
Rustling followed. A second man, dressed like a merchant, emerged from the woods.
He quickly smacked the beggar's hand. "Why the hell are you whistling? Trying to advertise we're here?"
The beggar grinned, unfazed. "It's been over a year since I've seen anyone from the village. Got excited seeing you. By the way, Aki-san, are the sakura blooming back home?"
Aki rolled his eyes. "If they're blooming in Konoha, of course they are in Iwagakure. Cut the small talk—are you sure this place is safe?"
The beggar—Anrui—patted his chest.
"Totally. I've been scouting this spot for months. Usually, no one comes near here. Only recently did a few kids—five or six years old—start showing up after class to play ninja for a bit. But school's not out for another hour. We're good."
"These Konoha brats are soft. No discipline. No drive. Compared to us Iwa-nin, they're weaklings. One day, we'll be the strongest in the ninja world."
Aki wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Enough nonsense. The longer we stay, the higher the risk. Just give me the intel you've gathered over the past year."
Anrui immediately grew serious. Just as he was about to speak, Aki's expression shifted. He snarled,
"Who's there?!"
He drew a kunai and flung it into the trees.
Thunk! The kunai embedded itself in a tree, landing right beside Jiraiya. He nearly screamed, but Hoshiyomi clamped a hand over his mouth. Still, a faint sound escaped.
That tiny slip confirmed Aki's suspicion. He and Anrui exchanged a look, then bolted into the woods.
Sometimes fate just works in strange ways. Anrui had moved up the meeting by an hour, thinking it would be safe. But that just so happened to coincide with the Academy's sparring exam ending early. Even with the group's delay at the gates, they'd still arrived earlier than usual.
Both sides had stumbled into each other—Hoshiyomi's group had overheard enough to know these were Iwa spies, and the spies had discovered them.
With danger bearing down fast, Hoshiyomi's mind raced for a solution.
After weighing their options, he realized backup was their only hope. The Senju Clan compound wasn't far—just ten minutes away at full speed. If he rushed, he could bring Uzumaki Mito back in time.
In the stunned silence of his teammates, Hoshiyomi performed a Shadow Clone Jutsu. He locked eyes with the clone.
In unison, they activated their secret technique: Assault.
The clone immediately bolted.
Right before vanishing, Hoshiyomi whispered to the others:
"Don't blow my cover. I'll try to take one of them out from the shadows. That might give us a chance."