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Outside the open-air hot spring of Konoha's women's bathhouse.
Jiraiya was crouched outside the high wall peeping, his butt sticking up comically high. His breathing was heavy, his face wore an expression of lewdness completely unbecoming of his age, and his cheeks were flushed with unnatural excitement.
However, he was unaware that this despicable act of "peeping" had already been noticed by all three of them.
"Forget it, let's go." Kirigakure shrugged. "I have no interest in ruining someone else's good time.
Orochimaru gave him a surprised look. "You actually think that way?"
"Of course, just like Nian said earlier, I never do things that would damage someone else's self-esteem either." Kirigakure said matter-of-factly.
"But the key issue is..." Uchiha Nian looked at Kirigakure with a probing gaze, cautiously saying: "Sister Naori mentioned yesterday that she might come to soak in the hot springs after work. Calculating the time... it should be right about now, shouldn't it?
Kirigakure looked as if struck by lightning, his mouth agape and eyes bulging wide.
"I'll fucking Fire Style—"
...
"Speak! Why were you peeping on girls bathing!"
Konoha Forest, little Jiraiya was tightly bound to a tree trunk with oil-soaked hemp ropes.
Uchiha Kirigakure was seething with rage. If not for Orochimaru holding him back, he would have definitely chopped that white-haired brat into pieces.
"I've told you so many times, I was just gathering material! A ninja's business can't be called stealing!" Jiraiya widened his eyes and said, "How can you tarnish my reputation like this without evidence...
"Reputation my ass! Fire Style—"
Orochimaru reacted swiftly, instantly catching Kirigakure in his arms while glancing at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, as classmates, I know you well enough. Just the other day, I saw you being hung up and beaten for peeping."
Little Jiraiya's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead as he retorted, "Field research can't be considered peeping!...A ninja's business, can it be called peeping?"
What followed were incomprehensible mutterings about "appetite and lust being human nature" and other classical quotes, which even made Uchiha Nian chuckle lightly, filling the forest with an air of amusement.
"Logically speaking, the walls around the hot springs are built with granite. How did you manage to create gaps with your skills?" Nian asked curiously.
Jiraiya proudly raised his eyebrows, "My Earth Release ninjutsu isn't just for show. What, you're interested? I could teach you... Ouch ouch I was wrong... Next time I... won't dare..."
Orochimaru restrained the furious Kirigakure again and said expressionlessly, "If you'd used this skill during the exam, Dan Katō might not have beaten you."
After another round of threats from the trio, Jiraiya had no choice but to bow his head and apologize, promising not to speak of today's events.
...
Several months later, after school, Nian came to the secret base for training as usual. Upon meeting Orochimaru and Kirigakure, he unexpectedly spotted Hiruko's figure once again.
But this time, he wasn't practicing shurikenjutsu. He simply sat on the wooden stump in a daze, gazing quietly at the sky with unfocused eyes, lost in unknown thoughts.
The three exchanged glances and walked straight over, their footsteps snapping branches with crisp cracking sounds.
Sensing the disturbance, Hiruko's eyes regained focus as he quickly turned his head.
"Huh? You are...?"
Kirigakure waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, they're just three boys who discovered this place before you and made it their secret hideout."
"Oh, is that so?"
Hiruko jumped down from the wooden stump, gave a slight bow and smiled, "It seems I've taken over your three's spot. My apologies, please don't hit me - I'll leave right away."
Nian glanced at him, "It's fine. Everything here belongs to the village - we have no right to monopolize it. You're free to use this place anytime without worrying about us."
"Hmm, we can all train together," Orochimaru added.
"Thank you, but I'm more accustomed to practicing alone," Hiruko politely declined with a smile. "You must be Orochimaru-kun, right? Though you might not remember, we were classmates."
"Not at all, I recognize you," Orochimaru said while picking up the shuriken from the ground and throwing it toward the distant target.
With a sharp "thunk," it hit the bullseye dead center.
"Eh? Someone like me... Orochimaru actually remembers my name..." Hiruko seemed surprised, his gaze suddenly dimming, "I'm just a civilian ninja with no strength or connections..."
"There's no need to feel inferior about your background. My origins aren't any better than yours, yet I still have two friends from the Uchiha clan," Orochimaru continued throwing shuriken. "As for strength, all it takes is diligent practice!"
As the words fell, three shuriken sliced through the air, landing perfectly on the bullseye.
"Just through effort... is it really possible..." Hiruko murmured.
At that moment, a clear voice suddenly drifted down from above the trees.
"Effort alone isn't always enough, you know."
All four of them abruptly looked up, their gazes converging in one direction, only then noticing a person standing atop the treetops.
A figure who had appeared soundlessly, without anyone noticing when.
He wore a loose black cloak, his jet-black hair loosely tied behind him. His smile was gentle, his eyes covered with black silk, one hand resting behind his back while a slender sacred sword hung at his waist.
"Big brother!?!"
The moment this tall and imposing figure came into view, the three youngsters exclaimed in unison. After two long years, they had finally laid eyes on this mysterious man.
Kamihane coughed lightly, his toes tapping the ground as he rose like a falling leaf carried by the wind, landing effortlessly before the group.
"And this is..." Hiruko felt nervous. The person before them moved with such weightless grace that their strength must be unfathomable. Though in Konoha's forest, they wore no Konoha forehead protector—just thinking about it seemed suspicious.
Kamihane turned his face directly toward Orochimaru, making sure the other understood he was "looking" at him.
"Orochimaru, do you really believe effort alone can grant you strength?"
"I..." Orochimaru hesitated, seemingly realizing the impropriety of his words.
Kamihane didn't press further, instead smiling as he gave his answer: "Effort is certainly important, but choosing the right path is what matters most."
As he spoke, he casually strolled over, arriving behind Hiruko in an instant imperceptible to the others, placing a hand atop the latter's head.
"For someone like him, with this level of talent, even if he works hard for twenty or thirty years, he'd at best become a jonin."
Hiruko felt as if he'd fallen into an icy cellar, his spine crawling as though snakes were slithering across it. In that moment, he experienced the sensation of teetering between life and death.
Kamihane's tone was casual. "Reaching Kage-level strength? That's just wishful thinking."
The three youngsters showed hesitation on their faces, while Hiruko slumped weakly to the ground, a profound sense of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
"To achieve true strength, one must either possess heaven-defying talent, such as a Kekkei Genkai..."
Nian and Kirigakure exchanged glances, both seeing their own solemn expressions reflected in each other's pupils.
"Or master extraordinarily powerful secret techniques, like... forbidden immortality jutsu..."
Orochimaru's breathing grew rapid, a flash of desperate longing flickering in his eyes.
"Or..." Kamihane spread his arms wide, coaxing like a missionary delivering his sermon: "Defy the heavens and change your fate!"
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