They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 5: Qualification and the Surprise of the Third Generation
Like a swift bolt of lightning, Tsunade pounced from the shadows of the trees on the flank, aiming straight for Hiruzen Sarutobi's seemingly unguarded back.

Her timing was perfect, coinciding with the moment when Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention was completely focused on the stunned Jiraiya.

not good……

Conversely, Orochimaru, hiding in the shadows on the other side, secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.

Because Tsunade's attack was too hasty, and the opening she made was so obvious, it was clear she was waiting for them to take the bait.

As expected, upon feeling the strong wind coming from behind, Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips curled into a knowing smile.

Just as Tsunade's fingertips were about to touch the hem of his clothes, he casually flicked his wrist, and the two golden bells tied with red strings flew out of his hand, tracing an arc, and lightly flew to the open space on the other side of the training ground.

"Jingle Bell……"

Instinctively, Tsunade's pupils suddenly contracted, and her gaze uncontrollably followed the golden light.

That mere fraction of a second of hesitation caused a fatal halt in the movement.

not good……

Tsunade also realized what was happening and understood that something was wrong.

Because of what the Third Hokage said before—that if she couldn't get the bell, she would have to go back to the Ninja Academy—she cared too much about the bell.

The next moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi moved, his five fingers together forming a palm, and slapped towards Tsunade's face.

That's too late……

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. At such close range, she had no time to make any effective defense or dodge!
Is she going to follow in Jiraiya's footsteps and be instantly killed?

However, at this moment...

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Several sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out!

Several gleaming metal shuriken, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, attacked from behind Hiruzen Sarutobi at extremely tricky angles!

"Oh?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

It's not just because of the timing and stealth of this attack.

What was even more surprising was that the target of the attack was not him, but the bell he had thrown out as bait.

In a flash, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already calculated the trajectory of the shuriken in his mind, which would inevitably deflect the two bells.

However... thinking you can snatch the bell just like that is a bit too naive...

Hiruzen Sarutobi made a decision in an instant, abandoning his suppression of Tsunade. He turned around and reached out to grab the bell in the air.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch the bell, something unexpected happened!

The shuriken flying towards the bell exploded with a "bang" just before they hit it!
Thick white smoke billowed out, perfectly enveloping the area where the bell had fallen and Hiruzen Sarutobi's outstretched hand.

"Ok?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly taken aback, then realized that he had used a transformation technique to disguise the smoke bomb as a shuriken.

"Wind Escape·Big Breakthrough!"

Without time to think, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a low shout and exhaled a powerful gust of air, instantly dispersing the smoke in front of him.

His vision cleared, and he held the bell in his hand.

However, Tsunade, who should have been within his attack range, had disappeared.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put away the bell and looked with great interest toward the bushes where Orochimaru had just been hiding.

He hadn't expected that Orochimaru's first reaction would be to rescue his companions rather than to steal the bell.

This judgment and decisive action, along with the unexpected tactical deployment...

This kid named Orochimaru is much more interesting than the information describes.

at the same time……

Tsunade was pulled by Orochimaru into the bushes at the edge of the training ground.

As soon as she regained her footing, she felt a burning sensation on her face, feeling both ashamed and annoyed.

Partly because she was shy, she had never been held hands by another boy before;
On the other hand, she clearly realized that if it weren't for Orochimaru's timely rescue and clever smoke cover, she would probably have been eliminated by her teacher in one move, just like Jiraiya.

"Let go! Who asked you to meddle..."

Tsunade forcefully shook off the wrist that was still being held by the other party, her cheeks flushed, and said somewhat awkwardly.

Even so, the arrogance in his tone was gone...

"I'm sorry, it's impossible to snatch the bell from the teacher by myself. I need your help."

Orochimaru, however, didn't seem to care at all. He released his grip, his voice remaining calm.

He looked quietly at Tsunade and slowly said...

……

On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi tied Jiraiya to a wooden stake in the center of the arena.

"Let me go! Teacher! I can still fight! That was just an accident! Give me another chance!"

Jiraiya said somewhat unwillingly, kicking his feet wildly in the air.

"You can stay here for now..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored him, simply dusting off his hands and turning his gaze back to the depths of the silent forest.

He was rather curious about how these two completely different little guys would challenge him next.

Just then, there was a commotion in the woods.

Tsunade was the first to charge forward. She took a deep breath, her chakra subtly covering her fists, and with an indomitable momentum, she attacked Hiruzen Sarutobi once again.

This time, her attack was not reckless, but rather a steady and methodical offensive.

With the amplification of chakra, each strike possesses astonishing power.

It's clear that he used a secret physical technique passed down by the Senju clan, vaguely showing the beginnings of a future "superhuman strength." Have you calmed down yet?

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and used taijutsu to block Tsunade's attack.

Tsunade's strength is indeed remarkable, but in terms of skill and experience, she is still far too inexperienced compared to him, the "professor of ninjutsu".

However, at that moment, a ghostly figure appeared silently in the blind spot behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

That's Orochimaru!
Using his master assassin stealth experience gained through the Animus in the Assassin's Creed world, he perfectly concealed his presence until the moment before launching his attack!

Two shuriken were fired first, blocking Hiruzen Sarutobi's dodge angle.

Immediately afterwards, his chakra exploded from his feet. It wasn't an ordinary acceleration, but rather a highly concentrated burst of chakra that gave his body an explosive speed beyond its limits!

Is this an application of the Body Flicker Technique?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was surprised once again.

This technique of accelerating chakra bursts requires a very high level of chakra control, which is far beyond the reach of ordinary genin.

Orochimaru was just a commoner, so theoretically he had no way of accessing such secret or advanced techniques...

So, did he figure it out on his own?

Despite his surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi's movements were anything but slow.

With a flick of his wrist, he produced a shuriken and deftly deflected the incoming shuriken with a single swing.

At the same time, he turned sideways and delivered a whip kick, forcing Tsunade back.

Immediately afterwards, he turned to face Orochimaru, who was rapidly approaching, and they engaged in a fierce battle.

But as the fight went on, Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed something was wrong.

Orochimaru's taijutsu is powerful and steady, but his way of generating power is completely different from the mainstream taijutsu in Konoha!
It doesn't rely solely on chakra enhancement, but rather focuses more on the power generated by the body's own muscles and bones, with muscles and chakra working together to produce a short and extremely penetrating force!
"Ha~"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction, Orochimaru laughed, because this was not the taijutsu of this world.

Instead, it's Bajiquan from the world of "Under One Person"...

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.

In Konoha, and indeed throughout the entire ninja world, all taijutsu styles, whether hard fist or soft fist, rely on the circulation of chakra to amplify their power.

For example, the Eight Gates Formation, or the chakra burst acceleration technique that Orochimaru used just now, both rely on chakra bursts to obtain explosive speed and power.

Orochimaru's martial arts, however, seem to have taken a completely different path, focusing more on tapping into the human body's inherent potential, supplemented by chakra...

Is this really something a six-year-old could create on their own?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze toward Orochimaru had shifted from initial scrutiny to genuine shock.

Noticing Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a cunning light.

His purpose in deliberately using Bajiquan was precisely this: he believed that the Third Hokage's level was sufficient to discern the differences between the two worlds.

And this was the moment he had been waiting for—the moment when the Third Hokage would expose his weakness when all his attention was focused on him!

This is... a technique commonly used by magicians, called "Misdirection"...

The next moment, Orochimaru suddenly took a step back, and at the same time, a smoke bomb hit the ground and exploded with a "bang", instantly engulfing the two figures.

not good!

Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he had made the same mistake Tsunade had made earlier.

Almost simultaneously, Tsunade launched another attack from the other side, sending several shuriken in a triangular formation hurtling towards Hiruzen Sarutobi in the smoke.

Faced with this sudden attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply swayed his body and easily dodged all the shuriken.

But just as the shuriken whizzed past him, he keenly sensed something amiss—the weight and the sound of one of the shuriken cutting through the air were clearly wrong! It was too heavy!

The thought had barely formed when the unusual shuriken flew past him and suddenly exploded with a "bang," creating a cloud of smoke!
When the smoke cleared, what appeared was not fragments of shuriken, but a white-haired, spiky-haired man with a defiant expression and bared teeth—Jiraiya!

That's it!

Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted instantly.

"Hehe! Teacher, watch out!"

Jiraiya smiled and charged forward again; he was now close enough to touch the bell.

At the same time as Jiraiya launched his attack, Orochimaru and Tsunade also attacked simultaneously.

Together with Jiraiya, they formed three different positions, subtly surrounding Hiruzen Sarutobi in the center.

Seeing the three little guys attacking from three directions at the same time with a resolute aura, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled sincerely.

This ingenious series of tactics, from the initial feint attack and rescue, to the combination of smoke and transformation techniques, and finally the combined attack... without a doubt, the one who orchestrated all of this must be Orochimaru, who possessed the ability to attract his attention.

Not only do they possess amazing talent and learning ability, but they also know how to utilize their companions and fight together...

Orochimaru is such an outstanding kid...it's giving me a headache.

However, if he were to let three recent graduates steal the bell, what would become of his reputation as the Third Hokage?

Faced with the three menacing attacks, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

"Well done!"

He let out a low shout and, instead of retreating, advanced in the face of the three men's pincer attack.

His figure moved like a ghost through the gaps in the three men's attacks. His hands flew, sometimes slapping, sometimes blocking, sometimes drawing, sometimes leading. Relying solely on his physical skills, he smoothly and effortlessly neutralized the three men's combined attacks.

Seeing that their fierce attack had failed, the three men did not give up and were about to regroup and launch another attack.

"That's it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stopped and spoke to the three of them.

"Whoo~"

Hearing this, Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he had achieved his goal.

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

"The assessment is over. All three of you... have passed..."

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, his gaze sweeping over the three tense figures, and slowly announced...

(End of this chapter)