Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

"Another genius from Amegakure! He looks so young."

Orochimaru, who had emerged from the cave at some unknown time, stood beside Jiraiya.

After witnessing the whole thing, Orochimaru gave his assessment in a low voice.

"He is indeed a genius."

Jiraiya nodded, then immediately grinned and said, "But the feeling... isn't as good as it was back in Jiraiya's day!"

Orochimaru was already used to his shamelessness, and upon hearing this, he scoffed, "Heh, you mean that later ANBU member who just threw his backpack full of ninja tools haphazardly out?"

He clicked his tongue and said, "Then she is indeed not as good as you. After all, although your technique of throwing all the shurikens outwards is foolish, at least it won't get mixed into the food."

"Last time I asked you about the three of us's graduation exam results, you said you'd forgotten them all."

Jiraiya was furious upon hearing this: "But why do you remember such an embarrassing thing about me so clearly?"

It's obvious that Shōsha-maru is deliberately targeting me!

He was so angry he was grinding his teeth, but he didn't want to fight Orochimaru, that slippery guy.

He simply channeled his anger into his appetite, picked up a pear that had rolled down from the ground, wiped it casually, and began to take big bites.

You know what?

Takenaka Rin, that guy, truly lives up to his name; he has an exceptional talent for selecting fruit.

Jiraiya took a few bites, and his eyes lit up: "Wow, it's so sweet!"

His anger came quickly and went quickly; soon he nudged Orochimaru with his shoulder and asked, "Want a bite?"

Orochimaru glanced at him: "Idiot."

He naturally couldn't let go of his pride and share the same pear with a stinky toad.

Orochimaru shifted his gaze and silently reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist.

"What are you going to do?"

Jiraiya was taken aback: "Have you forgotten our promise to Hanzo?"

Orochimaru sneered, "Jiraiya, have you forgotten who you are? As a ninja, do you really believe in such laughable things as promises?"

"What else?"

Jiraiya looked directly at him and said earnestly, "Stand straight ahead, never break your vow, and never give up no matter what..."

"Orochimaru, this is my ninja way!"

He pressed down on his teammate's arm, saying firmly, "If this were a battlefield, I would never stop you, because you said that killing one more enemy is equivalent to protecting one more teammate. But the war amidst the flames is almost over, isn't it?"

"Let's stop the hatred from spreading!"

Orochimaru gave him a deep look.

Many people in the village thought that Jiraiya was unreliable and the worst of the three legendary ninja.

But he is actually very intelligent and wiser than anyone else.

No one knows this better than Orochimaru.

For example, the other side may seem to have never paid attention to its military orders, but it is fully aware of the current war situation between the two countries.

"Jiraiya, you'd better not regret this."

Orochimaru said softly, "I remember telling you a few days ago that after this battle, the Land of Rain will never be able to rise again."

He looked at Ayane Amamiya and said calmly, "But I omitted a premise back then. That was based on the assumption that Hanzo of the Salamander would fall and never recover. If a new demigod ninja were to be born in the Land of Rain..."

Jiraiya fell into a long silence.

In truth, his heart wasn't as resolute as he had just stated; he didn't even know if what he was doing was right or wrong...

"I will mention this in the battle report I submit to the village later."

As a commander, Orochimaru was impartial and incorruptible.

But as a friend, he looked at Jiraiya and ultimately didn't want that idiot to be chased and scolded by those Hokage advisors afterward.

Orochimaru paused for a moment: "However, not every genius possesses the potential to become a demigod. I will specifically point this out in the report..."

--------

"You are the vortex."

"There's no need to deny it."

Tsunade shattered the water dragon in mid-air with a single punch, and said with absolute certainty, "Your hair color may deceive me, but your personality cannot."

Ayane Amamiya helped the eagle up from the ground, her tone calm: "So what? I'm a vortex, so what?"

Tsunade was taken aback.

She was stumped by the question.

To be honest, when I first saw that splash of red...

She was indeed very excited, her mind filled with the thought that Grandma Mito would be happy to hear about it, so she didn't think much about what would happen next.

Tsunade remained silent for a few breaths.

She glanced at the two ANBU members beside Ayane Amamiya, then tentatively asked, "If you're willing to admit your identity as part of the Uzumaki faction, then I'll—"

The eagle rubbed its forehead, baring its teeth.

Ignoring the violent woman's ramblings, she whispered in her ear, "I'll throw a smoke bomb to distract them. Ayane, you run! Don't worry about me!"

"—I can take you back to Konoha."

Across from her, Tsunade's expression was very serious as she continued, "My grandmother, who was also the wife of the First Hokage... You may know her name, Uzumaki Mito. She was once a princess of the Uzumaki clan during the Warring States period—"

Ayane Amamiya smiled.

She turned her head to the side, her head touching the eagle's, and whispered, "If I run away, what will you do?"

"I have a brilliant plan!"

Takenaka Risa spoke of his boasts with such nonchalance that it was impossible not to burst into laughter.

Ayane Amamiya started playing music and poked the other person's arm: "Who do you think I am? I'm the last heir of the Amamiya family, the best student in the Ninja Academy for decades, and the captain of the Black Swan Squad of the Anbu—Ayane Amamiya!"

"I would never do something like abandoning my teammates and running away for my own life."

"Pear in Bamboo".

"To use your previous words, we are going to..."

"...To be in a team for life!"

The eagle was so moved that tears welled up in its eyes, and it was about to speak.

But Ayane Amamiya changed the subject: "Besides, she didn't intend to make a move."

The girl looked up at Tsunade, her tone complex: "Thank you, Hanzo... I love you, Mom... Both of you saved my life today!"

"—From the very beginning, Konoha made a pact with Uzumaki to 'watch over each other and share life and death'."

"Even the headbands and vests of Konoha ninja bear the Uzumaki symbol as a memento!"

Tsunade tried hard to recall the history lessons she had taken at the Ninja Academy.

She exhausted all her knowledge and finally gave a simple explanation of the relationship between Uzumaki and Konoha.

"But wasn't the Whirlpool Kingdom destroyed?"

Ayane Amamiya countered, "Since they are allies, why did Konoha stand idly by while Kirigakure and Kumogakure joined forces to annihilate the Land of Whirlpools?"

Her words almost killed the game.

Tsunade wasn't exactly a talk-no-jutsu user, so she fell silent when asked this question.

Instead, Orochimaru stood up and said frankly, "Well, although it sounds like I'm trying to shirk responsibility, it's undeniable that Konoha is no longer a place where the Hokage and Senju can do whatever they want."

His voice was hoarse, but his words had an inexplicable, convincing quality.

"At that time, Sarutobi-sensei had only been Hokage for a short time and his prestige was low. He was far from having the power to mobilize all of Konoha's resources."

Orochimaru shrugged: "Besides, the Land of Whirlpools is isolated overseas, and news travels very slowly. From a command perspective, it's really not a good idea to send troops out without accurate intelligence."

"What about Mito Uzumaki? Her reputation isn't high enough either?"

Ayane Amamiya wanted to press for more information.

But he pursed his lips and didn't continue his rebuttal.

The Land of Whirlpools is a thing of the past, and the extermination of their clan is an established fact.

What exactly happened wasn't really her concern, since she hadn't grown up in that area.

Besides, conspiracy theories and all that...

Even if it really exists, it would only be laughable if she, a weak person, said it.

"So, come with me to Konoha."

Tsunade stepped forward and extended her hand, inviting, "You may not have seen the sights of Konoha."

"During the cherry blossom festival in spring, the streets of Konoha are filled with clusters of cherry blossoms. The market is the most lively place, where you can find anything you want to eat, from dumplings to cherry blossom mochi. Especially when the wind blows, the falling cherry blossoms are like a snowstorm of petals."

"When the New Year comes, people will wear kimonos and go to the shrine in groups to worship."

"After the event, the village will distribute delicious rice cakes and red bean soup to everyone. Younger children who arrive early can get an extra serving of tamagoyaki..."

Tsunade, as if coaxing a child, racked her brains to describe all the excitement and beauty of Konoha.

In her eyes.

The red-haired girl is about the same age as her younger brother, Nawaki, and might still be at the age where she loves to play.

Orochimaru watched coldly from the sidelines.

Her expression appeared calm, but she was actually somewhat tempted inside.

They smuggle talented young people from other countries, train them personally, and then have them fight for Konoha...

That sounds really interesting!

He, who had never done this before, was eager to try it, as if a wonderful seed had been planted in his heart.

"Is Konoha this lively?"

The eagles whispered among themselves, "If the village starts giving out New Year's cakes again, I promise I'll never speak ill of Lord Hanzo again..."

She muttered to herself, but her gaze unconsciously drifted to the girl beside her.

Ayane.....

Could she really be falling for him?

Should I try to keep them, or should I offer my blessings?

Perhaps it was fate.

At the same time, in different places, Ayane Amamiya and Nagato both faced the same choice.