Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 7 A Chance Encounter

The Akimichi family's barbecue restaurant.

The three legendary Sannin, reunited in the private room, did not display the expected joy of a long-awaited reunion. Or rather, only Jiraiya showed enthusiasm for the reunion, while Orochimaru and Tsunade remained quite indifferent.

Finally, Jiraiya's enthusiastic response to no avail. His chattering pace gradually slowed down. In the end, he looked at the indifferent man sitting silently in his seat, exuding a cold aura, and the drunken woman constantly refilling her glass. The two streaks of paint that ran down the corners of her eyes like tear tracks made her face furrow tightly.

Snapped!

Jiraiya slammed his hand heavily on the wooden table, making a dull thud. Seeing his two companions turn to look at him, his face flushed, he said, "We haven't seen each other for three years. Aren't you even a little bit unhappy?"

"You haven't changed a bit, Jiraiya." Orochimaru's hoarse voice echoed in the private room. The tipsy Tsunade once again turned her attention to her wine glass.

"Is that all you have to say?" Jiraiya angrily moved closer to Orochimaru and loudly accused him.

"This is a blessing, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said softly. "Sometimes Tsunade and I really envy you."

"Envious of me?" Jiraiya was taken aback by Orochimaru's incomprehensible words and was somewhat bewildered.

From childhood, ever since they both studied under the Third Hokage, Jiraiya had always admired and tried to emulate Orochimaru, who was hailed as a genius, and Tsunade, the Senju princess. He never imagined that one day he would hear Orochimaru utter the words "I envy you."

At the same time, Jiraiya suddenly sensed a strong distance between himself and his two companions. The familiarity and tacit understanding they used to share seemed to be shrouded in a shadow. He actually felt a sense of estrangement from his two childhood friends.

"You better explain yourselves clearly!" Jiraiya scratched his hair in frustration. He hated Orochimaru the most for being a riddle-like person who could only give a vague answer.

"Life is a very fragile thing, Jiraiya. You haven't felt loss again like we have, haven't clearly felt that emptiness and fear again!" Orochimaru stood up, lifted the curtain, and turned to Jiraiya as he walked out, saying, "I envy you! But don't invite me to these boring gatherings again."

After saying that, Orochimaru ignored Jiraiya's calls and quickly left.

Jiraiya, having failed to persuade Orochimaru to stay, looked on with a sense of loss as Orochimaru left. Just as he was about to turn around and seek some words of comfort from Tsunade, he saw Tsunade sway as she stood up, and under his stunned gaze, she braced herself on the table with one hand and patted him on the shoulder with the other.

"Is the party over? Then I'm going home too." Tsunade, reeking of alcohol, slowly left with the help of a young girl who rushed in.

In the blink of an eye, he was left all alone in the private room.

Only three years!

Three years later, he returned to the village and his friends. The familiar buildings and scenery of the village were still vivid in his mind, but the familiar friends made him feel a strong sense of unfamiliarity.

Tsunade's dejection and Orochimaru's indifference stirred a sense of panic within Jiraiya. Even though he was somewhat slow-witted and insensitive, he realized that his two once-close partners were drifting further and further away from him at this moment of reunion.

The three of them seem unable to recapture the atmosphere of fighting side by side that they had three years ago.

Jiraiya felt a little flustered, yet also a sense of helplessness.

……

"Jiraiya?"

In the Third Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, having finished his official duties, heard a faint sound coming from the eaves of the door. Without even turning his head, he named the person who had entered.

The ANBU didn't stop them, clearly indicating they were familiar with the group, and the fact that they preferred to use the eaves gate instead of the main entrance was something only Jiraiya knew in the Third Hokage's memories. Combined with the information he had previously received about Jiraiya's return to the village, he immediately recognized who it was.

"Hey old man!" Jiraiya, reeking of alcohol, jumped in through the window.

"You've been a bit reckless this time!" The Third Hokage turned to look at Jiraiya, who reeked of alcohol, and frowned. "If it weren't for your significant contributions in the war, and the fact that you claimed you were recuperating and traveling, you would already be a rogue ninja!"

"The war is coming to an end. Even without me, Orochimaru and Konoha will still achieve final victory." Jiraiya felt a little embarrassed about his impulsive actions back then, but if he had to do it all over again, he would still make the same choice.

"Now that you're back, don't leave again." The Third Hokage was also a bit of a headache upon hearing this. None of his three disciples made him feel at ease, even his most trusted Orochimaru had been acting mysteriously and like a completely different person lately.

As for Tsunade, she's become even more dejected. Although she still serves as the head of the medical department, she rarely goes there, spending her days either in bars or casinos. She completely ignores his words.

"I will," Jiraiya nodded. Originally, he planned to stay in the village for a while to see his disciple, Minato Namikaze. In the past three years, he had been eager to see how much his disciple, whom he had once thought was the chosen one, had improved.

"Some teachers led the teams..."

"Old man, I already have Minato." Jiraiya shook his head. Besides Minato, he had just trained three other disciples for three years, and he had no intention of becoming a mentor again. Of course, he also had no intention of telling the Third Hokage about the other three disciples; in his view, those three disciples had their own paths to walk in the future.

The Third Hokage, after being rejected, remained silent for a moment and did not make another request. Compared to his other two disciples, Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze, was indeed a very promising one.

Despite his humble origins, he possessed exceptional talent. After becoming Jiraiya's apprentice, he gradually found a ninja path that suited him.

Among the new generation, Minato Namikaze, who has gradually gained some fame in the ninja world, may become a symbol like the Legendary Sannin in the future!

It can be said that the Third Hokage was quite satisfied with and trusted this grand-disciple. He was of good character, had a good personality, was powerful, had outstanding talent, and was proficient in sealing techniques. In particular, he combined the Flying Thunder God Technique invented by the Second Hokage with sealing techniques, forming a unique fighting style of his own.

With such a disciple, Jiraiya really didn't need to be a team leader anymore.

"What happened between Orochimaru and Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, voicing his inner question after finishing the pleasantries.

The changes in his two friends over the past three years have been so drastic that they seem like complete strangers to him.

The Third Hokage fell silent upon hearing this, picking up his pipe and puffing away. Finally, urged on by Jiraiya, he coughed twice and gave his answer.

"He sacrificed himself."

Jiraiya's pupils contracted sharply, and his body hunched over slightly. He finally understood why Tsunade had become so dejected.

The Second Shinobi World War took away her younger brother and lover in succession; such a blow...

"Tsunade couldn't save Dan's life, and she even developed hemophobia. Now she can hardly even go to the battlefield." The Third Hokage's expression was also not good.

"What about Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked after a moment of silence.

"He hasn't seen me for a while." The Third Generation waved his hand. "Now that you're back, if you can, try your best to persuade them."

The third generation had originally planned to have the two of them become team leaders again, but considering that both of his apprentices were avoiding certain things and seeing him, he hadn't found an opportunity to speak up.

However, he couldn't bring himself to say it, but Jiraiya, who had returned, could convey his meaning. He also hoped that Jiraiya's return would allow the trio to regain their former close bond.

"I'll do my best." Jiraiya opened his mouth, though he felt it would be difficult for him to complete the task, but he accepted it nonetheless.

At this moment, Jiraiya no longer felt the joy and excitement of returning home; all that remained was a deep sense of melancholy and helplessness.

……

In the dense forest above the Fire Shadow Rock, a green venomous snake, more than a meter long, was coiled on the branch of a large tree. Its green body blended into the leaves, making it appear invisible and effectively fading its form from view.

If you don't pay attention, it's easy to miss its existence, even if it's very close.

Whoosh!

A shuriken suddenly whistled through the air and struck the well-hidden green snake with pinpoint accuracy.

The green snake's body hunched over in pain, then unfolded again, and fell from the branch with a thud, writhing and struggling on the ground.

Article 3!

Nara Shikane emerged from the woods and picked up the injured green snake from the ground. The injured snake tried to struggle and fight back, but was immediately enveloped by a black shadow, its body stiffened, and then it was pinched by a hand.

Throughout the entire process, the green snake seemed to have lost its ability to move, completely enveloped by a layer of black shadow.

Venom collection +1.

After collecting the venom, Nara Shikano threw the green snake he was holding away.

He has captured more than a hundred of these venomous snakes during this period, and he has dissected and studied twenty or thirty of them.

Poisons were incredibly effective in the hands of Hanzo the Salamander and the puppeteers of the Sand Village during World War II. Even powerful figures like Konoha and the Legendary Sannin suffered greatly from them.

If it weren't for Tsunade, a legendary medical ninja who could develop a targeted antidote, the outcome of the Sand Village battle would still be uncertain.

As for Hanzo the Salamander, aside from the Sannin, almost all of the Konoha ninja forces present and involved in that battle were wiped out.

Therefore, poison, along with explosive tags, kunai, and senbon (thousands of shuriken), became a means of combat for ninjas.

"Are you collecting snake venom?"

A deep, husky voice suddenly rang out behind Lu Nie. Lu Nie instinctively turned around, and the shadow beneath his feet instantly darted out like a snake poised to pounce on its prey.

Then, after Lu Nie's Shadow Binding Technique connected to the opponent's shadow, it was broken free in an instant.

"Quickly reacted, Nara clan brat." Orochimaru instantly appeared behind Shikagure, bent down and patted his head.

"Lord Orochimaru?" Shiro Nie felt a mix of tension and relief.

Although Orochimaru is a dangerous person, he hasn't yet gone to the point of no return. Furthermore, since he has already recognized himself as a member of the Nara clan, he shouldn't harbor any hostility towards this child.

"You're collecting snake venom," Orochimaru asked again.

Unlike the other Nara clansmen, Orochimaru sensed a peculiar quality in Shikane that was quite attractive to him.

This trait made him notice Lu Nie, see his actions, and arouse a little curiosity.

"Yes." Sensing that Orochimaru meant no harm, Shikano also relaxed.

"Why? Does the Nara clan's secret technique require snake venom?" Orochimaru and Shikaguchi stood there, looking at the venom collected in the bottle in his hand.

"I wanted to create a hybrid toxin." Lu Nie thought for a moment, then spoke the truth without trying to play tricks or hide anything from Orochimaru.

"You want to use poison?" Orochimaru was genuinely interested when he heard Shikagure's answer; it was the first time he had ever seen someone from the Nara clan use poison on their own initiative.

Although the Nara clan is very reliable as both strategists and battlefield partners, they are unwilling to even participate in battle if they can avoid it.

"I just want to cultivate a special kind of worm." Lu Nie paused for a moment, then chose to tell the truth. "This worm has remarkable adaptability and vitality. It can absorb toxins and evolve to develop organs and tissues that carry toxins. The stronger and more complex the toxins it is fed with, the faster it will evolve in this aspect. I plan to cultivate it and make it my summoning beast in the future."

"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up. Having witnessed Hanzo's poison, Orochimaru didn't look down on this method of combat. In fact, if the poison could reach the strength of Hanzo's salamander, it might even be able to decide the outcome of a battle at a crucial moment.

Even if it's not as potent as Hanzo's poison, this kind of evolving toxin constitution still has terrifying potential for growth and is worth studying.

Although he is currently focused on achieving immortality and mastering all ninjutsu, a certain stirring within him today makes him increasingly curious about what exactly is the quality that attracts him to this deer before him.

"Could you take me to see that special worm? If it's as you say, I can provide you with plenty of different types of toxins, including snake venom," Orochimaru requested, his gaze towards Shikano undisguisedly scrutinizing.

"Of course." What could Lu Nie say now? He just hadn't expected that his usual wild adventures, which had gone on without any problems so many times before, would this time turn into a prime example of a master of seduction. But he wasn't looking for the meaning of life, nor was he so lost that he needed someone to chase after and guide him!

(End of this chapter)