I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

Jiraiya believed that humans are the carriers of techniques, and he inherited Hiruzen Sarutobi's "Way".

Orochimaru believed that people were merely means to perform techniques. He pursued Hiruzen Sarutobi's "techniques," and therefore felt no guilt about his actions. He simply sought to understand, develop, and utilize techniques, which he believed were inherently such a thing.

Jiraiya chose the "Will of Fire," making it an ideal he was willing to practice.

Tsunade witnessed a bloody reality. The phrase "Will of Fire" was not enough for her to ignore the loss of someone important. She chose to treat everything with indifference, including Jiraiya's feelings for her.

These three people are in a much more complicated situation than Class 7 in the original timeline.

As for Class 7... well, let's not talk about it. It probably won't exist in this timeline anyway.

He would nip any potential problem in the bud.

With the legendary Sannin's disastrous record as a precedent, Sasuke Uchiha, you should just be a normal Uchiha. In this timeline, no one will rush your progress.

It's absurd to drag the descendants into the fight between the brothers Indra and Asura.

The earth was trembling more violently as Uchiha Shingen approached the battle zone.

The roar was becoming clearer.

Although there is a difference between principles and techniques, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are both characters who are not lacking in power, so their battles are quite spectacular.

The area around Konoha this year is in such a sorry state; I estimate the cost of replanting trees next year will be considerable.

Maintaining vegetation is an essential part of the ninja village's annual budget.

Forests are one of the ninjas' favorite combat environments, as this terrain is best suited for their squad-based combat style, and the same applies to the defending side.

As Uchiha Shingen continued forward, he was finally able to see the falling trees with his naked eye.

So he slowed down and started walking normally again.

This is how he understood Minato Namikaze's requirements.

After Jiraiya was knocked down by Orochimaru and Orochimaru ran away, he went to protect Jiraiya.

From today onwards, this is the only remaining member of the Sannin who can serve Konoha.

The mission is now complete, perfectly.

If anyone accuses him of slacking off, he'll have a serious argument with them.

If something can be resolved with words, don't resort to violence; that's low-class.

Unless one can casually conjure up a ninjutsu like Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, it would redefine the ninja profession.

At that point, without violence, you have no right to speak.

Looking around, Uchiha Shingen jumped to the top of a large tree with a good view and climbed up to enjoy the view.

Orochimaru's side still had the old guard, Manda.

Jiraiya's side dispatched Gamabunta, a toad with a strong sense of social savvy.

The two spirit beasts were fighting fiercely, and the trees around them were flying up.

With his Sharingan activated, Uchiha Shingen saw the two main characters exchanging martial arts techniques in a place far away from the two summoned beasts.

But if you two are competing in physical skills, why summon your summoning beasts?

Do you think we're still in Hashirama Senju's era, where planting trees is free?

None of them are easy to deal with.

The wine had taken a toll on him tonight. Uchiha Shingen was the type of person who would feel sleepy after drinking too much. He yawned, sat down in the tree, and continued to watch the battle.

Taijutsu (physical techniques) could no longer satisfy Orochimaru's pursuit of jutsu, so he began to use ninjutsu.

He started with Snake Ninja Technique.

As the representative of the "genius" among the Legendary Sannin and the successor of Hiruzen Sarutobi's "techniques," Orochimaru's ninjutsu system is indeed very elaborate.

He could effortlessly employ the five elements of escape techniques: wind, water, earth, thunder, and fire. It seemed that he had mastered all five elements at this point.

However, it's clear that among the natural escaping techniques, Orochimaru prefers Wind Release the most, and uses other escaping techniques relatively less.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, took turns using Earth Release and Fire Release techniques, and didn't fall behind.

Both of them were experienced Kage-level warriors and knew each other well, which broadened Uchiha Shingen's horizons.

However, we didn't get to see Jiraiya activate his Sage Mode buff, since the prerequisites were too long; Orochimaru would have to be crazy to let him do it.

In order to stop Jiraiya from activating his buff, Orochimaru began using forbidden techniques.

In the Naruto world, forbidden techniques are a dynamic concept. Just because something is called a forbidden technique doesn't mean it's extraordinary. The definition of a forbidden technique varies from village to village.

In Konoha, techniques that require a large amount of chakra and could threaten the life of the user or cause the death of others are classified as forbidden techniques. The main purpose is to maintain peace in the village and prevent certain ninjas from risking their lives for power.

However, such a definition is meaningless to Orochimaru, as most forbidden techniques have no effect on his body and thus automatically become ordinary ninjutsu.

So he happily used a bunch of buffs and successfully prevented Jiraiya from activating them.

After some consideration, Uchiha Shingen concluded that if this method were used on him, he could handle most of the problems. For the more troublesome ones, he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to nullify them.

But these techniques certainly aren't Orochimaru's true trump cards.

After all, neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya intended to take the other's life.

It's just that one of them wanted to leave, while the other kept raising his hand.

In the end, it was Jiraiya who fell to the ground. This man and Orochimaru exchanged a friendly face-breaking punch.

Orochimaru had undergone soft modifications and was completely unharmed, while Jiraiya simply rolled his eyes and fell backward.

After knocking his buddy down with a single punch, Orochimaru regained his composed and nonchalant demeanor. It must be said that he perfectly captured the aura of a master.

Even if he lost, people would think he didn't actually lose.

After observing Jiraiya for a while, Orochimaru turned and left without killing him.

In the distance, Manda and Bunta's time to communicate with each other had come to an end. Unlike their deeply bonded master, these two big guys exchanged trash talk one after another when they fought. Within three sentences, they would inevitably bring up each other's female relatives. In the end, after exchanging a bunch of harsh words, they logged off while cursing.

The relationship is really bad.

Uchiha leaped down from the tree and ran to Jiraiya's side.

I knew it after just one glance.

This is the face of a national treasure.

He hoisted his opponent up and began to move using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In just a few breaths, they were back at the foot of the city wall.

There are a lot of people here now.

Leading the group was Koharu Tsurugi, who seemed to have been waiting there for some time.

In the original timeline's annihilation of the Uchiha clan, two high-ranking officials in Konoha played a crucial role.

Danzo Shimura goes without saying; he was in the front row.

The other person was Koharu Tsurugi.

As a child, she was mischievous and often slept during her ninja school classes.

Now...

Seeing Uchiha Shingen carrying Jiraiya, Koharu Utatane quickly stepped forward.

"Shingen-kun, what happened to Jiraiya?"

"He's unconscious." Uchiha Shingen placed Jiraiya on the ground.

A group of ANBU rushed over and carried Jiraiya onto a stretcher.

After Koharu Utatane directed the ANBU to send Jiraiya away, she turned to look at Shingen Uchiha.

"I thought that with your abilities, you should be able to take this opportunity to kill Orochimaru," she said casually.

"The Advisor of the Palace, killing Orochimaru—in the entire Hidden Leaf Village, perhaps only the Third Hokage could have accomplished that." Uchiha Shingen, unfazed by this, asked directly, "Does the Third Hokage know about this?"

"Of course." Koharu nodded. "You've worked hard, Shingen-kun. Go back and rest."

Uchiha Shingen nodded and, without saying a word, used the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly disappear.

Koharu, the woman in the tether, stared silently at the ground where Shingen Uchiha had disappeared.

Chapter Seven: Uchiha Obito's Shop Visit

Hidden Cloud Village.

This village, built high in the mountains, is very close to the clouds.

Clusters of silvery-white clouds drifted and shimmered in the wind.

Looking down, the thick fog, like water droplets rising from a lake, surged up from all directions and drifted around the mountainside.

News of Orochimaru's escape, Tsunade's departure, and Jiraiya's injury—the disintegration of the Konoha Sannin—has already reached Kumogakure.

The ninjas on the plateau have already turned their attention to the south.

It is said that the Fourth Raikage has held several high-level meetings to discuss strategies for heading south.

When the Cloud Ninja head south, they must be wary of those stinky Rock Ninja. Those rock geese have launched sneak attacks more than once or twice, and the Third Raikage was killed because of it.

The Cloud Ninja were greedy for the abundance of the Land of Fire. Although many people died as a result, they did not harbor much hatred.

The entire village harbors deep hatred towards the Iwagakure ninja.

The entire ninja world covets Konoha, and Kumogakure is very single-minded, only coveting Konoha. But Iwagakure not only covets Konoha, but also Kumogakure.

Of the five great nations in the world, the three nations of Fire, Thunder, and Water have the richest natural resources and are the most livable. Among them, the nation of Fire is the best, with four distinct seasons, favorable weather, and no geological disasters.

The other two countries are slightly less developed, but they are still treasure troves in the Naruto world.

Located in the northeast of the continent, the Land of Lightning has a fairyland-like landscape. The sky is always a deep blue, as smooth as a carefully polished sapphire. The mountains are covered with lush vegetation, and the lowlands are covered with meadows. The inhabitants of the Land of Lightning can cultivate farmland on the mountains and establish pastures on the meadows. At the same time, because it is located by the strait, the fishing industry is also very developed.

If there's any drawback, it's that this place also has high-altitude snowstorms capable of killing living beings and overwhelming thunder and lightning.

The residents of the Land of Lightning are accustomed to hearing deafening thunder suddenly rumble from the sky while walking down the street.

Lei Zhimin's character is characterized by his refusal to submit to fate and his tenacious struggle.

Obito Uchiha walked out of an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village), his face expressionless.