svetikya Chapter 528 The Red Figure
Chapter 528 The Red Figure
Chapter 528 The Red Figure
Knock! Knock knock!
Several dark shadows slashed through the air and landed on the target not far away.
Three of the shuriken were driven deep into the same target, their sharp edges completely embedded in the wood, producing a dull thud.
"Hey! Did you see that?! Did you see that?!"
Seeing this, Jiraiya, who had just thrown his shuriken, jumped up excitedly, put his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly, "I, Lord Jiraiya, am a genius! Hahaha—"
However, his smug laughter didn't last even two seconds.
boom!
A fist slammed into his head.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Jiraiya immediately clutched his head and squatted down, wincing in pain and tears streaming down his face.
"You idiot, who told you to throw that around? You almost hit the new target I just set up!" Tsunade raised her fist, a "well" shape clearly sticking out of her forehead.
"And—" she angrily pointed to the target Orochimaru had hit in the distance, "Look closely, that's Orochimaru's target! You missed again!"
Jiraiya looked in the direction Tsunade was pointing, and sure enough, the target was the one Orochimaru had used. His own target stood alone next to it, completely empty.
"Uh—" Jiraiya's momentum instantly deflated, and he muttered under his breath, "Well, it's just practice anyway, as long as I hit it—"
"What did you say?"
"It's nothing, it was my fault, Lady Tsunade!" Jiraiya immediately covered his head.
Tsunade snorted, too lazy to deal with this idiot anymore, and turned to look for Orochimaru, but her eyes suddenly widened.
Not far away, Orochimaru stood in the ninjutsu training area. Unlike the two, he wasn't practicing shuriken or taijutsu, but instead formed hand seals in front of his chest.
That was the hand seal for a C-rank ninjutsu that Sarutobi-sensei had just explained the basic principles of in their recent ninjutsu class, but clearly stated that they wouldn't start practicing it until at least next semester.
Orochimaru's chest bulged slightly, and he suddenly spat forward.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Whoosh!
A powerful gust of wind, visible to the naked eye, erupted from his mouth, and countless tiny, sharp wind blades whistled as they swept toward the distant wooden target.
As the wind swept through, dust and grass clippings were swirled up on the training ground. The hard wooden targets were cut by the wind blades, leaving deep, crisscrossing cracks on their surfaces, with wood chips flying everywhere!
Although the target wasn't completely destroyed, this level of power was already astonishing for Orochimaru's age.
"This, this, this, this—" Tsunade opened her mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time.
Although she knew that Orochimaru was exceptionally talented in ninjutsu, witnessing him successfully perform a C-rank wind-style ninjutsu was still incredibly impactful.
Jiraiya, who had just gotten up while rubbing his head, was stunned when he saw this scene. His jaw dropped to the ground, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
After using his ninjutsu, Orochimaru's breathing became slightly rapid, and his cheeks flushed slightly, but his golden vertical pupils shone with pure and bright excitement.
Looking at the cracked target in the distance, the corners of his mouth curved upwards.
However, before he could fully savor the joy of his success, two gusts of wind suddenly blew up beside him.
Tsunade and Jiraiya flanked him like two guardian deities, their four eyes wide open, staring intently at him.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade spoke first, her voice rising with excitement. "How did you do that? Sarutobi-sensei only demonstrated it once, and you memorized it?"
"You're kidding me, Orochimaru! When did you learn that?! Sarutobi-sensei clearly said he'd teach the basic applications of chakra shape transformation in the next lesson!"
Jiraiya leaned closer, spitting almost onto Orochimaru's face. "Did you secretly train last night? Or did you find a secret technique? Teach me!"
"The hand seals are formed so fast, I couldn't even see them clearly! Try again! Slow down!"
"Is this what genius is? Damn it!"
The two exchanged questions, firing off a barrage of them at Orochimaru.
Excitement, curiosity, envy, and a little bit of resentment mixed together, making Orochimaru's head ache.
"Stop." He raised a hand, interrupting their incessant questioning.
"It's lunchtime," Orochimaru said calmly, reaching for his backpack. "Aren't you hungry?"
As he spoke, he unzipped his backpack and took out the lunchbox wrapped in a dark blue square cloth.
The cloth was untied, revealing the bento box inside. Although it wasn't opened yet, a warm aroma of food already wafted out.
Jiraiya's voice abruptly stopped, his expression instantly freezing, then he looked at the bento box in Orochimaru's hand as if it had rusted, before turning to Tsunade beside him.
Tsunade silently took out a bento box from her bag, which was slightly smaller than Orochimaru's.
"I brought some too," Tsunade said softly, her face slightly flushed, as if she were a little embarrassed. "Grandma Mito prepared them for me this morning."
As she spoke, she opened the lunchbox, inside which were neatly arranged dishes.
The rice is sprinkled with black sesame seeds, and next to it are golden omelets, bright green blanched spinach, a few pieces of teriyaki chicken, and two cherry tomatoes, making it look very appetizing.
Jiraiya's gaze was fixed on Tsunade's bento box, then slowly moved to Orochimaru's bento box, and finally looked down at his own empty hands.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and there seemed to be a suspicious liquid gathering at the corner of his mouth.
"You, you guys—" Jiraiya's voice was hoarse, "You actually prepared bento boxes?"
Tsunade instinctively pulled the lunchbox closer to her chest, staring warily at Jiraiya: "Grandma Mito only prepared this many lunches for me, I might not even have enough for myself—"
"At most, I can only give you a little bit of rice ball."
Jiraiya suddenly turned his head and looked at Orochimaru with a burning, expectant gaze.
Under Orochimaru's calm and unwavering gaze, the light of expectation in Jiraiya's eyes gradually faded, and he lowered his head dejectedly, his shoulders slumping.
Guh————
His stomach let out a long rumble at just the right moment, which was particularly clear in the silent training field.
"Sorry," Jiraiya's voice was muffled, "could you come with me to buy something to eat? The shopping street isn't too far from here—"
Orochimaru and Tsunade exchanged a glance, sighed, wrapped the lunchbox in the cloth again, and put it into their backpacks.
"Let's go."
"Great!" Jiraiya instantly perked up, his face beaming with a smile again. "I know a new yakisoba stall that opened in the shopping district; the portions are super generous!"
The three packed up their training tools and left the training ground.
The leaves, vibrant in the midday sun, seemed to shimmer like cotton wool in the thin clouds on the horizon. The trees lining the road rustled softly, their branches sprouting new green leaves.
"Hey, isn't that Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya?"
A woman carrying a bamboo basket walked towards me, greeting me with a smile: "Going to training? You're really working hard."
"Hello, Auntie." Orochimaru nodded slightly, Tsunade gave a well-behaved smile, and Jiraiya straightened his chest.
"You're so energetic." The woman chuckled, took a few tomatoes, still glistening with water droplets, from the basket, and shoved them into Tsunade's hands without a word. "Here, they're freshly picked, so sweet."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Tsunade quickly expressed her gratitude.
"Oh my, aren't these the three little guys from Sarutobi-sensei's class?" The owner of the fruit stand next to them, a kind-looking uncle, also poked his head out.
"Tsunade, how has Lady Mito been feeling lately?" A red-haired man stopped and asked Tsunade.
As we walked along, we heard similar greetings and well wishes all the time.
The villagers were clearly very familiar with and fond of these three children, who were quite famous in the village.
The warm sunshine bathed me, a gentle breeze carried the scents of food and flowers, and familiar laughter filled my ears. It felt as if the whole world should be like this: peaceful, friendly, and full of life.
Orochimaru walked in the middle, listening to Jiraiya excitedly ordering an extra-large portion of yakisoba, hearing Tsunade complain that he'd get fat if he ate too much, and feeling the friendly glances from those around him—
Just then, a fiery red figure flashed past Orochimaru out of the corner of his eye.
The color was too bright and jarring, somewhat out of place with the peaceful surroundings.
Orochimaru subconsciously stopped and turned to look in that direction.
However, he only had time to catch a glimpse of a figure in a strange green bodysuit disappearing around the corner of the alley.
""
Orochimaru frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably that the figure was somewhat familiar.
That kind of outfit is just too strange.
A very faint doubt crossed my mind, but it didn't linger. Perhaps it was just some guy with a particularly peculiar personality. Konoha is so big, it's not surprising that there are a few oddballs.
"Hey, Orochimaru, what are you looking at?"
Jiraiya's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Jiraiya leaned closer, craning his neck to follow Orochimaru's gaze, but his eyes inadvertently drifted to the lush, dense forest in the distance, near the lower reaches of the Naka River.
Sunlight filters through layers of leaves, and the faint sound of flowing water can be heard.
"?"
Jiraiya's eyes suddenly lit up, and he clapped his hands sharply, exclaiming on a whim, "Orochimaru, Tsunade! Look over there, down the Naka River!"
"The water is clear and shallow; I heard there are lots of fish at this time of year."
He turned his head, his face beaming with excitement: "We can eat fried noodles anytime, so why don't we—go catch some fish right now? We can grill them!"
Orochimaru's thoughts were interrupted. He looked away, glanced at Jiraiya, and then exchanged a look with Tsunade beside him.
Tsunade pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "All you ever think about is food—but grilled fish is actually pretty good, isn't it?"
Both of them knew that Jiraiya's family was not well-off, and given his proud nature, it was even less likely that he would ask them for money.
"Hmm." He sighed, nodded, and said, "Let's go."
"Yay! I knew Orochimaru was the best!"
Jiraiya cheered and immediately dashed towards the grove of trees, shouting back as he ran, "Hurry, hurry! I know a great spot where the fish hide most under the rocks!"
Tsunade shook her head, but quickened her pace to catch up, her golden ponytail bouncing in the sunlight.
"Hey! Idiot! Don't run so fast! Be careful not to fall into the river!"
Orochimaru watched his two companions run into the woods one after the other, then glanced back at the bustling commercial street and the alleyway where the strange figure had disappeared.
He turned back, leaving the fleeting feeling of unease behind, and walked towards Jiraiya and Tsunade, towards the grove of trees rustling in the breeze.
It was much cooler in the woods than outside, and the sunlight was blocked by layers of branches and leaves, turning into dappled light spots all over the ground.
Here, a tributary of the Namga River becomes gentle, the water is crystal clear, and you can see the smooth pebbles and fine sand underwater. Occasionally, a few small fish swim nimbly by.
"There it is! What a fat one!"
Jiraiya spotted a fish feeding among the water plants at a glance. His eyes lit up, and he tiptoed, held his breath, and carefully approached the riverbank, afraid of startling the fish.
Tsunade also curiously came over, her emerald green eyes fixed on the water.
"Ha!" Jiraiya seized the opportunity, leaned forward, and thrust his hands into the water.
Crash!
Water splashed high, but Jiraiya didn't catch any fish. He used too much force, and the riverbank was slippery, so he lost his balance and fell headfirst into the knee-deep water, getting completely soaked.
"Pfft! Cough cough cough!" Jiraiya splashed his head out of the water, spitting out the seaweed and river water in his mouth. His hair was wet and stuck to his face, making him look extremely disheveled.
Tsunade, who was standing behind him, was caught off guard and splashed with water droplets all over her face and body. Her clothes and hair were instantly soaked, and she stood there stunned.
A moment later, anger flared in her blue eyes, and veins bulged on her forehead.
"I'm here!!" Tsunade's roar startled several birds in the forest. Clenching her fists, she yelled, "You idiot!!!"
"Ouch! I didn't mean to! The floor was so slippery! Ouch!"
Orochimaru ignored the two clowns' antics and walked to the riverbank a little further away from them, where he quietly squatted down.
The river was clear, reflecting the fragmented images of the sky, and—himself.
The water rippled gently, causing the reflection to sway softly.
The boy in the water had a face that was still somewhat immature but already showed handsome features, long black hair, and golden vertical pupils, which added a touch of gentleness that was appropriate for his age.
He even saw a faint, natural smile lingering on the corner of his mouth.
That smile is unfamiliar.
In his memory, he rarely "laughed" like that.
He slowly crouched down, getting closer to the water's surface, wanting to see more clearly.
The reflection in the water magnified, drawing ever closer, until that youthful face with a slight smile filled the entire field of vision.
However, the next moment—
The expression on Orochimaru's face changed while he was in the water.
The faint smile faded, replaced by an almost ferocious madness and rage.
Those golden, vertical pupils suddenly widened in the water, filled with anger, resentment, and a bottomless desire.
The "Orochimaru" in the reflection stared intently at him, who was squatting on the shore.
"Varied----"
Then, before Orochimaru could react, the reflection in the water suddenly stretched out its hands, pierced through the water's boundary, and grabbed Orochimaru's wrist on the shore.
Pfft!
[One more chapter, I'll release it together with the previous one.]