After all, among the Legendary Sannin, they understood each other extremely well.
Precisely because they knew each other's techniques, combat styles, and habits so thoroughly, their battles often took a long time to determine a winner.
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade with narrowed eyes and asked, "You've overcome your fear of blood?"
Although he had already guessed the answer, he still wanted confirmation.
He casually bit his finger and allowed a drop of blood to fall to the ground.
However, Tsunade's expression did not change in the slightest.
She looked at him coldly and mocked, "It seems you've really become more foolish as you grow older."
Her gaze toward Orochimaru became colder and colder.
At first, she had still held some lingering sentiment from their time as comrades.
But Orochimaru had deliberately tried to exploit her weakness to kill her.
After someone first touched her deepest wound and then attempted something like that, Tsunade could no longer forgive him.
Even though Orochimaru had already suspected the truth, seeing it confirmed still caused his pupils to shrink slightly.
He muttered slowly, "I didn't expect Konaha to be so lively today."
Then he continued calmly, "Even you have returned."
Orochimaru stepped back slightly and said, "Since that's the case, I'll leave for now."
However, he added with a faint smile, "But I wonder… can you protect him forever?"
Tsunade's eyes suddenly flashed with terrifying killing intent.
She said coldly, "Is that a threat?"
Then she sneered slightly and replied, "You don't need to worry about that."
She pointed at Sora behind her and continued, "Today he is only twelve years old and participating in the Chunin Exams."
"Yet he already managed to injure you." Tsunade's voice became colder. "In the future, he might even take your head."
Those words made Orochimaru's heart tremble slightly.
He had to admit that Sora's abilities were extremely strange.
It was as if he could control chakra, blood, and Qi simultaneously.
Even Orochimaru's heavily modified body had been injured by a single strike.
That was truly abnormal.
A twelve-year-old who had never experienced the brutality of a world war had already reached such strength.
If he continued developing, he would become a dangerous enemy.
Although Orochimaru did not believe Sora could truly kill him, he still felt uncomfortable having such a dangerous future opponent watching him.
Orochimaru's gaze toward Sora became both greedy and cold.
However, Tsunade stood directly in his path.
Orochimaru did not believe he would lose to Tsunade.
But continuing the battle would inevitably attract unnecessary attention.
That would bring serious trouble to his larger plans.
And those plans were far more important.
Once his plans succeeded, he would have all the time he needed to deal with Tsunade and Sora slowly.
Thinking this through, Orochimaru slowly began sinking into the ground.
"Tsunade, you win this time." His voice echoed coldly as he disappeared.
"But next time you might not be able to protect him."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, "Even the most perfect plans always contain flaws."
Tsunade snorted coldly and ignored him.
Instead, she turned around and looked at Sora.
Her eyes were filled with warmth and admiration.
She had been impressed by Sora's calmness when facing one of the Sannin.
Not only had he remained fearless, he had even managed to injure Orochimaru.
Although Orochimaru had not fought seriously, the injury was still real.
Even Tsunade had not expected that.
After all, because of Soft Physique Modification and numerous twisted forbidden jutsu, Orochimaru was actually the most difficult of the Sannin to injure.
Yet Sora had managed to do it.
Tsunade smiled softly and hugged him.
"As expected of my child."
Sora hugged her tightly in return.
He said seriously, "Today you stood in front of me to protect me. In the future, I will definitely be the one standing in front of you to protect you."
Who else in the world would do what Tsunade had done?
A Kage-level expert had abandoned everything and secretly remained by Sora's side just to protect him.
Sora remembered every bit of it.
Over the years, Tsunade had slowly broken the icy shell around Sora's heart.
Little by little, she had entered and nurtured it.
Tsunade did not say anything after hearing his words.
She simply hugged him more tightly.
A faint trace of happiness appeared in her eyes.
After a moment, Tsunade spoke again.
"The battle just now was too intense." She looked around carefully and said.
"It will probably attract investigation from the Anbu. So I need to transform again. If they discover I'm here, it will cause trouble."
Then she added calmly, "Keep an eye on those kids. I don't want anyone knowing that I've returned."
After speaking, Tsunade used Transformation Jutsu again and sealed her chakra once more.
As long as she remained still and restrained her aura, even the Byakugan would not detect her presence.
Sora nodded, "Understood."
The easiest way to handle the situation would have been eliminating Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino.
If they disappeared, no one would know Tsunade had returned.
However, Sora did not plan to do that.
Earlier he had already considered training them as Tsunade's future subordinates.
Now was the perfect opportunity to observe their character.
After all, people could change easily.
It was better to confirm their character personally.
Whether Tsunade returned to become Hokage or not, having capable people inside Konaha would always be beneficial.
Sora turned toward the bushes and said calmly, "Come out. There is no need to hide anymore."
Hinata, Kiba, and Shino exchanged helpless smiles before stepping out of the forest.
At this point, escaping was meaningless.
Even if they managed to escape Sora, Tsunade was still present.
It was impossible to run.
Moreover, through Akamaru's instincts, Shino's insects, and Hinata's intuition, they had already determined that Sora did not intend to harm them.
Sora spoke calmly, "You saw everything that happened just now. I won't say much more. I only hope that until she chooses to reveal herself, no news about her leaves your mouths."
His voice was calm.
There was no intimidation.
Yet none of them dared to ignore him.
Shino adjusted his glasses and replied immediately, "We only arrived just now. What happened earlier?"
With that single sentence, Shino had clearly stated his position.
Compared to Hinata and Kiba, he was calmer, more intelligent, and more decisive.
Having such a teammate was extremely valuable.
Hinata and Kiba quickly understood.
Hinata nodded and said softly, "That's right. We only heard a loud sound and came to check what happened."
Kiba scratched his head and said, "Yeah, that's all we know."
Sora nodded slightly, "Since that's the case, I will ensure that you pass this exam. As for what happens afterward, it will depend on your own abilities."
The three of them did not object.
After all, they had no intention of telling anyone.
Even a fool would understand that spreading such information would bring nothing but trouble.
...
Author's Note:
Naruto: Reborn as Tsunade's Son — Part 1 is now fully completed, with more than 130 chapters available on my Patreon!
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1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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