Darkwings13: Much thanks and appreciation to ileangie23 for providing me with data in saying that Tobirama was Orochimaru's favorite Hokage. It contributed to a very meaningful part in this chapter and into the insight of Orochimaru's character. :)

What in the name of the all the villages did they use to graffiti the damn monuments?! Orochimaru seethed as he scrubbed viciously at the statue of Sarutobi's face. He had been scrubbing for half a day now, and the mustache was still as noticeable as ever. It was obvious after an hour that the mop wasn't going to work so he switched to metal plated scrubbers. By now, he was starting to worry if he'd accidentally scrape off all the earth and end up making his teacher look like he has an under-bite. He supposed he'd find out once he did manage to clear the moustache off.

Sighing, he walked back up to the spiky part of Sarutobi's head and leaped over to Hashirama's flat head to rest. His stomach rumbled and he reached over for his lunch bag for his two hard-boiled eggs. Not like he had much to eat. With his allowance being cut for half a year, he was actually worried about how he'd manage to live. Although he could resume his missions after one month, it was nowhere near enough to cover his expenses. He might have to start pawning stuff from his house. and the thought ate at his heart. That was supposed to be last resort. He wanted the house exactly the way it was when his parents were still alive. Even if he planned on getting the items back, to have it out of the house for even a minute, made him feel terrible. It meant that he wasn't strong enough to protect the house his parents had left him.

"Orochimaru."

Immediately wiping off any traces of emotions on his face, he slowly stood up and stiffly bowed his head. "Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi paused, a look of sorrow on his face. "Orochimaru, I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. I had meetings to attend to."

"For what reasons? I'm just cleaning," he said emotionlessly. He then added, "There's no one to beat up here, if that's what you're worried about, sensei."

"As your teacher, I should have..." Sarutobi made a weak gesture before saying, "Tsunade told me what happened. I am sorry for thinking badly of you but what you did was still wrong and you must be punished for it. You can't hurt a fellow member of the village like that, Orochimaru." Orochimaru looked away bitterly and Sarutobi walked over to his student. Bending down to his height, he said, "I understand that you were mad. Not only did Akano called you an orphan and looked down on you, he also insulted Tsunade who you consider a friend. But you should have ignored him-"

"Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru cut in, his voice laced with hurt. "Do you know how it feels to be helpless, and watch those you care about get hurt? I couldn't be there for my parents. All I could do was cry when they died." He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed, still wishing he was older so then... he could have... possibly done something to save his mom and dad. "I owe Tsunade," he said finally. "She was the first person to care. I won't let anyone insult her like that. Even if you say that it's wrong, I don't think so. I was only protecting someone I care about."

Sarutobi wore a thoughtful look on his face before asking, "Then why did you push her and Jiraiya away? She cried, you know?"

Orochimaru pressed his lips together and looked out at the view of the village, listening to the wind that was tugging at his hair and clothes. "I don't want to be hurt again. If a friend can't support me in everything I do, then they can't be with me."

"Friends," Sarutobi said slowly, "Also tell each other when they're going down the wrong path. You have to admit the truth, Orochimaru. What you did was cruel."

"It was not undeserved," he replied firmly.

"Would you still answer the same way if I was to cut your allowance for another six months?"

Orochimaru's pupils dilated. "You can't change the way I think, sensei. No matter how wrong my actions were, my feelings were pure."

Sarutobi couldn't help but feel his heart go out to his student. Despite how terrible his actions were, it stemmed from the fact that he truly values his friendship with Tsunade. "Orochimaru, please look at me." When golden eyes met his own dark eyes, he said, "I want nothing more, then to defend you and make excuses for you. You are my precious student and I care very much for you. It hurts me to punish you." He reached out and gently lay a hand on Orochimaru's head. "But I want you to grow up into a kind and loving man. One who can forgive and still be strong for his friends without resorting to violence."

"What would you have me do, Sarutobi-sensei?" Orochimaru asked, pulling away with dissatisfaction. "I don't have alot of money but those desserts were for you, Tsunade and Jiraiya. Should I have let Akano walk away and stayed quiet after he ruined my present and insulted my friend?"

"You could have told me," said Sarutobi. "Not only would I have punished that boy and shame his clan, I would have been immensely proud and loved you even more." His voice lowered slightly as he said, "I am still, very proud of you, Orochimaru. You are a genius and a very hard worker. Even after what happened, I am still so glad to be your teacher." When Orochimaru's eyes teared up, he felt his heart tightened up at the gesture and he openly hugged his student. Holding his student tightly, he couldn't help but be reminded of how young and fragile his little genius was. He tries so hard to mask his feelings and was always so hesitant on opening up. Stroking his head, Sarutobi said, "Forgive Tsunade and Jiraiya. Do not be blinded by hate, especially against your friends. They are wrong to have mistaken your reasons for what you did, but they aren't wrong in being shocked by the severity of your actions."

In his teacher's arm, Orochimaru's expression grew sad. "I don't want to be hurt again, sensei."

"But you will not heal if you don't forgive," Sarutobi said encouragingly. "That's what friends do."

Orochimaru's golden eyes grew wistful. "What friends do..."

His teacher's words echoed in his heart for the next five days. When he wasn't struggling to clean up the Hokage Mountain, he basically locked himself in his house. He still wasn't used to the extra time he now had, and he found himself waking early, his body telling him he needed to get ready for training or missions with his teammates. When he did leave the house to go clean and get food, he knew that Tsunade and Jiraiya were trailing after him when they were free from missions and training. It was silly on both their parts. Both sides were too hesitant on saying whatever it was that they needed to say. He was too proud, hurt and wary of letting them get close again. They were probably just too scared of being rejected again. It was like playing some kind of invisible tug of war game, where you're afraid that if you pulled too hard, the rope would snap back into your face.

He knew it was only around certain times of the day, when they wouldn't be spying on him. It was usually when they had to go home to eat and do their daily homework assigned by their teacher, whether it be readings or physical practice. He was moderately touched that the two both gave up their usual hobbies, gambling for Tsunade and peeking for Jiraiya, to stalk him.

Orochimaru chuckled slightly as he slowly walked home with a small bag of groceries. The next time he visted his parent's grave, he wondered if they'd be amused to hear that he was happy about being stalked. Looking up at the night sky, he sighed. Another day gone... and he still was only done cleaning one of the monument. He had even stayed past sunset to try and get more done. It was now so late that only the main or more popular streets had people walking around. His area was in a more quiet part of the village. Hilariously enough, he lived around old people for the most part. It was only noisy if it was a big extended family with alot of children.

But today was even more dead than usual since there was some kind of celebration going on in the middle of the village. An important mission or something had been successful, and the village was in a state of celebration. Some of the people he passed by were also decked out in their festive outfits.

All of a sudden, a cold wind swept past him and his eyes narrowed slightly. Licking his lips, he tasted the air and found the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. "This had not better be..." he muttered darkly under his breath, his pace speeding up. It was clear that he was being pursued by someone; it was definitely not his teammates either.

He didn't want to fight, especially not with the current situation he was in. He'd be immediately suspected to be the one at fault due to his previous action. Even his teacher wouldn't be able to defend him this time and he knew a much more severe punishment would be in wait for him if he was reckless. His eyes darted to an alleyway. If he went that way, he would be able to reach the Hokage's residence in fifteen minutes.

His lips thin with annoyance, he threw his groceries at the person following him before dashing into the dark alleyway. His sandals splashed through dirty water puddles as he ran past discarded garbage and stray cats. "Augh!" He leaped away as a dog snarled and snapped its jaws at him, ripping away a piece of his white outfit. If he wasn't quick, it would have snagged flesh as well.

His eyes flashed to the right as three shurikens were tossed in his direction. With a graceful backflip, he dodged them and reached into his sleeve for a kunai.

The black and white dog came into view from the shadows, accompanied by a skinny girl with a head of messy brown hair, and red streaks of paint shaped as fangs across her cheeks. She wore a black short skirt over metal armor mesh, along with a black fur short coat on top. He knew immediately she was from the Inuzuka clan. Straightening up, he asked warily, "Who's the other one with you?"

"You won't even remember my name in the morning." From her side, a tall muscular teenager with side swept silver hair glowered at him. His long coat flapped in the breeze and Orochimaru could sense the chakra radiating from his body. This was not your typical run of the mill genin. He was probably even chunin.

"You should be shaking," said the silver-haired boy. "You face a chunin, little brat."

Orochimaru's lips curved. "A chunin... who's what, more than double my age?"

"Why you-"

"Kitso," warned the girl. "Let's get this over quickly before someone sees."

"You said your dog couldn't smell anyone else nearby, right Amane?"

Orochimaru spoke up in his usual toneless voice. "Unless you plan to kill me, I can easily identify you idiots the very next day, especially now that I have your names." He tilted his head. "If this was an ambush, it's the worst I've ever seen. Quite inexcusable, especially since you have a ninja dog with you losers."

The girl, Amane, growled at him. "With your current reputation, if we lie and said you started a fight with us and ended up with broken arms and legs, they'd believe us. What you've done to our friend... the doctors are saying he might never fully recover. You've twisted his arm so badly." Her fangs showed as she snarled at him. "We won't forgive you."

"Whoever asked for it in the first place," Orochimaru asked cooly. "Besides, you two should be thanking me. Perhaps now he'll reconsider a career that he might actually be capable of." When she screamed and threw a kunai at him, he deftly caught it between his fingers. "People like him... will die within three years."

"Shut up! He's an Uchiha! He's stronger than you can ever hope to be!" shouted Kitso.

Orochimaru's shoulder shook. "If he had the Sharingan, then there's hope. Otherwise..." His golden eyes slowly opened, revealing his uncaring nature towards anyone he never formed a bond with. "He's trash that would have been broken sooner or later anyways."

Amane's fists tightened. "I'm taking you down if it's the last thing I do! Come on Kitso!"

Orochimaru leaped up to the roof when she threw a smoke bomb at his feet, trying to cloud his vision so that she could strike. From behind, he heard a whistle of metal and he bared his teeth as he grabbed onto the blade. It cut into his skin, dying the pale skin and white robe red. But it was just the pause he needed. With his other fist, he punched the older boy in the face and kicked him away just as the dog leaped onto his back and the girl strike from the side. Sharp fangs dug into his shoulders but he bit down the pain and turned to use it as a shield, his hand gripping thick fur to make sure it wouldn't leap off. Just as he predicted, she had to stop her attack and he used the opportunity to throw her dog at her at the cost of torn shoulder flesh.

Wincing, he took out a shuriken and threw it at the three. "Shadow clone shuriken technique!" The single shuriken multiplied into fifteen and he charged forward as they batted away at the projectiles. A few cut at their arms and legs and he used the opportunity to run past them. If he could get to his teacher in time... then-

"Four Legs Technique!"

Orochimaru gasped from the powerful impact that came at his back. Slipping over the tiles before rolling off the roof, he dropped down to the ground heavily. Why was that attack so powerful? He grinded on his teeth and rolled away as she landed down where he was moments ago and stabbed at thin air. Holding a hand to his bleeding shoulder, he glared at her. Part of him was still holding back, knowing the trouble he'd be in if he injured them too seriously. Another part of him wished that he could just strangle the both of them.

"Is this all you've got?" Amane asked with a smirk on her lips, crouching low and raking her long fingernails over the ground.

Orochimaru coughed before saying, "I really should have studied up on your clan's techniques beforehand. Dogs don't know when to give up."

"What did you just say-" She choked when he opened his mouth and shot out his tongue, wrapping it tightly around her neck to strangle her.

"Amane!" Kitsu leaped towards them with his sword drawn and her dog also raced for his legs.

With no choice, he had to withdraw his tongue back. He was however, pleased to see the ring of dark bruises left on her neck as she choked and coughed. Lifting up his kunai, he blocked one of the slashes and pushed Kitso back. With his other feet, he kicked the dog and sent it flying into the girl. Forming a succession of hand seals, he shouted, "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" A wall of solid earth rose up, cracking the cement underneath as it made to shield him. He had created a broad dense rock wall that went from one side of the street to another, and high enough that few could jump over. It was going to be cost the village money to fix the place up but he couldn't stand around any longer. He had to go now. Gripping his shoulder, he made to run for it when all of a sudden, the wall split in half with a stroke of the blade. His eyes widened to see chakra swirling around the katana, enhancing its cutting abilities. So that's why... this guy was a chunin. He had excellent chakra control and manipulation.

He made to move to dodge the attack but his legs didn't budge. To his shock, wired strings had been wrapped around both his legs and Amane and her dog were both gripping it tightly. It must have been when he kicked her dog! The sword cut into his uninjured shoulder as he turned his upper body, trying to keep the blade from hitting his more vital areas.

"Oh no you don't," snickered Kitso, drawing out a kunai and aiming for his stomach. His friend snickered as she also drew out a kunai to throw at him.

With a grunt, Orochimaru grabbed the other his wrist to stop him and he lashed his tongue out to tie her up. His other hand grabbed tightly onto the sword hand and the three stayed locked there in that position. He could feel her dog pulling sharply on the metal wires, making it cut into his legs as it tried to help free its master. The blade on his shoulder was pressing deeper into his flesh as he struggled to hold the hand in place. A pool of red was beginning to form around him and his vision was starting to grow hazy from the blood loss. They had all the time in the world, but he was limited to about another fifteen percent of blood loss before he passed out. He could already feel his body growing cold. His mind worked at a furious pace, looking for a way out. Finally, one idea came to his mind. It was a risky gamble but there was nothing else.

He took in a slow breath to brace himself, before shoving the sword downwards, making it slice down from his left shoulder before it cut at the wires at his feet from the pressure he applied. A great spray of blood spilled out from the long cut that traveled from his shoulder to his hip and he made a sound of pain. Withdrawing his tongue, he leaped backwards and formed five hand seals. "Wind Release: Great-" He hacked out a mouthful of blood and went down on one knee. His back flared up in pain and he realized the injury there must have been more serious than he thought.

"I'll finish it! Beast Human Clone!"

In his blurry vision, he saw her dog transform into a copy of her. The two then rushed at him and she shouted, "Fang Passing Fang!" In a whirlwind of claws and fangs, they headed straight for him. Bracing himself, he pushed all of his remaining chakra to his vital organs and raised both arms in an attempt to protect himself.

"Don't you even dare!" Tsunade jumped down in front of him, slamming her fist into the ground with all her might to pop up a thick wall of cement to protect them. Amane and her dog both slammed into it hard and Tsunade grabbed his arm, hastily draping it over her shoulder and leaping to safety as the wall cracked into pieces.

"Heh! The Great Jiraiya has arrived!"

Orochimaru looked up weakly as his friend leaped down behind Kitso. "Fire Release: Great Fireball technique!" The fireball Jiraiya shot out nearly lit Kitso's hair on fire as he ran for it. With a laugh, he ran over to Tsunade and posed. "Tis I! The handsome ninja of justice here to save the day."

Amane and her clone snarled. "So if it isn't the princess and the other useless teammate."

Tsunade glared at the two, her knuckles cracking as she curled her right hand into a fist. "Looks like some wild dogs needs to be taught some manners."

"You really think you can take us on while carrying that baggage around?" Kitso said, holding out his sword.

She also shot him a glare before turning to her friend. "Orochi, can you stand for a second?" He nodded weakly, lifting his arm off her and standing on shaky legs.

"Tsunade-"

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't look worried, I got this." She then turned to Jiraiya. "Yo, back me up ok?"

"Whatever you want, you got it," Jiraiya said with a grin, holding his hands together, readied to make hand seals.

Stepping forward, Tsunade closed her eyes and made a few hand signs. "Shadow clone technique!" In a puff of smoke, she formed thirty shadow clones, making everyone there stare in shock at the large number. All of the clones wore a grin as they raised up a fist and they all said, "No one lays a finger on my Orochi without getting their asses kicked to high heaven. Prepare yourself, losers. Jiraiya! Gimme an opening!"

"No problem! Needle hair senbon!" His snow white hair hardened and he lowered his head towards the two, shooting out razer sharp small needles at them, efficiently stunning them into place as it turned them into human porcupines.

With a loud yell, the thirty Tsunades ran forward and dealt them a huge number of kicks and punches. Kitso's swordmanship managed to cut down ten of them before he was overwhelmed and Amane threw herself over her dog to protect it. When Tsunade was done, all three were a mass of bruises and lumps. Giving them a scowl of contempt, she kicked the two both in the head one last time. "If you two hurt my friend again, I'll be the one breaking bones."

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted for her as he helped Orochimaru stand.

"Orochimaru!" She ran over and put her hands over her mouth, horrified by the amount of blood he was covered in. Both of his shoulders were heavily injured and his entire body was battered. "We have to get him to the hospital, quickly." She took his other arm and hurriedly draped them over her shoulder. His blood coated her clothes and skin from the contact and she teared up at the terrible sight.

"Wait..." He looked at them, his face deathly white. "Am I dreaming?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Who's the idiot now? We've always been here for you."

"Orochi," Tsunade sobbed, hugging her friend. When he winced and made a sound of pain, she quickly made to draw back. "Sorry!"

She stopped when he pressed his hand on her back and stopped her. Quietly, he said, "I'm sorry, to the both of you."

"We're sorry too," Tsunade said, tears streaming down her face. Pressing her face against his hair, she sobbed, "I miss you. If... if something like this didn't happen, I was worried you might never talk to us again."

Jiraiya sighed. "Look, Orochimaru. Even if I think you were wrong, now or in the future, I'll never turn my back on you. We're friends, ok?" He paused briefly before saying, "Why didn't you go all out? I know you could have-"

Orochimaru smiled, his eyes slowly closing. "I don't want to... disappoint Sarutobi-sensei and my friends... again."

Tsunade cried even harder as her friend lost consciousness. "He cared, he really does care."

Jiraiya rubbed at his eyes. "Stop it, now you're making the Great Jiraiya all misty eye too." Hugging the two, he sobbed. "Why do I have to have a guy with a stick up his ass and a girl with a raging short temper as friends."

"You're both stupid friends too!" Tsunade cried as she hugged the two boys.

He didn't mind three painful days of laying in bed with a bruised and battered body and undergoing a blood transfusion. His friends were there with him the whole way, telling him about their days and bringing him snacks. His teacher had never looked prouder when he learned what happened and true to his words, he punished the two perpetrators heavily. Amane was banned from taking the Chunin exam for two years, and Kitso was prohibited from taking any missions for half a year. Others said that his teacher played at favoritism but Sarutobi didn't care. They didn't understand how hard it was for an orphan at six and a half years old, to survive on his own for half a year with no allowance from the village. The fact that Orochimaru was so severely injured also flew past their heads. They only believed in what they wanted to believe in the first place. Out of concern for his teacher, Orochimaru asked that his ban from missions be extended from one month to six months. His request was heartfelt and Sarutobi grew to love his student even more.

Tsunade had gotten so mad, she decided to make it a mission to yell at anyone she heard spreading gossips about the issue. "Look here you idiots! Akano was a stupid jerk who didn't pay Orochi back when he messed up his stuff and called me a spoiled bratty princess. My friend defended me and I don't care if you people do think I'm a spoiled bratty princess, I'm a friend first and foremost. Whoever speaks badly about Orochi and my sensei is stupid and needs a fist to the head to fix them! His stupid teammates also went after my friend first!"

"That's what she keeps saying," laughed Jiraiya as he ate a banana from Orochimaru's fruit basket that their teacher brought him.

Sitting up in the hospital bed, with a book in hand, Orochimaru looked over to Tsunade and cracked a smile. "You're only worsening your image, hime."

"Pfffft, like I care," she said, continuing to munch on an apple. "Like my grandpa always says, friends are precious. Who gives a fig about reputation." A sad expression formed over her face and she sniffed. "You were covered in so much blood, I still shudder thinking about it."

"Stop that," he scolded lightly. "You're a ninja, hime. The sight of blood will be something you'll have to get used to-"

"Shut up," she stood up and rapped him on the head, much to his astonishments. "I never want to see you bleed like that again, you hear me? It hurts me to see that." Her eyes burned. "I'll learn medical ninjutsu if it's the last thing I do, to make sure that doesn't happen again."

He sighed briefly before giving her a small smile. "I promise... you'll never have to see me like that again. Don't push yourself, hime." When she seemed happy with the answer and sat back down, he said slowly, "Jiraiya, Tsunade, tell me the truth. What do you think about me breaking Akano's leg and arm?"

Tsunade said slowly, "When I first saw that, I was scared and thought it was awful. But that's because I thought you were just being cruel. Now..." She smiled at him. "I wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing to someone if they like... peeked in on me if I was in a hot spring or something (beside her, Jiraiya gulped). The fact that you got so angry for my sake means alot to me, Orochi. I don't care one bit."

Jiraiya mulled over his words as he chewed. "I think that you didn't have to be so extreme. Punching him in the face would have been good enough."

Orochimaru smiled over the top of his book. Out of the three, Jiraiya definitely had the most morality. Tsunade was also an ethical person but she leaned more to the considerations of those she cared about.

One week later...

"Looks perfect," Sarutobi said as he and his three students looked up at the Hokage Mountain. Right after Orochimaru was released from the hospital, the three immediately went to go clean together. In one day, they had completely restored the monuments to their former glory. He was also secretly happy to see that his statue didn't have a giant wart and mustache anymore. Chuckling, he asked, "What do you think of the Hokages?"

"Uhhh... they're old?" said Jiraiya.

Tsunade punched him. "What kind of answer is that?! They're the strongest ninjas in the village you pervy no brain."

Sarutobi sighed. "You think I'm old?"

Jiraiya put a hand to his mouth and snorted. "Maybe. But you're also my favorite, sensei."

"Oh ho ho." Sarutobi laughed. "And why is that?"

"Because I doubt the other Hokages would go peeking in hot springs with me."

At that, Orochimaru and Tsunade turned and stared at him. Dryly, Sarutobi said, "Thanks... Jiraiya."

Tsunade rolled her eyes briefly before pointing to her grandfather. "My grandfather is my favorite Hokage. He always got me everything I wanted and took me gambling."

Sarutobi mentally facepalmed. Did both his students just give the shittiest reasons for choosing who their favorite Hokages were? "Orochimaru, what about you?" he asked.

Orochimaru looked up solemnly and said, "The second Hokage."

"EH?!" Tsunade was surprised. "But Orochi, granduncle was the only one who didn't like it when you came over to visit me and stuff."

Her friend slowly blinked his reptilian eyes. "I admire and respect his intelligence, especially with his inventions of techniques. Flying Thunder God, Shadow Clone and Impure World Reincarnation helped win many battles to keep the village safe. His skill with a sword was also legendary."

Sarutobi smiled, extremely pleased with his answers. "Very good, Orochimaru."

"I hope I can become as strong as him one day, and invent techniques of my own," he said solemnly. "Even if I die, my invented techniques will keep my achievements and name alive."

Jiraiya and Tsunade both looked up with him. "I'm sure you'll become strong enough to be Hokage one day," Tsunade said encouragingly. She blinked and said curiously, "I wonder what your monument will look like... Hope they get your eyes right."

"You be Hokage, it's too boring for me," Jiraiya said with a grin. "I wanna spread my fame all over the world as the Great Jiraiya instead of just being Hokage. That, and meet all the pretty girls everywhere. Oh oh, like Tsunade said, make sure they get the eyes correct. It's like your signature look besides the girly long hair."

"Hmph."

Sarutobi smiled up at the monuments, thinking about how wonderful it'd feel to hand over his title to his beloved student. But... he looked down worriedly, thinking about Orochimaru's eyes. There was malice and ambition in them, something that would make him unfit to become the protector of the village. To be Hokage was not to only be the strongest, but to also care for every single person and carry on the Will of Fire. Could Orochimaru be capable of that legacy, if he showed no regrets at hurting those like Akano? Even when he said he wanted to invent techniques, it was for the sake of keeping his name and accomplishments alive, and not for the sake of the village. But as soon as he thought that, he immediately dismissed it. How could he think of his student in such a way? Orochimaru was just withdrawn from others and cold, but he was still young and he can learn. After all, he's already making such strong bonds with his teammates and with him. Such a handsome and intelligent genius like him was something that was also only seen once in a decade. As his teacher, he had to believe in his student.

"Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru," he said. "Come on, it's lunch time. Let's go." Jiraiya cheered and skipped merrily forward. Tsunade giggled and reached for his hand and he happily took it. With his other, he placed it behind Orochimaru's back and smiled down at his favorite pupil. His heart grew light when Orochimaru returned the smile, his eyes warm like honey.

One year and a half later...

"Hey," Jiraiya said with a grin as he met up with his teammate at their usual training ground. "Want to hear something cool?"

Leaning against the post with a bored expression, Orochimaru tilted his head, an indication that he was listening. Tsunade yawned, leaning against her pale friend with her arms crossed. "I hope it's a new technique or something. You've been like what, meditating for ages now and you still haven't showed us about this oh so wonderful and secret technique that you've been practicing for."

"Shut it, this is actually something important," Jiraiya said, scowling. When the two waited for him to speak, he grinned. "The next chunin exam is in three months. I just asked Sarutobi-sensei and he thinks we're ready for it."

At that, Tsunade cheered and raised a fist in excitement. "Alright! Now you're talking."

Beside her, Orochimaru's eyes lit up. When Jiraiya walked up to them, he looked at his two friends and smirked. "I expect all three of us to pass, understood?"

"Heh," Jiraiya smiled widely and folded his arms. "Been ready since half a year ago. Only icing on the cake that I do need is my super secret technique. Three months should be good for the last training portion of it."

"I'm ready." She picked up a rock and eyed a tree at a distance. With a confident smile, she threw it at lightning speed and they watched as the rock loudly pierced all the way through three thick trees.

Orochimaru slowly looked up as a small bird flew towards them. Holding his hand upward, his eyes flashed and multiple green snakes shot out and snatched at the bird in the air, sending white feathers down on them. Slowly, he lowered his hand and opened it up, letting the trembling and frightened bird take flight once more. "It will be interesting to test out my techniques without holding back," he said with a cool smile, his eyes glowing.

Jiraiya pouted as Tsunade looked at Orochimaru in admiration.

Darkwings13:

- Sarutobi asked to go peeking with Jiraiya in episode 83 of Naruto.

-Sarutobi mentioned seeing malice and ambition in Orochimaru's eyes in episode 72 of Naruto, but he dismissed it since he valued his favorite pupil so much. He regretted his optimism of course. :(

-A starting hint of Tsunade's dislike for blood and her motive to become a medical ninja. And a funny nod towards the future where she nearly killed Jiraiya for peeking at her. Guess she's even more extreme than Orochi in the last chapter xD

-In episode 418 of Naruto Shippuden, Orochimaru states that Tobirama was his most respected Hokage. (Thanks again ileangie23!)

- I was listening to Choji's farewell when Orochimaru was reunited with his friends. Highly recommend rereading that part while listening to that song on YouTube. ^_^

-Next chapter... If I was to have a boyfriend, I'd choose... xDDDD hint

Greetings Lord Creator! Wonderful to hear from you again my friend! I'm happy you enjoyed the last chapter :) And if you had the feels, then yay I succeeded lol. It certainly was sad for all three. More heartbreak awaits in their future and even I'm getting sad thinking about it :'( As always, thank you so much for just reading and enjoying. x)

Hello JigokuShoujosRevenge! Haha I'm glad you found what Orochimaru did excessive. It's exactly as I intended, and to show the root of the malice that Sarutobi saw. But other than that malice, is a true and pure heart for those he cared about. Especially with him and his parents, showing tears when he held Sarutobi hostage, being sad about Nawaki and Dan's death for Tsunade, and looking mournful about Jiraiya's death. He's an extreme person, whose wish and darkness for forbidden techniques stemmed out of pure love for his parents when he found the white snake skin at his parents graves. It's also a physical metaphor as Sarutobi died, we see a monstrous Orochimaru screaming at him, but Sarutobi saw the loving child he loved back then. Beneath that darkness, was purity corrupted. Jiraiya still thinks what Orochi did was wrong, but he can empathize. Whereas Tsunade is more likely to forget about how extreme it was (considering she nearly kills her friend for peeking lol). Thanks for your take and feels on the matter my friend, it allowed for a great conversation for this chapter and in the end of the chapter review. :D