The years pass.
The Academy is no challenge and Orochimaru is a natural at ninjutsu and genjutsu. He consumes knowledge and books with a lust that is almost perverse even on a child that young. He craves it to no end.
Jiraiya is a bit of a goof, but it's in wry humor and subtle ways. Jiraiya is called charming and has a knack for reading people that Oro does not. He still hates that she shortens his name to Oro but at least it isn't Oro-kun. Only once does he call her Aya. The fight they have is vicious and gets them bumped up in learning better taijutsu though so it was worth the resulting black eye and angry looks. Jiraiya's temper though is a swift thing, flaring up and then forgiven as soon as Orochimaru can manage an apology.
Orochimaru on the other hand holds grudges.
Not to Jiraiya though. Because Jiraiya has thrown herself into her lock picking and trap making skills, into every bit of subterfuge and infiltration art she can that they teach and goes to after hours tutoring for it. The results are that they have clothing that fits and food most the time. In learning to be a con artist Jiraiya masters charm and is definitely a budding actor of rare skill.
The fan girls they both have are a nightmare, though Orochimaru's aren't numerous because they find him creepy too..and Jiraiya is still trying to figure out why she has them.
Orochimaru takes far too much pleasure in teasing her that she apparently does well pretending to be a boy and has forgotten to be a girl.
The next day when he's reading in the library a cute little girl sits by him and it's not until she asks if he is hungry and procures lunch that Orochimaru does a double take. Because it's apples and chocolate which has become their favorite and only one person knows that.
The spikes are smoothed out and curled in a way that shows it was actually done by hand, going from shoulder length to her jaw now with soft looking curls that resemble a lamb on her head with a henge providing a lighter skin tone and her hair a gentle blonde. There's a dusting of rice powder that hides her tear markings and her outfit is a sundress in lilac rather than Jiraiya's usual grays and browns. She has flats on rather then ninja sandals and smiles at him in a more subdued manner.
Orochimaru laughs so hard he nearly falls out of his chair but concedes that she is better than he thought.
As they wander that day, with him calling her Aya-chan and she can't do anything about it..he would worry that someone would guess except that ninja are rather terrible at looking beyond the obvious and Jiraiya is not acting as uncouth as usual. She's being very demure and cute and sweet and almost acting shy. It's a brilliant use of the henge, so subtle as it's just in coloring that it doesn't even register as using chakra really. Hence the rice powder and the curling of her hair done in what she reveals was a boring way of wetting it and using diluted starch glue and pencils to get the curls to actually stay put.
It's very strange though at ten to see other boys actually looking at his best (only) friend like they do all the cute girls.
He even tells her as much when they are back in the orphanage, their room because eventually it just became theirs and Orochimaru scared off anyone else who tried to bunk with the two 'boys'. He doesn't even remember when it was that Jiraiya just started sleeping in one of the other three beds there and it became her room as much as his. It wasn't like they really owned anything to keep in it usually.
"Eh? They thought I was cute?" Jiraiya makes such a face..a sneer with a wrinkled nose and squinted eyes that Orochimaru snickers.
"Not like that right now you look more constipated and about to sneeze."
Jiraiya shrugs, then pouts at him. It's so common Orochimaru just waits for the complaint that is sure to come.
"You're still prettier."
He denies that he blushes even as he feels his entire face and ears warm.
Still the fan girls never truly approach but it is strangely amusing to see them hover, clearly just as enthralled at the two such opposite best friends being near. They really are so different, and yet so very alike.
Yin and Yang.