Chapter 15
Noon.
Tsunade's team finally arrived outside Konoha's main gate.
The heavy atmosphere from before had vanished. Everyone's faces now showed clear excitement at returning home.
"Tsunade, your little brother really cares about you. I can see him standing right in the center of the gate from way back—he's probably been waiting a while."
Orochimaru, walking behind her, spotted the small figure and teased lightly.
"Of course he does! We've lived together for so long—our bond is special. Though I still don't know why he's always messing with me."
Jiraiya grumbled sourly, his face twisted in frustration.
Every time he tried to make a move on Tsunade, Ling Yu would swoop in and ruin everything. It made his blood boil—he wanted nothing more than to grab the kid and give him a beating.
But every single time, Tsunade would appear instantly beside Ling Yu. It left Jiraiya endlessly depressed.
Tsunade smiled silently, holding the hands of the two little girls beside her. Her eyes, filled with affection, were fixed on Ling Yu.
The short几十-meter distance was nothing to shinobi—they crossed it in a few breaths and reached the gate.
Upon arrival, the other team members quickly dispersed, heading toward their waiting families. Only the three team leaders—Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya—remained.
"Tsunade-nee! Welcome back!"
Ling Yu was the first to rush forward, arms wide open as he shouted toward the woman at the front.
"I'm back. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Tsunade scooped him into a warm hug, gently stroking his head. A trace of heartache flickered in her eyes.
Ling Yu burrowed deeper into her embrace, muffling his voice against her.
"It's fine. I only just got here."
Even though Tsunade hadn't yet reached her full development, the softness against his face still felt incredibly comfortable. From a distance, Jiraiya watched with open envy.
After a moment, Ling Yu pulled away from her chest, satisfied, and walked toward Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
"Orochimaru-jii, welcome back! Did you finish what I asked for?"
He looked up at Orochimaru, eyes full of anticipation.
"Mm."
Orochimaru nodded and produced a ninjutsu scroll from his robes.
"This is the scroll I compiled—the one I promised you last time."
"Thank you!"
Ling Yu took it with a beaming smile.
In order to survive long in the ninja world, strength was essential. Learning more ninjutsu was one of his main goals.
Orochimaru, as the Third Hokage's prized student, knew a vast number of techniques and had profound insight into them.
If not for Danzo's manipulation leading him down the path of human experimentation, Orochimaru might have become the next Hokage.
That's why, days before the mission, Ling Yu had asked Orochimaru to compile a list of ninjutsu along with his personal notes and understanding of them—making it far easier for Ling Yu to learn quickly.
In exchange, he offered several high-level Senju clan techniques—ones Orochimaru had never seen or couldn't obtain otherwise.
For the wealthy Senju clan, losing a few advanced techniques was trivial. But Orochimaru's deep insights? Invaluable to Ling Yu.
Tucking the scroll away, Ling Yu turned toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya quickly straightened his clothes, a wide grin spreading across his face as he stepped forward eagerly.
This little brat actually has a kind heart deep down.
Even though he's always sabotaging me with Tsunade, he still does some nice things.
Jiraiya thought smugly as he approached.
Ling Yu walked straight toward him—closer, closer…
Almost there!
Just a little more and he'd finally get praise from the great Jiraiya-sama!
Jiraiya's smile grew wider, nearly splitting his face.
But Ling Yu didn't even glance at him. He walked right past, bent down, and picked up a coin from the ground.
"Ah! So that's where it went. I was wondering why I couldn't find it earlier!"
Jiraiya's beaming expression froze solid. His whole body petrified.
"Found it! Time to head home!"
Ling Yu pocketed the coin, walked right past Jiraiya again as if he were invisible, and returned to Tsunade's side.
He gave a quick glance at the two red-haired little girls behind her.
Their faces were covered in dirt and grime—he couldn't quite make out who they were.
Then he took Tsunade's hand.
"Tsunade-nee, let's go home. Granny Mito's waiting for us!"
At that moment, Jiraiya finally snapped out of it. He dashed forward and blocked their path, glaring at Ling Yu.
"You damn brat! Don't ignore me!"
"Hm? Who're you, Pervy Uncle?"
Ling Yu tilted his head, giving him a disdainful side-eye.
"You little punk! Ignoring me is one thing—but pretending you don't even know me? You think the great Jiraiya-sama is easy to bully?!"
Rolling up his sleeves, Jiraiya advanced menacingly.
"Jiraiya! What do you think you're doing?"
Tsunade stomped hard. A terrifying crack instantly spiderwebbed across the ground beneath her foot.
"Uh—n-nothing! I wasn't gonna do anything…"
Jiraiya broke out in cold sweat, stammering.
"Alright, Ling Yu. Enough joking. I don't remember teaching you to be this rude."
Tsunade huffed, crouched down, and—rarely—put on a stern expression to scold him.
"Sorry, Pervy Uncle. I was just kidding."
Ling Yu walked over, patted Jiraiya's thigh half-heartedly, then turned away without another word.
He grabbed Tsunade's hand again, leading her and the two little red-haired girls toward the Senju compound.
"Oh, right—Pervy Uncle! Tsunade-nee is tired from the mission. Could you handle reporting to the old man Third for us?"
Ling Yu called back over his shoulder as they walked away.
"Argh! Damn it! Why is it always me doing the crappy jobs?!"
Jiraiya's temper flared again. He stomped furiously in place.
He turned to Orochimaru with a pleading look.
"Hey, Orochimaru… how about you handle the report to Sensei? I've got some stuff to do, might not make it."
"Get lost. I'm busy too."
Orochimaru shot him a cold glance and walked off toward his residence.
"Damn it! Acting all high and mighty just because you're a little stronger! When I get powerful, you're the first one I'm beating up!"
Jiraiya glared at his retreating back, roared impotently, then trudged off toward the Hokage Tower.
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