Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi

In a distant, secret base of the Sound Village...

"Hatake Kusuo! Hatake Kusuo..." Orochimaru's soul was bound within a transparent container. He kept muttering this name, filled with resentment.

It was all him. Everything was because of him.

If it weren't for Hatake Kusuo, his plan would have succeeded long ago. How could he have fallen to such a state? The two sword strikes that had pierced him that day felt as if they had reached his very soul. Even now, Orochimaru couldn't heal.

Kabuto Yakushi, who was presiding over the revival ceremony, heard Orochimaru's teeth-gritting voice and immediately said, "Lord Orochimaru! Please bear with it for a moment. We'll be able to revive you soon. We've prepared a new body for you this time, much better than the previous ones!"

His words briefly calmed Orochimaru's mood on the altar. "What I need is Sasuke! All of you, hurry up and get me Sasuke!"

"Only his body can bear the full extent of my abilities! Only then can my plan be realized!"

Kabuto immediately became solemn and nodded hastily. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"

Night.

Sasuke walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. The only sounds were the chirping of insects and the gentle whisper of the wind.

"Dammit! That guy Naruto has already become so strong, and then there's him!"

Recalling the events of the Chunin Exams, Sasuke's fists clenched with a crack. The giant summoned toad comparable in size to a Tailed Beast, the battle between two behemoths... he couldn't even interfere.

Most importantly, Hatake Kusuo. That one slash... so powerful. The scene of him leveling the entire forest was still vivid in his memory. Too strong.

For many sleepless nights, Sasuke would dream of that sharp, cold sword aura slashing towards him, only to wake up in terror, gasping for breath.

"Hatake Kusuo, just how strong are you?"

"Why? Why? Why am I the only one still stuck in the same place? At this rate, when will I ever be able to defeat that man and avenge my clan?!"

"Dammit!"

Sasuke, who did not yet know that the Uchiha clan's destruction was single-handedly orchestrated by Konoha's higher-ups like Danzo, was filled with hatred for that man and a deep unwillingness to accept his own lack of strength.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Suddenly, three figures descended from the sky. Two men and one woman, standing on the base of a wall, looking down coldly at Uchiha Sasuke. They wore the headbands of the Sound Village. Due to the deaths of the Third Hokage and others, the current Konoha was much more lax, giving them an opportunity to intrude.

"Who are you?" Sasuke immediately took out a kunai and became vigilant.

The man in the lead was tall and had a disdainful smile on his lips. He sneered, "So this is the person Lord Orochimaru wants? He doesn't look like much."

The moment his voice fell, with a huge BAM, Sasuke's eyes widened. His entire person had been hammered into the ground. He was greatly horrified. That speed just now... he hadn't reacted at all. Forcing himself to endure the pain, he was about to counter-attack with his kunai, aiming for the neck of the fat man on top of him. But unexpectedly, the other person just grinned.

"Your willpower is quite tenacious. A pity it's not enough."

In an instant, a black cursed seal began to spread rapidly from the fat man's neck, covering his entire body. In just the blink of an eye, the fat man's aura changed completely, rising by several levels.

POW!

Another heavy punch. This time, Sasuke was again completely powerless, suppressed to the point of being unable to move. After nearly ten minutes of being beaten, he finally stopped struggling. But he still stubbornly held up his kunai, his eyes fixed on them with hatred.

"We are Orochimaru's Cursed Seal squad."

Under the moonlight, the woman on the base of the wall spoke up. "Do you want to know about the power we just used? It was bestowed upon us by Orochimaru. Haven't you always craved this kind of power? If you want it, then come with us."

"Follow us, and Orochimaru will give you everything."

With that, the three people who had descended from the sky vanished again. Only the white moonlight and the pain from his beating showed that it wasn't an illusion.

"Orochimaru..." Sasuke muttered silently. It was impossible to know what he was truly thinking.

After a long, long time, when the moon was high and no one was out in the village, and the defenses were at their lowest, a staggering figure, with crimson Sharingan blazing, clutched his arm and limped out of the village.

Sasuke had chosen to defect.

The next day, the Konoha Barrier Team finally discovered the news of Sasuke's defection. The entire village was shaken. Sasuke didn't just represent the number one among the Konoha 12, second only to Hatake Kusuo. It was also because of his identity as the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.

The Konoha elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, were extremely worried. That man had an agreement with Konoha. Sasuke was the bottom line.

And because of this, Konoha officially issued a high-priority warrant. Retrieve Sasuke at all costs.

"Five, five, six!"

"Bet big for me, old lady! I'm this big, I don't believe it won't come up big at least once!"

In a gambling den, a beautiful woman in a green haori was翹着腿 (qiào zhe tuǐ) - crossing her legs - and shouting boisterously. The exaggerated feature on her chest made it impossible for anyone at the gambling table to look away.

"Big! Big! It is quite big..." a gambler at the opposite table was drooling. Realizing his gaffe, he hurriedly wiped his mouth.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune stood to the side, holding a pig. She was so anxious she was about to cry. Lady Tsunade had already lost nearly 5000 ryo today. If she lost any more, she would truly be penniless.

Don't be fooled by the polite demeanor of the people at this table, who were staring at her master with drooling faces. Once they were at the gambling table, they were absolutely ruthless. And they only believed in one principle: whatever Lady Tsunade bet on, they would bet the opposite.

Finally, the result of the dice was out.

"How is it small again!" Tsunade flew into a rage, slamming her delicate hand heavily on the table.

BAM!

The astonishing force directly shattered the entire gambling table. Wood chips flew, and it was smashed to pieces. Seeing the monstrous strength of the woman's one palm, the entire venue fell silent.

"Gulp..."

Everyone stared blankly, the sound of swallowing rising and falling. But this time, it wasn't because of her figure, but because of this astonishing destructive power.

"I'm not playing anymore! Shizune, let's go!" Tsunade, as if still not having vented her anger, punched the door frame, directly putting a hole in the thick, heavy iron door.

"What are you looking at? Look again and I'll dig out your eyes!" After glaring fiercely at the gamblers, Tsunade clapped her hands and stepped out.

But...

"Don't you dare leave!" a loud shout came from behind. "You think you can run after losing so much money without paying? No way!" These old gamblers were all fellows who would rather die than lose money. Even though they had been scared by her punch just now, they still clung to her, demanding their debt. In a word: you can have my life, but you have to give me my money.

"Run!" Seeing the situation was not good, Tsunade took to her heels. Shizune was left behind with the pig, bowing three times and apologizing four times before she too slipped away and followed.

Behind them was a large army of debt collectors in hot pursuit. Tsunade pointed her slender, fair finger forward. "There!"

Ahead was a high wall. Tsunade planned to use her ninja physique to jump over it with Shizune. However, just as she leaped up, a pebble was thrown from the other side of the wall. This pebble just so happened to hit Tsunade's "weaponry," making it bounce high. But this slight pause was enough. In her haste to run, she fell directly down and was surrounded by the people behind her.

With no other choice, under Shizune's tearful face, the noble-blooded pig was pawned off to pay the gambling debt.

"Who! Was! It!" After the debt collectors had left, Tsunade said through gritted teeth. The force of that pebble just now was definitely not something an ordinary person could produce. It had to be a ninja, and they had specifically aimed for that position.

She punched the wall. POW!

When she turned her head to look... Hm?! Hmph!

On the other side of the hole in the wall stood a handsome boy in fluttering red clothes. A sword at his waist, his hair in a high ponytail, and a mysterious mark on his forehead.

What a dashing young man! Tsunade lamented in her heart.

Then, her expression immediately changed. Wait a minute! You were the brat who threw the pebble just now, weren't you!

Instantly, Tsunade's good first impression of Kusuo was completely ruined. She threw a punch. Pure strength, without using chakra. Tsunade was angry and wanted to teach this brat a lesson.

But... Pak.

A crisp sound. Tsunade was愕然 (èrán) - astonished - to find that her hand had been caught by this boy. She used a little force, wanting to pull it back.

She was shocked. She couldn't pull it back.

"Paying one's debts is a matter of course," the boy's faint voice said. To Tsunade's ears, it sounded like mockery.

"Hmph!" she snorted delicately. Tsunade prepared to take back her fist, pulling back with force.

Huh? She was completely shocked. Still couldn't pull it back. And looking at the boy's calm expression... at that moment, Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Fall for me!" she shouted delicately, her left hand imbued with chakra as she threw a monstrous strength punch.

SWISH! She hit nothing. Kusuo had gracefully turned and jumped behind her. With a light tap of his scabbard... smack!

"Brat, you're playing with fire." Tsunade, having punched the air, had just been spanked on the butt. She was both ashamed and annoyed. At the same time, her heart was in turmoil. She had originally thought he was just an ordinary handsome young man and had wanted to teach him a lesson. But she found that the other's strength and speed were not below her own. And... she was being completely toyed with.

Could it be that because I've been indulging in gambling and drinking for so many years, I've forgotten the feeling of being a ninja? Has my strength severely declined? In that instant, many thoughts flashed through Tsunade's mind.

Just as she was about to question him, she was surprised to see the boy clap his hands.

"Come on out, Jiraiya-sensei. Lady Tsunade is here," Kusuo said faintly to the other side of the wall.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Jiraiya, holding Naruto, jumped over with Hinata.

Seeing this, Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then fell silent. "How did you find me here?"

Jiraiya didn't answer her question. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Sensei is dead."

One sentence. Like a bolt from the blue. Tsunade, who had been having a day where nothing went right, suddenly felt her head spin.

-------

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