Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

A sudden surge of repulsive force blasted Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo out of Takashi's quarters. Covered in slimy mucus from their encounter with the Slug Sage, they carried an odd smell that Takashi had no intention of allowing to linger in his space.

Besides, Orochimaru looked dangerously close to taking his frustration out on someone.

What's going on?

Jiraiya barely had time to process the situation before feeling his body lift uncontrollably into the air.

This is bad!

As he hurtled toward the ground, he spotted the sole of a boot rapidly approaching his face.

"OWWW!"

A scream echoed as Jiraiya was stomped into the ground by Orochimaru, who wasted no time pinning him down with one foot while unleashing a flurry of punches.

Sakumo, flipping mid-air, landed gracefully on his feet. Watching the scuffle unfold, he raised his hand, hesitating to intervene. Orochimaru seemed furious, but at least he hadn't drawn a weapon. Deciding against stepping in, Sakumo walked off to wash the sticky mucus off his body in the pouring rain.

"You arrogant snake, how dare you hit me!" Jiraiya bellowed from beneath Orochimaru's heel. "I swear, the Toad Sage, the Great Jiraiya, will make you pay for this! OW! Not the face!"

"Alright, alright, I was wrong! I won't tease you again!"

Back inside, Takashi mopped the slimy floor before tossing his mucus-streaked shoes into the trash. Peeking out, he saw Orochimaru firmly stomping on Jiraiya's back and landing well-aimed punches on his swollen, bruised face. Seeing no life-threatening harm being done, Takashi sighed in relief.

Jiraiya, still recovering from injuries, didn't need any further serious damage. Orochimaru, for his part, held back—his only intention being to leave Jiraiya looking like a battered pig rather than actually hurt him.

Jiraiya's exaggerated howls caught the attention of other camp members, many of whom considered intervening until they saw Orochimaru was the one throwing punches. At that point, they quickly turned away.

Having washed the mucus off and changed into fresh clothes, Sakumo shook his dripping white hair and glanced at Takashi with concern.

"Do you think Jiraiya will be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Takashi assured with a laugh. "Tsunade once broke half his ribs with a single punch, and he was still jumping around like nothing happened. Orochimaru isn't going to kill him."

"..."

Sakumo raised his eyebrows. What a pair: one's reckless enough to provoke, and the other doesn't hold back when retaliating.

After thoroughly pummeling Jiraiya, Orochimaru walked off toward the morgue, where he'd been spending most of his time lately. Although his collaboration with Takashi was on pause, Orochimaru was preparing a batch of puppets in anticipation of resuming their work.

The enemy's corpses would not go to waste.

"You didn't have to goad him," Sakumo said, helping Jiraiya to his feet.

With a face now swollen and unrecognizable, Jiraiya groaned, "That damn snake, I'll get him for this... Ow, it hurts. Hey, could you help me clean up?"

"..."

Sakumo instinctively raised his foot to kick Jiraiya but hesitated when he saw the sorry state of his face. Reluctantly, he helped Jiraiya wash off the mucus but left him to change his own clothes—he drew the line at playing caretaker.

Despite the public spectacle, Jiraiya's thick skin helped him bounce back. After changing into fresh clothes, he brazenly returned to writing his manuscript, now inspired to base the male lead of his next book on Orochimaru.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Tsunade sat at her desk reviewing a thick stack of reports when an ANBU operative entered.

"Commander, the caravan you instructed us to monitor has returned to the village. They're carrying a large shipment of ninja tools."

"Good," Tsunade replied, her tone firm. "Take a team and confiscate all of it. Inform the caravan members that the village is in a time of crisis, and now is the time for sacrifice and contribution. For the sake of Konoha, they should surrender everything."

"Understood," the ANBU operative said, though something about her words sounded familiar.

Wait... hasn't the Hokage said this exact thing before?

But the ANBU ninja didn't dare voice the thought, leaving instead to carry out Tsunade's orders.

At the village gates, Sarutobi Koegan, leader of the Sarutobi family caravan, exhaled in relief.

"It's good to finally be back," he said, gazing at the towering gates. "Everyone, let's move quickly. Unload the supplies as soon as we enter."

His team had just returned from the Land of Crafts, where they'd purchased a large shipment of ninja tools at standard prices. Once in Konoha, they planned to sell them at a significant markup—a lucrative opportunity in times of war.

"HALT!"

Before the caravan could proceed, several squads of ANBU appeared, blocking their path.

"???"

Koegan blinked in confusion. ANBU? What were they doing here?

"By order of the village, all supplies are to be transported directly to the ANBU headquarters," declared the lead ANBU captain. "Please vacate the premises immediately to avoid unnecessary conflict."

"Wait, there must be some misunderstanding!" Koegan protested. "These supplies were purchased legally by the Sarutobi family from the Land of Crafts. We have the proper permits signed by the Hokage himself!"

The ANBU captain's tone remained icy. "The permits are valid; we're aware. However, Commander Tsunade has decreed that in these critical times, all citizens must make sacrifices for the village. As members of Konoha, your family should willingly contribute to the greater good. Remove these supplies!"

Without further explanation, the ANBU began sealing the caravan's cargo into scrolls, ignoring Koegan's protests. In a matter of minutes, the supplies were gone, leaving the Sarutobi team stunned and empty-handed.

"Was that... outright robbery?" one of the Sarutobi members muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The caravan had worked tirelessly to acquire those tools, only to have them taken in the name of "sacrifice."

Around the village gates, bystanders looked on with curiosity. Why had the ANBU confiscated the caravan's goods? Was something wrong with the shipment?

"Move! Out of the way!" Koegan shouted as he bolted toward the village center, leaving his stunned team behind. There was no time to waste—he needed answers, and he would take this matter straight to the Hokage's office.