The next morning, Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived bright and early at the training ground on the outskirts of Konoha.
Though called a training ground, it was essentially an open clearing designated for the Senju clan's training use.
"Orochimaru, are you sure you want me to use my full strength? You know what my punches are like."
Tsunade checked with Orochimaru once more. Although she had plenty of pent-up frustration built up inside her, she was still worried she might use too much force and seriously injure Orochimaru.
"Don't worry, just go all out. I have my own ways of handling it."
Are you kidding? The original Orochimaru might have avoided going toe-to-toe with Tsunade, but the current him was practically begging for it.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Tsunade hesitated no longer. It wasn't their first time sparring, so she closed the distance instantly and threw a punch straight at Orochimaru's face.
In an instant, a fierce wind swept across the area as overwhelming force tore through the air.
Before the fist even arrived, the pressure of the wind was already hitting his face. The legendary Monstrous Strength was no empty reputation.
Orochimaru did not dodge, but neither did he intend to take it full on with his face.
Fast as Tsunade's movements were, in Orochimaru's eyes, they seemed like slow motion.
He easily blocked her attack with his forearm. The moment their bodies made contact, Orochimaru's entire body suddenly began to vibrate violently.
It swayed left and right like a spring, moving so fast it left afterimages.
Seeing Orochimaru catch her attack without dodging or evading, Tsunade had secretly reined in some of her strength. However, seeing him merely sway a bit and quickly return to normal, she couldn't help being somewhat surprised.
"Heh... You still didn't use your full strength!"
Seeing Orochimaru acting as if nothing had happened, Tsunade held back no longer. Another immensely powerful strike came hurtling toward him, its momentum even more ferocious than the last.
Orochimaru's body rapidly absorbed this kinetic energy, but after just three punches, the energy he absorbed reached its limit.
Instead of sitting passively, he began to counterattack with his own hands.
"Watch out."
Before his voice even faded, Orochimaru leaped into the air and brought his leg down in a downward axe kick. Tsunade easily jumped out of the way.
The next moment, the previously intact ground was smashed into a massive crater by his kick.
"Since when did you learn Monstrous Strength?"
Tsunade stared at the huge crater Orochimaru had stomped out and asked in disbelief.
Some people were born with Monstrous Strength, while others could awaken it through hard work and cultivation later in life. Her own Monstrous Strength was innate, whereas Sakura in the original timeline learned it through diligent training.
"This is a new Mind-Body Technique I just developed. Now we can have a proper, unrestricted fight!"
Facing the somewhat surprised Tsunade, Orochimaru smiled slightly. The absorption and release of energy involved very little loss; he could release that energy bit by bit, or accumulate it to the absolute limit before unleashing it.
If he chose the latter, the explosive power would be two to three times stronger than Tsunade's, seeing as his abilities could stack.
"Hmph, then I can rest easy. That was just a warmup—watch how I beat you flat! You weren't very polite a few days ago, you know!"
Tsunade cracked her knuckles, making loud popping sounds. It seemed she was ready to settle all her scores with Orochimaru; women held grudges, after all.
The next instant, Tsunade and the two of them were locked in close-quarters combat once again, every punch landing with solid impact. Their movements grew faster and faster, eventually blurring into a flurry of afterimages.
Tsunade had bottled up a bellyful of grievances lately, and upon realizing Orochimaru could fully handle her attacks, she held nothing back.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru gradually grew familiar with and adapted to the rapid absorption and conversion of energy. At first, he mostly dodged, but as the fight dragged on, he began counterattacking more and more frequently.The two of them shifted and leapt across the training ground, quickly turning the area into an unrecognizable mess.
"Hah..."
Tsunade threw a punch that sent Orochimaru flying. His body crashed into a large boulder, bringing the rock into intimate contact with his head.
Situations like this happened from time to time. If Orochimaru failed to release the body's energy in time and the energy absorption reached its limit, he would not force the absorption, leading to the exact outcome that had just occurred.
"If you ask me, you aren't just using your full strength—you're trying to kill me!"
Orochimaru struggled to his feet. He looked a bit disheveled, though he had no actual injuries on his body, except for a sudden, large bump that had sprouted on his forehead.
And that was only the result of him having absorbed most of the energy; otherwise, getting his head split open and bleeding would have been getting off lightly.
Panting heavily, Tsunade burst into loud laughter at the sight of Orochimaru's appearance, but as she laughed, tears began to stream down her face.
Seeing her acting in this frantic, half-crying, half-laughing manner, Orochimaru understood what was going on.
He stepped forward and gently embraced her. Tsunade did not resist, instead leaning into his arms and sobbing, completely stripped of the ferocious tigress demeanor she had displayed just moments before.
During this recent period, Tenten had been weeping constantly and drinking heavily, her brow furrowed even in her sleep, genuinely bearing an immense amount of pressure.
"There, there. Everything is going to get better. I'm sure he wouldn't want to see you in such pain—you have to live happily so that he can rest easy."
Orochimaru gently patted her back. Acting like a young girl who had been wronged, Tsunade listened as Orochimaru comforted her in a gentle tone.
"Come on, let's head back and eat. I'll make a few special dishes for you this noon."
Once Tsunade had cried herself out, Orochimaru wiped away her tears and stroked her head.This head-pat caught Tsunade off guard. She slapped his hand away with a jerk, then turned on her heel and started walking back toward the village.
"Hah, women. Whimpering for help when they need you, and turning cold the moment they're done. Treat a guy like a tool, why don't you."
Orochimaru gave a wry, helpless laugh. He had hoped for a longer embrace, a little more time to savor that soft warmth.
"My poor inner maiden!"
Brushing the dust gently from his clothes, Orochimaru hurried after Tsunade.
For lunch, Orochimaru cooked three dishes and a soup: braised pork belly, stewed chicken with mushrooms, and a plate of greens, alongside an egg drop soup. Both his past life and Orochimaru's original self had always been quite fond of eggs.
Having trained hard all morning, the two of them had completely drained their stamina. Orochimaru was holding up alright since his energy conversion hadn't cost him too much physical strength, but Tsunade was a different story—that was pure, unadulterated muscle and body power.
Before all the dishes had even reached the table, Tsunade was already digging in. Though she usually disliked fatty meat, she took one bite of Orochimaru's braised pork belly and was instantly hooked, unable to stop.
She could not stop praising the stewed chicken with mushrooms that came out next. Fortunately, Orochimaru had bought a whole chicken, otherwise the two of them wouldn't have had nearly enough to eat.
After the meal, Orochimaru dragged Tsunade off to find study materials for him, ranging from beginner to advanced levels so he could achieve twice the results with half the effort.
In his past life, Orochimaru had been a biological researcher—not one of those studying agricultural products, but a specialist in viruses, cells, animals, genetic engineering, and pharmaceuticals.
With that foundation, he picked things up remarkably fast, constantly combining and verifying his new knowledge with the lore of this world.
Whenever he truly hit a roadblock, he would turn to Tsunade. She showed not a shred of impatience, though she was somewhat surprised by the profound, in-depth questions Orochimaru kept raising.