Chapter 14:
Jiraiya came back with a swollen face, and Orochimaru shot a quick glance at the two of them.
As expected, I'm an adult now. I can't play these childish games with them anymore, Orochimaru thought. Compared to this lively, chaotic scene, he much preferred being alone. He couldn't quite tell whether this was his original personality or if it was influenced by the original Orochimaru's demeanor.
"Damn it, girl! What kind of monster are you?!" Jiraiya grumbled, rubbing his swollen face, clearly irritated.
"Hmph!" Tsunade responded with a dismissive snort.
"Alright, alright, let's not escalate things any further," Hiruzen interjected, stepping in to settle the matter. "This is your first day getting to know each other, and you'll be working together for a long time, so let's focus on building your friendship!"
Hiruzen's authoritative tone immediately diffused the situation.
---
"We're all meeting for the first time today, and I need to get a sense of your abilities," Hiruzen continued once the dust had settled. He then pulled out two small bells from his pouch.
"These bells are key to your task. You'll need to snatch these two bells from me," he explained, holding them up for everyone to see.