Konoha Ninja Shop System

"Orochimaru, I'm here!" Jiraiya's voice echoed loudly as he stood just outside the door, shouting at the top of his lungs.

For a long moment, the house remained silent. Not a single sound stirred within.

Jiraiya frowned in confusion. He cleared his throat, then rubbed his hands together excitedly and declared, "Well then, if you're not going to answer, I'm coming in!"

With a determined breath, Jiraiya stepped forward, planted his hand on the metal door, and tried to push it open using all his strength.

He pushed hard, muscles straining—yet the metal door didn't budge an inch. It was as immovable as a mountain.

Jiraiya blinked, stunned. "Huh?" he muttered to himself, feeling awkward. "Maybe I pushed at the wrong angle… If I try a different approach, it'll open for sure!"

He adjusted his stance, shifted his weight, then gathered chakra into his hands. Concentrating deeply, he pushed again with renewed vigor.

The door let out a loud bang, louder than before, but it remained firmly shut. No crack, no creak—nothing.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the—?"

He scratched his head, trying to make sense of it. "Maybe I didn't get enough rest yesterday… I'll have to take this seriously."

Two failed attempts left Jiraiya feeling embarrassed. No longer willing to treat this lightly, he took a few steps back, clenched his teeth, and charged forward at full speed, crashing into the door with the might of the Toad Sage himself.

Bang! The entire ground seemed to tremble from the impact.

Inside the Akatsuki base, Kakuzu was busy counting the day's earnings. The sudden, thunderous noise startled him so much he almost dropped the cash onto the wet floor.

"Damn it! Who's making such a racket?!" Kakuzu growled, hurriedly stepping outside to investigate.

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the source—Orochimaru's base. "Is that Jiraiya trying to break in? Doesn't that door have a button to open it?" Kakuzu muttered, confused. "Maybe that's just how the rich do things…"

Back at the door, Jiraiya was sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. "Ouch… this hurts more than I thought…" He had underestimated the door's strength, expecting his brute force to do the trick. Now, all he had were bruises and frustration.

Suddenly, with a creak, the metal door slid open from the center, splitting into two halves that swung aside.

"So that's how you open it!" Jiraiya exclaimed, eyes wide with realization.

"No wonder I couldn't push it open—this door opens from both sides, not by brute force!" He chuckled to himself, feeling a bit foolish.

Orochimaru appeared, arms crossed, an annoyed expression on his face. His long black hair was tied up neatly atop his head, and he wore a traditional green Taoist robe. In one hand, he held a feather duster, which made him look oddly domestic.

"Idiot," Orochimaru said flatly, pointing to a green button beside the door. "Isn't there an 'Open Door' button right here?"

Jiraiya looked over and saw the words "Open Door" clearly printed beneath the button.

"…"

He quickly got to his feet, scratched his head, and laughed awkwardly. "Haha, guess I didn't notice it!"

Curious, Jiraiya eyed Orochimaru, asking, "Hey, what's with the outfit? You dressing up as some kind of Taoist priest now?"

Orochimaru ignored the question, turning sharply and walking into his laboratory. "Come in."

Inside the dimly lit lab, filled with strange devices and bubbling test tubes, Jiraiya's excitement bubbled up. After so many years, he had finally found Orochimaru again—the friend he thought he had lost. Now the real challenge began: persuading Orochimaru to return to the village.

"Orochimaru, are you still doing those human experiments?" Jiraiya asked cautiously, eyes scanning the unsettling lab.

"No," Orochimaru answered coolly. "I've discovered a way to achieve immortality. I no longer need to experiment on humans."

Jiraiya felt a heavy weight lift from his chest. "Thank goodness… I was worried you'd gone down a dark path again."

But as he glanced around the lab, his eyes landed on a large vessel in the corner. Inside was a muscular man nearly 1.9 meters tall, floating in some kind of nutrient solution. Jiraiya's face twisted in disbelief.

"What's this? You said you stopped human experiments, right? Then why is this man still here?"

Orochimaru glanced over, expression neutral. "That was given to me by a member of the organization. He said the man's physical fitness was terrifying—almost impossible to beat. Yet strangely, he has no resistance to illusions. I brought him here to study."

Jiraiya's eyebrows knit together in concern. "Wait… you can't turn him into some sort of specimen!"

Orochimaru sighed. "He's not dead. He's been in a coma since Obito's genjutsu hit him. I've tried every method to wake him, but failed. I suspect his brain nerves were damaged, and he might remain unconscious for decades."

He motioned toward the man floating silently. Jiraiya noticed his chest rising and falling slowly—he was alive.

"How long do you think he'll stay like this?" Jiraiya asked, feeling sympathy welling up.

"Maybe thirty to fifty years," Orochimaru answered, glancing at some data on a nearby table.

Jiraiya's mouth twitched at the grim prognosis. "That's terrible… Poor guy."

Orochimaru's tone shifted as he asked, "How did you find this place?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Spent some money, and someone brought me here."

"Was it Peter or Kakuzu?"

"Both, actually."

Orochimaru was silent, knowing full well those two were greedy and unreliable—it was no surprise they sold him out so easily.

Jiraiya's expression grew serious. "Why did you come to see me?"

"To bring you back to the village," Jiraiya declared firmly. "If you admit your mistakes, everyone will accept you again."

Orochimaru laughed darkly. "You're still as naive as ever, Jiraiya. As long as the old man is still in office, I'll never return."

"The old man is gone," Jiraiya said quietly.

Orochimaru's face twisted in shock. "Teacher… he's dead?"

Jiraiya scratched his head sheepishly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Well… actually, no. He wasn't dead—he was found embezzling hundreds of millions, so he had to resign."

Orochimaru was speechless.

Jiraiya sighed. "See? Things change. You're free to come back now. Everyone's waiting for you."

Orochimaru's gaze flickered, but his expression remained unreadable. "I'm not that easy to convince."

Jiraiya smiled gently. "You were my friend once. You can be again."

---

Expanded scenes and reflections:

Jiraiya rubbed his sore chest, recalling the futile effort of trying to ram through the door. "I guess even a legendary toad sage can be humbled by technology."

Orochimaru smirked, "You always were impulsive. That's why I kept an eye on you."

Jiraiya laughed. "And yet, I was the one who came knocking today. Looks like fate's playing a joke."

They sat in the lab, the quiet hum of machinery filling the silence. Jiraiya glanced again at the man in the vessel.

"Do you think there's any hope for him?" Jiraiya asked softly.

Orochimaru shrugged. "Science can be cruel and slow. But I have my ways. If anyone can wake him, it's me."

The words struck a chord in Jiraiya's heart. Perhaps Orochimaru's path wasn't so dark after all.

"Maybe… just maybe… the old man's gone, but a new chapter begins."

pàtreøn (Gk31)