Orochimaru's long sword ultimately couldn't withstand the might of the Second Hokage's legendary Sword of the Thunder God—it shattered into fragments before everyone's eyes.
There was nothing he could do.
The Thunder God's Sword was among the sharpest blades in the entire shinobi world. That it could slice through Orochimaru's weapon was not surprising at all.
But what did surprise the onlooking ninja was this:
Even as his weapon was destroyed, Orochimaru didn't react with anger, nor did he summon a new one.
Instead, he simply looked at Senju Yukika with calm, composed eyes.
"You did extremely well in the first two parts of the test," Orochimaru said.
"But now, I have a question for you, Yukika."
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Orochimaru seemed lost in thought, as if he'd been dragged back to a haunting memory from before he returned to the Hidden Leaf—one involving a perilous encounter he faced with Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Back then, Jiraiya had been seriously injured.
And following the strict creed of a ninja—mission first—Orochimaru had considered ending Jiraiya's life to prevent him from falling into enemy hands and leaking intel about Konoha.
But…
"If, during a mission, one of your comrades is severely injured and becomes a burden," Orochimaru asked, his voice now tinged with a rare hesitation, "what would you choose to do?"
His eyes held a trace of confusion and doubt as he voiced the question.
From the distance, Jiraiya froze.
He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, remained silent.
He just looked at Orochimaru, his gaze a mix of complexity and unspoken emotion.
Clearly, he hadn't forgotten what had happened during that mission.
What would I do?
Yukika suddenly smiled.
"First of all," he said, "that situation would never happen. As long as I'm there, no one can hurt the people I choose to protect."
"And second, if it ever did happen—then they'd have to step over my corpse to get to them."
Step over my corpse!
It was the same answer Tsunade had once given.
For reasons even he couldn't explain, Orochimaru felt his tense shoulders slowly relax after hearing that reply.
Whether the answer was right or wrong, he already understood it.
Jiraiya was still alive. He himself was still alive.
And when they returned from that mission, Tsunade had punched him square in the face.
Turning abruptly, Orochimaru looked toward the Third Hokage in the distance.
"As your student, I acknowledge the strength of Senju Yukika!" he declared.
"And I also believe he possesses the power to protect himself!"
"Five minutes are up. The assessment… is over!"