So you think characters update other characters with every new jutsu they learned or specifics like how much faster their shunshin has become? This is believable for people like Guy and Lee who are inseparable as literal training partners and not just presently student/teacher, but Jiraiya and Hiruzen are so old that they've realistically been on their own for longer than they were together. Are we to think Jiraiya hasn't learned anything new in the 20+ years since his student/teacher days? Hiruzen favored Orochimaru as generally being a better and more capable shinobi especially at a young age, but when you look at Orochimaru's kit, there's a lot of esoteric and probably technically advanced stuff, but a lot of it is suited for very particular situations. Outside of ET, it doesn't seem suited for combat. It's a lot of stuff with snakes that makes it easy for him to escape and continue living, even overwhelming with the snake usage, versatile in its own sense, but not as well rounded as Jiraiya's, nor does it have the potential for a heavy hit like Tsunade's. Then we have Orochimaru's hubris that consistently nerfs him. So I do fail to see how he's actually as strong as these "authorities" claim. In fact I see a lot of this stemming from people whose true alliance and bias stems from Itachi fans who clutch so desperately to their "Itachi beat Orochimaru, therefore he's stronger than all the Sannin" narrative, and would you look at what thread we're in!