"There, all done with the bandages.
Go play on your own now, little one. Your snake older brother and I have something to discuss."
Haseo carefully cleaned his daughter's foot wound, then wrapped it neatly with medical tape before sending her off to play again… There had never been any issues regarding the child's safety. Ever since she was born, Black Cat had followed her every step.
That single cat alone was enough to handle ninety-nine percent of potential problems—and it was indeed a feline with rich experience in raising kids... Long ago, it had even taken care of human infants.
Haseo really was someone with foresight.
Watching Niyu leave and once again run out of the courtyard to play in the sand outside, Orochimaru couldn't help but inwardly relax slightly—not because this child posed him any pressure, but simply because Haseo kept calling him "your snake older brother," which was seriously headache-inducing.
The worst part? The girl actually bought into it completely.
Even for Orochimaru, he had no intention of lowering his seniority down to match that of a five- or six-year-old kid.
Once only the two remained, Haseo gestured for Orochimaru to sit on the nearby chair.
"You probably think my earlier behavior was kinda stupid, huh?"
This ninja who once dominated Battlegrounds ultimately chose an incredibly ordinary life—seemingly even becoming a doting father as well. Such behavior seemed at least "unwise" in Orochimaru's eyes. Shouldn't the pursuit of the "truth" hidden within jutsu and chakra still be the destiny of a top-tier ninja like him?
Thus, faced with Haseo's question, Orochimaru neither denied nor confirmed outright... He didn't wanna lie, but also didn't wanna catch a beating the moment they met.
"We're live-bearing mammals, while you're an egg-laying snake, so you probably can't understand how cute kids are. Know this—the girl always thinks my bandaging skills are way better than Tsunade's…"
Orochimaru naturally couldn't grasp feelings connected with carrying on a bloodline. Right now, there was no way Haseo still held the same view he'd once had upon meeting the Great Toad Sage—that if a traitorous brat were born, he'd kill it immediately? What utter nonsense.
Orochimaru thought to himself, *For minor injuries like these, would Tsunade even bother wrapping wounds? Couldn't she just restore everything instantly with a touch?*
Besides, does Haseo even know anything about how cute kids can be? He only adores his own daughter. As for other children, hadn't he treated them all like annoying brats?
"Hisahito Haseo, after all these years, you don't seem to have changed much... Maybe it's just my illusion. I even feel like you've gotten somewhat younger."
And clearly more powerful too, though Orochimaru kept that last line to himself.
He certainly had no interest in listening to Haseo's parenting stories or endless praise about his daughter, so he quickly steered away from the previous topic.
"This head full of white hair isn't change enough for you?"
But changing your hair color wasn't the same as going gray with age. In Haseo's case, it was definitely more about fashion or hair dye.
"Well then, truthfully speaking, it's just a method of life preservation.
Orochimaru, even when you were very young, you already regarded White Snake as a symbol of immortality.
Though immortality doesn't truly exist, it's not wrong to use the White Snake as its symbolic representation...
"Have you met the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave?"
How many years have Gamamaru, White Scales Great Snake, and Katsuyu lived? Perhaps they themselves no longer know exactly, but it's certain that their lifespans have been extremely long.
Moreover, so far, aside from the Great Toad Sage becoming somewhat senile, the other two remain remarkably energetic.
"The White Snake Sage who inherited Sage Arts? I've already heard about related intelligence. However, despite multiple searches of Ryuchi Cave, there's still no sign of it."
Whether he searched diligently or not, until now Orochimaru still hasn't seen the White Snake Sage.
"Well then, if you ever meet the White Snake Sage, you'll probably understand why I appear relatively young... The key lies in the utilization of Natural Energy and advanced Sage Arts. If carefully researched, these wouldn't be difficult for you.
So don't overly rely on that reincarnation jutsu. After all, there's always an issue of compatibility between spirit and body."
As for these aspects, Haseo remained quite conservative—he believed original bodies were best... Even though Haseo had modified himself, it was always out of necessity.
"..."
Orochimaru thought inwardly, why did you immediately expose my 'secret research'? Isn't this going too far? Could there be a spy? Could someone be spying on me?
"Indeed, coming to see you after leaving Konoha was the right decision... That counts as coming away with something valuable."
"Yeah, though I doubt I'll last much longer—what with all the trouble I cause. Who knows, maybe my organs will just give out from overuse."
While speaking, Haseo instinctively straightened his back, then relaxed again.
Orochimaru naturally couldn't understand at all.
However, even the genuine 'Sage's Body' would occasionally reach its limit? That's hard to say for sure.
"But whatever, if you want to leave Konoha, just leave. Why take some stuff with you... Didn't Jiraiya follow behind you?"
"There were definitely some interesting things worth taking. Consider it a small gift left behind by the new Hokage.
As for Jiraiya—who knows? He's busy handling affairs at the Front Line. He probably doesn't have that much free time, right?"
However, what Orochimaru did was nothing more than insignificant nonsense to the Fifth Hokage. Just after assuming office, one of the village's pillar ninja fled—which could potentially trigger severe self-doubt within Minato Namikaze.
Incompetence? Poor leadership? Unable to command respect?
Clearly, Orochimaru hadn't considered Minato Namikaze's psychological state in depth.
By merely checking in with Haseo, Orochimaru felt he'd made peace with what he'd done. As long as Haseo didn't bother him, he wouldn't have any problems... See? Brother Snake really hit the nail on the head.
"Well then, this way you won't have to come back later remembering something you forgot in Konoha."
"..."
"As for your visit here... Now that you've come, I happen to have a gift for you."
"Like this," Haseo said as he stood up. He started rummaging through the cabinet in the living room, and after half an hour of searching, finally found the "important gift" beneath one of the table legs.
"It's [Immortal Body] research from the Shoe Religion Organization. You can take a look and see if it offers any useful insights. Personally, I think some of its arguments and chakra handling methods are worth affirming."
Worthy things naturally belong in worthy hands. Keeping this here would only leave it as a table wedge. Whether it'll truly shine in Orochimaru's hands… Well, let's not forget—he *is* a mad scientist.
Orochimaru accepted the item without showing any disdain for where it had been hidden. Scientists valued knowledge above all else.
As he flipped through the first few pages of the material, his eyes lit up slightly—but unfortunately, now wasn't the time for reading it thoroughly.
"Thank you, Haseo. It seems genuinely valuable to me."
Even genius hits a limit when you work alone.
"You're welcome. If you're satisfied, then consider this my apology gift to you."
"Eh?"
Orochimaru's hand froze mid-motion. Something seemed off, so he looked at Haseo expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
"It's like this… Isn't there a Nine-Tails sealed within you? So generally speaking, in the Ninjutsu World, you're recognized as Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Sometime soon, ninjas outside Konoha might try to rip the Nine-Tails out of you. When they go for the kill, just play dead like a good boy.
You might lose that fight anyway, so letting go of the Nine-Tails wouldn't be such a big deal.
See? Even though you've left Konoha, the village still owes you something. With you drawing enemy fire away from others, enemies won't need to directly invade Konoha, thus preventing massive destruction or catastrophic consequences.
Do you understand now? We two who've both left Konoha are actually the true bearers of the Will of Fire. Those who don't understand me may ask what I'm after—but this kind of foresight alone should bring peace to the Third's soul in heaven."
Orochimaru: "..."
All the glory goes to you, and you even make the rules as you go. But—nobody told me anything about this before!
When Orochimaru became the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, Haseo hadn't explained all these details, leaving him completely unaware and never given a choice.
Yes, Orochimaru did plan to evolve himself into an extremely resilient being, but was his sole purpose really to become nearly immortal, just so he could end up getting killed anyway?
Well, he actually guessed that right.
After all, isn't Revival Armor meant to be traded? Haseo's game understanding has always been spot-on.
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