Tsunade explained, "That's a high-level Transformation Technique he developed himself—it allows him to freely control the size of his body."
Orochimaru appeared to be following behind Jiraiya and Tsunade, but in truth, his eyes had been locked onto Kairen the whole time, a deep greed hidden in those snake-like pupils.
Hearing Tsunade's words, he was surprised. He carefully sensed the chakra around Kairen for a long time but couldn't detect any trace of a Transformation Technique. That only made him more astonished by Kairen's talent in jutsu.
Inwardly, he thought,
As expected of a descendant of the Senju Clan—he's inherited the Second Hokage's extraordinary gift for jutsu.
Kairen felt the gaze of a serpent. Turning his head toward Orochimaru, he met that stare with a bright, open smile.
Kairen's sensory ability was exceptional—how could he not notice Orochimaru's burning gaze?
If he didn't know the man, he might have thought something indecent was going on.
But Kairen knew this snake very well—greedy for the unknown, obsessed with power, and particularly covetous of Kairen's resurrection ability.
He was definitely scheming, probably even weighing the right moment to strike.
...
After circling around a bit, the group arrived at what used to be the Senju Clan's compound.
It was located in the northwest district of Konoha, near the Ninja Academy and beside Senju Park.
The compound had shrunk several times over the years—partly because the Senju clan members had vanished and the village had reclaimed their property, and partly because Tsunade had sold off houses to pay her gambling debts.
The remaining estate was about a thousand square meters, with a small courtyard and the Senju crest still hanging above the gate.
"Click!"
Tsunade pushed open the gate and stepped inside, with Kairen and the others following behind. The courtyard was about half the size of a basketball court, with two or three tall trees growing within it. Beneath them stood several traditional-style houses, with wooden floors, sliding doors, and shoji panels...
It almost felt like a setup for some future Japanese-style drama.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru didn't go in.
Standing at the entrance, Jiraiya called out, "Tsunade, we'll come over tonight for a drink!"
Tsunade nodded, a sudden gleam flashing in her eyes.
"I'll be waiting. You two can finally see my personal sake gourd!"
She winked at Kairen as she said it.
"A sake gourd?" Jiraiya frowned.
Since when did Tsunade have money to keep a stash of alcohol? The entire Senju fortune had long been squandered by this notorious spendthrift.
He shook his head. Maybe he'd just buy a jar from the tavern later that evening.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, cast Kairen a meaningful look and licked his lips.
His gaze slid toward Tsunade again.
The Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique isn't perfected yet… and with Tsunade here, now isn't the time to make a move.
Of course, Kairen noticed Orochimaru's greedy eyes. Grinning, he called out to the departing Jiraiya,
"If you're drinking, you'll need something to go with it! Bring a couple of snakes tonight—I'll make snake stew!"
"..."
Silence fell over the group as they stared at Kairen, standing there hands on hips, looking completely harmless.
Orochimaru lowered his head and chuckled softly. It seemed he didn't take it to heart.
Jiraiya awkwardly turned back around and explained,
"Orochimaru's summoning beast is a snake. So… we don't eat snakes."
"Oh!" Kairen nodded in feigned realization, then looked at Orochimaru apologetically.
"Sorry about that, Orochimaru-senpai. I didn't know you didn't eat snakes. That's a shame—they're delicious! I've got all kinds of recipes!"
"Stir-fried snake with peppers, stewed snake soup, braised snake and chicken, ginkgo viper soup, Orochimaru meatballs..."
With every dish he named, Orochimaru's expression grew darker. This brat was basically insulting him to his face.
Before Kairen could go on, Tsunade grabbed his ear and dragged him into the courtyard.
She threw an apologetic look over her shoulder.
"His brain's a little off, Orochimaru. Don't mind him!"
"Hehehe..."
Orochimaru's tongue flicked out, his eyes glinting with a cold, shadowed fury.
Daring to eat snakes… and even naming a dish after me. How insolent.
But it's fine. Your body will be mine soon enough.
Though… I wonder if, once I possess him, his madness will infect me and turn me into another Jiraiya.
After confirming their drinking plans for the evening, Jiraiya grabbed Orochimaru and walked off, muttering curiously,
"Orochimaru, is snake meat really that versatile? That kid's got me drooling already!"
Orochimaru sneered. "Heh… Frogs have plenty of medicinal uses too. And you know, snakes eat frogs."
"Haha… just a joke! Just a joke!"
...
Kushina and Minato soon arrived at the Senju compound.
Kushina had lived here as a child and had been cared for by Uzumaki Mito, so she knew Tsunade well and was familiar with the place.
Tsunade was tugging on Kairen's cheeks—apparently, this was a habit of hers. If she didn't pinch someone at least once a day, she couldn't relax.
"You have no idea how dangerous Orochimaru is. How could you talk to him like that?"
Kairen's words came out distorted through squished lips.
"I'm an eagle. What's wrong with eating a snake?"
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted, turning away with a muttered complaint. "And here I thought I could train you to be the Fifth Hokage. At this rate, I'll be grateful if you just stop picking fights with people."
Kairen watched her head inside to tidy up, with Shizune following close behind.
Still, he thought to himself,
Even if I don't provoke Orochimaru, he'll come after me eventually. Might as well disgust him now and get it over with.
A hand patted his back. Kairen turned to see Kushina and Minato standing there.
Why are these two lovebirds still here? Planning to throw in some seaweed too?
Kushina smiled at him.
"Since you're part of the Senju Clan, that makes you distant relatives of the Uzumaki. So your generation should be..."
Kairen grinned. "Tsunade told me to call her sister, so we're the same generation. Minato-senpai's mentor is Jiraiya, which means, Kushina, you're one generation below me—you can call me Kairen-san!"
"Bleh!" Kushina scoffed, hands on hips. "You little brat, you're barely ten years old!"
Kairen shrugged. "Can't help it. High rank in the family tree means early death in the family!"
Kushina shook her head.
"Don't think you're getting any seniority discounts here. I call Tsunade 'sis' too!"
Hey, hey, I only wanted to mess with you, not Minato!
Minato scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly.
He was the gentle, proper type—and Kairen and Kushina's banter didn't quite fit his style.
Yūhi Kurenai walked over, holding Wolon and Fenchu in her arms, and said to Kairen,
"Kairen, since you're back in the village, let's get Obito and Guy together. It's been so long since we all met!"
Minato looked at them curiously. "You were in the same class as Kakashi, Obito, and Rin?"
"Yes," Kurenai nodded.
Minato's eyes widened.
"Ah, that explains it! Whenever Obito's brain short-circuited, he'd mutter about a genius named Kairen helping him come up with plans. So it was you! Since you're all back, you should have a proper class reunion."
Kurenai nodded again.
Kushina added, "Kakashi had some trouble with a few teams, so he transferred under Minato's supervision. Minato arranged for him to retake the Chūnin Exams while also keeping an eye on Obito and Rin."
"This time, Kakashi will be taking part in the exams too. I'm curious to see who's truly Konoha's number one prodigy!"
Kairen's interest was piqued—not by the competition, but by the chance to reunite with his old classmates.
He, Guy, and Obito were once known as the "Three Titans of the Ninja Academy," singlehandedly dragging their class's overall performance to the very bottom of the rankings every year.
With the Three Titans back together again, the entire shinobi world was bound to tremble.
Kurenai handed Wolon and Fenchu to Kairen before dashing out the door.
"Kairen, I'll go call them over for dinner!"
"Mm~"
The two little fluffballs wriggled in Kairen's arms.
He couldn't resist the soft feel of them and began happily rubbing their bellies.
Seeing the black-and-white furballs, Kushina's eyes turned to hearts. She snatched Wolon from his hands and squeezed it tightly in her arms.
"So cute! Little pandas!"
Kairen was speechless. So this was Kushina's true nature—just like Tsunade's, domineering in her own way.
But damn, Kairen liked that kind of woman.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo