"Let go, Moku Kairen, let go!"
Anko struggled fiercely, biting into Kairen's arm with her small tiger-like teeth.
Blood was drawn, but Kairen didn't make a single sound.
He simply watched as the snakes roasted over the wine flames, a rich aroma of cooked meat wafting into the air.
Anko's eyes widened.
"You actually dared to roast my snake—and you're even going to eat it!"
Kairen rested his chin against the girl's dark-purple hair, doused the flame, and pulled out three or four golden, glistening roasted snakes.
He pried open Anko's mouth.
"The Wine-Flame Snake's ready. Try it. Snake meat is actually delicious."
Anko shook her head like a rattle drum.
"No, no, no! I can't eat snake—snakes are my companions!"
But she couldn't resist Kairen's strength.
He broke off a small piece of snake meat, pushed it into her mouth, and then sprayed a mouthful of liquor from his gourd into it.
Anko, like a lamb awaiting slaughter, slowly chewed, mumbling between bites,
"M–Moku Kairen... you... you're done for! I'll... I'll definitely tell Orochimaru-sensei!"
"Then... he'll catch you and feed you to snakes... Mm, so crispy, such a good texture."
"No, no! I'm going to spit it all out!"
Seeing her try to waste food, Kairen poured another mouthful of liquor down her throat.
Within seconds, Anko's eyes went hazy—she was completely drunk.
Yet even as she staggered, she slurred out threats,
"M–Moku Kairen... I'll remember you... You ate my snake, got me all... wet... and made me drink! I'll... I'll make you my servant, you'll... work for me forever..."
Kairen pinched the girl's cheek gently. She was already drunk out of her mind. Should he take her home and feed her more snake next?
Kurenai walked up, supporting Anko, and complained,
"Honestly, you're so strong already, and you're still picking fights with Anko? Can't you just let her win once?"
Kairen shrugged.
"It wasn't just water—I added a high concentration of alcohol. She couldn't have beaten me no matter what."
Kurenai sighed, waved Shizune over, and the two carried the drunken Anko back toward her house.
As she left, Anko still shouted drunkenly,
"Kairen! You... you'll be my servant! And... I'll give you the worst grass to eat!"
Kairen chuckled under his breath. That girl... she wouldn't actually feed him grass in the future, right?
His eyes shifted—and landed on a small boy, about three years old: Uchiha Itachi.
The child was holding a dango stick, absentmindedly chewing, but when Kairen's gaze met his, he froze, lowered his head, and turned to leave.
Kairen moved in a flicker of motion and gently tapped his fingers on Itachi's forehead.
"Uchiha, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Moku Kairen."
After speaking, Kairen handed him a roasted snake and vanished in an instant.
Itachi stared at where Kairen had disappeared, clutching the warm piece of roasted meat in confusion.
Why did that strange man touch his forehead?
And why... did he feel such a strange sense of familiarity from him?
...
Humming a light tune, Kairen wandered toward the Senju compound, nibbling on the roasted snake in his mouth.
He had to admit—the snakes from Ryūchi Cave, infused with Sage Chakra, had incredible flavor.Crispy, juicy... what about the White Snake Sage itself? How would that taste?
Of the Three Great Sages, it was the only one you could technically eat.
Deep within Ryūchi Cave, a massive white serpent suddenly shivered, as though sensing someone was planning something unpleasant.
Kairen stepped through the Senju gate.
Inside, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were playing a drinking game.
The moment they saw Kairen walk in, still holding golden-brown roasted snake meat, the air fell silent.
Just this afternoon, they had told him not to eat snakes. And now, here he was, grilling them over a fire.
Orochimaru narrowed his golden, serpent-like eyes, staring intently at the roasted meat in Kairen's hand. That color, that texture, the pattern of the scales burned into the surface...
He recognized it immediately. It was a snake from Ryūchi Cave.
"Anko fought you, didn't she?" Orochimaru said quietly.
Kairen smiled.
"Yeah. She was overconfident, so I got her drunk and sent her home."
Orochimaru fell silent. The room's tension thickened once more.
Jiraiya forced a laugh, breaking the heavy air.
"It's already roasted, Orochimaru. Let it go. People eat snake all the time—you can't police everyone who does."
Orochimaru let out a cold snort.
Indeed, many people ate snakes. But no one had ever dared eat one in front of him.
Tsunade waved Kairen over.
"Hey, brat, we're out of sake. Go make some more."
Kairen nodded, uncorking his gourd. A rich aroma of liquor drifted out.
A silvery stream poured out like liquid mercury, flowing gracefully into the large jar on the table. Then, three smaller streams split off, filling the cups of the Legendary Three.
Orochimaru's golden eyes glinted with both admiration and greed.
"Such refined chakra control... I'll admit, even I can't match that."
Tsunade pinched Kairen's cheek proudly.
"Of course not—he's the last heir of the Senju Clan!"
Kairen pulled her hand away, sat down, and divided the roasted meat onto a plate, placing it on the table.
"Good food should always be shared," he said with a faint smile.
Orochimaru's expression didn't change.
Calm, cold, indifferent—yet he still reached for his chopsticks.
In one smooth motion, under the shocked gazes of the other two, Orochimaru picked up a piece of roasted snake.
"Wa—"
Jiraiya reached out, trying to stop him, but too late—the meat was already in Orochimaru's mouth.
He chewed slowly.
Crisp. Juicy. Delicious.
Not that he would ever say it aloud.
Still, for Orochimaru, eating snake was like eating his own kin. But as a venomous serpent himself, what was a little poison to him?
Jiraiya gave an awkward chuckle and took a piece for himself.
"Kairen's right—good food should be shared."
He bit in, instantly won over by the crunch and smoky undertone.
"Mmm... good. Perfectly cooked, and there's even a hint of liquor in the flavor!"
Downing his cup, Jiraiya felt the burn of alcohol slide down his throat. He raised a thumbs-up at Kairen.
"That's the stuff!"
Kairen smiled, lifting a cup of his own and reaching for the jar to refill it —but Tsunade grabbed the jar and flicked his forehead.
"Brat! You're not drinking!"
Kairen sat back down, but lightly tapped his finger on the cup. A thin stream of wine flowed from his fingertip, filling it again.
Not letting the brewer drink was absurd.
Tsunade shook her head.
"Stubborn little brat. You don't even listen to me anymore."
Kairen took a sip, feeling the warmth rush through his body.
Jiraiya had been watching closely.
Wait... that wine—they were drinking liquor he produced with his chakra!
Orochimaru took a slow sip and murmured in a low voice,
"Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation... similar to my oil technique."
Tsunade downed her cup in one go, slapping it on the table with pride.
"The kid's liquor could be sold as top-grade sake."
Seeing both his teammates drink, Jiraiya stopped caring about the details. He downed another glass and sighed contentedly.
"Kid, you're quite the little sake connoisseur—you really know how to bring out the flavor."
Kairen blushed with a grin. In his past life, he'd drunk all kinds of alcohol—no wonder he knew how to make it taste divine.
The four of them talked on. Kairen listened quietly, catching fragments about warfronts and the village's tangled politics.
Jiraiya, his cheeks flushed, suddenly asked Tsunade,
"Tsunade, how's that hemophobia of yours? Don't tell me you're still avoiding the battlefield."
Tsunade shook her head.
"Not yet... but I've learned to face the pain of the past. Give me a little more time—I'll get through it."
The cause of her phobia was simple—she couldn't face the deaths of Nawaki and Dan. With the Senju Clan gone, she'd lost all hope and sank into despair.
But ever since meeting Kairen, she'd found purpose again, the will to nurture someone, to live for something. And as a medical-nin, she'd recover quickly.
Jiraiya grinned, raising his cup.
"Then cheers to that!"