In the kitchen, Orochimaru dried her hands, took off her apron and hung it up, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Uchiha Hikari's face.
"Hikari, you worked hard."
"Orochimaru, is there a reward?"
Uchiha Hikari looked at Orochimaru expectantly, pointing a slightly pouted lip.
"If I said there was no reward, would you be angry, Hikari?"
Orochimaru cupped Uchiha Hikari's face with both hands and gently pinched her cheeks.
Uchiha Hikari shook her head, saying with barely concealed disappointment, "I won't be mad at Orochimaru..."
Orochimaru lowered her head and kissed Uchiha Hikari's lips, feeling more and more that the agreement was just for show, having no binding effect whatsoever.
No, it still had some effect. At least with that agreement, Hikari wouldn't want to go all the way... No, no, no, even if Hikari wanted to, I must uphold my bottom line!
"Alright."
Just as Orochimaru was about to stand up straight, Uchiha Hikari wrapped her arms around her neck and initiated a kiss, her small body pressing tightly against Orochimaru's.
"This is what a reward should feel like..."
Uchiha Hikari let go of Orochimaru, carefully observing the expression on her face. "Orochimaru, are you... angry?"
"Hikari, don't go too far. Don't forget the agreement between us."
Orochimaru tapped Uchiha Hikari's head and pinched her cheeks with both hands.
"I won't forget!"
Uchiha Hikari knew Orochimaru wasn't angry. Seeing her helpless expression, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Orochimaru's lips, radiating happiness and joy as if pink bubbles were floating around her. She then walked out, holding a bowl of rice.
Orochimaru touched her lips, looking helplessly at Uchiha Hikari's retreating back.
That Hikari, she got her way again...
Tsunade saw Uchiha Hikari's rosy little mouth and happy expression and knew what had happened.
Hyuga Mio naturally noticed it too, feeling a little envious. She also really wanted to help Orochimaru.
Of course, it definitely wasn't for things like kissing...
At the dinner table, Ichikishimahime ate the dishes Orochimaru had prepared, shoveling rice into her mouth, grains clinging to the corners of her lips, her cheeks slightly puffed out, and her eyes looking at Orochimaru with resentment.
"Orochimaru, your cooking is so good, why didn't you cook for us back when you were in Ryūchi Cave?"
"Back then, I spent all my time learning Sage Jutsu. How could I have time to cook for three greedy snakes?"
Orochimaru thought that if she had tried to win the favor of the Three Snake Princesses by cooking for them, it would be fine if they didn't like it. But if they did, wouldn't she become their personal chef?
Would she still be able to practice and learn Sage Jutsu?
"Excuses! These are all your excuses, Orochimaru! Where were your Shadow Clones? Don't think I don't know you can use the Shadow Clone Technique. I even personally sent many Shadow Clones out of Ryūchi Cave for you!"
Ichikishimahime condemned Orochimaru while eating, for having such good cooking skills but never showing them off to them.
Thinking that Orochimaru had been in Ryūchi Cave for so long, and she had never eaten her cooking... it was a huge loss!
"Ichikishimahime, Orochimaru told me about her training in Ryūchi Cave. She went to Ryūchi Cave to train in Sage Mode and learn Sage Jutsu. She didn't have that much time to cook for you. Please understand."
Hyuga Mio carefully chose her words, trying to speak as tactfully as possible.
Considering that Ichikishimahime was a Sage of Ryūchi Cave, she didn't want to say anything that would make Orochimaru feel awkward, after all, most of Orochimaru's Summoning creatures, apart from Void, Kikaichu, and Chimera Bug King, were snakes from Ryūchi Cave.
"Mio, this snake doesn't look like a Sage at all. I think she's a fake!"
Tsunade rolled up her sleeves, wanting to test with her fist whether Ichikishimahime was indeed a Snake Princesses Sage of Ryūchi Cave.
Uchiha Hikari, sitting beside Orochimaru, was eager to try, but Orochimaru's hand patted her head, and she immediately calmed down, her red Three-Tomoe Sharingan changing back to her black big eyes.
"Are you sure you want to test my strength?"
Ichikishimahime's figure vanished and reappeared behind Tsunade. A chopstick, wrapped in Chakra, had already intervened between her and Tsunade.
The slightly raised white snake tail behind Orochimaru dropped down.
So fast!
Tsunade looked at Ichikishimahime behind her in shock. She hadn't even noticed when Ichikishimahime had appeared behind her.
"Byakugan?"
Ichikishimahime looked at Hyuga Mio's pale blue eyes, surprised that she could track her movements. "What astonishing ocular power. This isn't something that can be achieved through ordinary training."
"Thank you for the compliment, Ichikishimahime. Please forgive my offense, but if you intend to harm anyone in this home, I will do everything in my power to stop you."
A faint smile appeared on Hyuga Mio's face, the chopstick returned to her hand, the veins beside her eyes disappeared, and her Byakugan returned to its normal white color.
Did she control the chopstick with externally released Chakra?
Jiraiya looked at the chopstick returning to Hyuga Mio's hand in surprise.
It seems Mio has never given up on her training!
Tsunade hadn't even noticed when the chopstick in Hyuga Mio's hand had appeared behind her.
Orochimaru fell into thought after hearing Ichikishimahime's words.
With Mio's ocular power, once I successfully improve Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's cells and transplant the improved Ōtsutsuki Kaguya cells into her, her Byakugan should be able to evolve into a Tenseigan...
"Orochimaru, they're bullying me!"
Ichikishimahime hugged Orochimaru's neck as if she had been bullied.
"Hey! You snake, let go of Orochimaru!"
Tsunade glared angrily at Ichikishimahime, suppressing her rage to prevent a Chakra outburst that would overturn the table.
The smile on Hyuga Mio's face disappeared, and veins bulged beside her eyes.
Uchiha Hikari activated her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, contemplating whether to unlock her Eye Sealing Curse Mark and activate her Mangekyo Sharingan to deal with the Snake Princesses Sage of Ryūchi Cave.
This was no longer a simple provocation. To dare to complain to Orochimaru in such a manner right in front of them was simply too much!
Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here?
As the only outsider at the dinner table, and the only man, Jiraiya was caught in the three fundamental questions of life, completely unwilling to get involved.
I should have known not to come for a free meal...
Jiraiya ate silently, fearing he would be the collateral damage. Years of experience told him that once conflict arose between women, they needed someone to deflect the conflict onto.
Just as the conflict between Orochimaru and Tsunade often shifted to him.
"I'm done eating! Thank you for the meal!"
Jiraiya finished his meal at the fastest speed, carrying his bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen with one hand, thumping his chest repeatedly.
"I suddenly remembered something. I'm going home now!"
Jiraiya rushed out, afraid that if he was a step late, he would be drawn into the women's dispute.
Then, Orochimaru, who had been silent, reached out and bit her finger, forming hand signs.
"What are you doing?"
Ichikishimahime saw Orochimaru forming hand signs to use the Summoning Technique, grabbed her arm, and interrupted her hand signs.
"I was thinking you'd really like to see Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime. How about I summon them from Ryūchi Cave too?"
Orochimaru's calm tone carried a hint of threat. She might not have much leverage over Ichikishimahime, but that didn't mean she couldn't deal with the other two Snake Princesses Sages.
"Ugh..."
Ichikishimahime was sure that if Orochimaru summoned Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime, they would definitely come.
"Let's not summon them. They still need to serve the White Snake Sage!"
Ichikishimahime obediently returned to her seat and sat down, eating meekly.
After dinner, Orochimaru led Ichikishimahime to Uchiha Hikari's room.
"This is Hikari's room. You can stay here for now. Hikari always sleeps in my room at night."
"That Uchiha Clan child named Hikari seems to like you too!"
Ichikishimahime floated up, lying lazily in the air, then flipped over to lie on her stomach, resting her head on her arms, her dark blue twin-tails hanging down, squinting at Orochimaru.
"I know. We've made an agreement. I'll answer her when she turns 18."
Orochimaru sighed softly. She had made this agreement thinking that Uchiha Hikari would be more mature at 18 and might not like her anymore.
Now it seemed this agreement was just a way to buy time, to prevent Hikari from doing anything underage-prohibited to her.
"Orochimaru, you're really popular! Both at home and outside."
Ichikishimahime floated in front of Orochimaru, recalling the enthusiastic attitudes of people during their shopping trip earlier, even she had received special treatment.
"'It's Lady Orochimaru!' 'Lady Orochimaru, could you sign this for me?' 'Lady Orochimaru, I love you so much!' 'Ah! Lady Orochimaru looked this way! She must be looking at me!' 'I want to become a female Ninja like Lady Orochimaru someday!'"
Ichikishimahime mimicked the actions of Orochimaru's fans, even perfectly imitating their expressions.
"You, who have lived for a thousand years, still can't tell why they are so enthusiastic about me?"
Orochimaru looked at Ichikishimahime with an expression that said 'you're an idiot'.
"What kind of look is that! Don't forget I've helped you a lot!"
Ichikishimahime couldn't stand Orochimaru's gaze and bumped her head against Orochimaru's.
"Then don't be so stupid!"
Orochimaru pushed back with force, a mocking curve forming on her lips.
"As expected of a Sage whose challenges are so intellectually stimulating!"
"Hmph!"
Ichikishimahime, seeing Orochimaru bring up old matters, said in a fit of pique, "Enough! I'm going back to Ryūchi Cave! From now on, whenever you want to summon Manda and the others, I'll make you summon an ordinary snake! Don't ever think of asking for my help again!"
"Is this the magnanimity of Ichikishimahime, one of the Three Snake Princesses Sages, second only to the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave?"
Orochimaru feigned surprise as she looked at Ichikishimahime, her gaze falling on her meager chest, letting out a 'pfft', and puffing out her own chest, saying with disdain, "How narrow-minded~!"
Compared to Ichikishimahime's meager flat chest, Orochimaru could be considered huge.
Ichikishimahime's small face visibly reddened at a rapid pace, becoming increasingly red. Orochimaru's words not only made her blush but also broke her composure.
"What's so great about being big! Small breasts are a rare value!"
Outside, the three people eavesdropping at the door tried hard to hold back their laughter, lest they be discovered, unaware that they had already been found out.
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