"It smells so good."
Tagorihime rubbed her eyes, yawning constantly, still in a daze.
She struggled to open her eyes fully.
She saw that Byakuya had used a large tree from the forest to fashion a long table.
Beside it, he was stir-frying food in an iron wok.
The table was filled with...
Tagorihime's mouth dropped open in surprise. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... 11 dishes!"
Byakuya didn't bring enough bowls, but fortunately, the System's boost to his chakra control was quite good. He used his katana to carve the table first, then used the leftover wood to make wooden plates and bowls.
"Miss Tagorihime, you're awake."
The Leaf ninja who had beaten her into critical condition yesterday was not wearing that Shuten-doji mask today. Seeing her awake, his smile was exceptionally warm. He put down the wok and spatula, dashed to her side, helped her up, and asked solicitously about her well-being.
"Please sit. Try the cuisine I made for you."
"You... you... you..."
Tagorihime covered her small, cherry-like mouth, speechless.
It was just too shocking for a snake.
"It's like this. I thought about it all night and suddenly realized I was wrong. We are not enemies; we are good friends. Since we are good friends, we should sit down and talk peacefully. Surely we can understand each other."
"Uh-huh, indeed." Tagorihime wasn't fully awake yet; her head was foggy, and all she could see were the fragrant dishes on the table.
Byakuya pushed the "Beggar's Chicken" he had made overnight towards her hand. "It's still hot. Please take your time enjoying it, Miss Tagorihime."
"You... uh, okay."
Drool flowed freely, landing on the tabletop. The venom dyed the wood a dark purple.
She ripped off a chicken leg.
Stuffed it into her mouth.
Chew, chew, chew.
Tagorihime's eyes suddenly widened, and she asked incredulously, "Byakuya, you made this?"
"Of course. In this forest, there's only you and me, one human and one snake."
"Why didn't you make it for me yesterday?"
"I couldn't find a chicken. I ran to the outskirts of the forest in the middle of the night to catch this one. Look, my clothes got torn by branches because I was in such a hurry."
Byakuya hurriedly showed her the torn corner of his clothes.
Tagorihime was instantly touched. "It was my fault too. I shouldn't have thought about eating you yesterday. I should have stopped you in time and told you I'm a good snake and not to hurt me."
"We became friends through fighting. Since we've signed a summoning contract, we must support each other, help each other with all our might, depend on each other for survival, and moisturize each other with saliva (help each other in humble circumstances)."
Tagorihime sniffled her cute little nose, holding back tears. "What does moisturize each other with saliva mean?"
"It means you're beautiful."
"Oh, oh. Thank you."
"Eat up quickly, the food is getting cold."
Byakuya hurriedly added, "Small bites! Savor it slowly!!"
"Okay, okay."
Just as she was about to open her giant maw again, listening to Byakuya, Tagorihime obediently mimicked human manners, eating the Beggar's Chicken one small bite at a time.
"Byakuya, why do you call me 'Miss'?"
"Think about it." He was stir-frying in the wok, and while talking to her, the dish burned slightly, so he sprinkled more seasoning. "You're from Ryuchi Cave, right?"
"Right, right, right."
"You're a subordinate of the Sage, right?"
"Right, right, right."
"Your status is above the other big snakes in Ryuchi Cave, right?"
"Ah, no... right, right, right!"
"According to our human hierarchy, you are a princess. Of course, I must politely address you as Miss Tagorihime."
She was even more moved; the snake blood flowing in her body felt like it was heating up. "Byakuya Senkaku, you're such a good person. Being your summoning beast makes me so happy."
"If you're happy, eat more."
After a long while.
Both human and snake were stuffed, their bellies round.
Tagorihime said with satisfaction, "Byakuya, can I go back to the Leaf Village with you?"
"No." He immediately became serious.
"Why?"
"There is an exceptionally strong ninja in the Leaf named Orochimaru. His research on snakes is borderline obsessive. If you come to the Leaf with me and get discovered by Orochimaru, it would be dangerous."
"Orochimaru..." Tagorihime said resentfully, "Those bad ninja who chased me kept shouting about selling me to Orochimaru! Your Leaf ninja are really bad, except for the best person in the world, Byakuya Senkaku!"
Byakuya thought to himself, She's just a little girl. Coaxing her is the way. Much easier to deal with than Orochimaru's Manda.
"I have to go too, Tagorihime."
"Huh?"
She turned to look at the handsome boy. "Are you going back to the Leaf?"
"No, I still have to go to the Sand Village for a mission."
"Is that female ninja from the Sand your partner? So, she's a traitor to the Sand, helping you complete your mission." If Tagorihime used her brain, she could hit the nail on the head.
Byakuya shook his head. "She's not my partner for now. Although we've reached a consensus on some matters, we haven't acted on it yet. Our goodwill toward each other is only superficial, like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water. A strong wind, and it scatters."
"Be careful. If there's danger, summon me with the Summoning Jutsu."
"Then I'll trouble you, Miss Tagorihime."
She smiled brilliantly, looking even sweeter. "Why are you suddenly so good to me?"
"You treat me as a friend. I don't have a heart of stone, so I treat you as a good friend too."
Byakuya extended his hand. "Let's reintroduce ourselves. Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire. Currently the Ninja Academy Warehouse Manager and off-the-books Root operative, Byakuya Senkaku."
Tagorihime held his hand. "Ryuchi Cave, Tagorihime."
---
When Pakura saw the Shuten-doji mask again, she wished she could rip it off immediately.
Byakuya seemed to sense her mood and quickly said, "I want to follow you back to the Sand Village and wait for the high command's response."
"You will definitely be exposed."
"I'll act as your guard."
Pakura said, "Everyone in the village knows I've never had a guard. Shuten-doji, you're so afraid of death, why this sudden idea? Aren't you worried that once we're back in the village, I'll decide it's impossible and turn on you?"
"Senior always likes to test me. Actually, I haven't finished speaking. My main body will stay outside the Sand Village; my Shadow Clone will go back with you."
"The Jonin in the village will notice something is wrong with you."
As Byakuya expected, Pakura refused.
He had wanted to shatter any room she had for changing her mind, but it seemed he needed a different plan.
"I'll wait for your good news at the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers," Byakuya proposed the most appropriate plan.
Pakura had anticipated this and tossed him a scroll. "I've chosen a location for you. This is a map with Sand patrol routes. Avoid them."
He opened the scroll.
A small map was pasted inside.
Pakura had marked a place called "Town of Sasori."
The Sand patrol routes were drawn densely.
Just from this map, one could feel the Sand's intense desire to attack.
"Senior Pakura, I hope you don't die."
"Shuten-doji, don't you die either. If you die, I'll have to deal with another Root ninja from scratch."
Pakura described her plan.
There were a few loopholes. Byakuya pointed them out, and she accepted his advice.
One loophole was that when reporting to the high command, Pakura planned to say that Danzo's "goodwill" proved the Leaf's interior was empty.
Wrong. She should advise the high command to consider carefully—what if it was a smokescreen by Danzo? Furthermore, the Sand was in turmoil and had already lost many ninja; they should recuperate.
That way, the neutral faction of Sand ninja might support her.