In the afternoon in Konoha, sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shifting dappled light on the bluestone road.
By the window on the second floor, Tsunade let out a long yawn and pushed an empty wine bottle aside with a crisp clinking sound. She scratched her somewhat messy blonde hair, her eyes sleepy.
"Shizune, what time is it?"
"Two in the afternoon, Lady Tsunade." Shizune skillfully cleared away the empty bottles and set out fresh sake and a few small side dishes.
"You slept for three hours."
"Only three hours..." Tsunade propped up her chin lazily, looking at the sparse flow of people on the street outside the window.
"Bored to death. Is there nothing new from the Old Man? Like which Family is making a fuss again, or which Rogue Ninja is loitering nearby? What about Jiraiya's side? How is it going?"
Shizune carefully poured her some wine.
"The message sent back by Jiraiya-sama says he found traces of Orochimaru and is still tracking him. He also discovered many suspected base locations and is checking them one by one."
"Checking, checking. By the time he's finished checking, Orochimaru will probably have dug a new rat hole somewhere else." Tsunade snorted in dissatisfaction, picked up her glass, and drained it in one gulp.
Tsunade downed another glass and smacked her lips.
"What about that eldest Young Miss of the Hyuga Clan? What has she been up to lately?"
"Miss Hinata seems to have been practicing within the clan recently and rarely appears in public," Shizune replied. "However, someone saw her going to the Ninja Tool Shop area on West Street yesterday evening."
"Ninja Tool Shop? Doesn't the Hyuga Clan rarely use bladed tools?" Tsunade asked casually, not paying much mind. Her attention was quickly drawn by the sound of someone hawking tri-color dango from the street below.
"Shizune, go buy five skewers... no, ten skewers and bring them up!!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
...Hyuga Clan Compound.
Hinata sat cross-legged under the porch, continuing her research. Little White seemed to have woken up and was slowly crawling up her arm, its milky-white scales shimmering with a gentle luster in the sunlight.
It crawled very slowly, stopping from time to time to rub its head against Hinata's skin or lift its upper body, its pale gold vertical pupils intently watching the small birds hopping on the cherry blossom tree not far away for a while before continuing its "mountain climbing" journey.
"Are you treating me as a tree, or as a mobile warm bed?" Hinata extended her index finger and gently tapped Little White's head.
Little White tilted its head to dodge, then leaned back in, rubbing her fingertip with its cool, smooth head, making a faint sound in its throat.
Feeding Little White had become a fixed part of Hinata's daily relaxation. Besides the previous "Spirit Jelly," she also tried feeding it different snacks to observe Little White's reaction.
Little White seemed to prefer flavors that were slightly sweet and cool, while showing little interest in things that were too oily or had strong odors, even turning its head away in disgust.
Essentially, it was still a cold-blooded creature, which was normal.
Little White didn't actually need to eat; feeding it spiritual energy was enough. However, how could raising a pet be complete without a feeding session?
At this moment, by Hinata's hand was a small plate of light green "Cooling Cakes" just made from a mixture of morning dew and several tranquilizing herbal juices, cut into easy-to-eat small pieces.
She picked up a piece with a bamboo skewer and held it to Little White's mouth.
Little White immediately raised its head, its pink tongue quickly flicking out to touch the Cooling Cake before taking a big bite and swirling it into its mouth. It narrowed its eyes, its body wriggling slightly, clearly enjoying this cool texture.
The plate of Cooling Cakes was quickly devoured. Little White coiled back onto Hinata's lap contentedly. Its body had already grown a size larger; where it used to coil around her wrist once, it now needed to wrap around two and a half times.
The sun made Little White's scales feel warm. It simply flipped over, revealing its lighter-colored, softer belly scales, sprawling out with its tail tip occasionally twitching in pleasure.
Hinata gently stroked its warm, cool belly scales with her finger. Little White was so comfortable it kept flicking its tongue, not looking at all like a "ferocious venomous snake" should, but more like a house pet that had been raised too delicately.
"If Orochimaru saw you like this..." Hinata whispered to herself, shaking her head.
Presumably, Orochimaru's vision was not like this at all.
After feeding Little White, Hinata stood up and walked toward the workshop in the side yard. Her Shadow Clones had accumulated a lot of experience and data last night that needed to be digested.
She had many ideas now, to continue pushing forward with her experience, and also the rare metal Tenten mentioned, to see how the extracted substance turned out.
As for Orochimaru's side, there was no new news for now; he was likely still in the middle of moving. The movements of the Uchiha brothers and Jiraiya's investigation couldn't be rushed for the time being; they still needed time to develop.
She followed her plan, doing her own preparations: cultivating, researching, feeding her pet, and occasionally dealing with clan affairs and her sister's visits. Her days were very regular.
At this time, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
"Eldest Young Miss, someone asked me to deliver something to you."
"Come in."
A young clansman entered, holding a small, exquisite bamboo-woven food box in his hands, his face carrying respect and a hint of unconcealed curiosity.
"Hinata-sama, Miss Tenten sent this before she set out this morning, saying it's a thank-you gift." The clansman presented the food box with both hands.
Hinata took it; the food box was very light in her hand, the weaving was fine and dense, and it still carried the slight coolness of morning dew.
Opening the lid, four glutinous rice balls shaped like small animals were neatly arranged inside: a rabbit, a bear, a cat, and a fish. They were lifelike, with eyes dotted with black sesame seeds and ears or tails made of different colored preserved fruits, looking both cute and thoughtfully made.
A note was also tucked beside them, written in slightly childish but very neat handwriting.
"Thank you, Hinata! I rarely make desserts, so don't mind them; they might be a bit sweet (I added honey!). I hope you like them! —Tenten."
Below the name, a chibi version of Tenten was drawn, sticking her tongue out, looking very cute.
Smelling the sweet fragrance, Little White immediately crawled out from her sleeve, its little head approaching the food box, its tongue flicking rapidly.
"Quite cute." Hinata picked up the "little rabbit."
The glutinous rice ball felt warm and soft to the touch, clearly freshly made. She took a gentle bite; the red bean filling was delicate, and it was indeed quite sweet, but mixed with the aroma of glutinous rice and honey, the taste wasn't bad.
She broke off another small piece and handed it to Little White. Little White carefully rolled it into its mouth, narrowed its eyes, and its tail tip wagged happily.
"...Are you a dog?"
Hinata put the remaining rice balls back into the box and walked to the window. In the distance, the rooftops of Konoha were faintly visible in the mist. Tenten had already left the village, embarking on the journey to the border of the Land of Wind.
That kusanagi sword should also be with her.
She hoped she would return safely, and also hoped that the sword could truly help her.
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