"Finally back."
Looking at the gate of Konoha Village in front of him, Kawaki didn't use the Flying Thunder God[b]Flying Thunder God[/b] technique to enter.
"What's there to get excited about?"
Orochimaru looked at Kawaki like he was an idiot, then stepped forward slowly and knocked on the gate.
After a while, the gate opened, and two Konoha Ninjas bowed respectfully to the two of them.
"Lord Kawaki, Lord Orochimaru."
"Yeah."
The two responded and walked into the village together.
"Go and hand in the mission. I've got something to do."
Kawaki stuffed the mission card into Orochimaru's hand and disappeared from the spot with a Flying Thunder God[b]Flying Thunder God[/b] technique.
"You..."
Before Orochimaru could finish his sentence, Kawaki was out of sight.
"Damn it! I don't wanna go either!"
Looking at the mission card in his hand, Orochimaru threw it on the ground forcefully.
"I'm so unlucky to know you."
After a while, he reluctantly picked it up and walked towards the Hokage Building.
...
"Teacher, Mission Completed."
"The Eight - Tailed Beast Jinchūriki went berserk, causing heavy losses to Kumogakure."
Orochimaru stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi expressionlessly and placed the mission card on his desk.
"I've already received the news. Well done."
"Why isn't Kawaki here?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a smile on his face and spoke to Orochimaru in an approving tone like an elder.
"He's got something to do."
"If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."
Orochimaru felt nauseous just looking at his fake smile now.
"I know the Hatake family isn't short of money, but the payment for this mission still has to be given."
"You can go and get it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put away the mission card and gave Orochimaru a document for claiming the money.
"Okay."
Orochimaru took the document and turned to leave the office.
His attitude of keeping a respectful distance made Hiruzen Sarutobi uncomfortable.
He was also sure that Kawaki and Orochimaru knew something.
"They're all ungrateful wretches!"
Watching Orochimaru leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered under his breath.
Even though Tsunade was in the village daily, she hadn't visited him for ages.
Since Jiraiya went to Mount Myoboku, there hadn't even been a single message.
In a way, he was quite a failure as a teacher.
Orochimaru went to the accountant to claim the money and stuffed it directly into his pocket. Kawaki didn't care about this little bit of money.
Walking on the street, he bought some delicious food and strolled home leisurely.
At this time, Kawaki had been chatting with Tsunade in the hospital's Laboratory for a while.
"You didn't want to go yourself, so you sent Orochimaru."
"What kind of friend are you?"
Tsunade complained about Kawaki's bad behavior. Don't you know the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you?
"It's okay. I'll just give him more red envelopes in the future."
Kawaki then shifted the topic to gossip.
"Well, that might work."
"Do you think they're a good match?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up. She put down the laboratory equipment in her hand. Women were naturally interested in gossip.
"They're quite a good match."
Kawaki didn't expect to bring Pakura back. It accidentally led to Orochimaru's romance.
All I can say is that the world is really amazing.
"Any guesses what they're up to right now?"
Tsunade nudged Kawaki, a teasing look on her face.
"That's unlikely," Kawaki replied.
"They're not there yet."
Kawaki thought for a moment. Orochimaru wasn't as brazen as he was.
If it were him, he might have made some more intimate moves.
"What are you thinking about?"
Tsunade knew right away that Kawaki was having dirty thoughts. She reached out and tapped his forehead with her index finger.
"Ha ha, I didn't say a thing."
"Don't taint me with your thoughts."
Kawaki shifted the blame onto Tsunade, making it seem like it was Tsunade's fault.
"Let you be so stubborn! Let you be so stubborn!"
Tsunade didn't hold back and gave him two quick taps.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Kawaki surrendered, covering his head and begging for mercy.
The two of them horsed around, and Tsunade lost interest in continuing her experiment.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had arrived home. The door wasn't locked.
He watched for a while before approaching to knock.
In the past, when he went on missions, he always locked the door.
This was the first time he'd felt the feeling of having someone at home.
Without realizing it, a smile hooked onto his lips.
"Who is it?"
Pakura's voice came from inside. Then the door opened.
"This is the freshly bought meatballs."
Orochimaru said expressionlessly as he lifted the bag of meatballs in his hand.
He'd seen Pakura buy and eat these things often.
After all these days, Pakura had filled out a bit.
In a good mood and well - fed, she had regained her former charm.
"Did you buy these specially for me?"
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Pakura took the bag from Orochimaru with a smile, feeling happy inside.
"No, I just picked them up on the way."
Orochimaru walked past Pakura and into the house.
"Stubborn as a mule."
Pakura picked up a meatball and took a bite, muttering this as she watched Orochimaru's back.
"Was the mission going smoothly?"
Pakura closed the door and caught up to Orochimaru, then asked.
"Yeah, it was smooth."
"Here's the mission bonus."
As he said this, Orochimaru handed the money he'd just received to Pakura.
"So much!!"
Pakura counted the money and was shocked.
The more the bonus, the more dangerous the mission. She really hasn't taken on such a mission before.
"It's okay. You can use it."
Orochimaru remained calm and behaved generously.
They went to the living room and sat down. Pakura poured him a cup of tea.
"Why are you so nice to me?"
Pakura suddenly leaned in close, looking into Orochimaru's eyes and giving him a start.
"Cough, cough～"
Orochimaru choked and coughed twice. He nervously shifted his gaze.
"As long as you're here with me, I have the obligation to keep you from starving."
"Is that all?"
Pakura wasn't satisfied with his answer and moved even closer.
Orochimaru could feel the warm breath from Pakura's nostrils.
"Don't get so close."
He pushed Pakura away and quickly stood up. His heart was pounding.
"Ha ha, I'll let you off the hook."
"I'll take this money then."
Seeing Orochimaru's flustered look, Pakura burst out laughing and put the money away.
"What have you been up to at home lately?"
Orochimaru changed the subject to cover up his embarrassment just now.
"Learn to be an ordinary person."
Pakura's powers were sealed, and now she was just an ordinary woman.
At most, she was just a good-looking ordinary woman with nothing extraordinary about her.
Recently, she had been learning to cook and take care of the house at home.
Of course, she didn't forget to write down her more detailed insights on Scorch Release[b]Scorch Release[/b] training.
"Don't worry. I'll remove the seals on Pakura right away in a while."
Orochimaru had his own considerations for not removing the seals on Pakura right away.
Living in Konoha Village[b]Konoha Village[/b] should be done in a proper and justifiable way.
Once Tsunade took over the power, all these problems would be easily resolved.
"Okay, I'm not in a hurry."
Pakura wasn't as happy as Orochimaru had imagined.
If she could just be an ordinary person and have a warm family, it seemed like a good life too.
While eating the ball-shaped food in her hand, with a smile in her eyes and a longing for the future, Pakura looked extremely cute at this moment.
For a moment, Orochimaru stared blankly at her.
"Do you want to have one?"
Pakura held out the ball-shaped food in her hand to Orochimaru's mouth.
Orochimaru took a bite absent - mindedly without even noticing the taste.
"Haha~"
Seeing his dazed look, Pakura's silvery laughter filled the room.
...
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