"I'm here. How's everything going?"
Kawaki walked straight into the lab and saw Orochimaru and Misaki busy at work.
Itachi had been working on the assignment Orochimaru gave him alone in a corner, but the moment he heard Kawaki's voice, he stood up straight.
"Lord Kawaki."
Kawaki smiled slightly and nodded at Itachi's greeting.
"Didn't I already tell you? Call me Uncle."
"Don't be as stiff as your dad."
Though Kawaki spoke kindly, Itachi still felt nervous. He hesitated before finally calling him "Uncle."
"Now that sounds better."
Kawaki stepped forward and ruffled his hair. Back when he was seven, he really was quite cute.
"Did you finish your homework yet?"
As Kawaki tried to keep talking to Itachi a little longer, Orochimaru's cold voice cut in.
"Teacher, I'll get back to it right away."
Itachi's expression instantly changed, and he quickly returned to his task.
"You see, ignoring me is one thing."
"But scaring the kid like that—where's the fun in that?"
Kawaki immediately understood what kind of figure Orochimaru was in Itachi's eyes.
He gave up on trying to talk to Itachi and slowly approached Orochimaru instead.
"Didn't I already tell you it needs more time?"
"Do you really need to come here every day?"
Orochimaru glanced sideways at Kawaki, clearly showing his displeasure at the visit.
"You're saying that again."
"Every brick and tile of this place belongs to me. What's wrong with me just coming by?"
Kawaki had long grown immune to Orochimaru's biting remarks and didn't feel even slightly embarrassed.
"Can't argue with that. Do as you please."
"After all, Lord Kawaki is both rich and strong."
"A few days ago, you showed off your power and crushed Madara Uchiha."
"Who in the entire ninja world doesn't know about it?"
"A pity, though—you still let him get away in the end."
Orochimaru's sarcasm was as sharp as ever.
"Cut the crap."
"How many more days? If it doesn't work out, I'm not waiting around anymore."
"It's just a waste of time."
Kawaki couldn't help but lose his cool, and his tone turned impatient.
"You'll get results tomorrow."
"At this rate, it should succeed."
"And if you really can't wait, go ahead—I won't stop you."
A smirk curled on Orochimaru's lips. This verbal spar was his victory.
"Who said I couldn't wait? Who?"
"Did you hear anything, Misaki?"
Kawaki switched personas instantly, acting like he hadn't said those words a second ago.
"Ha!"
"Nothing, I heard nothing."
Misaki couldn't hold back a laugh but played along obediently.
"See? No one says they can't wait."
"What time tomorrow? I'll arrive exactly then."
Kawaki leaned close to Orochimaru with a flattered look, practically asking for a punch.
"Tomorrow noon."
"If everything goes smoothly, I'll start the transplant surgery immediately."
Orochimaru pushed Kawaki a bit further away and replied indifferently.
"Fine, then it's settled."
"I'll go take a walk somewhere else. Don't let me interrupt your work."
Even as he said he wouldn't interfere, Kawaki still patted Orochimaru once before vanishing on the spot.
"Unbelievable."
Orochimaru's hand trembled slightly when Kawaki patted it, causing the liquid in the test tube to splash out. He shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I always feel like you and Brother-in-law have an unusually close relationship," Misaki teased, clearly envious yet impressed by their closeness.
"If it weren't for your looks being so different," she added, "I'd think you two were biological brothers."
"What kind of brothers?" Orochimaru retorted. "Getting to know him feels more like a curse."
As he spoke, memories of those days fighting side by side with Kawaki surfaced unbidden, tugging his lips into a faint smile.
Even now, he could no longer recall exactly when his connection with Kawaki had become so effortlessly harmonious.
He had never seen himself as someone easy to get along with.
"Hypocrite," Misaki teased, "why don't you wipe that grin off your face?"
"How can you say I'm smiling?" Orochimaru denied, trying to hide it. "You're mistaken. Get back to work, get back to work."
Orochimaru quickly wiped the smile from his face and urged Misaki back to work.
Kawaki stepped out of the lab in high spirits and made his way home.
Natsuki and Tsunade were still out shopping.
Meanwhile, Sakumo was playing a silly ninja game with the two kids.
This grown man standing over six feet tall was getting tossed around on the ground by two toddler 'ninja.'
If Kawaki hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.
When Sakumo caught sight of Kawaki approaching, his rolling movements immediately froze, and his grin froze as well.
"If you want to be a great ninja," Sakumo began lecturing, "never hold onto dignity too tightly."
"Even if you're rolling around on the ground, surviving is what matters most."
"Did you memorize my demonstration just now?"
With one swift move, he scooped up the two rambunctious toddlers into his arms before executing a flawless kip-up to stand upright again.
The frozen smile on his face had somehow transformed into an impressively serious expression.
"Woah! So amazing!!!"
Both Ritsukimi and Seina clapped excitedly for Uncle Sakumo, while Kawaki merely curled the corners of his mouth upward slightly.
Brother, could you possibly be any more ridiculous?
Do you seriously need to teach them how to roll around on the ground?
They're probably already better at rolling around than you are.
"Big brother really taught well."
Kawaki held in his sarcastic thoughts and didn't expose Sakumo's absurd actions.
Because honestly, facing these two little ones himself, he wasn't sure he'd fare much better than Sakumo would.
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Besides, if he mocked Sakumo now, he knew that if Sakumo got another chance, he wouldn't go easy on him.
Tit for tat only leads to more retaliation. Kawaki felt it wise to leave himself an escape route.
"Just so-so."
"I'm tired now. They're all yours."
Sakumo approached Kawaki, then practically shoved both children into his arms before spinning around and hurrying off, his pace quickening.
"Why are you acting sheepish? I didn't mock you."
Looking at Sakumo's retreating back, Kawaki muttered softly.
"So… What game were you guys playing just now?" Kawaki asked, looking down at the two restless little bundles in his arms, adopting the gentlest expression he could muster.
"We played a ninja game."
"My sister and I are Konoha Ninjas. Our dad is a rogue ninja—a criminal."
Hearing the two sisters say that, Kawaki couldn't help but feel Sakumo had sacrificed a lot.
For someone as proud and concerned with honor as him to take on the role of a rogue ninja...
"So, do you want to keep playing?"
Kawaki gave Sakumo a long look. As their eyes locked, Sakumo strategically took a sip of water.
He'd certainly lost all his dignity today.
You walked out—why come back so fast?
"We want to play."
Snapped out of it by the two high-pitched voices, Kawaki decided to let Sakumo off the hook—and himself as well.
Without question, Kawaki took over Sakumo's role as the rogue ninja.
But since he wanted to maintain his image, he couldn't bring himself to roll around on the ground like Sakumo did.
Instead, he crouched low, using Ghost Mastiff and Little White as dog-shields, wearing Ritsukimi and Seina out completely.
Ghost Mastiff and Little White could only grumble about Kawaki bullying both dogs and kids while acting as his advance scouts.
The three kids and two dogs played together joyfully, and watching his younger brother and the two children, Sakumo's smile simply wouldn't fade, no matter what.
...
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