The village was peaceful, yet busy as Sumoku flickered toward his next destination. His appearance had swiftly returned to that of a regular Jonin from the moment he stepped out of ANBU HQ.
Having reached the commercial district of Konoha, he stopped at a particularly large building with a unique modern look. A Chunin from the Nara clan with slightly red eyes was standing at the entrance with a lax stance. Beside him, a line of various people, including civilians, merchants, and shinobi, was stretching past the entrance. The sign above the main entrance read 'Hatake Hash - Konoha's #1 Dispensary'.
"Hey no skipping the line!… Huh? Oh, it's just the boss."
"Y'know Roku, you should really consider my previous offer. I can't understand why you insist on working as the door guard." Sumoku commented with an playful sigh.
"You know me, boss. I can't be bothered to join the growing operations. Too much work…" He shrugged as he rejected Sumoku's offer without blinking.
"Suit yourself, I guess." Sumoku smiled slightly and walked past him after bidding him farewell.
As he walked past the glass doors and entered the business, his eyes caught the figure of a tween girl seated behind the customer service counter. She handled the register with practiced fluidity, calculating ryo and handing out store products to customers. Though she worked efficiently, there was clear boredom written all over her face until her eyes caught Sumoku entering.
"Boss! Thank Kami you're back! Please tell me you've worked on hiring another cashier!!" Anko Mitarashi pouted cutely as she complained to Sumoku. At just 12 years old, she was a far cry from the debaucherous and jaded shinobi that most fans of Naruto would recognize.
"Yes, yes, Anko-chan. I've already posted a recruitment notice at the Merchant's guild, so don't worry your little head over it. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to personally lend a hand." As he finished speaking, a puff of smoke erupted beside him, revealing two shadow clones.
"Come with me while these two handle the store operations, I want to check the production side of things." Without waiting for a reply, he led Anko past the employee break room, eventually arriving before what appeared to be a cellar entrance. A hazy wisp escaped the edges of the heavy latch door.
"Do you think Orochimaru-sensei has successfully bred the new strand you were talking about? I swear I've been smelling something sweet coming from down there before!" Anko cheerfully commented as Sumoku opened the latch.
"Has he succeeded? *hah* I wouldn't doubt it if your sensei managed to cross-breed four generations ahead of schedule."
Their descent into the unassuming cellar eventually revealed a large, open room with dozens of people moving around in the haze. Upon closer inspection, each and every person working down here had red-tinted eyes and slight smiles on their faces. Around them stood countless plants with highly specific growing conditions. Attached to the ceiling were misting devices that activated on a timer seal.
"Hey, everyone loook~ the Boss is back." A civilian employee working near the door announced.
"Welcome back, Boss!" "Yo, Boss."
Sumoku was greeted brightly by each employee as he led Anko towards the most important section of his operation. Eventually, the two arrived at one of Konoha's most well-guarded rooms: Orochimaru's Lab.
"How's it going, Orochimaru-san? I hope we're not interrupting anything." Sumoku casually walked over to a table where the tall figure looked into a microscope.
"Back so soon, Sumoku? I imagine Tsunade is back in the village then?" Orochimaru finally glanced up from his work to greet Sumoku after a minute. He idly patted Anko's head while wearing a cool smile.
"Sharp as always, Orochimaru-san! Tsunade-sensei is probably visiting Kushina right about now, in case you were curious." Sumoku twirled a pen in his hand and turned his gaze toward the research notes detailing Orochimaru's findings. "But besides that, it looks like you've exceeded expectations again already! I can see you've begun cross-breeding trials with Genjutsu-Gas and Konoha-Kush. What's your prediction for the target strain's potency?"
"Well, if we consider the moderate Yin-enhancing properties of Genjutsu-Gas, as well as the potent relaxing properties of Konoha-Kush, then I can say with 94.2% certainty that the offspring strain will be sufficiently potent to satisfy the Yamanaka Clan's order." The snake Sannin continued to rattle off numbers as he described his other experiments.
"Hmm… that means we're way ahead of schedule on the R&D targets for next year, right? I can always rely on you, Orochimaru-san!! As for our 'other' joint venture," Sumoku formed a handseal, activating the privacy sealing array he had Minato set up, "how is our progress on the Wood-release infusion experiments?"
The smile on Orochimaru's face deepened, a glint flashing past his eyes as they sharpened. He licked his lips in his trademark fashion, causing Sumoku to muse internally.
'I was able to cure this guy's trauma, but I still can't get him to stop this creepy-ass habit… Either he knows it bothers me and is messing with me, or he has really dry lips.'
The relationship that Sumoku and Orochimaru shared was a particular one. After Nawaki dies in the second GNW, Orochimaru followed the typical plot line of becoming obsessed with death and immortality. That was, at least, until Sumoku happened to run into the not-yet Sannin during his deployment to the Land of Rain frontlines.
It was there that Sumoku made a name for himself as a stabilizing figure inside the encampment. Even at a young age, Sumoku would consistently offer an open ear and healthy advice to any grieving and traumatized shinobi on the frontlines, earning a reputation as 'The Mind Medic' amongst the deployed shinobi forces. Orochimaru, being intrigued by this obvious talent, called forth the 14 year old Sumoku to his tent to evaluate his talent personally.
It was then that Sumoku grasped the opportunity before him and took a major risk – he claimed that he could identify and cure Orochimaru of his battlefield trauma. Rather than immediately scoff and dismiss the teenager before him, Orochimaru felt a pang of unabashed curiosity. Ironically enough, it was due to Orochimaru's suggestion that Sumoku would eventually become a student of Tsunade, though that's a tale for another time.
To make a long story short, Sumoku actually miraculously succeeded in curing Orochimaru's trauma-based obsession. It took four long years of consistent therapy and guided grieving for his dead student for the snake sannin to be officially healed. At least, that's how Orochimaru remembers it…
"The most recent experiments have been promising. I've managed to ensure that the Wood-release chakra produced by Hashirama-sama's cells won't erode the herbal components of our target strain, however proper infusion still evades me."
"This," He pulled out a sealed vial containing a joint from within his lab coat, "is the most stable product I've managed to produce so far."
"Well there's no better time for an evaluation than the present!" Sumoku grabbed and opened up the vial without hesitation. He brought it to his mouth, and with a minor application of Fire-release the joint was lit.
He pulled a hit slowly, allowing his lungs the opportunity to truly take in the effects. Sumoku probed his body with a pulse of medical chakra, analyzing every cell interaction within. He closed his eyes in concentration as he spoke.
"Hmmmm… Coils are producing chakra at a 13% increase. Yang-chakra ratio has increased from 50% to 65%. The mind remains clear and cognizant while the body feels slightly revitalized, though the typical slight sting in the eyes remains a constant. *sigh* We're definitely working on an incredible product, but the original goal still feels out of reach at the moment." He handed the joint to Orochimaru, who in turn took a hit of his own.
"You're not wrong. From the moment you first presented the theory of reviving Wood-release through herbal infusion, I never would have expected that we would produce such a unique product. If we consider the Yang-chakra ratio, this 'failed' strain could already serve as a great teaching assistant for shinobi aiming to master medical techniques. Perhaps you should present these results to Tsunade when you see her next." Orochimaru commented with slightly red eyes.
Anko attempted to reach out and take the joint from him, failing miserably when he held her at arm's distance with a hand on her head.
"Now, now, Anko-chan, you know the rules. No smoking until you're 18." Orochimaru finally turned his attention to his student, playfully chastising her.
She puffed her cheeks and looked away with a minor blush on her face. Sumoku naturally supported Orochimaru's words – he had made the rules himself after all!
"Hmm, I'll consider informing sensei next time I see her. Though, I'm sure she'd get a huge shock if she saw the current you, so I'm tempted to leave it in your hands." Sumoku grinned mischievously. Orochimaru simply returned a calm, knowing smile at his business partner.
Sumoku released the privacy seals with another handsign after putting the half-smoked joint away in the vial and returning it to Orochimaru. They discussed a handful of other business-related topics before saying their goodbyes.
"Well then, Anko-chan, you can take the rest of the day off if you'd like. I'll have the shadow clones handle the front-end for the rest of the day." Sumoku said while patting Anko's head.
"Understood, Boss!" Anko responded with a faux-salute with over-exaggerated seriousness, imitating some of the employees on the back-end of the business. Feeling satisfied at Sumoku's grin in response, she took her leave.
Sumoku stretched his arms above his head as he made his way along the road to the Hatake Clan estate. Though he appeared care-free, his mind raced with plans for the future.
'I can't believe that the Wood-release Infusion suggestion I made as a joke to Orochimaru would actually end up creating such a miracle drug… To top it off, there's still theoretically room for the strain's effects to improve! I think I'll call it Hash-irama special! Wait, that might be a bit too on-the-nose…'
The rambling thoughts in his head only quieted down when he noticed someone in a green bodysuit 'running' on their hands near his home's training grounds. Passionate cries of 'Youth!' and 'Effort!' continuously rang out from the teenager as sweat poured down his body.
"Hey, Guy! I hope you haven't eaten yet. I was planning to make dinner soon, and you're invited!" Sumoku shouted out to him.
Might Guy flipped back onto his feet and faced Sumoku while striking his signature thumbs-up pose, all the while gasping from the intense workout session he had just finished.
"Actually, go take a shower in the guest bathroom before you come in. I can't have you stinking up the new couch now." Sumoku grimaced as he caught the scent of sweat in the air. One of the downsides to a Hatake's enhanced sense of smell was situations like this.
Sumoku wasted no time entering his home and preparing dinner. Kakashi was already home practicing his kenjutsu in the connecting dojo. He typically practiced in the training area outside, but a certain green beast making loud noises inspired him to do otherwise.
Time passed, and the dining table eventually filled up with various dishes. A freshly showered Guy exited the bathroom right on time for the feast. Kakashi sent his brother and their surprise guest conflicted glances attempting to communicate his displeasure. The two recipients of his gaze acted as if they didn't notice.
Their dinner went by with most of the conversation being carried by Guy and Sumoku, with occasional comments from Kakashi. Once dinner concluded, the three found themselves resting on the couch while watching TV.
"Hey, Guy," Sumoku pulled his special tin out, revealing a row of freshly packed joints as he opened it, "care for a quick session?"
"Whatever happened to your 'must be 18 to smoke' rule???" Kakashi commented with obvious disgust.
"Oh please, you know just as well as I do that Guy's a special case. Without these bad boys, his body would be riddled with hidden injuries! Besides, it's not like the negative effects of underage use really apply to him…" Sumoku thought with some irony as he replied confidently.
"I'll be in your care once more, Sumoku-sama!" Guy responded with his typical enthusiasm and wide smile, receiving a snicker of amusement from his superior.
"Alright, let's go with a classic Nara-Number for some quality relaxation time!"