A New Snake In The Shinobi World

Tsunade knew deep down that everything Orochimaru said was true.

She also knew that his current attitude was entirely within her expectations.

Still, as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she felt an obligation to try.

"I know, Orochimaru, I know everything!" Tsunade said softly, her expression tinged with sadness. "What happened back then… it was unfair to you. But no matter what, the teacher… he was only doing it for the village."

"All I'm asking is for you to talk to him. No matter how the conversation turns out, I promise I won't press you any further."

"Is that really the case?" Orochimaru asked, his golden eyes narrowing.

"This is all I can do," Tsunade said firmly, her eyes full of determination.

Tsunade couldn't reconcile her personal feelings with the survival of the village. But this was the only way she could live with herself. At the very least, she had to make an effort.

If she tried her best and it still didn't work? Then at least she could say she did everything she could.

"Orochimaru, I—"

"Enough, stop talking," Orochimaru interrupted, raising a hand to silence her. "Go take a bath and get some rest. You've worked hard with all this running around. We'll talk more later."

"But—"

"What's the rush? Do you want me to agree right this second?"

"I…" Tsunade hesitated, then relented. "Alright, fine."

She had wanted to say more, but the words caught in her throat. Orochimaru was right, there was no way the rift between him and the village could be resolved with a few words.

Even getting him to agree to meet Hiruzen again would take time.

So, for now, she had no choice but to follow his suggestion.

---

The sound of rushing water echoed through the bathroom as Tsunade washed away the fatigue from days of travel and stress. After cleaning herself thoroughly, she put on a fresh, comfortable set of casual clothes.

When she came out, she noticed that Orochimaru was no longer in the house.

Not thinking much of it, she let the warmth of the bath and the relief of finally relaxing lull her into a calm state. She lay down on the sofa in the living room, intending to wait for Orochimaru to return.

But the exhaustion from the war and her endless travels soon overwhelmed her, and she drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

This time, there were no worries about enemies ambushing her in the middle of the night. For the first time in a long while, she slept soundly and without fear.

When morning came, Tsunade woke to find herself covered with a blanket. Opposite her, Orochimaru sat quietly, lost in thought.

She blinked in confusion, still groggy from sleep. Orochimaru, noticing her movement, spoke in his usual calm tone.

"You'll stay here for the next two days."

"Huh? Oh… okay."

Though slightly anxious, Tsunade nodded. At this point, she could only do as Orochimaru said.

---

Over the next two days, Tsunade stayed in the Sound Ninja Village, resting and observing the operations.

Orochimaru spent most of his time in his laboratory, explaining instructions to his subordinates.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

On the morning of the fourth day, when Tsunade saw Orochimaru return from outside, she couldn't help but ask, "Orochimaru, have you been avoiding me on purpose?"

"Why would I do that?" Orochimaru replied casually. "There was an important experiment I needed to finish. Now get ready. We're going to the Land of Forest."

"What about the matter with Konoha?" Tsunade asked cautiously.

"Sometimes, I wonder whether knowing you is a blessing or a curse…" Orochimaru muttered to himself.

"Huh?" Tsunade froze, unsure of what he meant. But then, realization struck her. "Wait… does that mean you agreed?"

The faintest flicker of emotion crossed Orochimaru's face as he sighed. "I'll meet with him. Once. That's all I'm promising."

Hearing this, Tsunade's emotions surged uncontrollably. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around Orochimaru.

"Thank you, Orochimaru. Thank you so much!" Tears brimmed in her eyes, spilling over as she held him tightly.

For her, Orochimaru's promise to meet Hiruzen was enough.

---

On their way back from the Land of Forest, Orochimaru muttered to himself, "Should we attack them first?"

The ninjas of the Land of Forest all wore grimace masks, their grotesque designs resembling death masks.

While their appearance was menacing, their actual combat abilities were mediocre. From start to finish, Orochimaru had never taken them seriously.

When he and Tsunade confronted the leader of the Land of Forest, the explanation they received was puzzling, their own ninjas had attacked the Land of Forest first?

Impossible.

Orochimaru trusted his clones implicitly. Their programming left no room for error.

If it wasn't a mistake on their part, then what else could it be?

Frowning deeply, Orochimaru pondered the situation for a long time but couldn't find a satisfying answer.

"Forget it. I'll deal with it later."

For now, the situation in the Land of Forest was resolved.

"Tsunade, where did Sarutobi decide to meet?" Orochimaru asked.

"Three days from now, in the Land of Fire," she replied.

"Understood."

---

Three days later, on a mountaintop in the eastern part of the Land of Fire, two groups of people stood facing each other.

On one side was the Third Hokage, clad in a black combat uniform and armor, flanked by more than a dozen ANBU operatives wearing animal masks.

On the other side stood Orochimaru, dressed in flowing robes with his long hair swaying in the breeze.

Behind Orochimaru was Tsunade, her expression unreadable.

"Long time no see, Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru said, his voice hoarse and laced with an edge. The faint smirk on his lips was unreadable—half mockery, half indifference.

The Third Hokage looked at his former student, regret and guilt clear in his eyes.

Orochimaru had once been his pride, a prodigy among his students. But despite Orochimaru's dark tendencies and his connections to Danzo, his contributions to Konoha had been immense.

"I'm glad you were willing to meet me, Orochimaru. What happened back then—"

"There's no need to bring up the past," Orochimaru interrupted, still smiling faintly. "Let's get straight to the point."

He didn't even glance at the ANBU behind Hiruzen. Instead, he turned to Tsunade. "Tsunade, step back."

"Okay." Tsunade nodded without hesitation, understanding the importance of leaving the two to speak privately.

"You should step back as well," the Third Hokage said, addressing the ANBU around him.

The masked operatives hesitated, their gazes filled with concern as they looked at Orochimaru.

"Hokage-sama, we can't—"

"It's fine," Hiruzen said firmly. "If Orochimaru wanted to act, staying here would only mean throwing your lives away."

Reluctantly, the ANBU nodded and withdrew, leaving the master and disciple to confront each other alone.

***

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