"Speaking of which… my grandmother has an incredibly high tolerance for alcohol…"
Tsunade frowned slightly as the thought crossed her mind. How much had she drunk tonight? Grandma Mito had always been able to drink far more than anyone else without even swaying. Compared to her, Tsunade felt embarrassingly lightweight.
No, wait. Grandma Mito wasn't actually that good at drinking.
She was cheating.
Orochimaru, standing behind her, couldn't help but think the same. Considering Mito's age, using a little trick to protect herself from getting drunk was only reasonable. At her age, letting her truly overdrink would have been irresponsible.
Of course, that fool Tsunade would never figure it out. If she did, she might storm the Spiral Tower in a drunken rage and demand an explanation.
"Close your eyes," Orochimaru said calmly. "If shampoo gets into them, that's your responsibility."
He turned on the shower and carefully rinsed the foam from Tsunade's golden hair. Water streamed down her back, washing away the lingering scent of alcohol and sweat.
As he looked into her slightly dazed eyes, a thought surfaced in his mind.
He still hadn't begun large-scale production of the liquid contact lenses.
The first-generation liquid contact lenses had excellent resistance to genjutsu. They even came with a built-in telescopic enhancement feature. Though nowhere near the level of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, they were still revolutionary.
For genjutsu specialists in the various ninja villages, this would be devastating.
Such technology could change the battlefield.
Perhaps it was time to introduce a limited version to Konoha. A downgraded model without genjutsu resistance could replace ordinary glasses entirely and be released as a commercial product.
And the newest generation…
That would make a perfect birthday gift for Tsunade.
Her birthday was approaching soon.
After finishing washing her hair, Orochimaru realized he was completely soaked. His thin clothes clung to his pale skin, outlining his slender frame.
Tsunade squinted as if she were about to fall asleep standing up.
With a faint sigh, Orochimaru led her out of the bath. He wrapped her in a large towel and carefully dried her body. Then he formed a simple hand seal.
"Water Release."
Using chakra control, he gently drew the remaining moisture from her skin into his palms. With practiced movements, he rubbed her hair dry.
"Hehe… Orochimaru… I want to stay with you forever… so you can always look at me…"
Tsunade's soft arms wrapped around his neck. Her flushed face pressed against his cheek, eyes closed, smiling foolishly.
"What a heavy burden," Orochimaru muttered dryly. "Perhaps I should consider running away."
It was a joke.
He had not seriously considered leaving Konoha with a bucket in a very long time.
The current Konoha was… acceptable.
Danzo Shimura was no longer the fanatic monster he had once been in the original timeline. Sarutobi-sensei could be indecisive at times, but when it truly mattered, he acted within clear moral boundaries. The two Hokage advisors were not useless relics—they genuinely wished to contribute to the village's strength.
Overall, Orochimaru was satisfied.
He was even willing to share parts of his research to help Konoha grow stronger.
Most importantly, there were people he cared about.
Tsunade.
Mito.
Nawaki, who loudly proclaimed every day that he would become Hokage.
Orochimaru looked forward to watching Nawaki grow up. If Nawaki failed, perhaps Minato Namikaze would take Sarutobi's place.
After all, the fastest ninja in the world surely wouldn't process paperwork slowly… right?
"Are you disgusted with me?" Tsunade suddenly asked, struggling to focus.
She blinked hard.
"One… two… three Orochimarus…"
She reached out clumsily, then suddenly hugged him tightly.
"You're all coming home with me!"
"Are you trying to kill me?"
Even prepared, Orochimaru nearly lost his balance from her strength. Annoyed, he pinched her hip sharply.
"Ah! That hurts!"
She squirmed and retaliated by biting his shoulder.
"Tsunade is very dependent on you," Hyuga Mio observed quietly from the side.
Though she tried to maintain composure, jealousy flickered in her pale Byakugan eyes. She doubted she could ever act so openly spoiled—even if she wanted to.
"Maybe it's because I'm always looking at him?" Orochimaru said lightly, though his expression darkened as Tsunade bit harder.
"I think the Inuzuka Clan might need her more."
"Öhöm…"
Hyuga Mio paused, coughed softly, and suppressed her smile.
She removed her clothes, placed them neatly into the laundry basket, and entered the bathroom.
Orochimaru sighed.
I truly dislike drunks. Especially noisy ones.
He carried Tsunade back to the bedroom. There would certainly be bite marks tomorrow.
Tsunade giggled foolishly and pinched his face.
He helped her into pajamas and wrapped her in a blanket. She immediately began wriggling like a caterpillar.
He pressed a hand gently against her forehead, checking her temperature.
Fine.
"I'll shower first."
He pulled at his soaked clothes and returned to the bathroom.
Inside, he found Hyuga Mio reclining in the bathtub. The water shimmered with apple-scented sparkling bath salts.
Understanding dawned.
"Mio… were you waiting for me?"
"Mm…"
A blush spread across her fair face. She brushed wet hair from her cheek, her pale eyes reflecting embarrassment.
Water splashed softly as he stepped in.
"I'm tired," Orochimaru said casually. "I'll have to trouble Mio to help me bathe."
"I… it would be my honor."
She stiffened slightly as he leaned back against her, unsure where to place her hands.
The warm water overflowed quietly onto the tiles.
Chapter 198: Chiyo's Desire to Change Sunagakure
On another battlefield, Iwagakure and Kumogakure clashed violently.
Ōnoki floated high in the air, confronting the Third Raikage, A.
A had no effective method to deal with Ōnoki's aerial advantage. His Lightning Release Armor granted him terrifying speed and physical strength, but it could not make him fly.
At the same time, Ōnoki faced his own dilemma.
Dust Release required preparation time.
Against A's lightning-fast Body Flicker technique, that weakness became fatal.
Every time Ōnoki attempted to prepare Dust Release, A flashed across the battlefield like blue lightning, making precise targeting nearly impossible.
Ōnoki also dared not use Dust Release on a massive scale—his own Hidden Stone ninja were fighting below.
As for close combat?
That was madness.
The Third Raikage was famed across the ninja world for his supreme body technique. Intelligence suggested he could directly clash with the Eight-Tails.
Even if Ōnoki summoned a massive Earth Release golem, A could likely shatter it in moments.
The only way to kill A was Dust Release.
But Dust Release required time.
Time A would never allow.
"Ōnoki!" A shouted. "Are you afraid to come down?"
He regretted not bringing the Kohaku no Jōhei. With the Eight-Tails already sealed, that treasured tool might have trapped the constantly flying Tsuchikage.
If Ōnoki were sealed, Iwagakure would fall into chaos.
"Afraid of you?" Ōnoki shouted back, crossing his arms midair. "If you're so capable, come up here!"
Enraged, A ripped a massive boulder from the ground and hurled it skyward.
Ōnoki caught it.
"Earth Release: Super-Weighted Rock Technique!"
He made it heavier and hurled it back.
"Earth Release: Rock Clone Technique!"
Lightning flashed.
A shattered the massive rock with his Hell Stab: One-Finger Spear.
But something felt wrong.
The Ōnoki he pierced turned to stone.
A clone.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
A white conical barrier formed between Ōnoki's hands and fired downward.
A barely evaded direct contact. The explosion still hurled him violently into the ground, forming a massive crater.
Even so—
He survived.
Ōnoki frowned.
A was faster than he had anticipated.
Below, A stood within the crater, staring upward. For the first time, he felt frustration at being unable to fully unleash his power.
The two Kage confronted each other.
Around them, Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud ninja slaughtered one another with renewed ferocity.
With both Kage present, morale surged wildly on both sides.
The battlefield was a storm of blood and screams.
Meanwhile, on other fronts, Konoha rotated its exhausted forces back to the village for rest, replacing them with fresh units.
Jiraiya nearly wept with excitement at the thought of returning home.
He had almost forgotten what his sisters looked like.
Rain Country
Chiyo entered from the northeast of the Land of Wind.
It was her first time returning since the Rain Mountains had transformed into fertile highlands.
She was stunned.
The Rain Country—once drenched and barren—now flourished with agriculture.
White Snake Electric Town bustled with life. The White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company's logo was everywhere.
Disguised as an ordinary middle-aged woman, Chiyo gathered information.
She learned that the transformation was inseparable from Hanzo and the White Snake Company.
Standing on a hillside overlooking two prosperous towns, she felt a surge of ambition.
If Sunagakure could receive similar support…
The Wind Daimyo was already reluctant to fund Sunagakure. The desert offered little economic return. If funding were cut, the village would have to reduce ninja numbers drastically.
Without Daimyo support, survival would be nearly impossible.
White Snake missions had already eased their burden in recent years.
If that cooperation deepened…
In Amegakure, Hanzo received word.
"I understand."
He dismissed the ANBU.
Chiyo had already been identified the moment she entered White Snake Electric Town.
Hanzo, of course, recognized her.
The right hand of the Third Kazekage had come personally.
And that meant—
The winds of change were beginning to stir in Sunagakure.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)