"Orochimaru, it's not good to discuss other people's families like that. What their family does is none of your business."
Tsunade tugged on Orochimaru's sleeve and whispered in her ear. From her perspective, Orochimaru's words were a bit too much, as they essentially negated the Hyuga Clan's Main Family and Branch Family system.
"There's no one else here. I'm sure Mio won't say anything."
Orochimaru smiled slightly, unafraid of her words spreading.
What if they did spread? Is there a problem with a child expressing her opinion? There are many children in Konoha who think the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is a freak show!
Could the Hyuga Clan really go door-to-door to every household?
My teacher is the Third Hokage, Assistant Hokage Danzo Shimura favors me, and Uzumaki Mito wants me to recognize her as my god-grandmother. If you have the guts, come and get me!
The Ninja World isn't all about fighting; it's also about connections and networking!
Orochimaru believed that even if the Hyuga Clan had more courage, they wouldn't dare to trouble her. She was devoted to training, yes, but she still needed to maintain good interpersonal relationships.
How does that saying go? "More connections, more paths."
No, why are you squeezing over again?
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, who was resting her head on her shoulder, and didn't quite understand why she liked leaning on her so much.
Two days later... Land of Iron, Tsuru Castle.
Orochimaru's team, having completed their mission, arrived at a hot spring inn to relax.
Orochimaru's pale skin turned a faint red as it soaked in the warm hot spring water.
Hyuga Mio's forehead was wrapped in bandages; she didn't want to expose the Caged Bird Curse Mark on her forehead.
Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Mio's forehead, showing great interest in the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
Hyuga Mio noticed Orochimaru's gaze and subtly moved further away.
"I say, Orochimaru!"
Tsunade slapped Orochimaru's shoulder.
"Hmm?"
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"When we get back to Konoha, want to come to my place? My grandma often talks about you."
Tsunade looked at Hyuga Mio with a hint of wariness. Orochimaru's attention to her had made her alert, giving her a feeling that her good friend was about to be taken away.
???
Hyuga Mio was full of question marks, not knowing where Tsunade's hostility towards her came from; it felt quite inexplicable.
"Then, before we go back, how about we buy some specialties from the Land of Iron?"
Orochimaru thought for a moment and suggested. Regardless of whether she could learn the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique, she still needed to maintain a good relationship with Uzumaki Mito, the First Hokage's wife and Tsunade's grandmother.
Konoha, Senju Residence, which was also the only Senju Residence in Konoha.
Living there were Tsunade's grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, and Tsunade. Tsunade's parents rarely returned; they were mostly out on missions.
"Orochimaru, you're here. Welcome, welcome."
Uzumaki Mito smiled kindly, stroking Orochimaru's head.
"Grandma, these are samurai sweets I brought back from the Land of Iron."
Orochimaru took out the sweets bought from the Land of Iron, marketed as samurai-themed. In reality, they were no different from ordinary sweets, just more expensive.
"Orochimaru, you're so thoughtful."
Uzumaki Mito's smile grew wider. She glanced at Tsunade, who was pouring tea nearby, "You're much less trouble than Xiao Gang. That child hasn't learned anything else but her grandfather's bad habits, sigh..."
"Grandma!"
Tsunade's face flushed red. She lost control of her strength, and the teacup in her hand shattered with a bang.
Orochimaru stood rooted to the spot like a quail. At times like this, she truly didn't know what to do. In Uzumaki Mito's eyes, she was essentially 'someone else's child.'
But the crucial point was that her parents had sacrificed themselves, so she had to mature. Tsunade's parents were still alive, so a little willfulness and a few bad habits were nothing.
Ah... I really want to go train... ---
Indeed, relying on cooking to make money is not feasible. Differences in eating habits and tastes mean that even with localization, it might not bring me enough wealth for my research.
Orochimaru picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with chopsticks and took a bite. It was soft and dense, with a sweet taste.
In between missions and training, Orochimaru took the time to conduct market research and concluded that her previous idea for making money was unrealistic. Whether a foreign product from another world could bring her sufficient income was a big question mark.
Instead of wasting time and money on uncertain ventures, she preferred to think of a new way to make money.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence in Chinese cuisine, but new things take time to be accepted, and not everyone is willing to try them.
Where did the Orochimaru in the original story get so much money to build bases everywhere and adopt so many children like a sugar daddy?
Orochimaru thought of the Orochimaru in the original story who never worried about money and really wanted to know his secret to earning money. It couldn't be that the Land of Rice Fields' Daimyo was funding everything, could it?
Soon after, Orochimaru walked out of the restaurant, musing that it had been a month since she last saw Danzo Shimura. If it weren't for the method he gave her to contact him, she would have suspected that Danzo Shimura had been 'snapped' by her dear Teacher Hiruzen – oh, no, rather, he had vanished without a trace.
She figured that Teacher Hiruzen must have given Danzo Shimura a lot of work. Assistant Hokage, an assistant, after all, has a lot of things to do.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.
"Hiruzen, you're going too far!"
Danzo Shimura's unsuppressed roar of anger echoed from the Hokage Office. Ninja in the hallway heard the roar and quickened their pace by several times.
Danzo Shimura had obvious dark circles under his left eye, and his face was grim as he glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Danzo, don't forget you're the Assistant Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe and took a puff. Seeing the dark circles under Danzo Shimura's eyes, he felt a little guilty, but that guilt vanished without a trace when he remembered Danzo's designs on his disciple.
If he didn't give him more things to do, Danzo wouldn't settle down.
"I'm the Assistant Hokage, not here to handle your documents! You don't need to send all the reports to me!"
Danzo Shimura had never been this angry. If they were useful documents and reports, it would be one thing, but the files and reports Hiruzen Sarutobi made him handle were completely worthless. Processing them was a complete waste of his time, and he couldn't even refuse because he was the Assistant Hokage.
Originally, he could have delegated these tasks to his subordinates, but Hiruzen Sarutobi often came to check on his progress. He couldn't assign someone to constantly monitor Hiruzen Sarutobi; if he were discovered, wouldn't that give Hiruzen Sarutobi a reason to order him to disband Root?
Since becoming Assistant Hokage and establishing Root, Danzo Shimura had never felt so restricted.
The sound of a door opening was heard, and Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado walked in. Seeing the fuming Danzo Shimura, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.
"What happened?"
Homura Mitokado asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, just making Danzo fulfill his responsibilities as Assistant Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said nonchalantly.
"Hmph!"
Danzo Shimura was too angry to speak. He snorted coldly and turned to walk out.