Perhaps because Orochimaru was a scientist at heart, Uchiha Tatsumi didn't feel the cold, serpentine menace he'd expected. Instead, Orochimaru exuded a melancholic, almost poetic temperament.
It struck Tatsumi that the Third Hokage's three apprentices could each write a book. Jiraiya would pen a steamy romance novel, Orochimaru a treatise on scientific innovation, and Tsunade a memoir about her gambling misadventures.
But despite Orochimaru's current warmth, human nature was complex. Experience could twist even the purest soul.
Take Rope Tree, for example. Once a simple, cheerful kid—easy to trick out of his pocket money—he'd changed. After hearing Tatsumi call Orochimaru "Uncle Snake," Rope Tree started fawning, calling him "Big Brother" incessantly.
What's with the buddy-buddy act? Tatsumi shot Rope Tree a withering glance and ignored him.
For now, Orochimaru was a model Konoha ninja, devoted to the village. What despair could transform this heroic Sannin, a legend of the Second and Third Ninja Wars, into the cold, immortality-obsessed figure from the manga? In that future, Orochimaru would orchestrate Konoha's collapse and kill his teacher, the Third Hokage.
Maybe killing one's master is a Hokage tradition, Tatsumi mused darkly.
"Tatsumi, what's on your mind?" Orochimaru's hoarse voice snapped him back to reality.
Tatsumi's intense focus had caught the Sannin's attention.
"Nothing," Tatsumi said, shaking his head. "Just wondering, Uncle Snake—er, Sensei—what's your dream?"
Orochimaru's golden pupils narrowed. He closed his eyes, his expression unreadable, then spoke slowly, his voice tinged with bitterness. "To master every jutsu in this world. That's all."
"An interesting dream," Tatsumi said, unfazed.
"You don't think it's a fanciful delusion?" Orochimaru asked, tilting his head.
"If anyone could achieve it, it's you," Tatsumi replied with conviction.
Orochimaru chuckled, a rare, husky sound. "You're an amusing kid."
Tatsumi poked the roasting boar with a stick, tearing off a chunk. Suddenly, his summoning snake, Dabai, slithered out from his trouser leg.
"Snake in the crotch? Tatsumi, that's a bold move," Rope Tree snickered.
Tatsumi grinned maliciously, spitting out a fruit pit and glancing at Rope Tree. "Rope Tree, meet the high-quality match I found for you."
Dabai gave Rope Tree a disdainful look, as if he were a misplaced rag. "This is the 'quality man' you hyped up?"
"Yup, prime catch," Tatsumi said, smirking.
"Come on, Rope Tree, say hi. This is the girlfriend I promised. Didn't you want one?"
"Are you serious?" Rope Tree yelped, scooting behind Orochimaru for cover.
"You said you wanted an interesting soul and a beautiful figure," Tatsumi teased. "Dabai's got that water-snake waist and a personality to match."
Rope Tree waved his hands frantically. "No thanks!"
"What do you think, Dabai?" Tatsumi asked the snake.
"Forget it! This idiot wouldn't even make my fifth backup spare tire," Dabai hissed, dismissing Rope Tree.
Rope Tree's first "blind date" crashed and burned.
Dabai slithered to Tatsumi's roast pork, sniffing it expectantly. Tatsumi handed her a piece, and she devoured it eagerly.
"You only signed the summoning contract yesterday, yet you're already so close," Orochimaru observed, a faint smile on his lips.
"It's my charm," Tatsumi said, grinning. "I may not top the class in much, but no one at the Academy beats my affinity."
He scratched Dabai's head. She hissed in protest, spitting a pit at him, but then nudged his finger with her tongue, relenting.
"By the way, Orochimaru-sensei, what's our mission?" Mikoto asked, breaking her quiet focus on her food.
"There's a bandit group in eastern Fire Country," Orochimaru said calmly. "Our task is to eliminate them."
"Is it fine to take our time like this?" Rope Tree asked, frowning.
"No issue," Orochimaru replied, his tone chilling. "As long as they're dead in the end, we get paid."
"The real goal isn't just bandits," he continued. "It's to train your survival skills—skills that might keep you alive in war."
"Are the other teams' missions similar?" Tatsumi asked.
"Yes," Orochimaru said. "After these missions, bandits and spies in the Fire Country will be nearly eradicated, whether they're true criminals or enemy infiltrators. It secures Konoha's rear for the war."
He didn't mention the secondary order: every jonin leader was to seize the bandits' wealth and supplies, sealing them in scrolls for Konoha. These bandits, who preyed on merchants, had amassed fortunes—an open secret Konoha exploited. The missions were a triple win: training students, clearing threats, and funding the village.
Orochimaru, no stranger to Konoha's darker tactics, wasn't surprised.
He stood. "That's enough for tonight. You three handle the night watch. Decide among yourselves how to split it."
With that, he turned to his tent. "Good night."
"…"
Visit patreon.com/TEA_QUILL to get 30+ chapters