章 23: Orochimaru
Orochimaru arrived at Mito's mansion. He was aware of what was happening within the clan, so he wasn't surprised to see so many people attempting to visit the most powerful and influential woman in the village.
He briefly exchanged words with some people who tried to approach him, but as he had a mission, he didn't engage in lengthy conversations and simply entered the mansion.
Upon learning that Mito was in a meeting with Tsunade, he inquired about Yujin and found out that he had gone towards the garden behind the mansion.
Orochimaru headed to the location and found Yujin engaged in a lively conversation with Kushina. Again, he felt Yujin's attention on him for a moment but wasn't intimidated and approached.
'He's already getting close to the next Jinchuuriki? This is suspicious. What does he aim to gain from this?'
In Orochimaru's mind, Yujin, a stranger, was trying to approach influential people in the village for some reason—whether for money, power, or influence. After all, it was peculiar that he was close friends with Tsunade, came with her to meet Mito, and was now befriending the next Jinchuuriki.
Orochimaru doesn't believe in coincidences, especially considering the power Yujin possesses, which he estimates to be at the level of a Kage.
"Well, I finally got to meet the famous Yujin."
Orochimaru approached, gaining the attention of both. Yujin smiled and nodded.
"Hello. I think we've met briefly before, haven't we?"
"No, I would know if we had met. My name is Orochimaru, and I am an old friend of Tsunade."
Orochimaru confirmed that Yujin already knew about him but was not pleased.
"Oh, Orochimaru. Yes, Tsunade talks a lot about you and Jiraya. Came to pay your respects to the mansion's owner?"
Yujin maintained his smile the entire time, something that unsettled Orochimaru a bit. For some reason, he could sense a hint of hostility behind that smile, though he couldn't pinpoint the reason.
"Yes, Mito-sama is one of the most important people in the village. Her passing is truly a pity."
Kushina lowered her head when Mito appeared on the conversation. Observing this, Yujin placed his hand on the girl's head, trying to comfort her.
"Yes. Tsunade is busy talking with the lady right now. How about we chat while we wait for Tsunade?"
Orochimaru nodded and sat next to Yujin. He wanted to initiate the conversation but didn't expect Yujin to take the lead.
"So, what was Tsunade like when she was younger?"
The snake-eyed man seemed surprised by the question, not expecting Yujin to show interest in past stories. Kushina also seemed interested, lifting her head and looking at Orochimaru.
"She hasn't changed much, to be honest. She has always been an honest person, speaking her mind. One noticeable change was just her optimism that faded over the years. She was much livelier and optimistic when she was younger. Time has worked to make her more bitter."
Orochimaru vividly remembered the past—it was a good time. Tsunade hadn't changed much, but she was more lively and playful when she was younger. She had an contagious energy. Unfortunately, time changes people.
"I see... Understandable. She lost loved ones one after another, and now she's about to lose her only direct blood relative."
Kushina was on the verge of tears hearing about Mito, but she held back. She took a deep breath and suppressed her emotions. For some reason, she didn't want to cry at that moment.
Orochimaru observed their reactions and felt that Yujin genuinely cared about Tsunade, something he didn't expect.
He came from the Hokage's office with an opinion of Yujin, thinking he was just taking advantage of the situation to get close to Tsunade, Mito, and Kushina. However, he didn't anticipate Yujin's genuine interest and concern.
The two continued talking about Tsunade, and Kushina stood by listening, also interested in the conversation.
The conversation revolved around Tsunade's past, such as how she always lost bets they made when they were on a team under Hiruzen, and how she was teased by younger ninjas for having almost no breasts, which was a complex she had.
The tables turned when she matured, and her breasts grew explosively. Yujin laughed at hearing this, finding it amusing that Tsunade once worried about her breasts not growing.
Two hours later, Tsunade came out of Mito's room with Shizune and went to meet Yujin in the garden. Upon reaching the garden, she witnessed a peculiar sight.
Yujin was seated in the middle of a bench in the garden, with Orochimaru on the left and Kushina on the right. Wondering how these three came together, she approached, and Orochimaru stood up with a smile.
"Tsunade, you've come."
"It's your turn; my grandmother is waiting for you."
"Then I'll be going, Yujin. It was a pleasure meeting you and Kushina."
Orochimaru headed towards the mansion to meet Mito. Tsunade, who saw him quickly bidding farewell, asked Yujin with a suspicious tone.
"What did he come to talk to you about?"
Yujin smiled upon hearing the suspicion in Tsunade's voice.
"I don't know, I think he just wanted to get to know me. We mostly talked about you."
"Oh, and what exactly did you talk about?"
Seeing the two conversing, Shizune sat down next to Yujin and looked at him with puppy eyes. He knew what those eyes meant, so he started gently stroking her head.
"About your past. Some funny episodes. I didn't know you had so much bad luck, like losing fourteen bets in a row."
Tsunade frowned upon hearing this but didn't comment. She turned to Kushina, who was silent, and crouched down next to her to be at eye level.
"Hey, how are you holding up?"
Kushina shook her head but didn't say anything. Although she was physically fine, mentally she was not in a good state. Yujin managed to distract her for a moment, but even during that moment, Mito's death weighed heavily on her conscience.
"Do you want to come live with me after the ritual?"
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, and that Kushina seemed reluctant, Yujin joined the conversation.
"Live with you? Do you even have a house? You're always in my house."
"Your house? You don't even have a house; that place is mine."
"Ouch, come on, there's no need for that."
Yujin smiled bitterly, amused by the banter with Tsunade. The atmosphere lightened a bit, and Yujin spoke again.
"You know, Shizune might feel lonely. In the end, Tsunade is an adult; I'm sure Shizune would be very happy if you lived with her."
As he spoke, Yujin pushed Shizune forward towards Kushina. The girl was only four years old, but as if cooperating with Yujin's scheme, asked with innocent and lovable eyes capable of evoking sympathy in the most ruthless person.
"Will you come live with us, Onee-chan?"
Kushina felt like an arrow had pierced her heart when she heard "Onee-chan." She pulled the girl into a hug and spoke while smiling.
"Oh, you're so sweet. Of course, I'll come live with you. You'll be my little sister."
Tsunade was flabbergasted to what just happened. The unbalanced wisdom of Yujin sparked a deep admiration within her. Seeing the smug smile on his face, she knew he had planned everything, although she didn't know how he got Shizune to cooperate so perfectly with him.
Feeling Tsunade's gaze, Yujin looked at her and winked, satisfied with what he had done. He didn't expect Shizune to cooperate so well. He just knew that the girl would be happy if Kushina lived with them, but he didn't expect her to practically convince her with just a few words.
"Come with Onee-chan; I'll show you some cool things."
Kushina led Shizune somewhere, and Tsunade finally sat next to Yujin with a sigh.
"I can't believe this is happening... It's like I feel there's something I can do, but I can't think of anything."
"It gives that impression because Mito-sama seems fine, despite being old and tired. She doesn't seem like someone on the verge of death."
Even though Tsunade didn't explicitly state what she was talking about, Yujin could deduce and voiced his impression. When he first saw Mito and felt the vitality in her body, he didn't sense that she was on the brink of death. In fact, he feels like she still has about twenty years of life ahead, which confuses him.
"Yes. To start with, people with the Uzumaki lineage live longer than usual, but my grandmother is 78; theoretically, she would live longer. The reason she's dying isn't that her lifespan is over, but because of the Kyubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox. Keeping the fox sealed inside her body requires a lot of her chakra. The day she can no longer keep the fox sealed will be the day of her death. Not from old age, but because the fox will break the seal, and the process will kill her. That's why she needs to pass the fox to someone else. If not, the fox will break the seal and destroy everything. The problem is that the process of extracting the Kyubi from her will kill her anyway."
No matter how Tsunade looks at it, she sees no way out. Yujin didn't know much about the Biju, so he asked.
"Isn't there a way to kill the fox?"
"No, Bijus are immortal. Even if you kill them, they simply revive. Not to mention that I think it's impossible to kill the fox inside my grandmother. Even if you succeed, she would probably die too, as they are connected."
Yujin could only console her; there was nothing more he could do. Tsunade leaned her head on Yujin's shoulder in silence and didn't say anything more. Lately, this kind of intimate contact had become common between them, but neither questioned it or thought too deeply about it.
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