บท 111: Chapter 111: Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique

When Nono returned to Root's accommodation area with a stack of documents and a bottle of genetic repair fluid, the scarred woman couldn't help but frown.

"A recovery potion? Didn't expect you'd catch Lord Orochimaru's attention," she muttered with a hint of jealousy.

Another female ninja nearby was also visibly surprised. "Unbelievable!"

After all, who was Orochimaru? He wasn't just the second-in-command under Danzo; he had a close relationship with him, and his strength was nothing short of extraordinary. Being favored by Orochimaru practically guaranteed a meteoric rise. The possibilities were endless.

Why was Orochimaru considered so powerful?

Not long ago, Orochimaru had made a habit of testing his skills against the Root ninjas. These weren't mere sparring sessions each time it was five-on-one, yet they never managed to beat him. Initially, Root's jounin could handle most situations with just a couple of them working together, but now, when Orochimaru came around, no one below jounin even thought of stepping up.

This earned him the deep respect of the Root ninjas.

Beating five highly skilled jounin simultaneously was no small feat. Even Danzo himself might struggle with that kind of odds. After Orochimaru was promoted to jounin, they began to call him "Lord" with the same deference they showed to Danzo.

It wasn't just the other female ninjas who were surprised by this; Nono herself was confused.

She knew what a recovery potion was, it was a luxury in Konoha, nearly impossible to get even if you had the money. Officially, it sold for 60,000 ryo, but on the black market, it could go for as much as 200,000. That was enough to sustain an average family for a year.

Yet Orochimaru had given it to her casually, as if it were nothing more than a greeting gift.

This was clearly a show of goodwill, but why would someone like Orochimaru pay attention to her? In Root, there were far more capable ninjas.

Yakushi Nono couldn't make sense of it.

---

Meanwhile, Orochimaru had already put Nono out of his mind. His attention was now fully on the Wood Release scrolls in front of him.

He had sealed the entire room and activated his Sharingan, scanning through the two scrolls carefully. Both the sealing and unsealing techniques were detailed clearly, and the Sharingan's ability to memorize everything perfectly was proving invaluable.

The scrolls contained four Wood Release jutsu. In addition to the "Deep Forest Emergence" jutsu he had just examined, there were also a Wood Clone technique and one rather obscure-sounding technique with a strange name.

"Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique: Enclosed Hermitage Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands…?" Orochimaru frowned. There was a character in the name he didn't recognize, but from the description, it seemed to be a technique that could manifest a "Za" symbol on the user's palm, capable of suppressing a tailed beast.

With these Wood Release techniques as a foundation, developing more would be a straightforward task.

Satisfied with what he had learned, Orochimaru closed his eyes, thinking about the possibilities.

---

Though his proficiency in cell transplantation had reached an advanced level, the necessary materials weren't available, and Danzo was still biding his time.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen was busy dealing with diplomatic negotiations between nations.

The larger countries had no intention of acknowledging their involvement in the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools. They all denied responsibility.

"Evidence? Prove that we attacked the Land of Whirlpools. Those battle scars? You Konoha ninja can use Earth Release too, so why blame the Land of Earth?"

And the Land of Water was no different. "Water Release techniques? Konoha has those too. What's that got to do with us?"

The other nations refused to admit guilt, and Konoha had little leverage without hard proof. Any attempt to formally dissolve peace treaties would lead to full-scale conflict, and no one was eager to start a war without absolute necessity.

Tensions were high, but no country was willing to make the first move. War, after all, wasn't child's play—it would be bloody and costly.

As for Orochimaru, he couldn't care less about the political tensions. If war came, he would fight; if not, he'd continue his research in peace. He was playing the long game, biding his time while everyone else squabbled.

Three months passed, and the situation between the nations only grew more strained.

Finally, Orochimaru found an opportunity to request permission from Hiruzen to leave the village. His excuse? Searching for rare medicinal ingredients.

Normally, given the volatile political climate, Hiruzen would have denied the request outright. But Orochimaru assured him that if war broke out, he would return immediately.

After some deliberation, Hiruzen reluctantly agreed.

---

"Orochimaru-sensei, are you really leaving the village?" Nawaki asked, disappointment clear in his voice as he watched Orochimaru pack his belongings.

Now eight years old, Nawaki had been apprenticed to Orochimaru for two years, largely because of his sister Tsunade's influence. When he heard that Orochimaru was leaving, he immediately dragged Tsunade along to confront him.

"Yes," Orochimaru replied calmly. "But I shouldn't be gone for too long."

"Still..."

"You really can't take me with you?" Tsunade chimed in, sitting cross-legged on Orochimaru's bed, dressed in casual clothes. "You're going off on your own, leaving me behind?"

She had always believed herself to be close to Orochimaru, but now he was leaving without her?

Orochimaru gave a light shrug. "Jiraiya hasn't returned yet. If you come with me, there won't be anyone left to assist the Hokage."

Tsunade sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "Fine, fine, you're right. But still, if both of you are gone, what am I supposed to do? I'll be bored out of my mind here!"

"Well, you've got Nawaki," Orochimaru replied, glancing at the boy.

"Yeah, sis, I'll be here!" Nawaki added, trying to cheer her up.

"Ha!" Tsunade ruffled Nawaki's hair affectionately. "You're cute."

---

An hour later, at the village gates, Orochimaru stood ready to leave for the Land of Rice Fields. The only people there to see him off were Tsunade and Nawaki. It was a quiet, almost lonely farewell, but Orochimaru had grown used to it.

Danzo had no reason to come, and Hiruzen was too busy to see him off. Orochimaru never expected much in the way of goodbyes.

"Orochimaru, take care of yourself," Tsunade said softly, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him in an uncharacteristically emotional hug. She didn't want to let him go.

Today, Tsunade was wearing casual clothes, and Orochimaru couldn't help but notice how close she pressed against him.

"I will," Orochimaru replied, though his tone was slightly teasing. "But Tsunade, you've been growing a bit too fast."

Tsunade didn't even blush. Instead, she leaned closer to whisper in his ear with a smirk. "Oh? Do you like it?"

"Why don't you try and see?"

"Hmph, reluctant as always," Tsunade pouted, but there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Orochimaru chuckled and gently pushed her away. "Alright, enough of that. I'm leaving."

As he turned and walked away, he could still feel Tsunade's gaze on his back, but he didn't look back. He knew better. Tsunade's teasing was just that—teasing. If he ever took her seriously, she'd be the first to punch him.