Orochimaru resisted the impulse to shove Tsunade away. He did not want to go down in history as the first person in the Ninja World crushed to death by the might of a Senju.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Tsunade smiled sheepishly, wrapped her arms around him, and whined, "We haven't been together for more than six years! I'm just… a little excited. You're not mad at me, right?"
"To sleep…"
Orochimaru held her awkwardly, patting her back with stiff hands.
"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't be mad."
Tsunade beamed, clearly pleased.
Today truly felt like a perfect day for her—she had managed to clean out the casino, and she was going to sleep with Orochimaru tonight.
Orochimaru lightly pinched her cheek and complained, "Honestly, Tsunade… you should learn to sleep on your own already. You're not a child. Why do you always need to sleep with someone?"
"I don't want to sleep with others," Tsunade puffed her cheeks. "I want to sleep with you."
"…Fine."
Orochimaru sighed helplessly. He still had no idea how to deal with Tsunade. Was he the one who'd spoiled her?
Did you forget me?
Katsuyu, watching them, felt her eyes dim slightly. Realizing Tsunade had completely forgotten about her, she sighed helplessly. With a soft poof, she vanished in a cloud of white smoke and returned to Shikkotsu Forest.
---
Section 136 (5K) – Edited Version
The Land of Waves had prospered ever since the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company was established. Around its central headquarters, a lively street known as White Snake Street bustled with people, merchants, and shinobi.
Under the bright sunlight, Uzumaki Chigusa's striking red hair drew many glances. She wore clothing far too fashionable and revealing for a typical kunoichi, yet she walked with all the elegance and calm of a noblewoman strolling through her garden.
Ever since the survivors of Uzushiogakure had chosen to settle permanently in the Land of Waves, they no longer hid. They lived openly and comfortably, no longer shadowed by fear. At first, the locals were startled by the sudden influx of red-haired newcomers. But the Land of Waves always attracted outsiders from many nations—so their presence soon felt natural.
As Chigusa walked beside Orochimaru—who was bundled from head to toe in a thick white cloak—she couldn't help but complain, "I'm not criticizing you or anything… but don't you feel suffocated wearing that thing all year round? If someone didn't know better, they'd think you were some old witch."
"Not suffocating," Orochimaru replied blandly.
He pulled down his hood, letting his long black hair spill freely over his shoulders. Twirling a strand between his fingers, he said mockingly, "And for the record, if anyone becomes an old hag first, it'll be you, Chigusa. I'm still quite young."
"Don't make it sound like I'm ancient! I'm only—"
Chigusa caught herself just in time, clapping a hand over her mouth. She eyed Orochimaru suspiciously, realizing he was trying to trick her into revealing her age.
"I'm still young! Not old!" she huffed.
Orochimaru smirked triumphantly. "Old witch," he whispered deliberately.
"Miya-sensei, I heard your book is being adapted into a movie~"
Chigusa leaned in close, whispering into his ear playfully.
You little brat! I can't deal with you!
Orochimaru's smile instantly froze. He glared at her.
So she was bringing that up!
"Ahh, congratulations, Miya-sensei."
Chigusa clapped her hands with exaggerated joy. Orochimaru's stolen smile landed right onto her face.
---
They arrived at a small park near the White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company. After wiping a bench carefully and confirming it was clean, Chigusa sat down gracefully.
"Chigusa, I need to ask you something."
Orochimaru sat beside her and handed her a scroll.
"This is?"
Chigusa took the scroll curiously.
"The Eye-Sealing Curse Mark," Orochimaru explained. "A curse mark I developed to counter visual ninjutsu. I studied the Hyūga Clan's Caged Bird Curse Mark to create it."
He made no attempt to hide its origins. Even if he did, Chigusa would learn the truth the moment she read the scroll.
"The Caged Bird… Hmm. Do you think the Hyūga Clan's internal conflict back then had anything to do with you?"
Chigusa narrowed her eyes, recalling the major upheaval in the clan years prior—one that had disrupted the long-standing main family and branch family system.
"I only studied the Caged Bird," Orochimaru replied calmly. "Their infighting had little to do with me."
Of course, he wasn't admitting that he had played a part in escalating it. But ultimately, the real cause was the oppression of the branch family by the main family. Without people like Hyūga Mio who sought to abolish the system, his modified Caged Bird would have been useless.
Just like the Chinoike Clan: they had hated the Uchiha for generations, but hatred alone never killed anyone. It was power structures that created conflict—and destroyed it.
"How old was I back then anyway?" Orochimaru added casually. "Chigusa, you think too highly of me."
Chigusa glanced around. Orochimaru's fingers were subtly tapping the bench—checking for surveillance.
"Relax," she said softly. "There's no one suspicious nearby."
Orochimaru stopped tapping. Considering Chigusa possessed the Kagura Shingan, his caution had been somewhat redundant.
"My ability is still useful after all, isn't it?"
Chigusa blinked at him. She propped her chin on her hand theatrically. "Hmm~ Now who was it who once told me my talent was what they hated the most? Who was it? Who? Who exactly~?"
"It was me! It was me, alright!? I already said it!" Orochimaru snapped, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. He had never expected her to remember something so insignificant.
"Don't be mad."
Chigusa reached over and pinched his cheek affectionately. Watching Orochimaru, now livelier than ever, she asked, "Orochimaru… you're giving me this Eye-Sealing Curse Mark because people with visible bloodline limits will soon be coming to the Land of Waves. Right?"
"Correct. The Chinoike Clan may be joining the company soon."
Orochimaru was confident they would choose to join, though he didn't want to state it definitively.
"The Chinoike Clan… the Ketsuryugan family?"
Chigusa looked shocked. "Weren't they exiled long ago to some harsh place?"
"They were," Orochimaru nodded. "Exiled to Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water. The survivors still live there. I recently encountered one."
He briefly recounted his encounter with a Chinoike thief after leaving Shikkotsu Forest and returning to find Tsunade.
"So the fewer people who learn the Eye-Sealing Curse Mark, the better?"
Chigusa looked at the scroll again. It wasn't something she believed should be widely taught.
"Chigusa, you decide," Orochimaru replied. His research on the curse mark was still incomplete. As long as there was even a small chance of progress, he wouldn't give up. After all, the future held many enemies with powerful eye techniques.
Whether it was the Eye-Sealing Curse Mark, Chakra Poison, or the Sage Art Explosives—every tool he created was in preparation for the monsters he would inevitably face.
"Are you sure?"
Chigusa's red eyes narrowed.
"I'm sure."
Orochimaru met her gaze steadily—his golden eyes clear, unwavering, like an untouched spring.
Chigusa felt her hand tremble slightly as she held the scroll. In that moment, she realized something: the Orochimaru she always teased like a child… could also be incredibly charismatic.
Is this why Aokawa and the others follow him?
She had never fully understood why they trusted him so completely, willing to entrust even their lives to him. But looking into his eyes now, she began to understand.
Trust drew trust in return. Just as they trusted him… he trusted them.
"Alright. Leave it to me."
Chigusa leaned in and kissed Orochimaru lightly on the cheek.
"Don't treat me like a kid!"
Orochimaru recoiled slightly, frowning. "I'm already fifteen."
"I'm not treating you like a kid."
Chigusa laughed softly, stood up, and said, "I'll pick the most reliable candidates to teach the Eye-Sealing Curse Mark. Naino will be one of them."
"Thank you for your hard work, Chigusa."
"That sounds too distant coming from you."
Chigusa turned back, reached out, and pinched his nose before walking away.
Orochimaru rubbed his nose with a wounded expression as he watched her leave.
Anyway—time to head to the company.
He stood up and vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
---
White Snake Pharmaceutical Technology Company – President's Office
"Kakuzu, these are the experimental results from embedding Zero-Tails cells into the Jiongu tendrils and carving Transformation Formulas onto them. review them and tell me whether you want to modify your body."
Orochimaru handed Kakuzu a stack of documents. Kakuzu's eyes briefly drifted to the lipstick mark on Orochimaru's cheek. He froze for a moment, then pretended he hadn't seen anything and began reading.
"Chinoike Aokawa may be arriving soon," Orochimaru added. "When they get here, arrange things for them. This document contains information about the Chinoike Clan's bloodline limit."
He placed another folder onto the table.
Aokawa, who was present, also noticed the lipstick mark. He hesitated—should he mention it?
"Chinoike Clan… Aren't they the bloodline clan exiled by the Land of Lightning?"
Kakuzu muttered, pausing in his reading. "To survive in a place like Hell Valley… that alone is remarkable."
He had assumed the Chinoike Clan was long dead. Hell Valley was not merely barren—it lacked proper food sources. When they were exiled, only the protection of the Uchiha Clan prevented their immediate extinction.
"I met a member recently," Orochimaru said. "Their Ketsuryugan may not surpass the Sharingan in raw potential, but they possess something the Uchiha do not."
Kakuzu raised a brow. Aokawa subconsciously glanced at the lipstick mark again.
A woman's lipstick…?
"What does the Chinoike Clan have that the Uchiha lack?"
Aokawa asked, genuinely curious.
Orochimaru grinned, deliberately drawing out the suspense.
"They no longer belong to any shinobi village. Exiled to Hell Valley, the Chinoike Clan has no loyalty to the Land of Lightning anymore. That is why I want them to join the company."
The company's research funds largely came from internal revenue. Even if they remained neutral, small-minded individuals would still target them. Strengthening the company was essential. And the Chinoike's visual genjutsu was incredibly rare.
"Indeed," Kakuzu nodded. "After being exiled by the Lightning Daimyō's family, they would never return there."
He felt a faint sympathy for them—perhaps because he himself had once been betrayed by Takigakure.
"But Orochimaru, I must remind you—Ketsuryugan, like the Sharingan, awakens through intense emotional stimulus. Winning the clan's loyalty won't be easy."
Orochimaru smirked slightly.
"I already have a plan