"Why is this happening!"
Tsunade's frantic scream echoed from the Senju Residence, startling the birds resting on branches in the nearby forest, causing them to fly away.
Pedestrians on the street stopped and looked towards the Senju Residence.
"Orochimaru! We two farmers teamed up to fight Grandma, the landlord, so why did we lose so badly!"
Tsunade, with even more slips of paper on her face, frantically grabbed Orochimaru's shoulders and shook her.
"Maybe Grandma Mito just has too much luck."
Orochimaru, also with many slips of paper on her face, glanced at Tsunade as she said this.
"Maybe it really is like that!"
Uzumaki Mito had a few slips of paper on her cheeks and couldn't stop smiling with delight.
"Ah! Orochimaru, what do you mean by that look! Are you looking down on my bad luck!"
Tsunade's face turned red, her eyes wide and teeth bared, looking fierce.
"No, I'm not looking down on you."
Orochimaru lowered her head to shuffle the cards, then placed the shuffled deck on the table. "Still playing?"
"Yes! This time I'm on Grandma's side!"
Tsunade decisively abandoned Orochimaru, whom she had pulled in as a helper, and threw herself into the embrace of her dear grandmother.
"Then, as the landlord, all cards below this one are mine."
Orochimaru counted three cards from the bottom up, showing Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade what they were.
Tsunade glanced at the three cards and said defiantly, "You look down on my bad luck, so I'll see how you win this round!"
A moment later... As Orochimaru's royal flush ended this round of 'Fight the Landlord,' Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade, as the farmers, lost to the wicked landlord Orochimaru who exploited the farmers.
"Again... lost again..."
Tsunade looked at the 3, 4, 5, and 10 in her hand. How she wished she had four 10s!
Then she would have won before Orochimaru played her royal flush!
"No more, no more!"
Tsunade threw the cards in her hand into the air and slumped onto the table in frustration, biting her lip in unwillingness. She couldn't believe her gambling luck was really that bad, that whichever side she was on, that side would lose.
Seeing Tsunade like this, Uzumaki Mito looked at Orochimaru, her gaze as if to say, "You've worked hard."
Tsunade didn't notice, but Uzumaki Mito couldn't possibly not notice; many times, Orochimaru had deliberately let her win.
Orochimaru smiled and shook her head, extending her hand. The playing cards scattered on the floor floated up into her hand. Looking at Uzumaki Mito's face, which was a little younger than before, it was clear her skin had also improved. She said sincerely, "Grandma Mito, you're younger and more beautiful than before. It seems the skincare products I developed do have some effect."
"Is that so? This is all thanks to you, Orochimaru."
Uzumaki Mito was overjoyed, her smile gentle and benevolent.
"Then, Grandma Mito, could you please share your user experience? Please be sure to point out any flaws; it's very important to me."
Orochimaru took out a notebook, specifically for recording less important things.
Seeing Orochimaru's seriousness, Uzumaki Mito couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "Orochimaru, are you researching skincare products to sell them in the Village?"
"No, I want to sell them in big cities. With female Ninja in the Village as potential customers, I wouldn't earn much money. Skincare products aren't necessities like soldier pills."
"Orochimaru, are you... that short on money?"
Uzumaki Mito knew about Orochimaru's background, that her parents died in the war, and she lived alone. Excluding mission rewards, just that ten percent of the soldier pill profits should be enough for her expenses.
"She must have a lot of things to research, right? Orochimaru is always researching strange things. Sometimes, even when she's training with me, it's her Shadow Clone! It's super unfair!"
Tsunade, propped on her hand at the table, glared at Orochimaru with extreme displeasure at the end of her statement, clearly indicating that this wasn't a one or two-time occurrence.
"I have many things I want to research, and for that, I need funds. The research funds sponsored by Danzo and the Akimichi Clan are not enough to complete the research I want."
Perhaps because interesting topics were mentioned, Orochimaru became more energetic, her beautiful golden eyes sparkling.
She currently had two things she wanted to research: first, biotechnology, and second, thermal weapons.
In biotechnology, Orochimaru wanted to research cloning and regeneration techniques. Cloning would provide her with a continuous supply of test subjects for researching Forbidden Techniques.
Regeneration techniques were naturally for her own people, and cloning could also be applied to medical fields, such as helping disabled people regain healthy bodies.
Of course, not charging money was impossible.
Researching thermal weapons was entirely to have effective means to harm the Ōtsutsuki when they arrived in the future. Chakra could serve as the energy source to drive thermal weapons, but it must never be the source of their destructive power.
Both of these research directions, whether biotechnology or thermal weapons, required a lot of time and money.
For this, she needed to earn money, to accumulate enough capital through various industries to achieve her goals.
Handling both Forbidden Techniques and science was the goal she set for herself. To achieve this goal, she would overcome all difficulties and everything that stood in her way.
Uzumaki Mito's expression softened. She placed her hand on Orochimaru's head and gently stroked it. "Orochimaru, actually, you can relax a bit, slow down appropriately. You're still young, and there's plenty of time. Wouldn't it be nice to ease up a little?"
"Grandma Mito, I think things are pretty good now; every day is fulfilling."
Orochimaru smiled slightly. She knew Grandma Mito was concerned about her, but she was well aware that peace wouldn't last long. Once the Ninja World War began, she wouldn't have the opportunity to continue her research and would waste a lot of time in meaningless wars.
Orochimaru had considered whether to pack up and leave before the war started, but she found that she couldn't abandon her bonds in Konoha, whether it was her Sarutobi-sensei, who genuinely cared for her, or Grandma Mito, who treated her like her second granddaughter, caring for and protecting her, and Tsunade...
Hmm... I guess that idiot Jiraiya counts.
Sometimes, having too many bonds you can't let go of isn't a good thing.
"You're still researching the Iburi Clan's Bloodline Limit, aren't you? I'm worried you'll overwork yourself."
Grandma Mito helplessly ruffled Orochimaru's hair, then looked at Tsunade, who was propping her chin with one hand, lost in thought. If only her granddaughter were half, no, even a third as brilliant as Orochimaru!
Tsunade couldn't even learn the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique, only mastering the Senju Clan's Super Strength. If Orochimaru hadn't trained with her, she might still only know how to punch people, let alone develop her own Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
Although Grandma Mito didn't often venture out, it was hard for anything happening in Konoha to escape her notice. She was naturally aware of some of the rumors about Tsunade.
"With Shadow Clones, many things become much more convenient."
When Orochimaru used the Shadow Clone Technique for training and research, she always kept it within her manageable limits.
"Don't rely on Shadow Clones for everything. You know perfectly well, don't you? The Shadow Clone developed by Tobirama has its drawbacks."
Grandma Mito only offered a small reminder. Orochimaru had been using the Shadow Clone Technique for training and research for a while, so Grandma Mito believed she understood.
"Grandma Mito, I'm well aware of the Shadow Clone's drawbacks and always keep it within my tolerable limits."
Orochimaru dared to say that no one in the current Konoha understood Shadow Clones better than her. The matter of being betrayed by her own Shadow Clones would only happen to her.
"Orochimaru, if your research is beneficial to Konoha, I think the Village would be willing to provide you with sufficient funding."
Grandma Mito thought that some of Orochimaru's research might be beneficial to Konoha, so she suggested that Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, should fund her research.
"Unfortunately, what I'm researching currently has no use for Konoha. Even Hiruzen-sensei couldn't invest large sums of money in research that won't show results for a long time. As Hokage, Hiruzen-sensei has more things to consider."
Orochimaru spread her hands. She had long anticipated this. What she wanted to research would be difficult to yield results in the short term. Even her beloved angel investor couldn't invest unlimited funds, let alone Hiruzen-sensei, who was the Hokage.
"I see..."
Grandma Mito suddenly asked, "Orochimaru, do you want to learn Sealing Technique?"
"Eh? Grandma Mito, you're not joking, are you?"
Orochimaru was slightly stunned, looking at Grandma Mito in surprise.
Bang--!
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Grandma Mito's strong, powerful fist landed on Orochimaru's head.
"Ugh..."
Orochimaru covered her head with both hands, not expecting the usually kind Grandma Mito to be so violent. However, being able to learn Sealing Technique was still very exciting.
Grandma Mito extended a finger and said with a smile, "However, there are a few necessary conditions if you want to learn Sealing Technique from me. That is, after you turn 12, your Chakra reserves can't be too low, and most importantly, when you learn Sealing Technique from me, it must be your main body, understand?"
The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique isn't something just anyone can learn; it first requires a certain amount of Chakra. Her granddaughter, with the bloodlines of both the Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan, naturally wouldn't have a problem with this, but she wasn't interested in learning. Orochimaru's current Chakra reserves weren't small, but still not enough.
Therefore, Grandma Mito decided to teach her Sealing Technique after Orochimaru turned 12.
"12 years old, huh..."
The excited Orochimaru heard Grandma Mito's requirement and immediately deflated, a hint of disappointment on her face.
"What are you disappointed about?" Grandma Mito clenched her fist. "Do you think Sealing Technique is that easy to learn? I'm going to teach you the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique!"
"V-very sorry!"
Orochimaru sat up straight, looking obedient.
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