"Write a post-battle report and hand it in later."
Orochimaru dabbed medicine on Kenichi Amemiya's bruises as he spoke, tone calm, but with a faint hint of satisfaction.
Kenichi was sprawled on the ground, too sore to move, let alone talk. He managed a stiff nod.
At this point, everywhere hurt.
Orochimaru never hit to kill during training—but he absolutely hit to hurt.
Kenichi felt like his bones had been unscrewed and reassembled wrong, then thrown back onto his own skeleton.
"…At least… I finally managed to leave a mark on Sensei…"
He used a tree to slowly haul himself upright.
On Orochimaru's arm, there was a shallow streak of blood.
Kenichi grinned weakly.
Until now, he'd never really been able to trouble his teacher at all.
Getting even a minor scratch in was—technically speaking—progress.
A kind of growth, in its own miserable way.
The only annoying part was that every spar ended with a compulsory written reflection.
"Kenichi," Orochimaru said, putting the medicine kit away, "you don't have to come to the lab tomorrow. I'm giving you a day off."
Kenichi blinked.
A day off. From Orochimaru.
That was… rare.
"Eh? Sensei, you—… ah. Got it."
He caught himself.
The first of the month was coming.
That was when Konoha Hospital was busiest with routine physicals.
His teacher probably had plans there.
Orochimaru gave him a slight smile.
Sure enough, this disciple was sharp. It didn't take much for him to understand.
After finishing the bandaging, Orochimaru left in a hurry—he still had arrangements to make for tomorrow.
Kenichi lay there for a bit longer until the pain dulled, then slowly made his way home.
He still had to write that battle report… and tweak his new jutsu.
Today's spar had given him some fresh ideas.
He had seen clearly where his technique fell short and how it might evolve.
"And tomorrow, no lab…" he remembered. "So what do I even do?"
Just stay home and rest?
That actually felt… weird.
The next morning, at Konoha Hospital.
"Sensei. It's been a while."
Orochimaru smiled as he greeted the man ahead of him.
"Oh? Orochimaru."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag on his cigarette, mildly surprised. "You're here for a checkup too?"
Since stepping down as Hokage and supporting Minato as Fourth, he hadn't really seen much of this student.
Orochimaru had kept his distance.
Hiruzen hadn't pressed it.
As long as Orochimaru stayed in the village—and as long as his dealings with Danzō didn't explode into outright scandal—that was "good enough" for now.
But he knew perfectly well his student held a grudge.
So seeing that gentle smile today only made Hiruzen raise his guard.
"Yes," Orochimaru replied. "I've been feeling a bit unwell lately, so I thought I should get checked."
His eyes drifted to the cigarette slowly burning between Hiruzen's fingers.
The smile in his gaze grew even softer.
That's it, Sensei. Smoke a little more. Just a little more…
"Mm. Spend too long in the shadows and it's no good for the body," Hiruzen said, voice laden with meaning. "A person still needs some sunlight. Look at me—I'm fine, aren't I?"
"Indeed, Sensei. I'd love to bask in the sun," Orochimaru answered with a chuckle, "but what can I do? Even a great tree still needs its roots to support it."
Silence settled over the hospital corridor.
Neither teacher nor student spoke.
At Hiruzen's side, Enma scratched his furry head, perplexed.
Something between the two felt… off.
He just couldn't say exactly what.
Hiruzen took another long drag from his cigarette, a faint irritation in his chest.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Orochimaru was up to something—but there was nothing concrete to grasp.
"Sensei, you should cut back on the smoking," Orochimaru added mildly as he turned toward the exam rooms. "You're getting on in years, after all."
Model student, concerned for his teacher's health.
Hiruzen, however, felt utterly ill at ease.
When a venomous snake smiles at you, its fangs do not vanish just because its lips curve.
"Sarutobi…" Enma coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. "I feel… oddly warm."
He shot his old friend a look of pure disgust.
He'd complained how many times now? Stop smoking near him. But Hiruzen just couldn't control himself.
"Must be the hospital," Hiruzen said. "With all these doctors using Healing Palm, there's bound to be some yang chakra lingering in the air."
He took yet another drag.
Thinking always went better with a cigarette. That had been his habit for years.
He checked his shoulder discreetly—where Orochimaru had patted him earlier.
No strange chakra, no seals, no pain.
Nothing seemed wrong.
And yet that sliver of foreboding in his heart just would not leave.
"Kenichi."
When Orochimaru arrived at the training field later, Kenichi was in the middle of a workout with Might Guy.
Seeing that, Orochimaru's mood brightened even more.
A hardworking disciple with talent was the best reward any teacher could ask for.
"Sensei!" Kenichi immediately straightened up from his handstand push-ups.
Even Guy popped to attention, wiping sweat from his chin. This was one of the Legendary Sannin, after all.
"Mm." Orochimaru folded his arms, smiling. "Feel like going for some barbecue?"
He'd already done what he needed to do at the hospital.
The rest of the day could be… pleasantly spent.
"As you command, Sensei! …Sorry, Guy, I'll head off first," Kenichi said quickly.
He didn't really care about the barbecue.
What he wanted was to hear exactly what his teacher had done this morning.
After all, he knew better than anyone why Orochimaru had gone to the hospital on the first of the month.
Guy clenched his fist, eyes burning. "Go, Kenichi! Eating meat is also youth!"
Kenichi waved, then followed Orochimaru away.
Behind them, the afternoon sun shone warmly over the village.
Somewhere in the hospital, a former Hokage and his summon still felt a vague, inexplicable heat lingering in their bodies—
And had no idea they'd just become the main test subjects of a certain disciple's "anti-smoking research."
(End of Chapter 28)