In the quiet room, the atmosphere seemed to stagnate for a moment.
However, only for a moment. Minato frowned and asked, "Does he like Kushina?"
"Hehehe... Minato-kun, there is no one else here. With the relationship between you and me, there is no need to hide."
Orochimaru laughed in a low voice meaningfully. "And you really have no talent for acting."
"..."
The tightly furrowed brows relaxed slowly, and Minato's face returned to calm again. "So how did Senior notice?"
"It's attitude."
With a smile on the corner of his mouth, Orochimaru leaned back in his chair casually, crossing his arms and explaining lightly, "A person's attitude when facing different people is different. Respect for elders, equality for friends, care for juniors—these differences in attitude can be measured."
"For example, I have always treated Minato-kun as an equal, because in my opinion, Minato-kun is a confidant and a fellow traveler on the path of ideals. So even if Minato-kun is just a child, I will regard you as an equal existence."
"But I am not the only one around Minato-kun with a similar attitude. Tsunade is the same."
"So here comes the question. No matter how strong Minato-kun is, in the eyes of most people, you are just a child, a junior who needs care. I treat Minato-kun equally because I regard you as a confidant, so what is Tsunade's reason?"
"At first, I only thought it was Minato-kun's precociousness that made Tsunade subconsciously regard you as a peer, but some later events made me change my mind."
"What events?" Minato asked curiously.
"She quit gambling. This in itself is a huge incredibility."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Jiraiya also discovered this. We once thought she was in love, so out of curiosity, I asked my subordinates to check Tsunade's interpersonal relationships during that period."
"Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to pry into your privacy, just pure gossip."
Minato: "..."
"According to the investigation results, Tsunade didn't have close contact with any opposite sex, but I still found some interesting things."
Orochimaru listed them as if enumerating his family valuables: "For example, during non-working hours, she spent the most time with you. Occasionally, she would go out to buy some clothes and cosmetics, and she would also use the Transformation Jutsu to buy romance novels, especially favoring the 'younger man' (Shota) genre."
"To be honest, I found it hard to believe at first that a teammate I've known for many years is a pervert or something, but this subjective behavioral tendency made it impossible for me to even excuse her by saying she didn't recognize her own feelings."
"But this is only Sensei's behavior, not mine. Why do you say Dan Katō is my love rival?" Minato pressed.
"If you really knew nothing about this, then you wouldn't be qualified to be treated differently by me. But since you knew but didn't take action, it means this is exactly what you want."
Orochimaru said playfully, "So greedy~ Minato-kun."
A rare trace of embarrassment flashed across Minato's face. "Please keep it a secret."
"Of course, I just gossip, I'm not a blabbermouth."
Noticing Minato's reaction, Orochimaru found it very interesting. "Let's talk about your love rival. Dan Katō, twenty-five years old, member of the Konoha Jonin Council."
"His personality is a bit like Minato-kun's. Both are guys who like to use their faces to cheat others' favor. However, his purpose is too strong, and his methods seem a bit clumsy, not as high-class as Minato-kun's feeling."
"..."
The corner of Minato's mouth twitched, unable to distinguish for a moment whether the other party was praising him or scolding him.
Orochimaru continued, "As for strength, Dan Katō is good at the Spirit Transformation Technique. His ninjutsu talent is very good, and he has certain scientific research capabilities. When studying the Spirit Transformation Technique before, I dealt with him for a while."
"This person's advantage is that he knows how to express himself and is good at managing interpersonal relationships. At least in my opinion, this is a strength."
"The disadvantage is that his mental fortitude is insufficient. He is too immersed in the pursuit of the opposite sex and the flattery of others. He is a bit self-righteous, only knowing how to say pretty words, but unwilling to work hard on cultivation. This also leads to the fact that apart from ninjutsu, he is not very good in other aspects."
"Of course, this is relative to his talent. In fact, Dan's strength is considered quite good among Jonin, but only quite good. The old man originally intended to cultivate him, but unfortunately, he failed to seize the opportunity himself."
Orochimaru said with a seemingly sarcastic smile.
Hearing this, Minato raised his eyebrows slightly. "Just now he tried to approach me through Nawaki."
"I'm not surprised at all. When studying the Spirit Transformation Technique before, he also praised me intentionally or unintentionally, taking the opportunity to express his appreciation for Tsunade, but I ignored him."
Orochimaru snorted softly. "As for what idea he had in approaching Tsunade, that's a matter of opinion. How about it? Minato-kun, do you want me to help you dispose of him?"
"That's not necessary..."
Minato sighed helplessly. "But he is indeed a guy that people can't bring themselves to like."
"After all, he is a love rival." Orochimaru spread his hands, his tone teasing.
Minato ignored Orochimaru's teasing. "Can you help me check how he became Nawaki's leading Jonin?"
"No need to check this. I was at the Jonin meeting."
Orochimaru propped his chin with one hand and crossed his legs. "Dan Katō applied to become Choza Akimichi's leading Jonin on the grounds that he had a good relationship with that little fatty and had bought snacks for him."
"But Ino-Shika-Chō has always been led by someone from the Sarutobi clan, so he had to settle for the second best and applied to be Nawaki's teacher, using the same reason."
"Settling for the second best?"
Minato's tone was inexplicable. "Among Konoha Jonin, he's probably the only one who doesn't know that Ino-Shika-Chō has always been led by the Sarutobi clan throughout generations, right?"
"That's why I said his purpose is too strong and his methods are too clumsy."
Orochimaru said playfully, "Chasing women made him stupid. Does he think the old man is his little fangirl? Minato-kun can't be like him~"
"..."
Minato sighed. "Thank you very much this time, Senior."
"Between you and me, saying thank you is too polite."
Orochimaru said lightly, "But for the sake of Minato-kun coming to me immediately, leave that guy to me."
"You won't kill him, will you?" Minato hesitated.
"How could I?"
Orochimaru said meaningfully, "This kind of thing hasn't reached the point where people have to die."
Minato was thoughtful, but didn't ask further.
He received synchronized information from the Wood Clone. Nawaki's test had ended, and Dan Katō was treating them to dango.
Thanking Orochimaru, Minato left the Root.
Watching Minato's retreating figure, Orochimaru had an inexplicable look in his eyes. Then he casually pulled out a notebook and wrote two lines:
1. Wood Style + Senju.
2. Wood Style + Uzumaki.
Thinking for a while, he remembered the relationship between Senju and Uchiha, and added another line:
3. Wood Style + Uchiha...