While everyone else was busy, Orochimaru had already settled down.
At that moment, he was at the Northern Land Hospital picking up girls... or more accurately, taking care of patients.
"Miroku, you've had a hard time these past few days! I was too impatient!"
Orochimaru, dressed in a white shadow suit, showed a rare hint of apology on his face as he looked sincerely at Miroku lying on the hospital bed.
Shion, standing to the side, also looked worried, her little hand tightly holding Miroku's hand. This porcelain doll-like little girl looked very endearing.
"Lord Gold Kage, this is not your fault. I am already very grateful that you came to see me..."
As Miroku lay on the hospital bed, her face pale, her already beautiful face now softened by her slightly sickly appearance; even the most hard-hearted person would break down.
Orochimaru, the epitome of a straight-laced man, was no different. Besides, since this whole affair started because of him, he came over in person.
The incident began when Orochimaru tried to utilize the energy of the valley that sealed the demon Mōryō, back in the Northern Lands.
Unlike the mountain peaks where the Dragon Vein is located, the Mōryō was sealed away by Miko of all generations at the cost of their lives, so she must personally break the seal.
At first, things were fine. Orochimaru had Miroku loosen a small portion of the seal, allowing the energy to be extracted.
However, the extracted energy cannot keep up with the current development speed of the Northern Lands. The number of the Immortal Army needed for those assessment and trial grounds alone is not small.
In addition, Orochimaru wanted to use the Immortal Army on a large scale because, in theory, the energy of the Mōryō also belongs to the earth veins, which can give power to the Human Puppet, similar to the energy of the Dragon Vein, or even more convenient.
So Orochimaru started thinking, why not arrange stone cars, stone animals, or even stone Tailed Beasts in addition to stone men?
If the plan succeeds, wouldn't the development of the Northern Lands be taken to a whole new level? Compared to machines like cars, excavators, and paving stones, which require a lot of materials to make, the power of the Mōryō would greatly reduce production costs.
To this end, Orochimaru had the village stonemasons create a large number of stone legions, and after finding that it was indeed feasible, he deployed the first batch of them to the Blizzard Icefield.
He then increased production, but things did not go as smoothly as he had envisioned.
First, there were stone golems controlled by the power of Mōryō. Apart from Miroku, who could manipulate and pull them with his unique secret technique, Fudō one else could control them at all.
They were moving, but they were running around aimlessly. It was fine to put them into the training ground to test ninjas, but it was not realistic to use them on a large scale.
After all, there is only one priestess, and Miroku is not an artificial intelligence that can control thousands of stone golems by itself.
Seeing this situation, Orochimaru could only think of other ways to utilize this energy. Since the complex working stone golem couldn't do it, what about something simpler?
If you restrict the stone golem so that it only needs to move, wouldn't it be a tireless worker?
When he was a child, he heard his elders talk about a hardworking laborer named Wu Gang from the moon.
Every day, I cut down laurel trees, day after day, year after year, and I don't know how many times I've swung the knife.
So, could he also create a mechanical puppet based on this idea, where only one part of it is movable, and the part beneath it is connected to the ground...?
Hand-cranked waterwheels, hand-cranked cars, hand-cranked generators... Orochimaru thought this idea was very feasible. In this way, wouldn't the power of the Mōryō be equivalent to a nuclear reactor?
Just as he was about to put the project on the agenda, the hardworking and dedicated Miroku collapsed from exhaustion at his post.
"I didn't think this through; I didn't consider your health! I hope you won't take offense!"
With that, Orochimaru bowed to Miroku, who was lying on the hospital bed.
Seeing Orochimaru's behavior, Miroku tried to get up, but because he was still weak, he could only accept Orochimaru's deep bow with a heavy heart.
"Dean, please don't be like this. I'm not blaming you; it's just that my body is failing me..."
As she spoke, Miroku coughed again, Orochimaru quickly went over to check on her, while also calming her down so she wouldn't get too agitated.
Feeling the large hand stroking his forehead, Miroku felt a strange sensation rising within him.
"Your temperature is still normal. Keep warm and get plenty of rest..."
Seeing that the other party's emotions had stabilized, Orochimaru withdrew his hand and then spoke again:
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? This is the food I made, and there's also bone broth. Please eat first!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru placed the bag he was carrying on the bedside table.
Upon hearing this, Miroku looked at him with astonishment. This high-ranking official could actually cook, and even personally prepared meals for them...
Ever since Orochimaru decisively defeated the Mōryō, brought the mother and daughter back, and even moved the Land of Mōryō here with incredible power, Miroku has both revered and feared this Shadow of the Northern Lands.
In her mind, the other party was like a god or Buddha, and through her observations over the past few days, she had seen that the Land of Gold, under his leadership, had already become one of the great powers.
This seemingly unreal, powerful person has not only come to visit her in person, but also cooked for her...
Looking at Miroku's incredulous expression, Orochimaru simply smiled. This was a top-notch tech expert from the Northern Lands; the success of his controlled nuclear fusion project depended on her.
"Come on, Shion, try your uncle's cooking!"
The naive and inexperienced Shion didn't think as much as her mother did. In her eyes, Orochimaru had solved the Mōryō and changed their fate, making him their great benefactor.
Furthermore, Orochimaru treated them very well after they arrived in the Northern Lands. Not only did they not receive strange looks from those around them, but people also respected her mother very much.
She also went to the Ninja Academy for the first time. The classmates she met were all very friendly. It was so much better than her original country.
"Quickly thank the master!"
"Thank you... Dean... Lord Gold Kage!"
Miroku, who was the first to react, quickly told Shion to thank him. Shion immediately stood up and bowed, but she was not quite sure how to address Orochimaru.
"Just call me Dean here, or you can call me Uncle Gold Snake, either is fine!"
Orochimaru gently patted her head. What an adorable child! It reminded him of Anko, Guren, and the others from his childhood.
Unfortunately, they've all grown up now, and they're not cute anymore...
Feeling Orochimaru's large hand touching her, Shion didn't feel disgusted. On the contrary, she thought this golden shadow was quite approachable.
Finally, Orochimaru couldn't resist pinching Shion's cheek. If he didn't pinch her now, it would be too late in two years.
At this time, Shion was already over ten years old, and it was already clear that she was going to be a beauty. Just look at her mother and you'll know how gorgeous she will be in the future.
If she hadn't been averse to fighting, Orochimaru wouldn't have minded taking her to the Chunin Ninja Exams Konoha.
After Orochimaru pinched her cheek, Shion lowered her head, her face slightly flushed. Orochimaru then stopped teasing her.
I opened the food container on the cabinet, and a fragrant aroma immediately filled the ward, slightly masking the smell of disinfectant.
Upon seeing the exquisitely prepared food in the box, the mother and daughter's stomachs instinctively began to rumble.
Orochimaru smiled knowingly at Miroku and Shion, who seemed a little embarrassed.
"Then you two get some rest, I'll come see you again tonight!"
As she spoke, she gently smoothed the hair at the temples of the sick Miroku, a gesture that brought a slight blush to the Miroku's pale face.
After Orochimaru closed the door and left, the mother and daughter fell silent, but Shion still took good care of her mother while she ate.
"Shion, what do you think of... Uncle Snake?"