Orochimaru knew who it was as soon as he heard the voice. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw a small figure washing vegetables, with a pair of bright little eyes looking at Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru- sensei!"
Anko stood up excitedly, her hands wet and unsure of what to do.
"Oh, it's Anko! Thank you for your hard work!"
Orochimaru also stepped forward and rubbed her head. After not seeing her for a while, Anko was wearing a ninja Forehead Protector on her forehead, which was the mark of becoming a ninja.
"No... it's okay, Anko is very happy that the teacher is back!"
Looking at this lovable, naive girl, Orochimaru couldn't understand how he could have done Orochimaru in his past life. Anyway, he quite liked this innocent girl now.
It was dinnertime, Orochimaru decided to cook for himself. He hadn't had a proper meal in days of living a life of hardship.
War is troublesome. You have to be careful even to start a fire. You're afraid someone will sneak up and slit your throat while you're sleeping. Although Orochimaru isn't afraid, he still has to be on guard from time to time.
With two people helping out, a sumptuous meal was quickly prepared.
Tsunade, who had been out gallivanting somewhere, returned without asking Orochimaru any questions. She simply sat down at the table, and Shizune even served her a bowl of soup.
"Heh... you sure know how to enjoy yourself! Coming back right at mealtime?"
Orochimaru made no attempt to hide his mockery of Tsunade, but this woman seemed utterly unfazed.
"Tch... who cares!"
Although her expression was disdainful, her hands didn't stop moving, as if to say, "I'm just slacking off, I'll take what's offered, what can you do about it? You don't like it? You can't kick me out of the house, can you?"
"Old friends change so easily, yet people say it's the old friends' hearts that are fickle!"
Orochimaru sighed helplessly, while Shizune looked at Orochimaru with a puzzled expression.
"Uncle Snake, what do you mean? It sounds like you're saying the teacher has changed his mind?"
Anko looked over with the same puzzlement, blinking her little eyes at Orochimaru and then at Tsunade.
"Hehe... It's no wonder kids are asking about adult stuff. You'll understand when you grow up!"
She tapped her little head with her chopsticks, Shizune could only pout with dissatisfaction. Just now she said she was a little adult, but now she's treating her like a child again.
"Hehe, if Uncle Snake feeds me for the rest of my life, I might consider being with him when I'm old!"
Tsunade at Orochimaru, thinking, "He thinks he can make me back down in front of a junior? What a pipe dream!"
"Sigh, the adult world is too complicated!"
Anko also remarked that she suddenly felt it was pretty good to be able to eat delicious food like this Tenten.
No wonder he became a fat, lazy otaku later in life, and his figure became so overweight that it was unbearable to look at.
"By the way, Uncle Snake, Anko has graduated from the Ninja Academy but hasn't been assigned a job yet. Didn't you say you were going to take her on as a disciple?"
Shizune spoke again, asking, "After graduation, Anko came here Tenten, hoping that Tenten would come back. "Orochimaru
It's no wonder she's in such a hurry, because all the other graduates from her year have already made arrangements and formed their own ninja teams, leaving her the only one still without a job.
It's not that the Ninja Academy forgot about her, but rather that everyone knows Anko is already Orochimaru's chosen disciple.
Arranging for other teachers to lead the team would naturally be inappropriate; Orochimaru's opinion should have been consulted at least, as the Sannin still have some privileges.
"Oh? It's not impossible. What do you think, Anko?"
Looking into those expectant eyes, Orochimaru knew what she was thinking without even asking.
"I am willing, Lord Orochimaru, please accept me as your disciple!"
Anko, who was already kneeling, quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks, sat up straight, and bowed or rather kowtowed to Orochimaru.
At that moment, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in Orochimaru's mind.
Unexpectedly, this clone could also trigger the plot. At the same time, a voice also came from Orochimaru's main body, who was thousands of miles away.
"Host triggered plot detected: Anko becomes an apprentice."
The host has the following options:
① Recruiting Anko as a disciple will reward you with Loyalty Mark (a skill that makes someone completely loyal to the host).
②Refusing to accept apprentices will earn you a reward of Deception Mastery.
Orochimaru chose the first option without hesitation. As for the second one, what the heck? Deception Mastery? Does that mean he'd become a fraud if he didn't take her on as a disciple? Apparently, he really did say he'd take her on as a disciple after she graduated.
How can young people lie? Is their next step going to be a sneak attack? We must never do anything that violates martial ethics.
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Loyalty Mark. Loyalty Mark: The host can use the Loyalty Mark on others, and the recipient will be forever loyal to the host. Note: The brand is ineffective against those with strong hostility; the stronger the opponent, the more time and mental energy will be consumed. (Note: As a researcher, how can one be without a loyal assistant?)"
It's like I got exactly what I needed! I was planning to conquer the seven kingdoms by force, but I never expected to get this skill. It's practically a slave mark!
The only drawback is that it doesn't work against people stronger than Orochimaru, nor does it work against hostile enemies.
"That's right. If there were no restrictions, why would we fight and kill each other? We could just brand the Five Kage and the world would be at peace."
Seeing that Orochimaru hadn't spoken for a long time, Tsunade grew impatient and kicked Orochimaru.
"Hmm? Okay! From now on Anko, you'll train with me!"
Coming to his senses, Orochimaru said with a smile, "How could I, Orochimaru, go back on my word? After waiting for so long, the clouds have finally parted and the moon is shining; it's time to reap the rewards."
Doing research on my own definitely requires an assistant; Shadow Clone all day long gets a bit boring, and communicating with more people would be more interesting.
Anko is indeed quite good; she's obedient and well-behaved. She might lack some talent, but that's not a problem, since I'm not asking her to fight on the battlefield.
In the last few years of his life in Konoha, he didn't mind training them, it didn't take much effort.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer Anko excitedly kowtowed to Orochimaru several more times.
"But the days ahead will be a bit boring and tough! Don't complain about the teachers being strict!"
Orochimaru gave Anko a heads-up, just in case she regretted it later. He told her not to come back to him when she grew Orochimaru and say, "I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a deadbeat couch potato."
"Yes! I'm not afraid, I will definitely work hard!"
These words did not dampen Anko's enthusiasm; instead, her eyes became even more resolute.
"Alright, alright, let's eat. It's such a small thing, why are you being so fussy?"
Tsunade said irritably, "Anko's forehead is all red from kowtowing, and you don't even know how to be gentle with her."
"Haha... Come on! Let's celebrate for our little Anko!"
Shizune raised her glass of drink, and Anko followed suit with an uncontrollable smile. Orochimaru and Tsunade also raised their glasses. At this moment, they all forgot their troubles and fully enjoyed this wonderful moment.