Orochimaru's arrival and words stirred something in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.
He rose and stretched his body. "Fine. A walk would do me good—work and rest should be balanced..."
Orochimaru smiled knowingly.
This was a good start.
Master and disciple walked side by side beneath Konoha's starry sky, chatting casually along the way.
Guided by Orochimaru, they eventually arrived at a cemetery within Konoha.
"War has taken so many lives, Sensei..."
A trace of melancholy appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Nawaki, Dan... and there will certainly be more wars in the future."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded silently.
They continued walking until they stopped before a gravestone.
Moonlight spilled down, making the names engraved upon it faintly visible.
These were Orochimaru's parents' graves.
As Konoha shinobi, they had died in war.
"So, it's them..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and placed three cigarettes in the incense burner one by one.
A flame flickered to life on his fingertip, and he lit them.
Orochimaru wiped the gravestone, warmth rising in his heart. "Sensei, give me one?"
"Though smoking is harmful to one's health, with bodies like ours..."
With a cigarette between his lips, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "Saying that is rather pointless."
Orochimaru took the cigarette and lit it for his teacher. Master and disciple stood silently before the gravestone.
A gentle breeze drifted past, and for a time, neither spoke.
Only the two embers occasionally flickered, like the longing for old friends that rose from time to time.
Orochimaru recalled the past.
He still remembered how, shortly after Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken him as a disciple, he had accompanied him here to pay respects to his parents.
Back then, he had found a shed white snake skin here. Hiruzen Sarutobi had told him it symbolized luck and