Living With A Mask

As the autumn air grew crisp and refreshing, Anko Mitarai walked down the street, her nose twitching slightly. She smelled the sweet aroma of dango and red bean soup wafting from a nearby shop, her throat involuntarily working. Her gaze drifted to the side.

"Anko."

"Yes, Teacher!"

A hoarse voice startled Anko Mitarai, who had been secretly eyeing the dango. She quickly turned her head to look at her teacher, Orochimaru, a sheepish smile appearing on her face.

For his clumsy student, Orochimaru gazed at her with his golden eyes for a moment before taking a thick wad of bills from his pocket and placing it in Anko Mitarai's hand.

As she looked up at him in surprise, Orochimaru spoke:

"I have something urgent to attend to. Anko, you can explore on your own for now. I'll come back to find you in an hour."

With that, Orochimaru turned and left. In less than ten seconds, his figure disappeared into the crowd, leaving a purple silhouette wiping drool in place.

"Dango, dango, here I come." She, who loved sweets, took advantage of her youth and fast metabolism to stuff herself with dango and red bean soup, her face beaming with satisfaction.

After all, she would be leaving the village on a mission with others tomorrow. Today was a great time to replenish her energy. The money her teacher gave her was equivalent to the reward for a B-rank mission. She had to eat her fill today.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru, having left Anko Mitarai, appeared on the Hokage Rock. The scenery here could be considered the most beautiful in Konohagakure. The elevated position allowed anyone standing here to perfectly overlook the entire layout of Konohagakure. The feeling of having everything under control was something those who craved power greatly enjoyed.

"Orochimaru, your experiments have made no progress, yet you constantly demand resources. What do you intend to do?"

Danzo's left eye emitted a sinister gaze as he looked at Orochimaru coldly, his dissatisfaction no longer concealed. The power of Wood Release and the Sharingan made him greedy, but to obtain them, he had to rely on Orochimaru.

Orochimaru, in terms of both strength and status, was someone Danzo could not trust, yet he could not do without him. This conflicting feeling forced Danzo to keep a close eye on Orochimaru, but he could do nothing.

"It can't be helped. That child who looks so much like the Second Hokage has nothing special about him. It was just wishful thinking. If you could hand over the First Hokage's cells to me, I believe I would achieve a breakthrough very quickly."

Orochimaru's hoarse voice reached Danzo's ears, sounding like an invisible provocation. He almost ordered the Root members hidden in the shadows to act, but remembering Orochimaru's usefulness, he forced himself to hold back.

"One year. If it's still like this next year, remember, my things are not so easily taken."

With that, Danzo left the place in a rage, leaving Orochimaru standing alone, gazing down at Konohagakure, at the land that had raised him. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss."

At some point, a small snake coiled around his shoulder. As the sound rang out, a look of understanding appeared on Orochimaru's face.

"So Tsunade left her inheritance with that child? To be able to summon a Slug at this age, though not large in size, the talent is still acceptable."

Knowing that Senba was now Tsunade's successor, Orochimaru lost even more interest. He was now completely focused on the secret to immortality. Helping Danzo was merely out of interest in the Hashirama Cells.

Danzo, whose heart was burning with rage from being angered by Orochimaru, was walking through the Root's passageways. He felt he needed to let Orochimaru know what hierarchy meant.

"Send someone to have a chat with his female student. Crippling her would be enough. Let Orochimaru know the consequences of offending me."

"Also, bring Kabuto here. The orphanage is not where he should be."

Danzo's cold voice echoed through the silent Root.

After a day of training, although Senba had the Slug Sage's healing, he still had to take care of Tsuki and Iruka. At Senba's request, the Slug Sage had to heal three people simultaneously, which quickly depleted Senba's Chakra.

After repeated training, Senba was now being carried by Iruka towards his residence. The pain in his body made Senba doubt he would be able to sleep tonight.

"Iruka, wait a moment. Turn left. I ordered some sushi and onigiri there. Go get them."

Although Iruka found Senba's behavior strange, he didn't think much of it. He followed Senba's instructions and walked towards a nearby eatery.

A moment later, Iruka walked out with Senba on his back, his face awkward. A large package now hung around his neck, containing enough sushi for him to eat for three days.

This scene also drew the attention of many passersby. With a package hanging on his chest and an injured person on his back, if not for Iruka's neat clothing and the Konoha symbol, people would have thought he was a refugee.

"Senba, if you can't cook, you can come live at my place. There's no need to buy so much at once. It's not easy to store, and it would be a loss if you got food poisoning."

"We're here, Iruka."

Iruka, who had been rambling, was interrupted by Senba behind him. Following the direction Senba pointed, a white-haired man wearing glasses was smiling at them. The thick-skinned Iruka felt that the man's smile seemed forced.

As Iruka was pondering, Yakushi Kabuto walked up to him and gently took the package from his chest. Looking at Senba, who had a weary expression, a flicker of emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Thank you, Senba-kun. Thanks to kind people like you, we've been receiving food and relief funds without interruption. You've worked hard. The village has issued an order today that the orphanage's needs will be fully guaranteed from now on, so Senba-kun no longer needs to send supplies."

"I thank you again here. Thank you very much."

Senba, exhausted, heard this and nodded silently before preparing to leave. However, as if remembering something, he stared at Yakushi Kabuto's gentle smile and couldn't help but speak.

"Kabuto, you're actually quite suited to be a shrine priest. After all, you both perform with a mask on."

Without paying attention to the fake smile that was barely holding on his face, he turned and left with Iruka. It was just a moment of kindness. Since the orphanage was now on the right track, he wouldn't need to worry about it anymore.

Watching the two leave, Yakushi Kabuto stood still for a moment, then took a piece of sushi from the package and brought it to his mouth. He used the motion of chewing to conceal his true expression, his mind in turmoil.

The young Yakushi Kabuto was still far from being a master of emotional control.

In the Chakra Flame Space.

"You were a bit reckless, main body. If there had been any Root members nearby, you would have been in danger."

Senba of the Forest, sitting by the Chakra flame, looked at the embarrassed Senba opposite him with a serious expression. The warning in his tone was very clear.

Senba also knew he was in the wrong. He had been a bit too arrogant lately. Before he could fully convert his fortuitous encounters into strength, he had indeed gotten a little carried away.

Regarding this, Senba of the Forest had a good way to treat it. The next second, he punched the main body's right eye, immediately receiving a kick back from the enraged main body.

The sounds of flesh hitting flesh resumed, and the occasional cries of pain indicated that both were hitting hard.