Naruto held the soundly sleeping Miwakan and reached out to touch his soft little face. Watching the little fellow unconsciously nuzzle his finger, he grew even fonder of this well-behaved child.
A child who didn't cry, didn't fuss, and didn't mind being poked was the best child in the world!
Then he raised his eyes and looked at Orochimaru.
"I think..."
Naruto drew out the words, his finger still gently teasing Miwakan's tender cheek.
"You actually want this little fellow to look after Jiraiya in his old age, don't you?"
He watched Orochimaru's reaction and continued:
"You gave Jiraiya a pretty hard time earlier, enough to really get under his skin. But you still care about him quite a bit, don't you?"
At Naruto's teasing, which struck straight at the heart of the matter, the languid smile on Orochimaru's face stiffened slightly.
His golden snake eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, as though with a trace of irritation at having his thoughts laid bare, or perhaps embarrassment at being exposed.
But he quickly regained his nonchalant air. With a cold snort, he turned his face away, his gaze drifting seemingly at random over the laboratory's cold equipment as he spoke with deliberate disdain:
"Hmph!"
"Whatever happens to that old fool... he can do as he pleases!"
He deliberately adopted an indifferent, even slightly disgusted tone.
"Whether he keeps traveling the world gathering material for his perverted novels, accidentally dies on top of some woman one day, or simply dies of old age in a Konoha nursing home... it has nothing to do with me!"
Orochimaru turned back, his gaze settling on Miwakan in Naruto's arms. Yet his eyes seemed unfocused, as though he were looking through the boy at something else.
"As for this child...
I simply needed a stable senjutsu fusion