Konoha Hospital

"Write up a post-battle report and submit it later." Orochimaru was applying medicine to Kenichi Amamiya, though there was a hint of satisfaction in his tone.

Kenichi was already lying on the ground. He had no desire to speak at all and could only nod with difficulty. At the moment, every part of his body hurt.

Orochimaru would not strike to kill, but his blows genuinely hurt. Kenichi felt as though Orochimaru had nearly taken him apart.

It felt as if his bones had been squeezed out and he was lying on top of them.

"But... I finally... managed to give Sensei some scratches." Kenichi slowly pulled himself up against a tree. Seeing the blood on Orochimaru's arm, he smiled faintly.

Before this, he had not been able to cause his teacher any trouble at all. Now, he finally could.

That was probably a form of growth too.

The only troublesome part was having to write a battle report after every spar with his teacher.

"Kenichi, you do not need to come to the laboratory tomorrow. I'm giving you a day off." Orochimaru looked at his disciple with satisfaction. He had potential and was exceptionally adept at experiments. This disciple truly spared him a great deal of worry.

"Huh? Sensei, you... Ah, I understand." Kenichi froze for a moment. It was truly rare to hear his teacher mention rest or a day off. After all, his teacher cared deeply about experiments.

Kenichi even felt that if not for the limits of physical stamina, his teacher could remain in the laboratory for the rest of his life.

But then Kenichi remembered something. Tomorrow was the beginning of the month, which was also one of Konoha Hospital's busier times. His teacher probably intended to do something there.

"Mm." Orochimaru smiled. As expected, his disciple was very clever and had guessed what he intended to do.

After applying the medicine to Kenichi, Orochimaru hurried off. He still needed to make arrangements for tomorrow.

After resting for a while and easing the pain in his body, Kenichi slowly made his way home. He still needed to write his battle report and continue improving his new ninjutsu.

The greatest inspiration Kenichi gained from this battle was regarding ninjutsu development. He now had some new ideas he could try, which would allow him to refine the technique's use more quickly.

"Oh, right. I don't need to go to the laboratory tomorrow either." Kenichi recalled what his teacher had just told him. So what exactly was he supposed to do tomorrow?

Rest at home?

That really felt a little unfamiliar.

"Sensei, it has been a long time." Early the next morning, at Konoha Hospital, Orochimaru smiled as he greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi before him.

"Mm, Orochimaru. Are you here for a physical examination too?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, having stepped down from the position of Hokage, took a drag from his cigarette and looked at his student in surprise.

This was truly rare. Ever since he had supported Minato Namikaze in becoming the Fourth, Orochimaru had not come to see him.

Hiruzen was not particularly surprised by that. He simply continued worrying over the village's affairs. As for this student of his, it was enough to know that he remained in the village and seemed to have some ties with Danzo.

But this student must surely have held a grudge against him.

Thus, seeing Orochimaru smiling now, Hiruzen could not quite grasp the situation. Still, he silently became more vigilant.

"Yes. I haven't been feeling well lately, so I came for a checkup." Seeing Hiruzen smoking, the smile in Orochimaru's eyes became even gentler.

How wonderful, Sensei. Smoke more. Smoke even more.

"Mm. Staying in the shade for too long is no good either. People must eventually bask in the sun. Look at me—aren't I full of energy?" Hiruzen looked meaningfully at his student.

"Yes, Sensei. I want to bask in the sun too, but I have no choice. Even a great tree needs roots to support it." Orochimaru smiled.

Then the atmosphere in the hospital corridor fell silent.

Neither Orochimaru nor Hiruzen spoke. At Hiruzen's side, Enma scratched his head and looked at his Old Friend in confusion.

He had the feeling that something was off between his Old Friend and his student, but he could not say exactly what.

Hiruzen took an irritated drag from his cigarette. He felt that Orochimaru had ill intentions, yet he could not pinpoint what was wrong.

"Sensei, smoke less. You are getting old, after all." Before leaving for his examination, Orochimaru even advised his teacher, every bit the model student.

Yet Hiruzen felt uncomfortable all over. When a venomous snake smiled at you, even if it was smiling, it was still frightening.

"Hiruzen." Enma looked at his Old Friend worriedly.

"It's nothing." Hiruzen shook his head. Still, he immediately checked the shoulder Orochimaru had patted, but found nothing unusual.

Yet that faint sense of foreboding in his heart refused to fade, leaving Hiruzen in a foul mood.

"I feel strangely warm all over." Enma coughed, then waved a hand and looked at his Old Friend with some disdain.

How many times had he said not to smoke? Yet Hiruzen could never restrain the urge, and every time it left his throat feeling uncomfortable.

"It is a hospital, after all. Some Yang Release Chakra disperses whenever the Mystical Palm Technique is used." Hiruzen did not find it strange. He took another drag, since he liked smoking to refresh his mind while thinking.

After thinking for a long time, he found nothing unusual. Orochimaru had neither cast any ninjutsu nor left a Chakra mark on his shoulder.

Hiruzen could only conclude that he had been overthinking things.

"Kenichi." When Orochimaru found Kenichi, Kenichi was training with Might Guy, which put him in an even better mood.

A diligent and talented student was something every teacher found deeply satisfying.

"Sensei!" Kenichi quickly twisted his waist and straightened up. Even Might Guy, who had just been walking on his hands upside down, hurriedly stood straight. This was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.

"Mm. Want to go eat barbecue?" Orochimaru folded his arms and asked Kenichi with a cheerful smile.

He had noticed Might Guy beside him, but did not care much. The Eight Gates Formation had already been handed over to the village.

"Yes, Sensei. Sorry, Guy, I have to go first." Kenichi nodded at once. Whether he ate barbecue or not did not matter—the important thing was that he wanted to watch the drama unfold.

After all, he knew very well what his teacher had done today.

Yes, that's right. This was an anti-smoking novel. 🐶