Orochimaru Sulking Was So Cute

"You want money?"

"Then no. I earned every bit of this through hard work."

A supervising teacher?

What kind of supervising teacher sent his student on missions while he disappeared to enjoy the good life?

Seeing Miya's expression that said he wasn't paying, Orochimaru was instantly at a loss for words. Was money what he was after?

Of course not...

But not asking for any...

That wouldn't be proper.

"Five hundred thousand ryō, not a ryō less."

"Otherwise, I'll deduct it from your mission rewards from now on."

Only now, after all this time, did Orochimaru discover that Miya was a miser at heart. Before, he'd only known Miya was a foodie.

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

"I completed those missions myself. I'm not giving you a single penny."

Good grief, was Orochimaru demanding a share just because he was here? He'd opened his mouth and asked for five hundred thousand ryō.

Miya jumped in agitation and immediately rejected Orochimaru's demand with righteous indignation.

"You won't pay?"

"Looks like I'll have to eat the food I prepared for you myself!"

He was doing it on purpose. Orochimaru was definitely doing it on purpose.

"Teacher Orochimaru, did you raise another little white jade snake?"

Miya, who had just been ready to die rather than give in, immediately changed his tune when he heard Orochimaru's words. He stared at Orochimaru ingratiatingly as he spoke.

Orochimaru smiled without answering, simply watching Miya's performance in silence.

In the end, Miya reluctantly pulled the money out of his purse.

After counting out five hundred thousand ryō, Miya handed it to Orochimaru with a mournful face, feeling like he wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Teacher Orochimaru, when are you giving me that little white jade snake?"

"Did I promise to give it to you?"

With those words, Orochimaru vanished from before Miya.

"Uh..."

"Ah!!!"

After his initial shock, Miya let out a mournful roar.

Orochimaru had turned his back on him, pulled up his pants and refused to take responsibility.

Miya had been swindled by Orochimaru yet again.

"Orochimaru, just you wait."

Indignant, Miya clutched his purse, which held less than two hundred thousand ryō, and growled furiously through his teeth.

After leaving, Orochimaru held the money under his nose and took a sniff.

"Smells good."

Orochimaru, who spent all his time shut up in the laboratory, found that life needed a little seasoning. Swindling his little disciple Miya felt pretty good.

Two days later.

In the laboratory, Orochimaru stared helplessly at Miya, then said casually:

"Come with me."

Over the past two days, Orochimaru had finally learned what it meant to have someone stick to him like glue and make things worse.

Ever since Orochimaru had taken five hundred thousand ryō from Miya two days ago, Miya had latched onto him completely, insisting that he give him a little white jade snake.

Orochimaru had truly experienced what "a foodie's persistence" meant. He couldn't even conduct his experiments properly.

"You're finally giving it to me!!!"

Miya beamed and trotted eagerly after Orochimaru.

Konoha Training Ground 40.

"Teacher Orochimaru, why did you bring me here?"

Unable to make any sense of Orochimaru's intentions, Miya turned his head and looked around.

"Today I'll teach you a technique. From now on, catch whatever you want to eat yourself, and stop bothering me!"

"Catch it myself?"

Miya's eyes lit up instantly. If he could catch whatever he wanted to eat without going through Orochimaru as a middleman, that would be wonderful!

"What technique is it?"

Miya looked at Orochimaru expectantly.

A vein bulged on Orochimaru's forehead. He formed Hand Seals, then slapped his palm directly onto the ground.

Summoning Technique.

Bang.

A cloud of smoke rose, and a large green snake appeared before Miya. Orochimaru stood on the green snake's head.

"Lord Orochimaru."

The green snake was quite polite to Orochimaru, unlike Manda, whom Orochimaru summoned for battle.

"Green snake, give me the Summoning Scroll."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Without a second thought, the green snake opened its mouth and spat out a large scroll covered in mucus. Watching it, Miya couldn't help wondering whether Orochimaru had learned his habit of storing things in his stomach from the green snake.

"Go back!"

Having obtained the Summoning Technique, Orochimaru immediately released the Summoning Technique, and the green snake vanished before Miya in a rising cloud of smoke.

"Teacher Orochimaru, what's this?"

Miya already knew the answer, but he asked with an ingratiating smile.

Catching things himself from now on, and the Summoning Scroll.

Put those two together, and they told him plenty.

"Orochimaru plans to teach me the Summoning Technique!"

The Summoning Technique of Ryūchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sage Lands of the summoning world. Miya was excited just thinking about it.

"Doesn't that mean I'll be able to practice Senjutsu in the future too?"

"I've hit the jackpot this time!"

Miya looked on expectantly.

"Write your name on it, then leave a bloody handprint. The Ninjutsu I'm teaching you today is the Summoning Technique of Ryūchi Cave."

"Hurry up."

In Miya's eyes, the sulking Orochimaru was very... cute!!!

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Coming to his senses, Miya quickly put his name and bloody handprint on Ryūchi Cave's Summoning Scroll.

Immediately afterward, Orochimaru tossed Miya another scroll covered in mucus.

"The Summoning Technique of Ryūchi Cave is written on it. Take it and practice, and don't bother me anymore."

"All right!"

Miya accepted the scroll with a heart full of joy, no longer finding the mucus on it disgusting at all.

Orochimaru put away the Summoning Scroll and left immediately, leaving Miya alone.

Orochimaru hadn't explained anything to Miya about the situation in Ryūchi Cave or what to watch out for when summoning a ninja beast.

That teaching style was just like Orochimaru.

But Miya didn't mind at all. Holding the scroll that recorded the Summoning Technique, he smiled a little... foolishly.

The Summoning Technique, the Summoning Technique of Ryūchi Cave.

It was a Summoning Technique that gave him a chance to learn Senjutsu. How could Miya not be happy?

As Orochimaru left, he gave a wicked smile and breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, he didn't care whether Miya showed up in his laboratory. After all, the things Miya knew about were only the research he conducted openly.

But Miya had been making things worse for the past two days, constantly causing trouble and preventing him from doing his research properly. That left Orochimaru feeling stifled.

So Orochimaru hurriedly got rid of Miya with Ryūchi Cave's Summoning Technique, letting Miya go to Ryūchi Cave and catch snakes himself whenever he wanted to eat them.

Out of sight, out of mind. That settled it once and for all, and there would be no one causing trouble while he conducted his research.

As for teaching him ordinary Ninjutsu, Orochimaru cared even less. As long as Miya was willing to learn, he was willing to teach. There was absolutely no problem.

Orochimaru: I was never a stingy snake.

But Orochimaru didn't care whether Miya could learn it or how far he got. In his view, Miya's fighting style wasn't based on Ninjutsu, but Taijutsu.