Tsunade said loudly, and passersby heard her, looking at them.
"It's Lord Orochimaru!"
The people around recognized Orochimaru.
Orochimaru forced a small smile, waved at the crowd, and pulled Tsunade away from there.
Hot Spring Street
As it approached noon, Orochimaru and Tsunade walked out of the Casino carrying suitcases. The mournful wails of gamblers echoed from inside the Casino, showing how badly they had lost!
Tsunade, whose depressed mood had been relieved, couldn't possibly fail to see that Orochimaru had suggested the Casino for her sake.
"Orochimaru, thank you…"
Tsunade held Orochimaru's hand. She knew very well that her grandmother's decision was not something she could change. Besides accepting it, what else could she do?
The thought of her grandmother leaving her forever filled Tsunade with fear of that day, yet she had to face it. As she thought, sadness welled up, and when she came to her senses, her face was covered in tears.
"Sorry… Orochimaru…"
Tsunade hung her head, wanting to be strong, not wanting to be so fragile, but she was finding it genuinely difficult right now.
"It's okay, cry if you want to. I respect Grandma Mito's choice; she made that decision to protect the Village that your grandfather, the First Hokage, loved."
Orochimaru gently hugged Tsunade, suppressing the tears welling up in her own eyes. She couldn't cry; if she did, wouldn't they both end up crying together in a embrace?
That would be too embarrassing.
"When you put it that way, I can't cry anymore."
Tsunade sniffled and wiped her tears on Orochimaru's clothes.
"Isn't that even better?"
Orochimaru lightly tapped Tsunade's head, "Hey, don't blow your nose on my clothes."
"I didn't blow my nose…"
Before Tsunade finished speaking, mucus flowed from her nose.
"Hey!"
Orochimaru was completely exasperated; the sad atmosphere was ruined by Tsunade's snot.
Tsunade looked at the snot on Orochimaru's clothes, her smile awkward with a hint of flattery.
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade helplessly, pinching her slightly flushed cheeks. In two more years, she would be an adult, yet she was still like a child.
Fortunately, no one was passing by right now, otherwise, Tsunade's embarrassing appearance would have been seen by others.
"Let's go. Before we go home, I need to buy more ingredients. Hikari is growing and eats a lot."
Orochimaru habitually took Tsunade's hand and asked, "What do you want for lunch?"
"I want something with a stronger flavor, Spicy Diced Chicken."
Tsunade recalled a dish Orochimaru had made a long time ago.
"Are you sure?"
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade in surprise. The last time she made Spicy Diced Chicken was years ago, and it was so spicy that both Tsunade and Hyuga Mio couldn't handle it.
"I'm sure!"
Tsunade nodded heavily, suddenly wanting to challenge it again.
Ding-dong, ding-dong—!
Hyuga Mio heard the doorbell, quickly walked to the door, opened it, and saw Orochimaru and Tsunade standing there. There was no surprise; she had seen this scene too many times.
"I'll take the ingredients to the kitchen."
Hyuga Mio took the ingredients and walked towards the kitchen.
Orochimaru walked into the living room and saw one Uchiha Hikari watching TV, another Uchiha Hikari holding a book on the sofa, and yet another Uchiha Hikari cupping her chin, as if facing a difficult problem.
"Orochimaru, did you teach Hikari the Shadow Clone Technique?"
Tsunade looked at the three Uchiha Hikari in the living room; no one but Orochimaru would teach Uchiha Hikari the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Yes, the Shadow Clone Technique allows her to read books and scrolls faster. Hikari learned it just by watching me use the Shadow Clone Technique once."
Orochimaru didn't believe that the Three-Tomoe Sharingan could easily replicate Ninjutsu used by others. The Sharingan's ability is formidable, but it's more about Uchiha Hikari's talent.
The Sharingan isn't something anyone can use to copy Ninjutsu. That's a misconception caused by Kakashi Hatake repeatedly using the Sharingan to copy Ninjutsu in the original story. Even without the Sharingan, Kakashi Hatake was still a genius Ninja, a genius who developed Lightning Release: Chidori at a young age.
Even without the dynamic vision provided by the Sharingan, Kakashi Hatake's talent would have allowed him to develop Lightning Release Ninjutsu more suited to himself.
"Orochimaru, Tsunade."
When the three Uchiha Hikari saw Orochimaru and Tsunade, they almost simultaneously gathered around Orochimaru.
"At least one of you could come over!"
Tsunade stood with her hands on her hips. No matter what, at least one of the three Uchiha Hikari should come to her side!
The three Uchiha Hikari looked at each other, and one of them reluctantly walked over to Tsunade's side.
"You don't have to come over if you don't want to; don't force yourself."
Tsunade said with slightly puffed cheeks, clearly annoyed, yet unable to get angry at Uchiha Hikari.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Hikari turned to go back to Orochimaru's side, but Tsunade hugged her tightly and said angrily, "Since you've come over, don't think about going back!"
Uchiha Hikari looked at Tsunade with a face full of question marks, as if asking, "Do you want me to come over or go back?"
At the dining table, Hyuga Mio looked at the fiery red chili peppers in the Spicy Diced Chicken, and a pungent, spicy aroma assailed her nostrils.
This… this… Hyuga Mio had a deep impression of this dish; it was this dish that made her experience what Fire Release burning her backside felt like.
"Mio, don't force yourself, okay?"
Tsunade looked at the greatly surprised Hyuga Mio, her eyes provocative.
"I really can't eat very spicy food…"
Hyuga Mio would not be foolish enough to compete with Tsunade in an area she wasn't good at. She had already experienced it once and would never experience it a second time. From her understanding of Orochimaru, she must have considered people who couldn't eat spicy food.
Just as she thought, a moment later, Orochimaru came over with a plate of braised fish and a plate of sweet and sour fish, followed by Uchiha Hikari, who was helping by carrying a bowl of soup.
Orochimaru considered those who can't eat spicy food~!
Hyuga Mio smiled slightly and gestured for them to come in.
Ugh… Tsunade looked at the new, spicy, and fragrant Stir-fried Chicken with Chili, regret welling up in her heart.
Is it too late to regret now?
I actually can't handle spicy food very well either… Chapter 160: The Blood Traitors
At night, Uchiha Hikari had three Shadow Clones reading books.
When she dispelled the Shadow Clones, a flood of memories, accompanied by fatigue, returned to her main body, causing her to feel a slight dizziness.
Uchiha Hikari thought about how Orochimaru had to create so many Shadow Clones every day to conduct research in the Laboratory, and she really wanted to know how he managed to keep it up.
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