Hyuga Mio spoke seriously, her tone calm and composed.
"I don't like wearing perfume. It interferes with experiments."
In truth, Orochimaru himself never wore perfume, so Mio had never felt the need to use it either. The skincare products Orochimaru gave her were more than sufficient.
Orochimaru glanced at Hyuga Mio, who stood quietly beside the workbench, and asked in a seemingly casual, gossipy tone,
"Mio, do you have someone special?"
Hyuga Mio froze.
Her long, soft black hair was tied up loosely, curling slightly at the crown of her head. The lab coat she wore barely concealed her curvy, elegant figure. The gold-rimmed glasses on her face softened the sharpness of her Byakugan, giving her an air of gentle intelligence.
Although her expression rarely changed, she was undeniably beautiful—so much so that she was considered one of the most attractive women in the Hyuga clan, and even in all of Konoha.
If rumors were to be believed, her admirers probably formed a line stretching from the Hokage Building all the way to Konoha's main gate.
Damn it.
So many people must be interested in my assistant!
Orochimaru suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.
What if Mio gets kidnapped one day?
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
"Huh?"
Hyuga Mio stared blankly at Orochimaru, like a machine whose system had crashed due to overload.
"Mio," Orochimaru continued earnestly, clenching his fists, "someone as charming as you must have many admirers. When you find that special someone, you should let me help you evaluate them."
His expression looked as if someone was about to steal away something extremely precious to him.
That will not do.
Absolutely not.
"Enough."
Hyuga Mio's expression turned cold.
"Orochimaru, it's time for you to go teach at the Ninja Academy."
She pushed him toward the door without hesitation.
Orochimaru knew perfectly well what kind of person he was, but being pushed out like this still made him feel wronged.
What he did not realize—what he had never even considered—was the possibility that someone might like him.
That blind spot was why he had never noticed Tsunade's feelings.
From Orochimaru's perspective, this was normal. In the ninja world, he had never seen one woman fall in love with another woman.
When Hyuga Mio first realized her own feelings for Orochimaru, she doubted herself for a long time.
Was she sick?
Did she have a psychological problem?
Or did she simply mistake gratitude for love, because Orochimaru had helped her?
As the years passed and she continued living beside Orochimaru, those doubts slowly faded.
In the end, she realized something simple.
She loved Orochimaru—not his gender.
Even if Orochimaru had been a man, she would have loved him all the same.
When Hyuga Mio later discovered that Tsunade also liked Orochimaru, she had even considered bringing the two of them together.
But the idea of giving up so easily made her hesitate.
"Huh?"
Orochimaru was pushed outside. Seeing that Mio's expression was colder than usual, he panicked.
"Mio! You're my most important assistant! Who is this scoundrel? I want to meet him!"
"There is no 'lowlife' like the one you're imagining!"
Hyuga Mio slammed the door shut.
Leaning against it, she smiled faintly—happy that Orochimaru valued her so much.
Outside, Orochimaru sighed helplessly.
"How did things end up like this…?"
Just as he turned around, he caught sight of a small figure jumping down from the second-floor window.
"Hikari?"
"Orochimaru, I want to go to the Ninja Academy with you."
Uchiha Hikari ran toward him, her large black eyes shining with expectation.
"Alright."
Orochimaru extended his hand. Hikari placed her smaller hand into his, gripping it tightly.
As they walked, Orochimaru asked gently,
"Little Hikari, would you like to attend the Ninja Academy? You can make lots of friends there."
In truth, Hikari herself hadn't made many friends back when she attended the Academy. She had always been quiet and introverted.
Uchiha Hikari shook her head vigorously.
The thought of sitting among a group of four-year-olds made her deeply uncomfortable.
Orochimaru immediately understood.
It wasn't that she disliked the Academy.
She simply wasn't that young anymore.
By age alone, she was already old enough to graduate and become a Genin.
"What do they teach in the Sealing Team?" Hikari asked softly, squeezing Orochimaru's hand. "Sealing techniques?"
"You guessed correctly."
Orochimaru smiled and gently patted her head.
"I'm quite skilled in sealing techniques. Mito—who visited us recently—is the greatest sealing ninja of the Uzumaki clan, and also my teacher."
"Don't worry," he added reassuringly. "No one will ever be able to seal you again."
"…Can I learn sealing techniques too?"
Hikari looked at him cautiously.
In her understanding, sealing techniques were extremely valuable and usually not taught to outsiders.
"Of course," Orochimaru said without hesitation.
"If you want to learn, I'll make time to teach you. But sealing techniques require a solid foundation."
"I'll prepare the books for you after I finish teaching today."
Orochimaru remembered the mountain of books and scrolls he himself had studied when learning sealing techniques.
Just reading them had taken half a year.
"…" For some reason, Uchiha Hikari suddenly felt uneasy.
"Sister Orochimaru!"
Outside the Ninja Academy, Nawaki jumped down from a tall swing, spun neatly as he landed, and ran toward her.
"Nawaki, why aren't you in class?" Orochimaru asked, rubbing his head.
"And where is Mito?"
"I saw her go to the Hokage Building."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru was slightly curious. He assumed Mito must be chatting with Hiruzen.
"Let's go. The Sealing Team's lesson is about to begin."
She entered the Academy holding Nawaki's hand with her left, and Uchiha Hikari's with her right.
Hokage Building — Conference Hall
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Utatane Koharu, and Homura Mitokado studied the plans for the Spiral Tower laid out on the table.
Uzumaki Mito sat quietly, holding a teacup with both hands.
"Lady Mito," Hiruzen said thoughtfully, "given your current control over the Nine-Tails, isn't it a bit premature to build the Spiral Tower?"
Danzo nodded.
"Given your physical condition, it may not be necessary yet."
What Danzo did not say was his deeper concern—once the Spiral Tower was built, Orochimaru would certainly understand its purpose.
And when that happened, accountability would follow.
"Age cannot be ignored," Mito replied calmly.
"There is no harm in preparing in advance."
"If we wait until my strength weakens, it will be too late."
She did not want the village Hashirama loved to suffer because of her own aging body.
"If Lady Mito insists, I support it," Koharu said.
Homura nodded as well.
"Hiruzen, Danzo, why not proceed as she suggests?"
"Hiruzen," Danzo said coldly, "you decide. You are the Hokage."
Hiruzen frowned.
"Danzo, don't forget you're my assistant."
The responsibility would not fall on him alone.
Chapter 157: Orochimaru's Practical Lesson
"Today's class is a practical lesson."
In the Ninja Academy training field, Orochimaru bit her finger and completed a rapid series of hand seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
Bang!
A massive presence emerged from the smoke.
The children stared wide-eyed.
As the smoke cleared, a gigantic brown-patterned snake appeared.
"Wow!"
"It's huge!"
"That's Teacher Orochimaru's summon!"
Nawaki's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Uchiha Hikari, however, observed carefully.
This snake was smaller and weaker than the Blue Snake she knew.
Clap!
Orochimaru clapped her hands, and the snake instantly curled up, trembling.
It remembered too clearly what this human had done in Ryūchi Cave.
"Your task," Orochimaru said calmly, "is to use sealing techniques to restrict its movement."
"It will not attack you."
The students formed teams of three.
Explosions echoed as seals failed.
Orochimaru pressed her fingers to her forehead.
Why did every failed seal explode?
After the lesson, she rewarded the snake and sent it back to Ryūchi Cave.
"That was an excellent lesson," a student said sincerely.
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
Another day in Konoha had passed.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)