Chapter 28: Konoha Hospital
"Write a post war summary and hand it in later."
Orochimaru's tone carried a trace of satisfaction as he applied medicine to Kenichi Amamiya's bruised body.
Kenichi lay flat on the ground, not wanting to move, barely able to nod in response. His entire body throbbed with pain.
Orochimaru never went for killing blows during training, but his strikes hurt like hell. Kenichi felt as if his bones had been crushed and then stacked under him for him to lie on.
However, he still managed to prop himself up against a tree and slowly stand. He glanced at the faint bloodstain on Orochimaru's arm and could not help but grin.
"At least I managed to scratch teacher this time," he thought.
Before, he had not been able to threaten Orochimaru at all. Now, he could finally leave a mark, however small.
That counted as a kind of growth.
The downside was that after each brutal spar, he still had to write a detailed combat summary.
"Kenichi, you do not need to come to the lab tomorrow. Take a day off."
Orochimaru looked at his disciple with obvious satisfaction. With solid talent and a natural gift for experimentation, Kenichi made his work far easier.
"Huh? Teacher, you... Ah. I understand."
Kenichi was stunned at first. It was rare for Orochimaru to voluntarily mention a break. Normally, his teacher was more dedicated to experimental work than anyone.
Kenichi even thought that if physical stamina were not an issue, Orochimaru could probably live inside the lab forever.
Then something clicked in his mind.
Tomorrow was the first day of the month. That was always a busy day at Konoha Hospital. Clearly, his teacher had other plans.
"Hmm," Orochimaru smiled faintly. As expected, his disciple was sharp enough to guess his intentions.
After finishing the bandaging, Orochimaru left in a hurry. He still had preparations to make for the next day.
Kenichi rested for a while until the pain dulled enough for him to move. Then he headed home at an unhurried pace. He still had to write his battle summary and continue refining his new ninjutsu.
The biggest inspiration from today's sparring was, in fact, ninjutsu development. New ideas had surfaced in his mind, and as long as he verified them one by one, he could push this technique to a more practical level as soon as possible.
"Oh, right. I do not have to go to the lab tomorrow."
Kenichi remembered what Orochimaru had said and blinked.
So what was he supposed to do with the day off?
Just rest alone at home?
That felt strangely unnatural.
The next morning, at Konoha Hospital, Orochimaru walked down the corridor with a faint smile and greeted an old figure ahead of him.
"Teacher, it has been a long time."
"Hmm? Orochimaru?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already stepped down from the Hokage position, took a drag on his cigarette and looked at his former student with mild surprise.
This really was rare.
Ever since he had supported Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru had never come to see him personally.
Hiruzen had not been offended. He simply continued to watch over village affairs from the background. As for his student, it was enough to know that Orochimaru was still in the village and seemed to be working with Danzo.
He was also very clear that this student likely bore many grudges against him.
So, watching Orochimaru approach with a gentle smile, Hiruzen felt a faint confusion and, at the same time, quietly raised his guard.
"Yes," Orochimaru replied. "I have not been feeling very well recently, so I came to have a checkup."
He stared at the cigarette between Hiruzen's fingers, and his smile became even softer.
Very good, teacher. Draw in a little more.
"Well, staying hidden in the shadows for too long is not good either. People need to bask in the sunlight eventually." Hiruzen said meaningfully, exhaling smoke. "Look at me. I seem quite energetic, don't I?"
"Yes, teacher," Orochimaru chuckled. "I also want to bask in the sun, but there is nothing I can do. Even a great tree needs the support of its roots."
The hospital corridor fell silent.
Neither Orochimaru nor Hiruzen spoke again.
At Hiruzen's side, the ape king Enma scratched his head, glancing between his old friend and Orochimaru with a perplexed expression.
He could not explain it, but something about the atmosphere between these two felt very off.
Hiruzen took another drag, a vague irritation stirring in his chest.
He had the strange feeling that Orochimaru was up to something, but he could not pinpoint what it was.
"Teacher, you should smoke less. You are getting older, after all," Orochimaru said as he headed toward his examination, even offering his teacher a kind reminder like a model disciple.
Hiruzen's scalp tingled.
A poisonous snake smiling politely at him was not reassuring in the slightest.
"Enma," Hiruzen murmured.
"It is nothing," he added quickly when the summoning beast gave him a worried look.
He checked his shoulder where Orochimaru had patted him. Nothing felt unusual there, no strange sensation, no lingering chakra.
Even so, the uneasiness in his heart refused to fade, leaving him in a foul mood.
"I feel hot all over," Enma coughed, waving his arm dismissively before shooting his old friend a look of thinly veiled contempt.
I have told you so many times not to smoke so much. Every time you give in to that habit, you end up with a sore throat.
"After all, this is a hospital. When they use the Healing Palm Technique, some Yang nature chakra disperses into the air."
Hiruzen did not feel anything wrong. He simply took another puff. He liked to use cigarettes to clear his head when he was lost in thought.
He thought for a long time, but still could not find anything suspicious. Orochimaru had not used any ninjutsu, left no chakra marks, and done nothing overtly strange.
In the end, Hiruzen could only assume he was overthinking things.
"Kenichi."
When Orochimaru went to find his disciple, he discovered Kenichi training with Guy. That pleased him even more.
A hardworking disciple with talent was a joy for any teacher.
"Teacher!"
Kenichi straightened up instantly, twisting his waist and standing at attention. Guy, who had been crawling on his hands and feet a moment earlier, also sprang upright. This was Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.
"Hmm. Want to go eat barbecue?" Orochimaru folded his arms and looked at Kenichi with a slight smile.
Guy noticed the invitation but did not react much. The Eight Gates Formation had already been entrusted to the village, so there was nothing secret to hide.
"Yes, teacher. Sorry, Guy, I will head out first." Kenichi nodded quickly.
Whether he ate barbecue or not was secondary. What he really wanted was to sit down, relax, and enjoy watching how things played out.
After all, he knew very well what his teacher had been up to today.
At this point, Kenichi could not help thinking wryly that his life in Konoha was starting to look a lot like a long term anti smoking campaign.
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