After saying goodbye to Might Duy, Kawakaze and the others continued on their way to Orochimaru's residence.
"Is there something special about that man?"
Tsunade was also curious why Kawakaze would take the initiative to help a mere genin.
"I think he has a very rare quality."
Kawakaze replied with a mysterious smile, speaking in an intentionally cryptic way.
It was something he learned from the original story; even if he told Tsunade, she wouldn't understand.
To put it simply—without Might Duy's guidance, Might Guy would never have existed.
It was Duy, as a father, who taught Guy the most important philosophy of a ninja:
True victory isn't about defeating the strong;It's about protecting what you cherish, even at the cost of your life.
For this belief, Might Duy sacrificed his life, and Guy risked his own to unleash the Night Guy.
If it hadn't been for Six Paths Naruto, Guy wouldn't have survived.
"Mysterious."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and didn't bother asking anything else.
Meanwhile, Nawaki and Minato whispered behind them, trying to guess what "rare quality" meant.
Nawaki stubbornly believed the precious thing was himself — the poor boy was immediately smacked around by Tsunade for saying that.
Minato, meanwhile, thought it might be something like a valuable spirit. He already seemed smarter than Nawaki.
No wonder in the original story, Minato becomes Hokage, while Nawaki ends up a sacrifice. You could already see the difference here.
"How much farther?"
Kawakaze had never been to Orochimaru's house before, nor had he interacted with him.
"Right up ahead. We're almost there."
Tsunade pointed at a cluster of buildings in the distance — a residential area.
Kawakaze didn't bother complaining; nothing here looked any different anyway.
"Does Orochimaru keep a bunch of snakes at home?"
He was honestly a bit scared of cold-blooded reptiles.
"Who told you that? His summoning beast is just one snake."
Tsunade didn't know where Kawakaze got such a ridiculous rumor.
"Haha, good."
Kawakaze laughed stupidly while holding his sword.
When they reached the residential area, Nawaki confidently walked up to a large house and knocked, as if he was very familiar with the place.
"Sensei! My sister brought guests to visit you!"
He shouted while knocking. What a cheerful kid — even with Orochimaru, he acted like this.
After a moment, the door opened, and Orochimaru appeared in a kimono.
"So noisy—you never change."
He reached out and ruffled Nawaki's hair. This was completely different from the Orochimaru Kawakaze had seen in the anime.
What was with that strange mix of affection and coldness on his face?
"Orochimaru, Kawakaze-kun and I came uninvited—sorry if it's inconvenient."
Tsunade spoke casually. She obviously didn't take it too seriously.
"Not at all. I'm delighted."
He stepped aside."Please, come in."
"Hello, Kawakaze-kun."
Orochimaru greeted politely, face calm with a faint smile.
"Hello, Orochimaru-kun."
Kawakaze still couldn't get used to that pale face; it was hard to connect this man with the figure in his memories.
He quietly nudged Minato forward.
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm Namikaze Minato."
Minato still seemed a bit intimidated—Orochimaru didn't look like someone easy to approach.
"Hello. You're a good child too."
Orochimaru smiled, finding Minato and Nawaki somewhat similar in temperament.
"Let's go."
Nawaki walked inside as if he were at home.
Kawakaze followed behind Orochimaru. The house was spacious, decorated in a cold, minimalist style.
There wasn't a single servant around—perhaps Orochimaru preferred solitude.
Under Nawaki's lead, everyone sat down in the reception room.
He even started brewing tea. Kawakaze noticed how skillful he was and guessed he must do this often.
"Orochimaru-kun, I heard you also use a sword."
"I came today to visit you and bring you a fine blade from my Hatake Weapon Workshop."
"I hope you'll accept it."
Kawakaze handed over the gift with a smile. A small token was appropriate since he was here to ask for help.
"Thank you, Kawakaze-kun."
Orochimaru accepted the sword, examined it, then drew it slightly from the sheath.
In the reflection of the blade, his snake-like pupils flashed. A cold aura spread instantly.
It was a fine sword.
He applied pressure with his wrist, but the sword didn't bend at all.
Unfortunately, its rigidity made it unsuitable for being… inserted into a stomach — but nevertheless, it was a rare and excellent gift.
"A fine sword. I'll gladly accept it. Thank you, Kawakaze-kun."
He put the sword beside him.
At that moment, Nawaki returned with tea.
He respectfully poured for the three adults, kneeling beside Minato.
"Don't be so formal."
"From now on, we'll all be friends."
Tsunade couldn't bear to watch two grown men hesitate like that.One was her good friend from school, the other her future husband. She said it without feeling the slightest pressure.
It made both Kawakaze and Orochimaru feel awkward.
Kawakaze suddenly blurted:
"Oh shut up, be polite."
He glanced at Tsunade, remembering the scene where she drunkenly said those exact words.
Perfect imitation, completely instinctive.
Tsunade then explained the purpose of their visit:
"Kawakaze-kun came today to ask if you could help teach Minato ninjutsu theory."
"Minato is Kawakaze-kun's new disciple."
Minato bowed respectfully upon hearing this.
"Of course. I'll be in the village for a while anyway."
Orochimaru agreed without hesitation. Whether someone ran away or handed off a student — it made no real difference to him.
"Nawaki is already studying under Kawakaze-kun."
"I'll teach Minato as repayment."
"Great, then I'll leave Minato in your care."
Kawakaze immediately dumped the "discount apprentice" he had only recently taken in, showing absolutely no reluctance.
"Then he and Nawaki can come together."
Orochimaru finalized the training arrangements.
Tsunade sipped her tea and asked casually:
"You've been away from the village often lately. Are you on a mission?"
Kawakaze silently drank his tea too. Leaving right after finishing a mission would indeed be too abrupt.
"Sigh…"
At this point, Orochimaru sighed. His expression grew more serious, and Kawakaze could even sense a faint sadness.
"The Sandaime sent me to pass through the Land of Rain to launch coordinated attacks on other hidden villages."
"But Hanzō the Salamander is no ordinary man. Negotiations broke down — he refused to let us pass."
"I don't know when war will begin. But once it does, it will be another massacre."
"How many lives will be lost? How many comrades will die?"
"How many families will be torn apart? How many children will wander homeless?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's expression darkened.He clearly despised war — even hated it from the bottom of his heart.
Only then did Kawakaze truly see a different side of Orochimaru — the side before war turned him into something else.
If not for that war, perhaps Orochimaru was once someone who genuinely loved the village and cherished life.
At least for now, Kawakaze no longer saw him as a dark figure.
His eyes were filled with sincere emotion.
Ambition and war—those are the two demons that change people.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there