65 Chapter 65: The Unfortunate Orochimaru

"I have tested the two samples you brought, and unfortunately, there is no Kekkei Genkai that you might be expecting in both of them."

In a laboratory, Orochimaru handed two reports to Shimura Danzo. Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo frowned, took the reports with one hand, and flipped through them on the table.

The more Danzo read, the tighter his frown became, and a puzzled expression even appeared on his face. Orochimaru tidied up the equipment on the table and suddenly spoke:

"I'm curious why they are valued so much. Have you ever thought that maybe it's because they are good kids?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Danzo's face instantly became gloomy. He lifted his head, stared at Orochimaru, but Orochimaru was not affected by his aura at all and continued:

"You probably haven't met those two kids, have you? I have, so I understand why Sensei, Jiraiya, and Mito-sama value those two kids so much."

"From now on, don't bother me with these boring tasks. I have my own missions. Take the reports and leave."

Although Danzo had not revealed the identities of the owners of the two samples before, Orochimaru had already guessed the owners just by staring at some of the data provided by Danzo.

It was simply that Danzo did not believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uzumaki Mito would value two children without Kekkei Genkai, and whose bloodline didn't even come from the major ninja clans.

In truth, when Orochimaru figured out that the owners of the samples were Sakamoto Tatsuma and Minato Namikaze, he was also somewhat curious. After all, he had his own pride. At the same age, he might not have been as dazzling as Tatsuma and Minato, but he was already a genius representative among civilians. Now, two children even more genius than him had appeared. Honestly, Orochimaru felt a bit aggrieved.

He speculated that perhaps the two had some hidden, yet-to-awaken Kekkei Genkai, whether originating from the Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, or even the earlier Hagoromo Clan, or from the bloodlines of ninja clans in other countries.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. However, after the research report was completed, Orochimaru calmly accepted the outcome. Compared to Tatsuma and Minato when he was their age, he indeed fell short.

Whether in temperament or effort, recalling the disciple he reluctantly accepted for the sake of his teammates, Nawaki, after training alongside Tatsuma and Minato, achieved significant progress. Orochimaru also found solace.

Because it proved that Tatsuma and Minato's brilliance didn't naturally radiate. They simply understood the importance of putting in effort more than others. In comparison to Orochimaru, these two children might not necessarily have better innate talents, but at the same age, Orochimaru didn't understand what it felt like to work hard.

Jiraiya took a long time to learn things, but Orochimaru could grasp them with just a glance, which led him to not have the desire to strive harder. It's just unclear why, at a similar age, Tatsuma and Minato understood the concept of self-driven effort early on. After all, considering their past performances, there shouldn't have been a sense of urgency.

"It seems I need to find some time to check on Nawaki."

Thinking this, Orochimaru wanted to leave, but noticed that Danzo was still frowning and examining the reports. Orochimaru's face showed a hint of dissatisfaction, and he said, "My research cannot be wrong. If you have doubts, conduct your own research in the future."

Upon hearing Orochimaru speak so dismissively, Danzo snorted and then turned to leave, showing no intention of taking the reports with him.

In reality, Danzo also knew that Orochimaru's research results might be the truth. However, he hoped that Tatsuma and Minato had a Kekkei Genkais of some famous clan. After all, he had invested quite a bit of time and even used some resources to get Orochimaru to research the two. But this result meant that all his costs would be in vain.

Without Kekkei Genkai, they were of no use to him whatsoever. Seeing Danzo's dissatisfied figure leaving, Orochimaru didn't say anything, neatly tidied up the research room, and left as well.

Finding Nawaki took some time, especially since it happened to be the weekend today, and Nawaki didn't have to go to school. Upon arriving at the Senju Clan, Orochimaru learned that Tsunade had taken Nawaki and others out for barbecue.

After a few twists and turns, Orochimaru finally arrived at the barbecue place and saw his disciple Nawaki, as well as Tatsuma and Minato, all happily enjoying the barbecue.

Before Orochimaru could continue observing them, Tsunade spotted him and exclaimed with some joy, "Orochimaru?! You're here too? Come on! Come join us for a meal!"

A hint of confusion flashed across Orochimaru's face. Tsunade shouldn't be so enthusiastic towards him. Could it be that the sudden lifting of the one-year confinement changed Tsunade's personality?

Before he could figure it out, Nawaki, also excited, said, "Orochimaru sensei! Come, I'll prepare a seat for you!"

Orochimaru smiled and nodded, taking the seat Nawaki offered. Before he could say a greeting, Tsunade suddenly handed him a skewer of barbecue and warmly said, "Eat! Eat quickly!"

"..."

Looking at the barbecue in his hand, Orochimaru even suspected whether Tsunade had poisoned it, trying to play a prank on him. However, such things were usually done by Jiraiya not her. After giving it some thought, Orochimaru took a bite.

The taste was normal, seemingly nothing inappropriate added. Feeling a bit relieved, Orochimaru ate a few more pieces of barbecue. He hadn't eaten for almost two days due to his busy schedule in organizing the reports researched by Tatsuma and Minato. At this point, he was feeling a bit hungry.

Just when he completely let his guard down, thinking that Tsunade was just overly excited and showing hospitality, Tsunade suddenly said, "Since you've eaten so much, you can cover the meal expenses later."

Orochimaru: "???!!!"

Orochimaru looked down at the three or five skewers of barbecue he had just eaten, then glanced at the pile of skewers resembling a bonfire in front of everyone else. He realized he had been tricked.

"Is everyone full?"

But before Orochimaru could react, Tsunade looked at the others. Tatsuma quickly swallowed the barbecue in his mouth, took a big sip of his drink, nodded, and said, "Full!"

The others also nodded. Tsunade stood up and said, "Orochimaru, I'll take them back for training. Finish your meal and settle the bill, then catch up with us later!"

With those words, Tsunade briskly left, followed closely by Tatsuma and Minato. Kushina, who was still wiping her hands, hesitated for a moment but then continued at her own pace.

In the blink of an eye, only Nawaki remained. He was already prepared to leave but, seeing his sensei with a puzzled expression for the first time, Nawaki felt a bit embarrassed and explained, "My sister all our many away just before you got here. Sorry for your expenses, sensei."

After saying this, Nawaki also hurriedly left. Once Orochimaru snapped back to reality, he sighed. What an unfortunate encounter.

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