"Write a post-battle summary and submit it later," Orochimaru said as he applied medicine to Amemiya Kenichi's wounds, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
Kenichi lay sprawled on the ground, utterly drained. He could only manage a painful nod, every inch of his body throbbing.
Orochimaru hadn't held back. Though he hadn't aimed to kill, his blows had been brutally effective. Kenichi felt like he'd been taken apart and reassembled wrong, his bones grinding against each other.
It felt like his bones had been squeezed out of place, and he was now lying on top of them.
"But... at least... I managed to give Teacher some scratches," Kenichi muttered, slowly pulling himself up against a tree. A faint smile crept across his face as he noticed the bloodstains on Orochimaru's arm.
He'd never been able to trouble his teacher before. Now, finally, he had.
This must be growth, he thought.
The only downside was having to write a battle summary after every spar with his teacher.
"Kenichi, you don't need to come to the lab tomorrow. Take the day off," Orochimaru said, watching his disciple with satisfaction. He's got potential and a natural aptitude for experiments. This kid is a dream.
"Huh? Teacher, you... Ah, I see." Amemiya Kenichi was taken aback. It was rare to hear his teacher suggest taking a break, especially since Orochimaru was so dedicated to his experiments.
Kenichi even suspected that if it weren't for physical exhaustion, Orochimaru would probably spend his entire life holed up in the lab.
But then it clicked. Tomorrow was the beginning of the month, a busy time for Konoha Hospital. His teacher probably had something he wanted to do there.
"Mm," Orochimaru chuckled, pleased that his clever disciple had guessed his intentions.
After applying medicine to Kenichi's wounds, Orochimaru hurried off to finalize his plans for the next day.
After resting to ease his aches, Kenichi slowly made his way back. He still needed to write a battle report and refine his new Ninjutsu.
This battle had given Kenichi a major insight into Ninjutsu development. He now had fresh ideas to test, which would help him perfect the technique's execution.
"Oh right, I don't need to go to the lab tomorrow either," Amemiya Kenichi thought, recalling what his teacher had just told him. So what was he supposed to do tomorrow?
Just stay home and relax?
This was going to take some getting used to.
"Teacher, it's been a while," Orochimaru greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen with a smile the next morning at Konoha Hospital.
"Hmm, Orochimaru. Are you here for a check-up too?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had stepped down from his position as Hokage, took a puff of his pipe and glanced at his former student in surprise.
This was a rare sight. Ever since Sarutobi had supported Namikaze Minato's appointment as the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru hadn't visited him once.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't particularly surprised. He continued to focus on the village's affairs, and as for his former student, he only needed to know that Orochimaru was still in Konoha and seemed to have some connection with Danzo.
But Orochimaru definitely held a grudge against him.
So, seeing Orochimaru's smile now, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a flicker of unease, though he remained outwardly calm. He silently heightened his guard.
"Yes, I haven't been feeling quite myself lately, so I wanted to get checked out," Orochimaru said, his smile softening as he watched Sarutobi Hiruzen smoke.
How wonderful, Teacher. Smoke more, please, smoke even more.
"Hmm, staying in the shade too long isn't good either. People need sunlight. Look how energetic I am," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, giving his student a meaningful look.
"You're right, Teacher. I'd love to bask in the sun too, but alas, even great trees need strong roots," Orochimaru replied with a smile.
The hospital corridor fell silent.
Neither Orochimaru nor Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. Beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, Enma scratched his head, puzzled by the strange tension between his old friend and his student.
He sensed something amiss in their interaction, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took an agitated drag from his cigarette. He couldn't shake the feeling that Orochimaru harbored ill intentions, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what made him uneasy.
"Teacher, you should cut back on smoking. You're getting on in years, after all," Orochimaru said before his medical check-up, acting every bit the dutiful student.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt deeply uneasy. It was like a venomous snake smiling at you—even with that smile, the fear remained.
"Sarutobi," Enma said, looking at his old friend with concern.
"I'm fine," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, shaking his head. He then checked the shoulder Orochimaru had patted, finding nothing amiss.
Yet that nagging premonition lingered, casting a shadow over his mood.
"I feel strangely warm all over," Enma coughed, waving his hand dismissively at his friend. "How many times have I told you to quit smoking? You always end up with a sore throat."
"It's a hospital. Some Yang Chakra might leak when they use the Healing Palm Technique," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, unconcerned. He took another drag, finding the smoke helped him focus when deep in thought.
After pondering for a long time, Sarutobi Hiruzen found nothing amiss. Orochimaru hadn't used any Ninjutsu or left a Chakra mark on his shoulder.
Hiruzen could only conclude he was overthinking things.
"Kenichi." When Orochimaru found Amemiya Kenichi, the boy was training with Guy, which pleased him greatly.
A diligent and talented student was every teacher's dream.
"Teacher!" Kenichi straightened up immediately, twisting his waist. Even Guy, who had been doing handstand push-ups, quickly stood tall. After all, this was Orochimaru, one of the Three Great Sages.
"Hmm, want to grab some barbecue?" Orochimaru asked with a smile, arms crossed as he looked at Kenichi.
He noticed Guy beside them but paid little attention. The Eight Inner Gates technique had already been submitted to the village.
"Yes, Teacher! Sorry, Guy, I have to go now," Kenichi nodded eagerly. He didn't care about the barbecue itself—he just wanted to hear the gossip.
After all, he knew exactly what Orochimaru was up to today.
That's right, this is a quit-smoking novel.