"Earth Style - Tremor Core!"
Orochimaru placed his hand on the ground, repairing the deep pit left by the Nine-Tails' earlier attack. He felt the chakra flowing much more smoothly than before when releasing his ninjutsu, and the smile on his lips never faded.
"Hey! Orochimaru!"
"What's going on with you? You've been smiling non-stop since you sealed the Zero-Tails. Has the Zero-Tails' dark chakra fried your brain?"
Tsunade walked up to Orochimaru and asked casually, as if unconcerned, while glancing sideways at him.
Orochimaru turned his head and stared into her eyes, his smile widening.
"Tsunade, you're worried about me!"
Tsunade's heart fluttered, and she quickly averted Orochimaru's gaze, stammering, "I... I..."
"Who said I'm worried about you?"
"I'm just worried that if your brain goes wrong, Jilaiya and I will lose a reliable partner!"
Orochimaru was taken aback. He sensed the shyness emanating from the depths of Tsunade's heart and realized he had unintentionally flirted with her. Coughing awkwardly, Orochimaru gently shook his head and said with a serious expression,
"Ahem..."
"Tsunade, what I mean is, your current emotion is worry!"
"What are you thinking about?"
Tsunade's face immediately turned red. She gritted her teeth, huffed, and turned away.
Uzumaki Mito watched with a smile as Tsunade, blushing, came to her side and gently patted her back.
"Orochimaru, did it succeed?"
Orochimaru nodded lightly and replied with a smile,
"Although it will take some time to sense others' inner emotions, overall, it's a success!"
"For example, right now..."
Orochimaru took two steps forward, approaching Uzumaki Mito. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then shook his head with a hint of regret.
"It's just a shame. Perhaps because the Zero-Tails' consciousness was devoured by the Nine-Tails, the ability to absorb negative emotions to strengthen chakra wasn't inherited either."
"I can't sense any hatred or malice from the Nine-Tails' depths within you now!"
Uzumaki Mito blinked for a moment, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Heh!"
"Finally, there's something you don't know, is there?"
"Grandma won't tell you, so you'll have to guess it yourself!"
After a little playful trickery, as a way to retaliate for Orochimaru and the Nine-Tails treating her like a tool, Uzumaki Mito sighed and took Orochimaru's hand, patting it gently.
"Don't be discouraged. You've only just become the Zero-Tails'... hmm..."
"Jinchuriki?"
"Let's call you a Jinchuriki then!"
"It might take some time to adapt."
"Perhaps one day you'll be able to absorb others' emotions like the Zero-Tails and become stronger?"
Orochimaru nodded in agreement, filled with gratitude for the kind elder.
"Thank you, Grandma Mito!"
Uzumaki Mito smiled, waved her hand, and dispelled the shadow clones maintaining the Four Symbols Seal. The usual bustling sounds of Konoha Village faintly drifted into the courtyard.
"Grandma Mito, thank you for your trouble today. Please rest early. I still need to go back and familiarize myself with the new power I've gained."
"I'll come to see you again later!"
Orochimaru righted the table and wooden stools that had been blown over by the Nine-Tails' chakra. He helped Uzumaki Mito sit down, bowed slightly, and prepared to leave.
Uzumaki Mito glared at him and huffed with displeasure.
"Hmph!"
"Grandma knew it. You children only care about knowledge and getting stronger, and nothing else."
"You haven't visited Grandma for so long, and now that you've benefited, you want to leave. This is really unacceptable!"
Orochimaru hung his head awkwardly, unsure how to respond to the elder.
Tsunade watched with schadenfreude from the side until she was glared at by Uzumaki Mito.
"What are you laughing at?"
"You're no better than Orochimaru! Except when you're out of money, you know to come home. You don't spend as much time with Grandma as Nawaki and Kushina do."
Tsunade plastered on a smile and sidled up to Uzumaki Mito.
"Heh heh, Grandma, I'm usually busy on missions, so of course I can't compare to those two little ones who are still studying in the village!"
"But I swear, when I visit Grandma, it's definitely not to ask for money!"
Hearing Tsunade say something she herself didn't believe, Uzumaki Mito couldn't help but laugh out loud. She impatiently slapped away Tsunade's hand and took out a sealing scroll from her怀.
"If that's the case, then Grandma's prepared money will go to Orochimaru?"
As she spoke, Uzumaki Mito handed the scroll towards Orochimaru.
Tsunade's eyes lit up with gold. With a whoosh, she leaped up, snatched the scroll, and fled into the distance.
"Grandma, I'm your granddaughter!"
Uzumaki Mito looked at the embarrassed Orochimaru and waved her hand dismissively.
"It's all the same!"
"I prefer it when Orochimaru calls me Grandma!"
Orochimaru gave a helpless wry smile and was about to say something to ease the awkward situation.
Suddenly, the dark chakra sealed within him trembled. A faint fluctuation entered Orochimaru's body from the outside. The sealed dark chakra grew imperceptibly.
Orochimaru's expression changed dramatically. He turned around sharply and met Tsunade's eyes, filled with resentment and anger.
"The power of angry emotions..."
"Even such a mild form of anger can be converted into chakra. If the Zero-Tails hadn't been sealed by the Sage of Six Paths back then, the ninja world would probably have fallen into darkness by now!"
Orochimaru marveled internally, then was overwhelmed by the immense joy.
"So the dark chakra's ability to absorb negative emotions hasn't disappeared. It's just that for some reason, it can't absorb the Nine-Tails' power."
"This is truly..."
"All the plans for today have now been perfectly realized!"
With the foundation for becoming stronger firmly established, Orochimaru was lost in the contemplation of his future.
Seeing Orochimaru distracted and Tsunade completely ignoring her, Uzumaki Mito waved her hand helplessly.
"Go, go!"
"All of you, go attend to your own matters!"
"This old lady wants some peace and quiet!"
Uzumaki Mito no longer paid attention to them and walked towards the house.
Compared to these two grown children, the little girl still sleeping in the room clearly needed her care more. Come to think of it, she still didn't know the little girl's name!
When she wakes up, she'll have to ask properly!
Seeing Uzumaki Mito enter the house, Tsunade stomped a few steps to Orochimaru and, with a displeased look, grabbed his collar.
"Orochimaru, that's my grandmother, do you hear me?"
"Don't think that just because Grandma likes you, you can take advantage of me!"
Orochimaru was stunned by Tsunade's sudden action. He squinted at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
He gently pried Tsunade's fingers off his clothes, then patted her shoulder. Sensing the continuous flow of anger and a hint of shyness from Tsunade, which then converted into steadily increasing dark chakra, he said with a smile,
"Tsunade, Grandma already said!"
"She really likes it when I call her Grandma!"
Ignoring Tsunade's almost exploding expression, Orochimaru continued to test the boundaries of death.
"As a junior, I truly cannot refuse an elder's request."
"Relax, I have no intention of taking advantage of you!"
"And besides..."
He glanced at Tsunade's unremarkable chest directly in front of him and said earnestly,
"I'm not very interested in men!"
Tsunade felt her mind buzz, and her entire being ignited.
"Orochimaru, I'll kill you!"
The entire Senju compound was instantly thrown into chaos.