Of course, at first the jonin thought that the second heir of Nara wanted to buy him with new knowledge and money, as it had happened in his time with the head of Anbu Ne, who skillfully played on the contradictions of teacher and student, but a few moments later, dismissed the suspicions that arose, even though he continued to skillfully play doubt.
No sane shinobi would even dream of such a success, let alone share the results with anyone, because it was a direct road to the coveted goal of Orochimaru's research - to achieve immortality.
And the conversation that followed had only strengthened him in that thought, making him take Ryo-kun's offer seriously. Knowledge, vast sums of money, exclusive seals, and no demands, no conditions, just to do what he loved with a talented shinobi who was almost as obsessed with science? Nara had bought the serpent sannin's loyalty with his guts, even if he didn't recognize it.
A measly three and five million ryo a year from greedy old men, for whom one had to hump on stinking, unpaid missions, write reports on every expenditure, and put up with their demands for demonstrable research results, looked like a real mockery against this background.
Orochimaru didn't hesitate for a second in accepting Nara's so generous offer, not even sparing one of his personal appeals, especially since the promised money was supposed to ship with him today.
A quiet hissing sound caused the jonin to pull himself away from his musings and glance down. When the shinobi's attention was drawn to her, the small, spotted, elbow-length black and green snake opened its mouth very wide, then spat out a scroll twice its size and disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
With a grin and a shake of his head - Siisha was always businesslike and had no patience for wasted time - the sannin picked up the scroll and spread it out on the table.
A small pulse of chakra to the seal and Orochimaru was dazzled by the light of the lamps, reflected from a veritable mountain of gold bars, plates and sticks branded with the central bank of Ho no Kuni, appearing in puffs of smoke on the paper.
Looking at all this wealth, there was no doubt that there would be fifty million ryo here. Allowing himself to admire the money for a bit, Orochimaru hastily sealed the gold and swallowed the scroll for safekeeping. Another proof of the truth of the alliance he had made with Ryo Nara could not be expected.
- Koo-koo-koo, it looks like I'm in for some interesting times ahead," the jonin laughed.
And contrary to his earlier plans, he did not deny himself the pleasure of putting the existing business for later and walked to his favorite cafe, where they served delicious cakes with excellent green tea. Such a good day was worth celebrating.
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