After carefully examining Kano, Tsunade silently walked towards Orochimaru, confusion and surprise visible in her beautiful eyes.
Kano only heard her words about the activity of the cells, after which his gaze froze, and he was immersed in the memories of the recent scene: the palm emitting a green glow, and the man with snakes emerging from his sleeves. All this left a huge impression on him. He had every reason to believe that this was only a small part of what this world could tell, and that even more incredible and incomprehensible things awaited him in the future.
It seems... he has entered an amazing world.
"Orochimaru, come with me," Tsunade said quietly as she walked past Orochimaru.
The corners of Orochimaru's lips curled up into a smile. It seemed that this child was truly unusual. He glanced at the frozen Kano, and then followed Tsunade a short distance away.
Kano, awakening from his thoughts, saw only their backs retreating into the darkness. He did not attach any importance to this and, propping his head up with his hand, began to think about the future.
The first is to understand this world. The second is to gain the power to ensure its survival. The third is to find a way to return.
After seeing Tsunade and Orochimaru's inhuman abilities, he thought that maybe there was a way to return to Earth. This thought gave him hope and made his heart beat faster.
He must return... Remembering Koshibe, left to die in the hospital, Kano was ready to reach the heavens, just to return to Earth.
Clenching his fists tightly, he suppressed his excitement and tried to calm down. He didn't want to show these two monsters his true feelings. Now he needed to gain their trust, gradually learn about this world, and then learn how to use these unknown abilities.
Kano stared at the fire, then unclenched his fists. Tsunade and Orochimaru's departure would have given him a perfect opportunity to escape. And if he had no goal, he would probably have immediately fled. However...
"Tsunade… Orochimaru…" Kano whispered, his gaze wandering absentmindedly around the area.
Krr! - a cracking sound suddenly rang out in the darkness, as if someone had stepped on a dry branch.
Kano instantly focused his gaze and, turning his head slightly, looked in the direction of the sound, pretending that he didn't care what was going on there.
Tsunade and Orochimaru emerged from the darkness. Their expressions were different: Orochimaru's cold indifference was mixed with slight excitement, while Tsunade's expression seemed to hide anxiety behind her impassive expression.
Kano didn't know what they were doing and wisely didn't ask.
This night passed in silence...
A week later. Konoha. Hokage's residence.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in his prime, sat in thought. Tsunade and Orochimaru stood in front of his simple desk. As for Kano, he had been temporarily stationed elsewhere after returning to Konoha. Whether he would be able to stay was still an open question.
After some time, looking at his stubborn students, Hiruzen said in a serious tone, "Even though the war has temporarily stopped, we cannot accept strangers from other villages, because the war could resume at any moment."
Having said this, he frowned...
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade...
His three students showed themselves very well, especially during this war. However, the war had just ended, Jiraiya was left to take care of the war orphans during this difficult time, and his most capable student, Orochimaru, brought a child left without parents to the village, and Tsunade not only did not object, but also silently supported his decision.
Hiruzen had not yet seen the child, but regardless of whether he had a special Kekkei Genkai or some other ability, he had a hard time deciding to leave him in the village. After all, in such turbulent times, even a small child could be an enemy spy.
"He must stay," Orochimaru stated firmly, which was incomprehensible to Hiruzen. Was this child really something special?
Tsunade, who stood next to him, remained silent. She had not spoken a word since she had entered the office, and it seemed she had no intention of speaking any further.
"You must understand the risk this entails." Hiruzen's eyebrows rose slightly. He tapped his finger on the table and continued, "Right now, we must eliminate any unforeseen circumstances."
In fact, even if he had agreed to keep the child, the Root hiding in the darkness would clearly not have allowed it, unless...
Orochimaru showed no emotion at Hiruzen's firm refusal and calmly replied, "Are the Anbu really that incompetent that even a child who can't control chakra can be a problem for them?"
Hiruzen's gaze changed and he asked seriously, "So what is so special about this child that you are so insistent on him staying?"
"In the future, it may grow into a mighty tree!" Orochimaru replied.
Hearing this, Hiruzen silently looked at his student. If he really became a mighty tree, would he protect Konoha or just suck the life out of it?
He only thought about it briefly, without going into further thought, because he considered it impossible. So…
"He can stay, but the interrogation department needs to check his memory."
Orochimaru froze, and then, without hesitation, agreed to this condition. At such a young age, and without the ability to control chakra, a memory test could lead to two outcomes.
The first was that Kano would become mentally retarded. The second was that he would lose all of his memories. And given his condition, the first option was more likely. If he became mentally retarded that easily, there was no point in leaving him. If he lost all of his memories, that would be a good thing, since it would allow him to start a new life in Konoha, which would probably be the best outcome. Orochimaru was willing to accept either of those options. And frankly, if there was another, third option… he would have preferred to avoid it.
Tsunade, hearing this, flinched slightly, but remained silent.
Orochimaru, you...
Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru closely and made his final decision.
Meanwhile, Kano himself, who was eating his food with gusto, knew nothing about this.