Looking at Pakura with a smile, Aoshi wore a rather strange expression.
"What's wrong?" Being stared at like that made Pakura feel uncomfortable from head to toe. Is there something wrong with me?
After a brief pause, Aoshi spoke. "You always used to look so serious. I didn't expect you to look this good when you smile."
The moment the words left his mouth, Pakura rolled her eyes. "The way you say that makes it sound like I'm some kind of ancient fossil."
"Aren't you?" Aoshi shot back without hesitation.
"Think about it. You really don't smile much. Most of the time, you're wearing a stern expression."
Pakura found herself unable to refute him. Because… he wasn't wrong. Am I really that old-fashioned?
Pakura couldn't help but reflect inwardly.
"So you're clearly a beautiful woman—why don't you smile more often?"
Seeing that Aoshi was still pressing the issue, Pakura grew embarrassed and annoyed. She stepped forward and punched him lightly.
"You're never-ending, aren't you? I'm hungry. Let's go eat." With that, Pakura took the initiative and walked out of the conference room.
Unexpectedly, Aoshi followed behind her and added innocently, "I'm just telling the truth."
"You're still talking?!" After a bit of playful back-and-forth, the distance between Pakura and Aoshi subtly shortened.
Soon after, Aoshi brought Pakura to Yakiniku Q.
"Eat as much as you like. Tonight's on me."
"Then I'm really going to fleece you, you rich man!" Pakura replied without any restraint.
As she spoke, she deliberately ordered the most expensive dishes on the menu.
A ninja's appetite was far beyond that of ordinary people. Even if not everyone ate like Hinata, it was still significantly more than an average person.
However, Aoshi didn't care in the slightest. He even kept asking Pakura whether it was enough and if she wanted more.
With his current wealth, if this weren't the dangerous ninja world, he could have already retired and lived comfortably for several lifetimes.
That was money he couldn't possibly spend on it all.
After eating and drinking their fill, Aoshi escorted Pakura back to her lodging before turning to leave himself.
"Lady Pakura, are you and Lord Aoshi in a romantic relationship?"
The moment Pakura entered her accommodation, three young female Sand Shinobi surrounded her, firing questions nonstop.
Clearly, they had seen Aoshi escort her back.
"How could that be? We're just ordinary friends." Pakura retorted instinctively.
Yet for some reason, as a certain thought crossed her mind, her usually calm face flushed faintly.
"Lady Pakura is blushing! We've discovered the truth!"
With Pakura's strength and beauty, there had naturally been people in Sunagakure who pursued her.
But she had rejected every single one. Proud as she was, Pakura would never lower her standards for men weaker than herself.
And because of that single condition, almost no one in Sunagakure could meet her expectations.
After all, she was a Jōnin who possessed the Scorch Release kekkei genkai!
"Instead of gossiping here, you should spend more time cultivating. Don't embarrass the village during the Chūnin Exams."
Seeing Pakura's stern expression, the three young Sand Shinobi didn't dare linger any longer. Giggling, they quickly retreated back to their rooms.
---
"So this is Konoha. It really is much more prosperous than Amegakure."
Konan and the other two, who had just arrived from Amegakure, were visibly amazed as they entered the village.
They looked like country folk stepping into a grand city for the first time.
Unlike the previous Chūnin Exams, when nine people had participated, this time Amegakure had only sent Konan and the other two.
After learning their lesson last time, Amegakure had realized an important truth.
If your strength wasn't sufficient, sending more Genin was meaningless.
"How wonderful it would be if Amegakure could have scenery like this."
"It will happen. As long as we keep working hard, Amegakure will definitely become better in the future." The one who said this was Yahiko.
He had always loved peace and longed to change his homeland, the Land of Rain.
As the three chatted, Aoshi's figure appeared.
Normally, for a small ninja village like Amegakure, he wouldn't need to personally greet them. There were Konoha ninja specifically assigned to reception duties.
But this time, Amegakure had sent Konan and the other two.
With the intelligence provided by Puppet Kakuzu, Aoshi had long known they would be coming.
So he came to greet them personally.
Konan, who was very familiar with Aoshi's voice, reacted instantly and cried out in delighted surprise.
"Brother Aoshi!" At the same time, she rushed forward and threw herself straight into his arms.
Yahiko and Nagato snapped back to reality as well.
"Long time no see, Brother Aoshi!" Both of them shouted happily in unison.
With Konan clinging to his arm, Aoshi smiled warmly.
"Long time no see. To be chosen to represent Amegakure in the Chūnin Exams, it looks like you've all become excellent ninjas."
"And Konan—you've grown even more beautiful."
Aoshi's words made all three of them beam with happiness.
After a brief reunion, Aoshi led the three of them to the accommodations he had arranged in advance.
Once they had settled in, Konan eagerly spoke up. "I want to go shopping with Brother Aoshi. Yahiko, Nagato, do you want to come too?"
It was a rare visit to Konoha, and she didn't want to spend the next few days cooped up inside a small room.
Both Yahiko and Nagato nodded in agreement.
Thus, accompanied by Aoshi, the three of them began wandering through the streets of Konoha.
Everything they saw felt incredibly novel. As they strolled, the group arrived in front of Aoshi's company.
Yahiko asked in surprise, "Does Konoha also have movie theaters under Hirakawa Film Company?"
He had seen them in the Land of Rain before, but had never gone inside to watch a movie.
After living independently, the three of them didn't have extra money for such leisure. And even if they had, they likely wouldn't have spent it that way.
Because of this, none of them knew that Hirakawa Film Company actually belonged to Aoshi.
"Because it's my company," Aoshi explained.
"I see… it's your company, Brother Aoshi. Then that makes sense." Yahiko replied reflexively.
Suddenly, he froze, realizing something was off. He stopped and stared at Aoshi in shock. "Your company… Brother Aoshi?!"
It wasn't just Yahiko—Konan and Nagato reacted the same way.
It was no wonder they were stunned. After all, no one would ever imagine that a famous, large company belonged to someone they personally knew.
Even if that company carried the same surname.
They would simply assume it was a coincidence.
"Yes," Aoshi answered as though it were obvious.
"By the way, you haven't watched a movie yet, right? Since this is a rare chance, I'll treat you all today."
With that, Aoshi led the three of them into the movie theater.
"Hello, boss." The staff greeted him proactively the moment they saw him.
At that point, the three finally accepted that it was all real.
Aoshi hadn't been joking.
So this is what it means when your brother is ridiculously rich…
"So this is what a movie theater looks like."
Although still shocked by Aoshi's identity, the three quickly adjusted.
They took their seats excitedly, eagerly waiting for the movie to begin.
"Oh, and here—popcorn and cola. Essential items for watching a movie."
These two items didn't originally exist in the ninja world. Aoshi had recreated them from memories of his previous life after founding Hirakawa Film Company.
"Mmm, this popcorn is really delicious!" Konan exclaimed in surprise after taking the first bite.
She had never eaten anything like it before.
Hearing her reaction, Yahiko and Nagato tried some as well, nodding repeatedly in agreement. It really was delicious.
"Brother Aoshi, you eat too." As she spoke, Konan reached out and fed him a piece.
Aoshi didn't refuse and opened his mouth to accept it.
Then, the lights in the theater dimmed, and the movie began.
The three quickly became absorbed.
It was a recently released film and a high-quality production, earning rave reviews.
While the four of them enjoyed the movie…
---
Orochimaru's research base.
Orochimaru, who had been fully immersed in his research, finally emerged from the laboratory.
"Achieving immortality through the soul is the correct direction, but the difficulties are immense."
The ninja world was not without techniques related to the soul.
For example, the Impure World Reincarnation involved the soul, and Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique allowed the user's soul to leave the body and invade another to attack.
But all such techniques were S-rank forbidden jutsu.
It was obvious that in the ninja world, any ninjutsu involving the soul belonged to an extremely high-level domain.
Ordinary people simply could not comprehend it.
Only top-tier scientific minds like Orochimaru could even begin to research it.
Even so, meaningful results could not be achieved in a short time.
Because it was such an advanced field, he had no assistants capable of helping him.
Of course, given that it involved the secret of immortality, Orochimaru had no intention of seeking help anyway.
In the original timeline, only Kabuto Yakushi—exceptionally talented and absolutely loyal—was qualified to assist him.
"The Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu… no matter what, I must complete this technique."
After this period of intense research, Orochimaru already had a preliminary framework for his immortality jutsu.
He had officially named it: the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu.
If he hadn't encountered a bottleneck, he wouldn't have stepped out of the laboratory at all.
"Speaking of which, the Chūnin Exams are about to begin."
Standing outside the research base, Orochimaru squinted into the sunlight, his expression sinister.
He looked like a venomous snake watching its prey. He hadn't forgotten his deal with Danzo.
During this time, Danzo had repeatedly sent Aburame Ryōma to press him, asking when he would take action.
But Orochimaru had brushed him off with excuse after excuse.
"Perfect. I'll use this opportunity to thoroughly test Aoshi-kun's true capabilities."
"And at the same time, I can test the power of Edo Tensei."
"I hope Aoshi-kun doesn't disappoint me." As his voice faded, Orochimaru's figure vanished without a trace.