Hiruko, ignoring his outburst, turned to Orochimaru. "So what do you think our C-rank mission will be?" Hiruko asked, genuinely curious about Orochimaru's opinion.
Orochimaru, thinking for a few moments, responded back in his usual hoarse voice, "I can't say for sure, but since Sensei hinted that he would be coming with us, I assume a mission that won't take him away from his duties for more than a few days, so maybe an escort." Orochimaru said, unsure, there were many probable missions they could do; they'd just have to wait and see to be sure.
Hiruko, understanding this, nodded slightly, taking another bite of his ramen.
Orochimaru, feeling the conversation going quiet, spoke up, wanting to talk to Hiruko more since this was one of the only times Hiruko wasn't surrounded by others.
So he started talking about the only topic he supposed he and Hiruko would understand, which is Jutsu.
He heard from an annoyed Tsunade a while back that Hiruko had already learned his Jutsu but only lacked control of it, while he was only on the first stage, which was chakra mobilization, meaning Hiruko has to have some talent in Jutsu.
"Hiruko, what's your opinion on Jutsu?" Orochimaru asked simply.
Hiruko, hearing this question, smiled internally; it seemed he was getting somewhere with this quiet snake.
Thinking about the question for a bit, Hiruko responded, "I think jutsu are powerful tools that are the keys to many things." Hiruko said though he was not well versed in Jutsu since their intricacies weren't as built upon in the anime as things like the Sharingan, giving him less to work with, he still understood the importance of Jutsu.
That's why he never neglected them despite his Devil Fruits. Jutsu allows one to manipulate space, perception, and so much more; they are the keys to accessing so many aspects.
Orochimaru, hearing this, liked Hiruko's answer despite it lacking depth. Hiruko, like him, knew Jutsu was the key to everything. They alone held the answers to concepts like space, reality, and even death.
Orochimaru, who likes having a partner to talk about and understand these things with, couldn't help but imagine him and Hiruko creating Jutsu together and talking about them.
But in order to reach that, he'd need to expand Hiruko's knowledge.
"Hiruko I have this book on understanding the principles behind Jutsu and Chakra at my house. It was even written by the Second Hokage. Maybe… I could come over tomorrow after our mission, and we could… look at it together and discuss Jutsu." Orochimaru said his hoarse voice held a hint of fear at how Hiruko would react.
Hiruko, sitting there for a few tense moments, broke out into a smile. "See, Orochimaru, I told you if you want to hang out, just ask, and I'd love to. After our mission, you can come back with me and Tsunade. Plus I also have a B-rank Jutsu you could look at," Hiruko said, planning to let Orochimaru and eventually Tsunade also learn the Jutsu he got from Naori.
As for Jiraiya, he needed to first get enough chakra control to learn his first elemental jutsu.
—
Hiruko, now back at the estate, was walking to the basement led by Chigiri to the clan's armory. While walking, silence permeated the air, and Hiruko, whose mind was someplace else, was very fidgety.
Chigiri, seeing this, could only sigh, "What's wrong, young master?" Chigiri asked with her usual emotionless voice, though if one looked closely, they could tell it held worry.
"It's worrying me how long Mom and the others have been gone for and that 4 of the strongest people I know had to go to the Hokage's office due to me," Hiruko said honestly, worried somewhat evident in his voice.
Mito, Arata, Yuri, and Ken decided to use this opportunity to reveal the reason for his sudden heal now that Hiruko was outed to the higher echelons of the village.
All went to the Hokage's office at once, which slightly worried Hiruko that there was a problem that warranted that show of force.
Chigiri, hearing, responded still emotionlessly. "Don't worry, young master. Lady Mito was enough of a deterrent; it's just the other three, when catching wind of it, insisted on going, constantly pestering Lady Mito. And like you said, they are currently some of the strongest in the village; there's no need to worry," Chigiri said, but though she meant every word she said to avoid causing worry to her young master, she didn't mention the Hyuga and advisors also got involved.
This wasn't the weight a child should bear, especially when it was because of a good deed like saving a life.
Hiruko hearing this calmed down a bit, but the worry about his family wouldn't fully disappear.
As the two arrived at the armory, which was protected by a chakra-recognizing seal attuned to only let in those from the family.
Chigiri, standing by the door, was met by a question from Hiruko. "You're not coming with?" Hiruko asked, slightly confused.
Chigiri, shaking her head, said, "No, young master, I prefer not to enter the family facilities unless necessary, but simply put your hand on the door and eject some chakra, and it'll open."
Hiruko, though confused and wanting to ask some questions, decided against it and walked toward the door, raising his left hand and touching it while ejecting some chakra.
The door sensing one of its owners' chakra opened abruptly to a large dusty room that was lined with weapons and items on every wall, and hundreds of crates that housed kunai, senbon, and shuriken sat in the middle, stacked.
Hiruko, taking in the scenery, first walked over to the crates. After eyeballing each crate, which held about 150 of each tool, Hiruko opted to take two of each tool.
After picking them up and pushing them toward the door, Hiruko then went to check out the various items and weapons.
Waking around looking at the various walls, Hiruko saw things he could only imagine while watching the anime.
He saw Hashirama's red and battered battle armor that he wore during the Valley of the End battle. It stood as an armor that stood as imposing as the person who made it.
Hiruko looking at it saw the initials AM on the red shoulder pads. Hiruko's mind wandered to a certain old man he met a few months back.
'Al' He thought as he admired the craftsmanship before moving onto the next artifact that caught his eye. Looking on the left wall, he saw the famed 'Thunder God Sword' used by Tobirama Senju; under it was a small table that held a scroll.
It was purely a gray hilt not yet activated but still radiated power. Hiruko honestly considered taking it, but since he didn't have the inherent nature and had no plans on training in it, he decided against it.
"Maybe one day," Hiruko said more to himself as he picked up the scroll, unsealing and unfurling it.
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S: Do you guys care or want to see the whole situation with Mito, Arata,Yuri and Ken talking with the Hokage, his advisors, and the Hyūga. Because not much will happen other than what is inferred I think. 🤔