Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 67 The Domineering Senior Brother

After buying the wine and arriving at Orochimaru's residence, Uchiha Gen discovered that Orochimaru was not there at all. Without any ceremony, he climbed through the window and entered, then found a place to sit down and silently refine his chakra.

About half an hour later, Uchiha Gen heard a noise outside and opened the door to find Anko had arrived.

Where is the teacher?

"Not here."

"Sigh, I never expected the teacher to be rejected. It's such a surprise!"

Anko followed Uchiha Gen into the house, then plopped down, looking dejected and sounding dejected.

"Even if I can't become a Hokage's disciple, it doesn't have to be this bad, does it?" Uchiha Gen said calmly.

"Hey, that's a disciple of the Hokage."

Seeing Uchiha Gen's calm demeanor, Anko became displeased and sat up straight, emphasizing her point.

"Then I suggest you become Minato-senpai's disciple. With Orochimaru-sensei's abilities, he should be able to make it work."

"No, I don't want to."

Red Bean shook her head like a rattle-drum, saying that continuing to be her teacher's disciple was more important than becoming the Hokage's disciple.

"Alright, let's go to the market and buy some things before Orochimaru-sensei comes back."

"You can cook?" Hongdou looked incredulous.

There are indeed not many men in this world who can cook.

"What do you think?" Uchiha Gen rolled his eyes.

"That's true, you're like me..."

"What should we cook tonight?"

Uchiha Gen stroked his chin and said, "I heard Orochimaru-sensei likes eggs. How about I make oden tonight?"

"Okay, okay."

Red Bean is also quite thick-skinned; she was just feeling dejected, but now, thinking about delicious food, she can't help but swallow her saliva and get lost in her fantasies.

"Let's go."

"Um."

The two of them went to the nearby farmers' market, shops, and supermarkets to buy ingredients, and then started working on it after they returned.

Hongdou can cook, but because of her personality, her technique is too rough, and the taste is only so-so. However, she's still good at helping out.

Around 7:30 p.m., Orochimaru, who had just finished talking with Danzo, emerged from the ground in the yard. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the lights on in his house, then seemed to remember something and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Orochimaru opened the door and went inside.

"Teacher, you're back."

Hearing the noise, Hongdou rushed out of the kitchen and greeted them enthusiastically.

"Um."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, then, noticing another figure in the kitchen, asked with some surprise, "Gen is here too?"

"Yes, Xuan is making oden. He also bought a lot of eggs, which you like, so we can eat soon."

Orochimaru felt a warmth in his heart, but on the surface he said calmly, "You are very kind."

Ten minutes later, the three of them sat down together in the dining room to eat. On the table was a steaming bowl of oden, with four compartments for cooking eggs, green vegetables, meat, and mushrooms.

"Orochimaru-sensei, would you like some?"

Uchiha Gen unscrewed the cap of the wine bottle and raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment.

Orochimaru hesitated for a moment before nodding.

He doesn't like drinking because alcohol affects his calmness and rationality, but today is a special day, so he can have a drink.

His teacher's unexpected behavior truly disappointed him. All these years, he had risked his life for Konoha, surviving countless battles, but what did he amount to?

"Do you want a drink too?"

While enjoying her meal, Anko noticed that Uchiha Gen had poured wine for his teacher and then poured some for herself, and she looked surprised.

"What, you have a problem with that?" Uchiha Gen glanced at Anko indifferently.

"No, you're not an adult yet, and alcohol is one of the three forbidden things for ninjas."

"So what?"

"Red Bean, rules are sometimes very important, and sometimes they are worthless."

"When are you worthless?"

"When I'm unwilling to comply," Uchiha Gen said calmly.

Senior brother, that's so cool!

Hongdou sighed inwardly, then secretly glanced at her teacher. Seeing that her teacher didn't say anything, she mustered up her courage and said, "I want to drink too."

Uchiha Gen looked at Orochimaru.

"It's fine to have a drink occasionally; sometimes the rules really are worthless."

After saying that, Orochimaru picked up his wine glass, took a sip, picked up his chopsticks to pick up an egg, and swallowed it whole without chewing, just like a snake.

Upon hearing this, Genya Uchiha poured a cup for Anko.

"Come on, let's have a toast together, then it's up to you," said Uchiha Gen, raising his glass.

Clink! The three men's glasses clinked together on the steaming pot, producing a crisp, pleasant sound, and then they each began to drink.

Tsk tsk tsk... Hongdou smacked her lips. Although it couldn't compare to sweets, it tasted pretty good.

The three then ate, drank, and chatted together. During the meal, Anko offered some words of comfort to Orochimaru, who did not reply but simply nodded slightly.

Uchiha Gen didn't say anything to comfort him, because he knew Orochimaru didn't need it.

Anko's understanding of Orochimaru was only superficial; the Hokage position wasn't as important to Orochimaru as she imagined.

Halfway through the oden, Hongdou was already feeling tipsy.

Wine doesn't feel like a thirst-quenching beverage when you drink it, but the aftereffects are overwhelming.

After settling the somewhat drunken Anko in the guest room upstairs, Uchiha Gen returned to the dining room and sat down again.

"Orochimaru-sensei, I need your help with something."

"explain."

Ding! Orochimaru picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Uchiha Gen's. A strange blush appeared on his pale, bloodless face, like the blush on a paper doll.

"I'd like to purchase a batch of research equipment. You must have some connections, right?"

To understand the evolutionary nature of the Sharingan, professional research equipment is essential. Even with the ability to see through the Byakugan, observation is not comprehensive or precise enough.

What kind of research equipment are you looking to purchase?

"Research equipment capable of comprehensively observing and detecting various data of the human body."

"You want to conduct human experiments?"

Orochimaru swirled his crimson wine glass, his expression a half-smile, which, combined with the faint blush on his pale face, made him appear quite eerie.

"Yes, I want to verify one of my conjectures."

Uchiha Gen never intended to hide it from Orochimaru, nor could he. With Orochimaru's research experience, he could deduce the general research direction just by looking at the experimental equipment.

"Then you'd better be careful not to get discovered by others, otherwise you'll only have one path left: to become a rogue ninja."

"Teacher, you are different. My research project is covered up by research projects assigned by the higher-ups in Konoha."

"It's not easy to be discovered, and even if it is, there are excuses and higher-ups to handle the aftermath."

"Unless... I myself want to leave Konoha, no one can force me..."

At this point, Orochimaru seemed to be lost in thought, as if something had occurred to him.

"Okay, teacher, I'll be careful."

Seeing this, Uchiha Gen's heart stirred, and he cautiously probed, "Teacher, are you considering leaving Konoha?"

Orochimaru looked at this like-minded disciple...

The disciple before him probably knew him better than Tsunade, Jiraiya, and their teacher. There were very few secrets between them, and they knew each other's true nature.

"Um."

"Since I can't become Hokage, there's not much point in staying in Konoha. In fact, it would restrict my experimental research, especially after the Fourth Hokage came to power."

"Given the Fourth Hokage's style of doing things, he would never allow Danzo to conduct various experiments with impunity, and the funding would inevitably be reduced significantly."

"My experimental research will also be greatly affected."

"In that case, it's better to sever ties with Konoha and find a place where I can conduct experiments and research at will..."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gen was startled, and a certain conjecture arose in his mind.

(End of this chapter)