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At the Uchiha Household
The reason there were only three voices at the table was that Itachi, ever mindful of his image, chose not to sit directly with the three younger ones.
"I didn't expect Kakashi-senpai to be so skilled at cooking," Itachi remarked, sipping the soup with a rare, genuine smile.
"I had to learn during my time alone," Kakashi replied, ladling more soup into his bowl. "I'm glad you like it."
Naruto slurped the hot broth, grinning. "I think if Brother Itachi used his Mangekyō Sharingan to cook an omelette, it'd probably be amazing!"
Sasuke glared at him. "What kind of idiot uses a Mangekyō Sharingan for cooking?!"
Itachi, however, smiled indulgently. "Haha, maybe I'll give it a try once I've fully recovered."
Sasuke stared in disbelief at his older brother. "Brother! You're supposed to be on my side!"
Naruto suddenly brightened with a bold idea. "Listen, there's a giant island turtle in Kumogakure. When it lays eggs, let's steal one! With my Flying Thunder God Technique, it'd be a breeze. We can use Amaterasu as a heat source, toad oil from Mount Myōboku as cooking oil, and the Yata Mirror as a frying pan…"
Naruto rambled on, visualizing the entire process, even imagining the colossal egg being enough to feed the entire village and, of course, Hinata.
Itachi chuckled, playing along. "If you need a spatula, I still have the Totsuka Blade."
Sakura, horrified yet unable to resist the absurdity, imagined Itachi in his red Susanoo, holding a shield as a frying pan, Amaterasu flames blazing underneath as he cooked the giant egg.
"I'll help crack the eggshells to keep it clean," Sakura offered, raising her hand enthusiastically. Then she asked the "critical" question: "But what if the island turtle doesn't lay eggs?"
Sasuke, against his better judgment, analyzed the scenario seriously. "If it refuses, we could use my brother's Tsukuyomi to convince it."
Naruto smirked. "So you admit that you're the most useless one here, Sasuke. From prep work to cooking, you contribute nothing."
Sasuke's eye twitched. "We're not done with this!"
Naruto pointed at Sasuke's bowl. "Your soup is about to spill."
"Oh." Sasuke hastily sat up straight, muttering in annoyance. "Sluurp… ha!"
Seeing Sasuke smile again, Naruto nodded to himself. Cooking really does bring people together.
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Orochimaru's Lab
Guren walked into Orochimaru's dimly lit laboratory, her face grim. "Lord Orochimaru, both Shinno and Hiruko have failed."
Orochimaru, focused on his current experiment, barely spared her a glance. "Their arrogance always outweighed their achievements. Staged progress, and yet they thought themselves invincible."
Continuing his work, he asked, "Did you manage to retrieve anything useful?"
Guren lowered her head. "I collected samples of Shinno's hair and blood, but as for Hiruko… there was nothing left. Only scorched ground. I did see something strange a massive, ferocious thunder dragon, and… a red giant, but it vanished almost instantly."
Orochimaru's interest was piqued for a moment, his sharp eyes glinting. "A red giant? Some unique and powerful ninjutsu, perhaps?"
His curiosity lingered briefly before he returned to his experiment, sealing his current work with precision. "No matter. There are more pressing matters to address. The preparations are complete."
A group of unconscious animals lay on the operating table. Orochimaru performed a sequence of hand seals, and an ominous chakra enveloped the room.
The animals writhed as their bodies softened, merging grotesquely into a single entity.
When the transformation finished, the creature stood a monstrous amalgamation of features: a tiger's head, deer-like antlers, a serpent's neck, eagle talons, a donkey's tail, and wings sprouting from its back. It bared razor-sharp teeth at Orochimaru, roaring with fury.
"Fascinating." Orochimaru's voice dripped with excitement. "It worked. Combining the traits of multiple creatures into one being… this is far beyond simple grafting techniques."
The beast lunged at Orochimaru, its speed and power astonishing. Guren gasped, frozen in shock as the monster slammed into him, seemingly tearing out his throat.
"Lord Orochimaru!" Guren screamed. She formed red crystal shuriken and hurled them at the beast. However, the creature shattered the projectiles with its antlers and turned its menacing gaze toward her.
Before it could attack, Orochimaru's voice rang out calmly. "Stop."
From the 'corpse' on the ground, dozens of serpents emerged, coiling around the monster and binding its limbs. Moments later, Orochimaru's true form slithered out from the remains of his body, shedding his skin like a cicada.
Guren exhaled shakily. "Lord Orochimaru… I thought—"
"Such reckless anger," Orochimaru mused, ignoring her. His serpentine tongue flicked across his face as he approached the restrained creature. "Its speed and strength surpass the original components. Now, let's see how its cells differ from ordinary animals…"
The beast's eyes widened in terror as Orochimaru leaned closer, his fascination growing with every observation. "It appears to have retained some level of intelligence… perhaps even its soul. But is it one unified soul or the combined essence of the five creatures?"
The monster roared again, but its defiance only deepened Orochimaru's twisted delight.
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