Bonus Chapter, drop more PS.
*****
What would Orochimaru do to Tsunade now?
That's just absurd.
First of all, both of them are only thirteen years old.
And Tsunade, having just lost her parents recently, couldn't possibly be in the mood for anything romantic.
Besides, their relationship hasn't developed to that level, and there's no way Tsunade would make a move on Orochimaru!
As for Orochimaru, while he doesn't have an aversion to women, he certainly isn't thinking about an underaged, flat-chested girl.
So, that night, they really just sat on the bed and talked.
From their backgrounds and life goals to the political structure of the ninja world.
Of course, Tsunade, being relatively unaware of the situation in other villages, only listened while Orochimaru talked casually about a few things.
But even these offhand remarks left her deeply impressed.
How could Orochimaru know so much about the political landscape of other nations? After all, their missions only ever took them to small countries, and no one ever discussed this with him.
Yet, for some reason, she didn't question it.
In her eyes, Orochimaru was now something close to a genius.
It almost seemed natural to her that Orochimaru would know this stuff.
Sometimes she even caught herself daydreaming.
***
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the window, giving the room a fresh, airy feel.
Jiraiya yawned, lazily scratched his head, and got up from the bed.
"Man, why does Orochimaru always go off on his own during missions?"
Grumbling to himself, he got dressed, washed up, and headed out of his room.
"Let's see if that guy's back yet…"
Their mission was wrapping up soon, so he wanted to check if Orochimaru had returned.
But as he stepped out of his room, the sight before him left him stunned.
Moments later, Jiraiya's voice echoed through the entire hotel.
"AHHH..."
"Why? Why is this happening?"
"Tsunade! Why did you come out of Orochimaru's room?"
"Why? Why? What were you two doing behind my back last night?"
"This can't be real, it just can't be!"
"I must be dreaming. Yeah, that's it, I'm definitely dreaming."
Jiraiya shouted as he slapped himself, as if trying to wake up.
Because what he saw was Tsunade stepping out of Orochimaru's room.
Not only that, but she had actually spent the night in his room!
And to top it off, Orochimaru also walked out right after her, which only added to the shock.
They're only thirteen! How could they already be sharing a room?
It's over. My only shot is gone.
"Tsunade!"
Hearing Jiraiya's wild yelling, Tsunade instantly understood what the idiot was imagining. Her face twisted with anger, and she balled up her fists.
"You moron! What's going on in that stupid head of yours?! You're dead!"
WHAM!
Without any hesitation, she punched Jiraiya square in the face, sending him flying before he even had a chance to react.
As Jiraiya's screams echoed in the distance, Orochimaru calmly remarked, "Tsunade, you should probably avoid coming out of my room in the morning. People might get the wrong idea."
"Huh?" Tsunade blinked, coming back to her senses. "Oh, yeah... Guess I didn't think about that…"
Orochimaru silently observed a moment of pity for Jiraiya.
***
Despite that minor incident, the mission went smoothly.
Orochimaru completed his business, while the other two received a reply from the daimyo.
With everything sorted, they packed their things and began their journey back to Konoha.
Jiraiya, still sporting a huge bump on his head, walked in silence, looking dejected.
But, at least he knew nothing had happened between the two of them the night before. They had just talked, which eased his mind a little.
Even though he had always known he didn't have much of a chance, part of him still clung to some faint hope.
As for Orochimaru, he found himself a bit surprised by one thing he hadn't expected to run into Uchiha Madara in that place.
Could this have been where Madara saved Obito?
Orochimaru wasn't sure, but he didn't care to investigate further right now.
After all, for someone who already knew the plot, there were at least a hundred ways he could thwart Black Zetsu's plans.
It was nothing that concerned him at the moment.
***
A week later, they finally returned to Konoha.
Once back in the village, Orochimaru immediately set out to take care of his personal affairs.
First on his list: building his own lab.
Current focus: Genetic modification.
Next target: Cloning technology.
Genetic modification, as Orochimaru understood it, was a technology that straddled the line between gene fusion and cell transplantation.
While weaker than gene fusion, it was far more refined than simple cell transplantation.
It allowed the alteration of a person's genes at their very core, enabling them to possess other genetic traits.
This was the very process that had produced Captain Yamato.
His genes were modified from birth, allowing his body to adapt to Hashirama's wood-style cells. As a result, he naturally developed wood-style abilities as he grew up.
This was fundamentally different from the crude method Danzo had used, which merely involved transplanting cells.
The catch, of course, was that genetic modification required young, living subjects to conduct experiments on.
But that wasn't even the main issue.
If it were just genetic modification, Orochimaru could still conduct his experiments in secret. Worst case, he could start by testing on mice.
What he truly needed to conceal, though, was his next project: cloning technology.
Now, cloning was a whole different beast.
This wasn't something a thirteen-year-old could dabble in without raising suspicions.
Unlike other technologies, cloning required advanced equipment something Konoha didn't have easy access to.
And unlike gene modification, which could be carried out with basic lab gear, cloning necessitated specialized tools, such as incubation chambers to house the clones, and various tubes to maintain them.
If Orochimaru were simply developing new medicines or performing standard experiments, Konoha might just chalk it up to him being an exceptionally gifted young researcher.
But if he started working on cloning? That would cause a massive stir.
After all, who had ever heard of a thirteen-year-old capable of developing cloning technology on his own?
At that point, he'd go from being the researcher to becoming the research subject.
And that was the last thing Orochimaru wanted.
That's why he needed his own lab, far away from prying eyes.
But just as he was pondering where to set up his secret lab, something completely unexpected happened.
"Orochimaru!"
"Hm? Lord Danzo?"
"How about it? Ready to work for me?"