After returning home, Uchiha Chiba found that he was alone, as usual.
He stopped thinking about it and began preparing dinner.
However, what was different from the past was that this time he prepared two lunch boxes.
Of course, except for Uchiha Genka, the other one was for Tsunade.
Uchiha Chiba remembered that in his previous life, people needed to give gifts when asking for help. This world was slightly different, though.
But, as our ancestors have said, it's not strange to give gifts to many people.
Since he wanted to learn from Tsunade, preparing a lunch box was just a matter of convenience.
Moreover, he had noticed from the few times he met Tsunade that the reason why Tsunade accepted him as her younger brother was because she coveted his good cooking skills.
Although he was a little disappointed that it wasn't because he was handsome, as the saying goes, "To win a woman's heart, you must first control her stomach."
After finishing dinner, Uchiha Chiba picked up the lunch boxes and headed to the hospital again.
At the hospital...
Tsunade was still thinking about waiting for Uchiha Chiba to arrive, intending to teach him some basic knowledge first. Then she would go to his house on the excuse that it was too late and she hadn't eaten yet.
Knock knock knock!
When the knock on the door rang, Tsunade thought it was Uchiha Chiba arriving. A glint of light flickered at the corner of her mouth.
"Come in."
As the door opened, and under Tsunade's expectant eyes, a figure walked in.
But soon, her expression changed from the anticipation she had just shown to a dull one.
"So it's you, Orochimaru. Is your mission completed?"
Tsunade couldn't help but feel a little disappointed after seeing the person, and continued, "What do you want to see me for?"
Hmm?
Orochimaru was a little confused when he walked into the office. What had happened that caused Tsunade to look disappointed?
Was he really that unpopular?
He sat down opposite Tsunade and casually replied.
"It's nothing. I haven't seen you for a month, so I came to catch up with an old friend."
"By the way, the teacher said that Jiraiya will be back soon. Did you know?"
Jiraiya?
Tsunade suddenly realized that if Orochimaru hadn't told her, she wouldn't have noticed. It was true that she hadn't seen Jiraiya for a long time.
She didn't quite understand Jiraiya's behavior, and the words "Child of Destiny" seemed unrealistic to her.
Tsunade, who had never experienced the death of Naoki or Kato Dan, had always scorned the concept of fate.
"Who cares about him? It's fine if he doesn't come back. When he does, he only knows how to peep. If it weren't for the old man's connivance, I would've sent him straight to the police force to be reformed."
Orochimaru nodded, agreeing with Tsunade's point of view.
As a ninja, or even a Jōnin, and not lacking money, couldn't Jiraiya just spend a little to go to a custom shop? It wouldn't cost much.
"Haha, you're right. When Jiraiya comes back, your female bathing business will probably plummet."
Tsunade thought about it for a moment and realized Orochimaru was right. "Indeed. If that's the case, when Jiraiya comes back, I'll have someone keep an eye on him. I'll beat him up every time he peeks."
"Let's see whether his body is harder or my fist is harder."
Orochimaru smiled. Jiraiya was an idiot who liked Tsunade but always did things to annoy her.
He remembered that one time when they were children, Jiraiya had asked him to act in a hero's rescue scene. Orochimaru played the role of the robber, and Jiraiya was the passing hero. What was the result?
Tsunade saw through both of their poor acting skills right away, and then both of them were beaten up by Tsunade.
It seemed that their memories of those times were still fresh.
Just when Orochimaru was recalling the embarrassing moments from their youth, a familiar voice sounded outside the door.
"Sister Tsunade, are you in there? I'm coming in."
When Uchiha Chiba arrived outside Tsunade's office, he vaguely heard voices coming from inside.
However, he wasn't interested in the content of the conversation and only said this to announce his arrival.
After he spoke, there was silence in the office, and then Tsunade's voice called out.
"Come in, Chiba."
Hearing Tsunade's words, Uchiha Chiba opened the door.
However, once inside, he saw that Orochimaru was also present.
And Orochimaru hadn't expected to see the Uchiha kid again, let alone that his relationship with Tsunade wasn't simple.
As the two stared at each other, Tsunade spoke.
"Orochimaru, this is Uchiha Chiba, my new younger brother."
Then she continued, "Chiba, this is Orochimaru, a former teammate and my friend. He is also the disciple of the Third Hokage."
After Tsunade's introduction, Uchiha Chiba was the first to speak.
"Master Orochimaru, we meet again. Thank you for your reminder last time."
Orochimaru smiled.
"Yes, we seem to be quite fated. I didn't expect to see you again so soon after our last meeting."
Tsunade, who had been listening to their conversation, looked confused.
"Do you two know each other?"
Uchiha Chiba smiled and replied, "We officially met today. I happened to run into Mr. Orochimaru at the vegetable market last Saturday."
Tsunade was surprised when she heard this. She understood the reason why Orochimaru was at the market.
It was probably just to buy groceries and take them home to cook.
Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Chiba with interest. He felt a familiar aura from the boy, similar to his own.
Haha, a very serious Uchiha kid.
But there was one thing he hadn't figured out yet: what was the purpose of this Uchiha brat approaching Tsunade?
Uchiha Chiba picked up the bento in his hand and continued, "By the way, Tsunade-san, I brought you a bento. Would you like to eat it while it's hot?"
Seeing this, Orochimaru knew it was time to leave.
"Tsunade, I'll leave now. I originally wanted to have a drink with you, but it seems that's not possible now. I'll come see you next time."
"Alright, goodbye." Tsunade nodded.
Seeing this, Orochimaru smiled, stood up from his chair, and walked slowly toward the door.
When passing by Uchiha Chiba, Orochimaru looked at him with meaningful eyes and said, "Uchiha... Chiba, right? See you next time."
"Goodbye, Orochimaru-sama."
Uchiha Chiba couldn't figure out what was going on with Orochimaru's look. Was he eyeing him?
But the timing didn't match. Orochimaru should still be a normal person at this point, right?
Once there were only two people left in the office, Tsunade and Uchiha Chiba, Tsunade couldn't wait to take the lunch box from Uchiha Chiba's hand. She immediately began eating the food in the box.
"Ugh, Chiba, why are you so late? Didn't I ask Nao Shu to tell you to come to me after school?"
Looking at Tsunade, who had bulging cheeks like a hamster, Uchiha Chiba shrugged and said, "I was thinking that Tsunade-san hadn't had dinner yet, so I went home first, made a lunch, and then came to you."
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to be quite considerate, Chiba. Did you use this trick to deceive many girls in school?"
Hearing this, Tsunade teased with a smile.
"No way, Sister Tsunade, please don't talk nonsense. I have no interest in those little girls."
Uchiha Chiba shook his head, defending himself.
Little girls? He had no interest at all. What's wrong with having a big sister, especially one like Tsunade, who was not only mature but also wealthy and broad-minded?