"Big sister Tsunade...
Even though she's already almost forty, she still uses Transformation Jutsu, beauty-preserving techniques, and Medical Ninjutsu to maintain an appearance younger than twenty. And she tries to convince herself that changing how I address her actually alters anything.
Setting ethics aside, calling each other different names won't change blood ties. Still...
Do people really start panicking once they hit their forties? Is the feeling of youth really that addictive?
The adult world is something I just can't understand yet.
In contrast, Father has always faced the passage of time calmly. Considering Big sister Tsunade's bad habits... his marriage must have been a series of unfortunate events."
As she walked home, young Niyu Haseo casually chatted with Orochimaru, carrying herself like a miniature adult.
In short, she felt that having Haseo with Tsunade was clearly a losing proposition.
Considering that Haseo has always been extremely cunning, it's no wonder his daughter demonstrates clear favoritism in terms of parental perception... For the sake of securing his daughter's affection, occasionally selling out one's wife becomes standard operating procedure.
However, Niyu Haseo's "commentary," while sounding serious, was probably just casual talk — she might've just been imitating something Haseo had said.
When Haseo himself says such things, it's like grabbing the rope to hang himself, but when his daughter speaks this way, Tsunade can only reflect on her own behavior.
Niyu Haseo seemed completely trusting of Orochimaru, discussing such topics with him without even a trace of caution.
Actually, if we're being honest about Orochimaru's preferences, he actually leans toward Tsunade... A body that remains vital and youthful holds considerable attraction for him.
So he chose not to discuss these matters further, since Orochimaru personally found family gossip uninteresting.
"Haseo, you should really treat that foot wound."
While Niyu walked normally, even hopping cheerfully at times, blood from the abrasion on her foot had already stained the hem of her skirt.
"This? Uncle, it's just a minor scrape, nothing serious."
Of course this wasn't any serious injury, but... It's like when someone sees a speck of dust on a beautiful piece of white porcelain — they'll naturally want to wipe it off. Seeing an adorable little girl injured feels the same way.
These simple, natural emotions are unavoidable for anyone — even Orochimaru wasn't immune to them. After all, this child was ultimately the offspring of Haseo and Tsunade, so naturally held some special significance for him.
Although Orochimaru still found it somewhat puzzling how someone in Haseo's physical condition could have children... Was it cloning? Or perhaps somatic cell cultivation?
Orochimaru had already mentioned the abrasion twice, but Niyu insisted it was fine, so he dropped the matter.
"There's also another thing...
You really don't need to bring me right through the center of your destructive technique's barrier. I really came here just to see Haseo."
"This cat recognizes me. It must know I'm not a threat."
What a strange world indeed, where Orochimaru actually claims to be non-threatening.
"Oh? You noticed that, Uncle? I thought your attention would be distracted by something like gossip... Seems like you really aren't ordinary."
Well, this kid clearly didn't fully trust Orochimaru — she was way past being just a playful troublemaker.
But Orochimaru wasn't the kind of ninja who could be fooled by cheap tricks. Niyu Haseo was still too naive.
"Father told me that gossip like this is the easiest way to distract someone's attention. So to protect one's safety, it makes perfect sense to use such information as part of a deception.
That's why I can freely criticize Older Sister Tsunade. But Father said since he's the head of the household, certain dignity needs to be maintained, so I shouldn't spread negative things about him randomly."
Though very young, this could only be described as classic little Haseo behavior.
If Orochimaru had truly understood concepts like family or clan, he might have realized that little Niyu Haseo had been caught up in an ugly internal family feud. Unfortunately, when it came to this area, his comprehension skills were even worse than Niyu Haseo's.
"We're almost home."
The pier wasn't far from Haseo's house, so with just a few words exchanged, the tall man and small child were nearly there... Though Orochimaru wasn't great with kids, his behavior was actually kind of endearing — adjusting his pace to match the little girl's tiny steps.
But... good intentions often go unrewarded.
Orochimaru noticed that after Niyu Haseo finished speaking, her walking posture suddenly became oddly limping.
Then he saw a white-haired man step out from the doorway. Who else could it be but Haseo?
"Father, this uncle..."
"He's not an 'uncle,' you little brat. Orochimaru grew up with Tsunade as childhood friends — you should call him Snake Brother."
"Oh, sorry. So you're Snake Brother then."
Orochimaru "..."
In this moment, he felt like something had been lost somehow, but what exactly was it?
Hmm, Haseo still looked the same as always.
"Let me see, scraped your foot?"
Haseo squatted down to examine his daughter's injured ankle. Fortunately, it was only a superficial scrape.
"Come on, I'll carry you home."
"Hmm, Father... It kinda hurts a little..."
Haseo turned halfway around. First, Niyu Haseo grabbed the black cat by its paws near her feet and slung it casually over her shoulder, then climbed onto Haseo's back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Orochimaru felt certain that Haseo must have seen through the little girl's minor act, so... was he simply choosing to ignore it?
For some reason, Snake Brother found this scene strangely familiar.
Then, he saw the little girl behind Haseo and Black Cat turn their heads toward him in perfect synchronization. The black cat still had its perpetually sleepy-looking expressionless face, while Niyu playfully winked at him.
Kids will always find ways to show affection to their parents.
"Sweetie, blood got on your dress."
"Father, it's okay. This is the dress that Tsunade Onee-san bought for me."
"Oh, then it's fine."
"..."
Orochimaru wondered how to interpret this bizarre conversation? How was he supposed to participate?
"Father, can you tell me a bedtime story tonight?"
"Of course I can." Haseo always valued early childhood education. Telling stories was a great way to teach kids about universal values and the right way to see the world.
"But, what was the story I told last time?"
"It was about a vampire who accidentally ruined a fishmonger's pants worth 20,000 ryo, and later was beaten to death by him until his ashes were scattered..."
"Mm, so do you know what moral this story conveys?
My dear Niyu, let me tell you...
Firstly, doing good deeds doesn't require intelligence, but committing evil does. How terrible one's misdeeds are depends precisely on how intelligent the perpetrator happens to be. And intelligence, structurally speaking, depends on brain capacity. Among all creatures, humans have...
Well, I forgot the exact numbers, but you can ask your mother about this. She's more of an expert on such matters.
In short, humans have the largest brain capacity, the highest intelligence, thus the most wickedness. We must remain vigilant against humans; it's everyone's responsibility, and our awareness should start from childhood.
See this Snake Guy here? He was bad enough — Konoha nurtured him, taught him knowledge and abilities, yet eventually he robbed the village and fled."
Orochimaru: "..."
What an illustrative example.
"Therefore, my little one, you've understood the principle, but how about the methodology?"
"I understand, Father... It means I should be smarter than all the bad people, so I can discover what evil they're doing; or alternatively, be stronger than them, so I can kill them directly."
"My daughter, Niyu Haseo, indeed takes after her father. Your comprehension ability is impressive... Your perspective is generally correct, though not completely accurate.
You should be both smarter than evildoers and stronger than them. That would be much safer."
"You think things through very thoroughly, Father."
Indeed, Niyu Haseo had always looked up to her father a lot.
"However, Father, I still have one question...
What exactly is a vampire?"
"Oh, they are one of nature's diverse species, an important part of the ecosystem, and also adorable little creatures... Just like snakes."
"Oh, I understand now."
"What the hell?"
Orochimaru looked completely bewildered.
Understood what? Why didn't he get it?
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