Chapter 200: Searching for Materials
Konoha Hospital was relatively quiet at noon.
Kitahara Kaede walked through the corridors carrying a lunch box.
He had been visiting frequently lately. A few passing nurses caught sight of him and shared knowing, suppressed smiles before quickly hurrying away.
He stopped in front of the office door and knocked twice.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, he saw Tsunade buried under a mountain of documents, not even looking up.
"Just leave it on the desk, I'll get to it in a—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
A familiar aroma of home-cooked food wafted into her nose.
Tsunade looked up to find Kitahara Kaede already opening the lunch box and arranging the dishes. There was aromatic fried fish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a small bowl of warm miso soup.
Everything she loved.
Tsunade paused for a moment, then tossed her pen onto the desk and leaned back in her chair. A smile began to form on her lips, but she quickly suppressed it.
"I told you not to go to all this trouble."
"I wanted to see you, and make sure you actually eat on time."
Kitahara Kaede handed her the chopsticks.
"I'm not a child."
Tsunade huffed, but her body was honest as she took the chopsticks.
Kaede pulled up a chair beside her and sat down. He didn't say anything more, simply watching her eat in silence.
She ate quickly, though her posture remained elegant.
"Another batch of wounded arrived from the front lines today. Those idiots in logistics messed up the medication distribution list; I spent the entire morning just re-checking and signing off on everything," Tsunade complained, her voice muffled by a mouthful of vegetables.
"Mm."
Tsunade shot him a side-eye, slightly dissatisfied. "Can't you say something actually useful?"
"You just wanted someone to listen to you; you weren't looking for my advice on strategy." Kaede pushed the soup closer to her. "Drink some soup so you don't choke."
Tsunade glared at him, but she still picked up the miso soup and took a sip. He always had a way of seeing right through her.
The office fell silent for a while. Once Tsunade finished the last bite of her meal and set down her chopsticks, Kaede finally spoke.
"I have to leave the village tomorrow."
Tsunade's movement as she wiped her mouth paused. Her tone remained neutral. "Oh? A mission?"
"No," Kaede shook his head. "Lord Orochimaru's experiment has reached a critical stage. He's missing a specific material and asked me to help find it."
Orochimaru.
The moment that name left Kitahara Kaede's mouth, Tsunade's eyes sharpened instantly.
"Orochimaru? Since when do you know him?"
"We ran into each other on the Iwa front and spoke a few times," Kaede replied flawlessly. "He thinks my abilities are decent and that I can be helpful with certain things."
"Oh, 'spoke a few times.'"
Tsunade suddenly smiled, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. "Kaede, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
Kaede's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm and composed.
"I know exactly what kind of person Orochimaru is—perhaps better than you do. In that man's world, there is only himself. He doesn't trust anyone."
Tsunade leaned forward slightly, crossing her arms on the desk, her gaze piercing.
"He would entrust a 'critical' experiment to someone he's only 'spoken to a few times'?"
"Do you honestly think I'd believe that?"
Kaede looked at her in silence. He hadn't expected her to be this perceptive.
"It's not running errands. It's a collaboration."
That was all he could emphasize.
Tsunade didn't press further; she simply watched him with those eyes, as if trying to discern what secret he was hiding this time.
After a long moment, she retracted her gaze and leaned back.
"Fine," she seemed to concede. "The things Orochimaru researches have always been bizarre. Just be careful."
Kaede nodded. "Don't worry. I'll return as soon as I have the materials."
"Mm."
Tsunade picked up a document, seemingly finished with the conversation.
As Kaede began packing up the lunch boxes, Tsunade watched his busy silhouette from the corner of her eye, suddenly feeling a sense of disorientation.
This scene overlapped with countless afternoons in her memories. She would cook, Hagoromo Kaede would clean up, and she would just watch him from the side. She wouldn't have to say a word to feel a profound sense of peace and security.
But reality...
The reality was that the man before her held far too many secrets. The more she interacted with him, the more incomprehensible he became. And now, he was associating with Orochimaru.
Kaede finished tidying the boxes and stood up. "I'll be going now."
"Mm."
He reached the door, his hand resting on the handle.
"Kaede."
He looked back. Tsunade was still leaning back in her chair, her expression serene.
"Come back early. Don't go causing trouble out there."
It sounded like a reminder, but Kaede heard the warning beneath it. She had placed a particular emphasis on the words "causing trouble."
He smiled. "I won't."
The door closed, and the sound of his footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.
Tsunade remained in that position, motionless. The office was so quiet that only the monotonous ticking of the wall clock remained.
Orochimaru. Searching for materials.
She turned those words over and over in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
Tsunade ruffled her hair and abruptly pulled the curtains shut, blocking out the sunlight.
Forget it. Even if she asked him, he wouldn't tell her the truth. Rather than asking him... she might as well ask the other party involved.
***
Evening.
The setting sun dyed the rooftops of Konoha a magnificent orange-red.
Tsunade stepped out of the hospital gates, but she didn't head toward her home. She stood at a busy intersection for a few seconds, then turned and walked straight toward the Research Department building.
At this hour, that snake should still be in his laboratory.
Tsunade quickened her pace. She was going to ask him personally exactly what "rare materials" Orochimaru needed Kitahara Kaede to find!