Chapter 204: Do I Really Have to Be the One to Speak?
Kitahara Kaede returned to Konoha in the evening. By the time he arrived, the twilight glow of the horizon had already been half-swallowed by the night.
Ignoring his apartment, he headed straight for Orochimaru's laboratory. He pushed open the door to find Orochimaru with his back to the entrance, tinkering with something on a workbench.
Kaede walked over and placed a cloth bag on the surface. "The materials you asked for."
Orochimaru turned around. He opened the bag and glanced inside, reaching in to sift through the contents: a few rhizomes of rare plants, a small bag of mineral powder, and two bottles of concentrated animal extracts.
He picked up one of the rhizomes, holding it up to the light to scrutinize the texture of its skin. He then opened one of the extract bottles and took a sniff.
"Quality is good," Orochimaru said, setting the bottle down. "Exactly as requested."
Kaede didn't respond, standing by silently as the other man finished his inspection. Orochimaru resealed the materials and turned to look at him, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Tsunade came by to check up on you before you even left the village."
Kaede paused. "What did she ask?"
"She wanted to know exactly what you were doing," Orochimaru replied, his tone laced with a hint of schadenfreude. "She even specifically cross-referenced the materials list before she left."
Kaede felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, he had arranged everything in advance; otherwise, this trip would have been another complication.
"She didn't ask anything else, did she?"
"Of course not," Orochimaru licked his lips. "Everything on the list looked perfectly reasonable." He paused. "However, the look she gave me suggested she doesn't intend to let the matter drop."
Kaede gave a noncommittal hum. Orochimaru stored the materials in a cabinet and shut the door.
"The theory is there, and the materials are here. But these 'epoch-making' research projects you want are a bottomless pit." Orochimaru's voice grew heavier. "What about the funding?"
Kaede didn't answer immediately. In his mind, a map of the shinobi world unfolded.
Calculating the timeline, Danzo should be leaving Konoha with Root soon to stir up trouble with Hanzo in the Land of Rain. Kaede's goal was to use that rainy wasteland to completely excise that tumor. By eliminating Danzo and saving Yahiko in one stroke, control of the Land of Rain would fall into the hands of the Akatsuki.
With Pakura providing covert support on the ground, facilitating an alliance between the Akatsuki and Konoha wouldn't be difficult. Not only would this give Konoha a stable ally to the northwest, but it would also revitalize the entire geopolitical landscape.
Then there was the issue of funding.
He glanced at Orochimaru. By the time the experimental prototypes were finished, Minato would likely be firmly established as the Fourth Hokage. At that point, selling stripped-down versions of military hardware to the smaller surrounding nations under the official banner of Konoha would make money a non-issue.
But these plans were too radical to reveal to Orochimaru in full just yet.
"How long until we have the first preliminary prototype from this experiment?"
A glint appeared in Orochimaru's slitted pupils. "A few months. By the end of the year at the latest."
Kaede nodded slightly. This timed perfectly with Danzo's movement and Minato's ascension; everything was fitting into the framework.
"Once the prototype is ready, you'll naturally understand where the funding is coming from."
In a rare moment, Orochimaru actually chuckled. "Then I shall wait and see."
Kaede turned to leave. As he stepped into the hallway, he ran into Yakushi Kabuto, who was emerging from the archives carrying a stack of notebooks. Upon seeing Kaede, Kabuto stopped immediately, clutching the notebooks closer to his chest.
"Senior Kitahara."
"How have you been lately?" Kaede stopped and looked at the silver-haired youth.
"Since yesterday, I've been working on the control studies for inhibiting auxiliary cell activity," Kabuto replied. "This afternoon, I just finished organizing the observation data from experimental box number three."
Kabuto paused, stealing a quick glance at Kaede before looking away again. "After returning to the home, Mama Nonou said the orphanage had received a few introductory books on basic medical care. She asked if I could explain some of the concepts to the children."
Kaede saw the spark in the boy's eyes. "Did you?"
"I spent the whole afternoon doing it." A small smile played on Kabuto's lips.
Kaede patted him on the shoulder. "Good. You're improving. You're very smart—keep learning everything you can from Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto nodded vigorously. Kaede withdrew his hand and walked out of the research department building.
***
In her office, Tsunade sat in her chair, watching the sky outside gradually darken. One by one, the lights of Konoha began to flicker on.
She had nothing to do today. With the sudden free time, her mind began to race uncontrollably. Over the past few days, she had investigated Orochimaru, but found nothing. Kaede was equally airtight.
The more seamless it was, the more unsettled she felt.
What exactly was Kaede to her now? They had never truly defined their relationship. Previously, he hadn't been an adult, and no matter how she felt, she had forced herself to suppress those thoughts. But now, their relationship still felt as if they had never ended up together in a simulation.
They had everything—except for a single sentence.
'Do I really have to be the one to make the first move this time?'
A knock sounded at the door. She immediately straightened her posture. "Come in."
The door pushed open, and Kitahara Kaede walked in. Tsunade's gaze swept over him. No injuries, no abnormalities.
She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, only to immediately scold herself. *What am I looking for? With how meticulous this man is, if something had happened, he wouldn't leave a single trace on his clothes.*
Deciding not to beat around the bush, she looked directly at Kaede. "Tell me the truth. What is this 'collaboration' between you and Orochimaru actually about? Don't try to fool me with that nonsense about gathering materials."
Silence fell over the office. Kaede hadn't expected Tsunade to be so blunt.
He looked into her eyes. "It is something very important. It concerns the future of Konoha, and perhaps the entire shinobi world." He didn't flinch. "But I'm sorry; I can't tell you yet."
Hearing this indirect refusal, Tsunade was stunned. Then, a surge of frustration and a feeling of being shut out washed over her. Her lips parted to speak, but before she could, Kaede sensed the shift in her emotions.
He took a step forward, his voice gentle yet firm. "I'm not intentionally hiding things from you; the timing just isn't right." He looked at her deeply. "I promise, when the time comes, you will be the first to know."
Looking into his affectionate eyes, Tsunade's anger vanished instantly. She exhaled and leaned back into her chair, nodding sullenly.
"You'd better remember those words." She turned her face away toward the window, her voice still carrying a trace of lingering annoyance. "Are you done for the day?"
"I am."
"Then... shall we go have dinner at Kushina's place together?"
"Sounds good."