Chapter 36:
Facing Tsunade's direct question, Orochimaru was momentarily caught off guard. If both of them were adults, perhaps he might have flirted back or even indulged in his darker thoughts. But now... he was still a child, and no matter how advanced his intellect or how strengthened his physique was, that didn't change his age. At least, not in ways that mattered for this situation.
He gave Tsunade a casual, dismissive response and changed the subject quickly. Together, they arrived at the village's well-known grilled chicken restaurant.
"Hey, look at that…," Tsunade muttered as they entered the shop.
As soon as they stepped inside, they spotted an acquaintance.
"Oh? Orochimaru? Tsunade? Haha! What brings you here? Come, come! Join me!" A young man with white hair, dressed in a white outfit, stood up from his table and waved enthusiastically at them.
"Hiruko? You're eating here alone?" Orochimaru asked as they approached.
Tsunade chimed in after him, "Where's Jiraiya? Didn't he come?"
Hiruko, laughed and replied, "That guy? He's off doing some 'special training' as usual, right?"
"Yeah, probably off somewhere trying to perfect that weird technique of his," Tsunade said with a casual shrug. While the three of them Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were usually together for missions, their individual pursuits often kept them apart. Jiraiya was busy mastering sage techniques, something that had once been a closely guarded secret but had since become something of an open secret among their circle.