Chapter 188:
"Ah… no, nothing!" Kushina stammered, glancing nervously at Orochimaru before turning back to Nawaki. "Hey, Nawaki, Orochimaru is your sister's boyfriend, right?"
"Yeah, why?" Nawaki asked, puzzled.
"Um… don't you find it strange learning ninjutsu from him?" Kushina questioned hesitantly.
"Strange? Not at all!" Nawaki replied, genuinely curious. "Sensei is incredibly powerful. There are tons of people who wish they could be his student. I'm thrilled I get to learn from him. Why would that be strange?"
"Isn't he strict with you?" Kushina pressed.
"Of course he is. It's natural for him to be strict. The battlefield is unforgiving. If he wasn't tough, there'd be no guarantee I'd come back alive," Nawaki said earnestly.
"Is that so…" Kushina fell silent, lost in thought as she resumed eating her barbecue.
To Kushina the Sannin were legendary figures, with Orochimaru standing out as particularly extraordinary. She had heard that much of the credit for defeating Hanzo of the Salamander belonged to him. Leading a team of newly enlisted chunin and saving the entire Iwa Ninja defense line seemed almost like a miracle.
Add to that the recent introduction of the scientific ninja tools, and it solidified his reputation.