The white snake tail wrapped around Ichikishimahime, lifting her into the air. Orochimaru introduced, "She is Ichikishimahime, one of the Three Snake Princesses Sages of Ryūchi Cave, a Sage who is already a thousand years old."
Orochimaru emphasized the pronunciation of "thousand years old," looking at Ichikishimahime, who, despite being over a thousand years old, was still so childish and playful. No wonder she could come up with such a foolish test.
"A thousand years?!"
Hyuga Mio's hand trembled, and the ingredients she was holding fell.
"Age?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened. No matter how she looked at the girl in front of her, who appeared six or seven years younger than herself, she didn't look like she was a thousand years old.
"Wind Release: Night Wind!"
Uchiha Hikari clasped her fingers together and gestured towards the ingredients about to fall to the ground. Air currents converged to form a small hurricane, lifting the ingredients that were about to fall.
"Hello, everyone."
Ichikishimahime rested her chin on her hands, leaning lazily on the white snake tail.
"Hikari, thank you."
Hyuga Mio patted Uchiha Hikari's shoulder, then looked at Ichikishimahime. This was completely different from the Sage she had imagined.
Good thing I don't have to eat Mio-neechan's cooking tonight...
Uchiha Hikari looked at the ingredients in the bag, secretly wiping a bead of sweat.
From the ingredients, she could tell how bland dinner would be if Orochimaru didn't come back.
She really didn't want to rely on miso soup to flavor bland dishes anymore.
"Let's go inside, it's getting late, time to make dinner."
Orochimaru looked at the ground Tsunade had destroyed, condensing Earth Release Chakra at her feet.
As she walked over the broken stone tiles and cracked ground, the rocks and soil seemed to come alive, wriggling and gathering to restore themselves to their original state.
This was an application of the shape transformation of Earth Release Chakra.
Ninja proficient in Earth Release Ninjutsu could even construct numerous rough stone and earth houses in a short time, provided they had enough Chakra.
Tsunade quickly followed, helping Orochimaru carry things, and glaring at Ichikishimahime, who was lazily draped over a white snake tail.
Ichikishimahime gave Tsunade a defiant look, patted her snake tail, and said, "Orochimaru, I want a lollipop."
"Here you go."
Orochimaru raised her hand and flicked a lollipop, which landed in Ichikishimahime's hand.
This improper Sage!
Tsunade gritted her teeth, only then realizing how reliable Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest was in comparison.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a paragon among Sages.
Kitchen
"Mio, are you going to use these ingredients for dinner? Isn't it a bit bland?"
Orochimaru took out the ingredients she needed, putting the rest in the refrigerator.
Looking at the ingredients Hyuga Mio had bought, it was easy to tell what she planned to make for dinner: a rather bland Japanese dish, its flavor entirely dependent on miso soup.
"You know I'm not a good cook, Orochimaru."
Hyuga Mio placed an onion on the table with a thud.
"I'm going to entertain the guests now."
Was she... angry?
Orochimaru realized that her unintentional remark had hurt Hyuga Mio's pride.
She reached out and wrapped her arm around Mio's soft waist.
"Mio, I didn't say your cooking was bad.
I just don't really like this type of cuisine.
You know what my tastes are like."
Orochimaru knew very well that everyone's tastes differed.
That's why she abandoned her initial plan to earn money by running a restaurant not long after conceiving it.
Dishes that suited her own palate might not suit others.
Japanese cuisine was very extreme, ranging from bland dishes that relied on miso soup for flavor to those that were overly salty and greasy.
Ramen was one such example.
Orochimaru had tasted ramen more than once; it was truly salty and greasy, with a particularly thick broth.
It was fine to eat once or twice, but too much was unbearable.
Sukiyaki and yakitori were the same—salty and greasy, though perfectly fine for Ninja.
She wondered if Ichiraku Ramen would be like this in the future.
"Orochimaru... I..."
Hyuga Mio's slight annoyance was extinguished by these words.
"No need to apologize, I was the one who didn't consider your feelings."
Orochimaru placed a finger on Hyuga Mio's lips.
"Please keep an eye on things in the living room; don't let them start fighting."
Hyuga Mio hummed softly, took Orochimaru's hand, kissed her lips, and a blush appeared on her fair cheeks as she quickly walked out.
In the living room, Konoha TV was broadcasting today's "Konoha Every Day."
Ichikishimahime was watching and eating a bag of potato chips.
"Please have some tea.
Thank you for taking care of Orochimaru at Ryūchi Cave."
Hyuga Mio carried a tray with a teapot and teacups.
She poured a cup of tea for Ichikishimahime and observed her, surprised that the Sage of Ryūchi Cave looked like such a young girl.
She had heard Orochimaru mention her, Tagorihime, and Tagitsuhime—the Three Snake Princesses Sages of Ryūchi Cave, each over a thousand years old.
"Uh... it was nothing, really.
Orochimaru passed our test, which allowed her to learn Ryūchi Cave Sage Ninjutsu.
Helping her cultivate was our task."
Ichikishimahime felt a strange, indescribable feeling facing Hyuga Mio's thanks.
How to put it, she simply couldn't bring herself to joke around.
Damn it, Mio, this woman, always acts like the lady of the house, so feminine, it's so annoying!
Tsunade looked at Hyuga Mio's figure, thought of her own age, and then realized she had no more room for growth, which made her feel very depressed and unwilling.
"Speaking of which, you all..."
Ichikishimahime looked at the dejected Tsunade, thought of Orochimaru cooking in the kitchen and Uchiha Hikari helping, and her gaze returned to Hyuga Mio.
"You and Orochimaru..."
Hyuga Mio looked towards the kitchen, a faint smile on her face, and frankly said, "As you can see, we all like Orochimaru."
"Why haven't you all started fighting?"
Ichikishimahime glanced meaningfully at Tsunade, picked up her teacup, and took a sip, a mischievous idea forming in her mind.
Not long ago, this super violent woman named Tsunade's fist almost hit her.
Although if she had wanted to dodge, Tsunade's fist wouldn't have even touched her.
Given her temper and possessiveness over Orochimaru, it was truly surprising that they could coexist peacefully under the same roof!
"If we were to fight over her, Orochimaru would surely be annoyed, wouldn't she?"
Hyuga Mio also wanted to have Orochimaru all to herself, but things wouldn't change just because they fought over her.
Maintaining the status quo was good enough.
It was precisely because they were relatively satisfied with the current situation that they wouldn't engage in jealous squabbles.
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