Chapter 106: Gentle, Long, and Sleek Black Hair

Taking a satisfied sip of the hot tea brought by his new secretary, Kato Gofuu paid no mind to the transparent parasitic bug nearby and began practicing the Mind Shift Technique right under its watchful eyes.

The Mind Shift Technique is a C-rank, close-to-mid-range auxiliary ninjutsu.

It resembles a weakened version of the Spirit Transformation Technique. Except for memory searching and browsing, the Mind Shift Technique of the Yamanaka clan is generally inferior to the Spirit Transformation Technique of the Kato clan in most other respects.

Of course, with less power and functionality, its learning and cultivation difficulty, as well as the associated risks, are significantly lower than those of the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Since Kato Gofuu already mastered the Spirit Cultivation Technique derived from Spirit Transformation, picking up the Mind Shift Technique posed no challenge, and he quickly got the hang of it.

According to Kato’s estimation, it wouldn’t even require spending attribute points from the ninja system; soon, he would be proficient in the Mind Shift Technique.

Learning the Mind Shift Technique wasn’t the goal itself. Kato’s true intention was to leverage its specialty in searching and browsing others’ memories to compensate for the shortcomings of the Spirit Cultivation Technique in that area.

The person who delivered the ninjutsu scroll, Shimura Danzo, clearly understood well the respective characteristics of both Spirit Transformation and Mind Shift Techniques.

The scroll was filled with extensive insights and experiences on ninjutsu application, especially regarding memory searching and browsing using the Mind Shift Technique.

Kato Gofuu was naturally pleased with such a thoughtful gesture from the Koyagakure Store, made with the customer in mind, and accepted it with a smile of satisfaction.

Happy with Danzo’s gift, Kato Gofuu relaxed and no longer suppressed his inner slacker energy.

Casting a glance toward the transparent parasitic bug, he gave a languid leap onto the office sofa, then rolled over effortlessly into a classic recline, deliberately abandoning any pretense of diligence in his own office.

“Ah, this position is far more comfortable. Should I ask An to have someone replace this sofa with a comfier one?” he mused.

“Speaking of replacing sofas, maybe Tsunade’s office should get a bigger one. Yesterday was cozy, but if we end up crowding my future son’s cafeteria, that would be a real problem…”

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At noon, when Kato Gofuu left his office to eat in the cafeteria, he made a point to pat his new secretary’s shoulder, encouraging Aoi Iroku.

“Aoi Iroku… what a tongue-twister of a name. From now on, I’ll just call you Old Aoi—no, better yet, just ***. Short, catchy, and easy to remember.”

Kato casually gave his new secretary a pleasant, memorable nickname.

“Do a good job, I’m counting on you!”

“The hot tea you brought earlier was just right. From now on, keep the tea served at this temperature. Only someone with water in their brain would serve cold tea.”

“As long as you’re satisfied.”

Aoi Iroku replied with a sincere, hearty smile, showing no reaction or objection to being called Old Aoi or ***; it was as if Kato’s choice of name didn’t bother him at all.

‘*** — what kind of nonsense is that? Sounds like the name of someone untrustworthy,’ Kato thought silently.

‘I’m Aoi Iroku. A master from the Fire Temple of the Land of Fire gave me this name, inspired by two Buddhist aphorisms: “One well, one world; one thought, one lifetime,” and “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form...”’

Having walked some distance away, Kato suddenly remembered something and turned back to his new secretary.

“By the way, please thank Supervisor An for me. I was very satisfied with the gift he had you deliver this morning. An is really too polite. We’re all colleagues from Konoha working under Lord Danzo—such courtesy is unnecessary.”

“As long as you’re satisfied!”

Aoi Iroku replied with the same words, but this time with a noticeably warmer tone and a friendlier, heartfelt smile.

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In the spring base cafeteria, Orochimaru sat alone in the center of the hall, eating his lunch. Around him, the area was completely empty of other figures.

When Kato Gofuu arrived and saw the vacant space, his eyes immediately caught Orochimaru’s signature long black straight hair. After picking up his meal tray, Kato approached Orochimaru’s table.

“Orochimaru, I was just thinking of coming to find you this afternoon. Didn’t expect to run into you here at the base cafeteria at noon.”

As he set down his tray, Kato spoke while observing Orochimaru.

Upon closer inspection, Kato noticed a slender white snake coiled on Orochimaru’s shoulder, flicking its red tongue and fixing its ruby-red eyes on him.

Kato had seen this little white snake before when Orochimaru found it at his parents’ grave after the last ninja world war, following his parents’ death.

Orochimaru usually treasured the little white snake and rarely let it interact with others. Today, however, he openly allowed the snake to perch on his shoulder, right here in the crowded base cafeteria.

Kato studied Orochimaru’s expression: although still wearing his usual cold and aloof demeanor, Kato could tell Orochimaru was in a notably good mood today.

“Ah, Kato-kun! Long time no see.”

“How was your trip away from Konoha this time? Smooth sailing?”

Orochimaru greeted him with a smile.

His voice sounded unusually pleasant, unlike the usual hoarse and cold tone.

The yellow snake-like eyes on his face also betrayed no trace of coldness, instead gleaming with amusement.

‘Looks like Orochimaru is in a really good mood today. He even smiled back at me. When was the last time I saw such a bright smile from him?’

“My trip went very well. I basically accomplished the objectives I had set.”

While eating, Kato casually chatted with Orochimaru.

“By the way, I ran into our old classmate, Hatake Sakumo, at the Northwest Fortress Camp. That guy mentioned you…”

“Oh? Hatake-kun mentioned me?”

Hearing Kato’s mention of their classmate, Orochimaru became visibly more interested and unusually took the initiative to ask.

“It’s been a while since I last saw that guy. I’m curious—what did Hatake-kun say about me?”

Kato was momentarily caught off guard by Orochimaru’s unexpectedly probing question. His lazy eyes darted around thoughtfully.

‘Damn! I was just being polite! And now he’s asking for the exact words Hatake Sakumo used to mention him!’

‘Back in ninja school, you two were both outcasts—proud and aloof, weird and solitary. Two social misfits and the kings of awkward silences. I was the only mutual friend you had.’

“Orochimaru, could you get a proper grasp of your social skills? Just look at this empty area around us. I’m only being polite on behalf of that guy Hatake Sakumo.”

“Yet you ask me, cluelessly, what Hatake Sakumo said about me.”

“What if I told you that that old-fashioned white-haired Hatake has changed a lot since getting married and has been thinking about you, the one with the long black hair?”

“I’d believe it. Anything Kato-kun says, I believe.”

Orochimaru chuckled at Kato’s teasing and didn’t get upset. He continued responding in a gentle tone, his face still wearing a warm smile. His snake-like eyes curved in amusement, nearly closing in a smile.

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While Kato Gofuu and the long black-haired Orochimaru shared their lunch, over at the Konoha Hospital cafeteria, Kato’s blonde, fair-skinned companion was preparing to eat.

However, Tsunade had partied too hard last night and hadn’t rested enough; she appeared listless and had little appetite.

The midday heat, having been cooled by last night’s brief rain, had now returned to scorching intensity.

Tsunade ate her lunch half-heartedly, her thoughts drifting to Kato Gofuu.

“It’s so hot… When Kato Gofuu comes by later, I’ll ask him to bring me a cup of iced milk tea. It’s my favorite.”

“Only an idiot drinks hot tea in this weather…”

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