Chapter 108: Drowsiness

Kato Mifuu sensed the movement of the “Salted Fish Power” and immediately turned his head to carefully observe Orochimaru across from him. Orochimaru was still attentively soothing and tending to the little white snake in his hands.

No suspicion at all!

While casually chatting with Orochimaru, Kato Mifuu focused more of his attention on that little white snake.

“Looks like you had quite the haul on your trip to the Earth Dragon Cave this time, Orochimaru. It’s rare to see you in such a good mood.”

“It was just some tedious training in the Earth Dragon Cave. Aside from gaining some new ninjutsu techniques, nothing particularly interesting happened.”

“Am I really that obvious when I’m in a good mood? I’ve always been in good spirits, just not one to show it in front of others.”

“Weren’t you just complaining about my social skills? What was it—you said both Kitaki and I are social isolates?”

“That wasn’t a complaint; it was a fact. Orochimaru, you need to have a proper understanding of your own social standing.”

“Those people are insignificant minor characters, not worth wasting energy on.”

“The time and effort spent dealing with those people? I’d rather use it studying ninjutsu or spending more time with my little white. Isn’t that right, little white?”

“Eh? Sleepy already, little white? So soon?”

In just a short while, the Salted Fish Power that had entered the little white snake’s body began to take effect.

The little white snake, which had been alert and eager to bite Kato Mifuu moments ago, was now completely listless, coiling itself up.

Its head rested in the center of its body, no longer flicking its tongue, clearly about to fall asleep in Orochimaru’s hands.

“Did the little white snake just finish eating and start feeling drowsy?”

Kato Mifuu showed concern for the little white snake and reached out to touch it.

“Is that so? I just fed it a little something,” Orochimaru said without suspicion but still dodged Kato Mifuu’s hand, not allowing him to touch the little white snake.

“Ah…”

Orochimaru then let out a big yawn.

“Seeing little white so sleepy, I’m feeling a bit drowsy myself.”

“Ah…”

“Well then, Kato-kun, enjoy your meal here. I’ll take little white back for a nap. We’ll talk more this afternoon.”

Orochimaru yawned again, bid Kato Mifuu farewell, and left the base cafeteria carrying the little white snake.

“Ah…”

“Wait for me, I’m sleepy too…”

Seeing Orochimaru yawn twice in a row, Kato Mifuu caught the drowsiness and quickly swallowed the last bit of his lunch before following Orochimaru’s footsteps.

By the time he caught up, Kato Mifuu himself had yawned twice, looking utterly exhausted.

“Didn’t you get any rest yesterday, Kato-kun?”

“Yeah, last night I took Tsunade to the casino to have fun. I promised her I’d make sure she enjoyed herself.”

“Orochimaru, you know Tsunade’s temper well. We played until after three in the morning.”

“Kato-kun, you really do spoil Tsunade.”

Kato Mifuu caught up to Orochimaru mainly to check how much Salted Fish Power remained inside the little white snake.

Not much—the Salted Fish Power was now only a faint trace within the little white snake.

Although Orochimaru looked a bit sleepy and drowsy, he wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as that big black rat was yesterday.

Considering Orochimaru’s high poison resistance—he’s a snake-handling prodigy—Kato Mifuu finally relaxed and left the base cafeteria with Orochimaru, each heading toward their respective offices.

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Back in his own office, Kato Mifuu’s previously listless, salted-fish eyes transformed back into their usual handsome pale blue starry gaze, no trace remaining of the sleepy, about-to-nod-off expression he’d shown in front of Orochimaru.

That little white snake really had a connection with Orochimaru. The Salted Fish Power inside the snake could even affect Orochimaru on the other side.

The spiritual and physical fusion between Orochimaru and the white snake… why does that sound so wrong?

Then what about when my soul enters Tsunade’s body to communicate amicably? Is that spiritual communion? Soul exchange?

Probably, maybe, Orochimaru won’t sleep too long—his poison resistance is that strong…

Kato Mifuu pressed the call button on his desk.

“Um, please postpone the meeting I arranged with Orochimaru this afternoon—no, make that an hour and a half later.”

“I was mentally exhausted from considering the tasks entrusted by Commander Shimura this morning and plan to rest a bit more at noon.”

The voice of Aoi Soraku was as honest and straightforward as ever.

“Understood, Lord Kato Mifuu. Is there anything else? Should I prepare some tea for you?”

“No need to prepare tea for now. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

“Also, please convey to An that I’m very satisfied with his reward.”

“Rest assured, Lord Kato Mifuu, I will make sure your message reaches the intended recipient,” Aoi Soraku said with a noticeably more formal tone, as if hinting at something.

“That’s settled then.”

Kato Mifuu glanced casually at the transparent parasitic bug in the corner, then with a salted-fish leap, plopped onto the sofa.

His handsome starry eyes turned lazy and fish-like as he yawned big, pretending to close his eyes and rest.

In truth, Kato Mifuu’s mind delved into the spiritual realm, beginning to seriously study the Heart Reversal Technique of the Yamanaka clan. He didn’t want to waste Lord Shimura Danzo’s favor—he aimed to improve his strength quickly and repay Danzo as soon as possible.

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That afternoon, when Kato Mifuu met Orochimaru, he silently commended himself for deciding to delay their meeting earlier.

There was no sign of the little white snake. Orochimaru appeared just recently awakened, still sluggish and frequently nodding off.

Orochimaru didn’t suspect Kato Mifuu’s meddling, attributing his drowsiness to insufficient rest and forced himself to stay alert while discussing work at the base.

He even apologized to Kato Mifuu for his poor mental state affecting work efficiency.

To make amends and catch up, Orochimaru pushed himself to perform an additional surgical experiment with Kato Mifuu, contributing a special soul fragment.

Watching Orochimaru’s effort—drowsy yet determined—Kato Mifuu felt deeply satisfied.

Orochimaru took this opportunity, while Kato Mifuu was away from Konoha, to secretly peek into Kato Mifuu’s office and exact a small measure of revenge. The best part was Orochimaru remained completely unaware he’d been outmaneuvered.

It’s especially satisfying when ill-intentioned people suffer losses without realizing it.

The unexpectedly effective Salted Fish Power seems to be working quite well.

Orochimaru is truly relentless—are all scientific fanatics this intense? Even under the influence of Salted Fish Power, he’s still working hard, much better than that big black rat.

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Meanwhile, in another secret underground base of the Root organization within Konoha, the Root Anbu ninja codenamed Black Rat—the big black rat Kato Mifuu had mentioned—had just finished receiving punishment for failing to report back as scheduled yesterday and arriving late to work today.

The penalty was severe, but Black Rat was used to it. In Root, mistakes meant harsh punishment from superiors, whose orders were absolute. This was the ninja’s creed he accepted.

However, this lesson made him secretly categorize Kato Mifuu and Tsunade as entities not to be trifled with lightly. He believed the poison he endured yesterday was extraordinarily potent.

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