Chapter 64: Orochimaru's Return (Part 2)

"Don't get upset..." Natsuhane said, his face showing an innocent expression, looking more wronged than Orochimaru herself.

"At first, I didn't intend for you to take the blame. Those old geezers brought your name up on their own. They didn't know why you sent a spy here, so they linked the mass pregnancy incident to you..."

"I swear, during the meeting, I didn't say anything bad about you. Really!"

"Hmph, a man's mouth, full of deceit. Do you think I haven't heard that saying?" Orochimaru was about to get angry when suddenly, a figure clutching their shoulder came rushing over.

"Orochimaru! So it is you!"

The person was Anko Mitarashi.

She was Orochimaru's disciple, and when she was young, her master had left a cursed mark of heaven on her shoulder.

However, the curse mark was imperfect, unable to unleash its full power, and had been sealed by the Third Hokage once. Its only function now was to signal Orochimaru's presence by causing pain when she was nearby.

"Oh, Anko... you've grown up..." Orochimaru's lips curled into a small smile as she looked at Anko, whom she hadn't seen in years. "Natsuhane, this child was once my beloved disciple. Surprised?"

Natsuhane nodded, "Yes, I know. She's my wife now."

Orochimaru: "...?"

Anko, who had run up to Natsuhane, nervously warned him, "Dear, this is my master Orochimaru. She's very dangerous! Stay away from her!"

Natsuhane gently patted Anko's head, "Don't worry. Your master is pregnant with my child, so she won't harm me. From now on, we're family. Go on, call her sister."

Anko: "...?"

Anko's eyes widened in shock, unable to process what she had just heard.

After a long pause, she stammered in disbelief, "Dear... you said my master... is..."

"Pregnant with your child???!!!"

Anko could hardly believe her ears.

She looked at Orochimaru, their eyes meeting. Orochimaru's cheeks turned slightly red as she awkwardly looked away.

Anko then looked at Natsuhane, who nodded affirmatively, "Yes, it happened this morning..."

"What I care about is not when it happened! What I care about is why my master... Does this mean you and she... did... something? That doesn't make sense! No matter what you two did, it's impossible for this to happen! It's not scientifically possible!!!"

Anko was completely baffled, her mind almost at the breaking point.

Seeing Anko's bewildered expression, Natsuhane pulled her into his arms and whispered, "You know your master's body is unusual. Nothing is surprising about it. I'll explain the details to you later..."

Before Anko could ask more questions, Natsuhane quickly changed the subject, addressing Orochimaru, "Orochimaru, do you want to see the child I had with your disciple, Anko? He's half a year old, a boy, very cute, and highly talented. His name is Uchiha 007."

"Uchiha... 007?" Orochimaru couldn't help but scoff. "What kind of name is that? Does it sound good to you?"

"Well, I have so many children, it's hard to remember other names, so I just number them by their birth order..." Natsuhane replied.

Orochimaru sneered, "You really have a talent for naming."

Natsuhane sighed, "I'm forced to do this. By the way, I have two other highly talented children named Uchiha 233 and Uchiha 561…"

"How about this, I'll protect Kabuto for you, and you agree to become my children's mentor. How does that sound?"

"If we consider seniority, my children should call you mother. We're all family, so you won't refuse, right?"

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed.

"You still need to find a mentor for your children? Can't you teach them yourself? Don't think I can't see it. My snakes can sense chakra, and the chakra in your body... it's comparable to a tailed beast. No... it's thousands, if not tens of thousands of times more than a tailed beast."

Natsuhane chuckled, "Nothing escapes your notice. But I really don't have the time to raise children. The responsibilities on my shoulders are far greater than you can imagine. I truly don't have time for anything else. Agree to this, and you can teach my children when they grow up, at least five years from now..."

Orochimaru thought for a moment, realizing she wouldn't lose out. As long as Natsuhane agreed to help now, any effort required from her could be dealt with later.

After thinking it over, Orochimaru nodded, "Alright, I agree. But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"In the future, I will name my own children."

"Uh..." Natsuhane counted on his fingers, "By today's count, your child will be around the 1800th. If that's the case, by my style, the child's name would be Uchiha 1800. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Orochimaru rolled her eyes and snapped, "Get lost!"

...