Orochimaru

Anko led the three of them to the dango shop she frequented the most.

The classic set menu at this restaurant consisted of three-color dango and green tea.

Everyone ordered dango.

When it was Shintaro's turn to order, he specifically requested more sugar.

The server apologized: "The dango is pre-made, so we can't add sugar, but we can coat it with caramel syrup."

Without hesitation, Shintaro chose the caramel three-color dango.

"Make sure to cover it thickly with the syrup." He said.

His preference for sweet and savory foods was something he carried over from his previous life.

The four of them then sat in the shop and started chatting.

Anko looked at the three people in front of her who had successfully obtained Chunin certificates. She first curiously examined Kurenai's certificate.

Then she ruffled her purple hair sadly and said anxiously, "It's over, I'm the only one who failed the exam, and Sensei is going to scold me."

Kurenai looked helpless and comforted her, "It's okay."

Anko shook her head and said, "Sometimes Sensei can be really scary, you don't understand..."

Fortunately, the dango and green tea were served at this moment, distracting her from her worries instantly.

Shintaro and Kakashi exchanged glances.

Both of them had heard of Orochimaru's reputation as one of the Three Sannin, but it wasn't a good one.

Cold-blooded, ruthless, decisive, and powerful—these were the widespread rumors about Orochimaru that instilled fear in people and kept them at a distance.

But this was just a digression; Shintaro immediately started enjoying the three-color dango coated in thick syrup.

The rich caramel burst on his tongue. He swallowed it greedily, then bit into the pink dango, chewing it carefully.

The sakura flavor blended with the sweetness of the sticky rice, making it addictive.

He was more interested in eating than appreciating the sakura.

The second one was white and original, with only the soft taste of milk and sticky rice in his mouth. The flavor was simple and delightful.

The third was green matcha. Shintaro used this dango to scrape the remaining caramel syrup off the plate. Once in his mouth, the slight bitterness of the matcha and the rich sweetness of the caramel collided, creating an even more incredible taste. After eating three dango, he took a cup of tea and drank the warm, fragrant green tea in one gulp.

He mentally added this restaurant to his list of favorites, ranking it alongside BBQ Q.

He had just finished eating three dango when Anko had already devoured six in one hand.

This sight made Kurenai laugh. Knowing this was her best friend, she had chosen to bring her here today.

After eating two skewers of red bean dango, Anko felt it wasn't enough. She raised her hand and said, "Boss, another two skewers of three-color dango."

"Anko, if you eat too much dango, you'll gain weight." A voice with a magnetic and slightly hoarse tone sounded from outside the door.

The powerful and cold aura made Shintaro and the others feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

A man with long black hair, vertical golden eyes, and pale skin lifted the curtain and walked into the dango shop.

The man wore a Konoha Jonin vest. His eyes had purple eyeshadow extending to his nose, and his face was both handsome and slightly strange.

'Orochimaru...' Shintaro recited the name in his heart, realizing that Orochimaru's temperament was indeed different from Jiraiya's, who was also a Sannin.

The only ones on the scene who could move freely under such an aura were Shintaro and Anko.

Shintaro managed because his strength was guaranteed, while Anko was already accustomed to her teacher's aura.

Kakashi was sweating coldly, feeling as if he were being targeted by a higher-level predator. He was so terrified inside that he couldn't move.

Only at his level could one deeply feel the terror of Orochimaru.

Kurenai was simply frightened by Orochimaru's aura and somewhat creepy appearance, and she couldn't help but hold Shintaro's hand under the table.

Orochimaru glanced at the group with snake-like vertical pupils and said to Anko, "Anko, your classmates seem a bit afraid of me."

Anko, who had just finished saying that Orochimaru was scary, immediately stood up and said without saying anything, "I definitely didn't tell them that you're scary!"

"Right? Sensei isn't scary at all." Anko said, looking at Kakashi and Kurenai.

Kurenai loosened her grip on Shintaro's hand and responded with a nod, and Kakashi reluctantly freed himself and stiffly sipped his tea to calm himself.

"Orochimaru-sama." Shintaro took the lead in greeting, and Kakashi and Kurenai followed.

Orochimaru ignored their reactions and greetings, came to the counter, ordered a cup of green tea, and then sat at the table next to Anko with the tea.

"I heard about the situation in the Chunin Exams." He said while stirring his tea and watching the steam rise.

Anko straightened her back nervously.

"We'll talk about your situation later." Orochimaru said, blowing on his tea.

Anko instantly relaxed.

Orochimaru took a sip of the hot tea and said, "Shintaro-kun, Sarutobi-sensei seems to hold you in high regard."

Shintaro modestly replied, "Hokage-sama is very kind."

Orochimaru made no commitment and watched the fluctuating tea, muttering to himself, "I still need an assistant. I need a ninja with a strong theoretical foundation and a solid understanding of ninjutsu. I require a Chunin-level individual to help me complete ninjutsu development experiments, assigning tasks at A-rank level, for a duration of one year."

He drank the tea in one gulp.

Then he stood and walked toward the curtain, turning his back to Shintaro and saying, "Shintaro-kun, if you're interested, please go to the mission assignment area."

Orochimaru then opened the curtain and left.

Anko breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Luckily, Sensei didn't scold me this time. I can put it off for a while."

Shintaro seriously pondered Orochimaru's current intentions and purposes.

Kurenai and Kakashi asked almost simultaneously, "Shintaro, what are you planning?"

Shintaro came back to his senses and said to them both, "I haven't decided yet."

They then avoided further discussion about Orochimaru.

Just before leaving, Kakashi came to Shintaro's side and said, "I think we need to think more about this matter."

Shintaro nodded slightly, indicating for him not to worry.

They parted ways, Shintaro saw Kurenai home and then went home himself.

On the way home, he kept thinking about Orochimaru recruiting him.

As one of the Three Sannin, Orochimaru held a high status in the village and naturally had a lot of resources.

As long as Shintaro showed enough value, he was confident that Orochimaru would use his resources to gain benefits.

In this way, the advantages of being Orochimaru's assistant were certain.

The only thing to consider was the risk.

Orochimaru didn't seem like a kind person. If he discovered some of Shintaro's secrets, he might covet them.

Shintaro thought about it for a long time and finally made a decision. He turned around and walked toward the mission assignment area in Konoha.

Yes, he believed that the benefits of becoming Orochimaru's assistant outweighed the drawbacks, so he decided to accept the task.