hotmtlnovel Chapter 164:
Chapter 164:
Nawaki, who had recently been promoted to Chunin, was visibly impatient.He was the only one on his team to achieve this rank, a source of pride for him, and that pride was starting to go to his head. Like any young shinobi who'd tasted early success, he was getting a bit overconfident.
"So, you're eager to go to the battlefield?" Orochimaru asked, not bothering to look back as he continued walking.
The battlefield… Orochimaru knew all too well that even Jonin-level ninja were just pawns there, easily cut down if they weren't cautious. From what he could tell, Nawaki's current strength would leave him with a 70% chance of dying on the front lines.
"Of course!" Nawaki replied, practically vibrating with excitement. "My dream is to become Hokage! If I don't go to the battlefield and earn some achievements, how else am I supposed to make that happen?"
"Hokage, huh?" Orochimaru paused, then turned to glance at the enthusiastic boy. "It's good to have a goal, but remember, you have to take things one step at a time."
"Come on, sensei! I've already mastered my basics! I'm a Chunin now!" Nawaki puffed out his chest. "I bet it won't be long before I can beat one of your clones…"
He continued talking excitedly, his aspirations growing with each sentence.
"Soon, I'll be able to surpass my sister, then you, and then… eventually surpass my grandfather and become the greatest Hokage ever!"
"Your grandfather, huh?" Orochimaru's gaze drifted to the necklace hanging around Nawaki's neck.
When did Tsunade give him that necklace?
It was a relic of the First Hokage, imbued with the chakra-sealing power Hashirama had left behind. Orochimaru remembered Tsunade wearing it every night and never mentioning any intention of passing it down.
"Oh, this?" Nawaki noticed Orochimaru's glance and grinned even wider. "My sister gave it to me for my twelfth birthday, just the other day! By the way, sensei, you didn't get me a gift since you came back late that night…"
"Your birthday, huh? So you're twelve now…" Orochimaru muttered thoughtfully. "Alright, I'll give you something when we get back."
"Really? Haha, thanks, sensei you're the best!" Nawaki's eyes sparkled with excitement, practically bouncing with energy as he followed Orochimaru back to the village.
The two walked side-by-side, engaged in easy conversation. Neither noticed the subtle frown on Kato Dan's face as he watched them from a distance.
"Dan, what's up?" a slightly chubby ninja approached, noticing his teammate lingering behind.
Kato Dan blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, it's nothing… I just feel like Lord Orochimaru might not be the easiest person to get along with."
"Is that so?" The ninja glanced at Orochimaru's retreating figure and laughed. "Well, that's not surprising. He is one of the Sannin, the man who fought Hanzo of the Salamander and survived! With strength like that, he's bound to have a unique personality."
"Haha, true enough…"
---
Meanwhile, Tsunade's journey to the front line had only just begun, and Orochimaru was already feeling the lull of boredom creeping back in.
After giving Nawaki a vial of the basic enhancement serum as a belated birthday gift, he returned to his lab to resume his re