Chapter 135 Just Look at Me
"Look, the pupa is about to hatch." Shino Aburame raised the box a little higher.
Haruko quickly took out what Tsunade had given her. It was Orochimaru's only remaining clothing. To make it easier to carry, Tsunade had ruthlessly cut off a piece of the sleeve.
They gently draped their sleeves over the vent above the box, anxiously observing the microbes' reaction.
Finally, at the moment of hatching, the cricket emerged from its pupa and carefully sniffed the scent in the air.
Haruko pulled her sleeve back, allowing Shino Aburame to open the box.
The fennel fluttered its wings and flew out. It circled in the air a few times before landing on Haruko Hayama's shoulder, much to their astonishment.
"strangeness……"
Haruko looked at her shoulder in surprise, then trembled slightly. Sensing the vibration, the fragrant insect flew up, but landed back on her shoulder after Haruko stopped.
Kiba Inuzuka guessed, "Could it be because the clothes have been sitting at Haruko's place for a while?"
“Impossible. Even the faintest scent residue would be immediately tracked and found by the pheromones,” Shino Aburame retorted.
"That is..." Kiba Inuzuka was still puzzled.
Haruko, however, stared blankly at the sleeve in her hand. During her brief encounter with Orochimaru when she was kidnapped to his base, she vaguely sensed that Orochimaru's scent was familiar.
Now she realized that Orochimaru's scent was the same as hers.
But how could this be...?
"Anyway, let's take the fennel bugs back first," Haruko Hayama decided.
...
"I see. If we want to find Orochimaru, we not only have to get rid of Haruko, but also prevent the Mikasuki worms from going in Haruko's direction."
Tsunade clearly hadn't expected this outcome. Her face darkened as she propped herself up with her hand, and through Haruko's sleeve, she seemed to see the legendary Sannin from decades ago.
At that time, Orochimaru was focused on research, and Hiruko was often sent out by the higher-ups to handle battlefield missions, so she and Jiraiya rarely saw the two of them, mostly at dinner parties organized by Haruko in the morning.
Orochimaru, having shed his battle armor, donned a casual kimono and looked quite dashing. Especially when he preemptively sat down next to Haruko and gave them a provocative smile, he resembled a gigolo even more.
"Orochimaru!" Enraged, Tsunade slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
Jiraiya, who was sitting next to her, quickly grabbed her clothes and whispered, "Calm down, calm down. You still haven't gotten used to his terrible personality after all these years."
Tsunade slapped his hand away, "That's why I said you've been a coward for so many years!"
"No, it's him who angered you, why are you attacking him indiscriminately!" Jiraiya stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
I never imagined that trying to break up a fight would get me involved.
"What are you talking about?" Haruko Hayama looked at the two of them strangely.
Orochimaru chuckled and leaned slightly towards her, "Perhaps they're not satisfied with the dinner."
Seeing Orochimaru's intimate gesture, Hiruko couldn't help but break the chopsticks in her hand.
Haruko was taken aback. "Really? I thought we should have a proper get-together since we haven't seen each other for so long."
Seeing Orochimaru stirring up trouble, Jiraiya quickly explained, "No, no! It's...it's Tsunade, she's going through menopause!"
"What did you say!"
The dinner party ended with Tsunade giving Jiraiya a good beating, while Orochimaru got the better end of the deal, serving Haruko food and whispering to her, which made Tsunade extremely angry.
The key point is that when they went back separately later, Tsunade, along with Jiraiya and Hiruko, wanted to secretly beat him up, but what Tsunade caught was actually a substitute. Orochimaru, that cunning guy, had already escaped.
At the time, she was puzzled by the familiar scent of Orochimaru's substitute, but she was too angry to pay much attention. However, considering the current situation...
Orochimaru, that shameless guy, had already figured out Haruko's scent back then and was secretly using it himself!
Damn it!!!
Tsunade slammed her fist on the table, and to everyone's horror, the desk caved in, creating a hole.
Standing next to her, Shizune silently shed tears. "Tsunade-sama's desk is going to be replaced again, sob sob sob."
After all, Haruko and the others' mission was simply to bring back the Misty Insects; how to resolve the current situation with the Misty Insects was not their concern.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Haruko said goodbye to them and headed to the Nara residence.
Before the mission, Nara's mother said that she hadn't visited in a long time. Haruko knew that she mainly missed her mother, so she said that she and her mother would visit after the mission.
"Playing chess?"
After finishing dinner, Nara Shikamaru was leisurely lying on the edge of the bed, basking in the moonlight, when Haruko suddenly suggested playing chess with him.
Nara Shikamaru sat up, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "Why did you suddenly think of playing chess?"
"I just feel like I haven't seen the chess set I gave to Shikamaru in a long time," Haruko Hayama said seriously.
"Huh? You're still using the set of chess you gave me?" Nara Shikamaru's expression fell. "What a hassle, aren't all chess sets the same?"
Despite complaining, Nara Shikamaru still got up and went back to his room to find her a chess set.
Come to think of it, I've been using this chess set ever since she gave it to me.
Nara Shikamaru looked at the perfectly packaged chess set in his hand and thought to himself, "I never thought I'd use it for the first time because of her."
Under the clear moonlight, they sat on the edge of the table, facing the chessboard.
"Hey." Nara Shikamaru's lips twitched. "You don't even know how to play Go!"
The chessboard was a complete mess, and Nara Shikamaru couldn't bear to look at it. Even if he won against this idiot, it would make him look like a moron!
Haruko smiled sheepishly, "I'm a newbie, please be understanding."
Nara Shikamaru sighed, got up and sat down next to her. Under Haruko Hayama's stunned gaze, he lightly tapped the chessboard with his hand.
"Watch closely, I'll teach you."
Haruko, realizing what was happening, hugged him, touched. "Shikamaru is such a wonderful person!"
The moment she pressed against him, Nara Shikamaru's eyes widened, and he quickly reached out to push her face away, "Idiot... idiot! Let go of me!"
Haruko, however, hugged him and smiled brightly, "As expected, it's so great to have met Shikamaru!"
Nara Shikamaru stopped pushing, and he couldn't help but be drawn to Hayama Haruko's sincere and clear eyes.
Ever since I met her when I was seven, she seemed to have always been looking at me with those bright and clear eyes, telling me how powerful ordinary dreams could be, telling me that my lack of motivation was just a temporary disguise, and telling me that beneath my unremarkable abilities lay a great sense of security...
Tell yourself how lucky she is to have met you...
I always seemed to be this lazy and listless, and she always seemed to have this gentle and peaceful attitude.
They don't seem to have changed, no, he should have changed.
Seeing that Haruko Hayama was confused as to why he wasn't replying to her, Shikamaru Nara raised his hand and covered her eyes.
Sometimes I want you to look at me, and sometimes I don't want you to look at me.
"So, does Shikamaru want me to look at you or not?" came Haruko Hayama's confused voice.
Taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't see him now, Nara Shikamaru smiled, his usually nonchalant eyes now filled with a hint of ambiguity.
"Just watch me. Although it's a bit difficult to handle, it's not bad."
******
The list of recipients of gratitude as of March 11, 2024:
grateful--
K, the one who sent the update reminder charm
The rotten flower buds delivered the bubble tea.
To let the alpaca travel to all the books it likes, a love letter was given.
Xuan Chun, Little Red Riding Hood who loves reading, 28 years old, a gift from Yuan Ziqing, give it a thumbs up!
Red-clad Xiangyi Saigao, Fisherman's Song, Mo Wentian who loves red bean jelly, Xiaoge is the best, Hu Li, Lin Laoji, Let the alpaca travel to all the books you like, Early Summer, Starry Sky, Green and Blue are invincible, Xuan Chun, Pure beauty and truth do not conflict, Yun Cheyun of Ancient Desert Island, Jin Xiula of Nanning, Mao Yuan, G's Meow sent for love
Thank you for the gifts! The author is so touched! (The author then performs an online peeing act.)
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