Chapter 257 Don't wait for me this time
Her tone was somewhat harsh, and before he could feel annoyed, Haruko went into the room.
Orochimaru didn't look at her, his hands constantly fiddling with the instruments, sometimes lifting up a test tube to examine it, sometimes taking something off the shelf and returning it to the table.
Then he frowned, wondering what he was doing with this useless thing.
Haruko, standing awkwardly to the side, tentatively asked, "Are you very busy right now? How about I wait until next time..."
"Speak if you have something to say."
His impolite attitude brought silence back to the laboratory, leaving only the clanging and clattering of instruments.
Haruko took a deep breath, convincing herself not to care about his indifference. "I'm going to Sunagakure with Tsunade on a mission, so I might not be able to see you for a while."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"I want to ask you for a favor. I wonder if you can figure out a way to break the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Technique."
"Break the caged bird? You really know how to give me a difficult problem."
Upon learning that she had only come to ask him for help because of Hyuga, Orochimaru's feverish heart cooled completely, and he chuckled to himself, inexplicably finding himself ridiculous.
Self-definition is sometimes difficult to reconcile with the recognition of others, especially for the cold and gloomy snake.
"I believe in you. No one is more likely than you to figure out a way to crack it."
Haruko tried to make her tone sound light, "You have extremely high scientific talent, which should be your pursuit, not a blade to stab everyone."
Seeing that she hadn't given up trying to convince him, Orochimaru deliberately said in a cold voice, "You still like to talk nonsense."
Perhaps she couldn't stand him anymore, perhaps she didn't want to be met with his coldness anymore, or perhaps she finally realized that they were on completely different paths.
She left, taking with her all the warmth she had brought, leaving behind only words that inexplicably irritated people.
"I will try my best to bring back new ninjutsu for you, so wait for me."
Orochimaru gripped the tool in his hand tightly, a surge of anger filling his chest, a resentment at her unwavering tolerance.
Did you still think he was that kid who longed to learn all the ninjutsu in the world?
Stop joking!
The monotonous and tedious life continued day after day, seemingly unchanged from the countless days and nights without her memory.
Orochimaru found her ridiculous too.
She was clearly a person who was afraid of death, but in the end, she not only died to protect others, but was also forgotten by everyone. Even so, she didn't change much after regaining her memories.
Given her personality, she probably never took it to heart, and might even think that forgetting her death was a good thing.
What a foolish person.
Selfless people are foolish, so he is selfish and only cares about his own future. He devotes endless effort to research, just to achieve his own success.
Immortality, in particular, was merely his pursuit of preserving his own life.
Life is fragile; once a person is dead, what is the point of discussing the value and meaning of life?
That's why I said she was stupid.
Later, she returned to the village and brought with her the ninjutsu she had learned from Sunagakure that very day.
Orochimaru glanced at her, didn't even take it, ignored her stunned expression, and cruelly told her that he had already collected all of this, mocking her for doing useless work.
Judging by ordinary people's moral ethics, he could be described as ungrateful.
But foolish as she was, she apologized to him instead, saying that she would definitely bring back even rarer ninjutsu next time.
"Wait for me."
She said those words again before she left.
She would sometimes come to the lab after that, but Orochimaru spent most of his time alone.
She didn't have much to do when she arrived. She would chat about whatever came to mind, ignoring his silence. When she couldn't think of anything to say, she would watch him do his research and express her admiration for the knowledge she didn't understand.
It was a period of uneventful yet unexpectedly harmonious interaction, so much so that he unconsciously began to secretly look forward to their next meeting.
Orochimaru despised and scorned this version of himself, while also envying and being jealous of it.
Until the very end, though he didn't know it would be their last meeting, Haruko didn't say another word after greeting him, sitting quietly and watching him for a long time.
The loneliness in his eyes inexplicably irritated Orochimaru, causing his tone to become somewhat aggressive.
Why are you looking at me with such pitiful eyes?
She didn't reply, but suddenly told him, "Orochimaru, I'm going on a trip."
Orochimaru paused in his action of pouring the reagent, then regained his composure a second later. "Is that so?"
"Yes, and it will be a long time, I don't know when I'll be back."
She added, "If we're lucky, we might be able to come back soon, but it will probably take some time."
Remembering the white-haired fool who had burst through the window to say goodbye not long ago, Orochimaru casually asked, "Why didn't you leave with Jiraiya before?"
"Our paths are different."
Haruko looked at him intently, a hint of hope flickering in her dark, bright eyes.
“My path is different from yours, so I hope our paths will continue to intersect.”
"Intersecting paths only waste time that would otherwise take you to the destination by going straight."
"I care about you, so I want to keep you here."
"...Do you care about me?"
Orochimaru found it somewhat amusing that someone who had rejected him was now saying they cared about him.
"Orochimaru, I'm not the only one who wants to keep you here, and I'm not the only one who cares about you. I'm glad that I'm special to you."
Catching a glimpse of her serious expression, Orochimaru sneered, "People change, especially their feelings."
Seeing that he remained cold-hearted throughout, Haruko felt relieved and gently hugged him. She hesitated for a long time before finally saying her final goodbye.
"You said snakes don't have tears, so... don't wait for me this time."
The cicadas' chirping in Konoha gradually subsided in the height of summer, and snow-white clouds covered the streets large and small.
The snake had reached the time to hibernate, and even when he woke up one morning, his mind was foggy, with all sorts of complicated and noisy thoughts intertwined, unable to extract the answer he wanted.
Orochimaru, wrapped in his outer robe, stood by the window, which emanated a chill, gazing down at the swirling snowflakes below, slowly drifting into a daze.
Winter always comes so quickly.
As if in harmony with the frigid winter weather, he felt an inexplicable fervor within him...
He seemed to be waiting for someone to appear.
A vibrant and fearless figure.
＊
Haruko is really busy; even finding time to visit him is a rare opportunity for her to rest.
Since her last visit to Hiruko to confirm that he had come to his senses, Haruko apologized, saying that she found it difficult to find time to visit him.
Hiruko no longer had negative emotions, since she had been allowed to visit her on the screen from time to time.
Haruko was almost always busy, busy with training, busy with reforms, busy with repairing the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha, and none of these things were really for her own benefit.
She didn't mind watching her, so Hiruko would sit in front of the screen almost every day watching her busy.
The previously cramped room has become much more spacious after a lot of clutter was thrown away, and with the newly installed lights, it looks bright and clean.
Not long ago, Jiraiya came to visit him and was amazed to find that the room had been completely transformed, exclaiming that the dilapidated house finally had a bit of a living atmosphere.
That clueless guy, the front door isn't far, why does he always have to barge in through the window...?
******
The list of recipients of gratitude as of July 6, 2024:
grateful--
Crane Tree (sent a reminder charm, bubble tea, and a love letter)
The following are updates from various authors: Passerby A (a teacher), Mu Xue Yu Ji, Lin Lao Ji, Uzumaki Rasengan, Healing Unicorn in the Lightning, Crane Tree (★★●), Jin Xiu La from Nanning, Kite Mast ^, Yan Yi Yue, A Yu Zhen Di C, and 3 gifts from Sanhao Squirrel (generated with love).
Yu & Jiu Ci, two gifts from Yang Rubing, one real and one fake, powered by love ×2
Piano lacquer master, Ranxia Q, Sakurai Yuki, one bite of Sukuna, Fusang Qin, 【◆﹏◆】, Qi is not Qi, Xiao Xingxing who loves to eat stir-fried duck with ginger, Chenhuang who loves to eat spicy squid, open the skylight and swear, tsuki Jia, whoosh! Koi possessed, damn it has been applied, Wu Ziyun, Mu Wangfu who loves to eat black rice fried rice and is powered by love
Thank you for the gifts! The author is so touched! Jiraiya climbed out the window and laughed out loud (ㄏ￣▽￣)ㄏ
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