Chapter 57: Sensei, I'm Planning Something Big (1/2)

After Wakika insisted that the Rasengan was just a mini Tailed Beast Bomb and demanded that Minato take a hit from the Five-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb as well, Minato turned and left...

It seemed he had made some kind of resolution.

He walked a short distance away, crouched down beside White Fang, hugged his knees, and fell silent.

White Fang simply smiled without saying anything.

"Sensei, what's wrong with him?" Wakika asked.

"Perhaps he's contemplating the meaning of life..." Orochimaru shook his head. "Wakika-kun... Minato-kun is actually a good person. He deserves some leniency from you."

Orochimaru, fulfilling the duties of a teacher, guided, "Some mistakes can be forgiven. It depends on the intention behind those mistakes."

"Take Minato-kun, for example. He accidentally injured your companion, but at the root of it, it was due to a lack of information. At the time, he mistakenly thought your companion was an enemy..."

"Minato-kun was also trying to protect the village. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, if you were to face danger in the future, Minato-kun would also stand up for you."

Wakika spread his hands, "But I already gave him a chance. All he had to do was take a hit from Kokuo's Tailed Beast Bomb, and we could have settled things, but he keeps fussing over it..."

"..."

Child, Minato's Rasengan isn't even the size of the Five-Tails' nostril. Do you even understand the meaning of "fussing"?

Orochimaru decided to move past this topic.

After all, there were more important matters to deal with.

The tailed beasts, the Uchiha, the village...

Orochimaru understood very well.

If this situation wasn't handled properly, it could definitely escalate into a major crisis within the village.

The Hokage had rushed back to the village and specifically left everyone behind to "accompany" Wakika-kun precisely because of this.

"Wakika-kun, have you thought about how you're going to live with your companion in the future?" Orochimaru asked with a smile.

"After all, there doesn't seem to be any place in the village where your esteemed friend can roam freely..."

"That's true..." Wakika nodded thoughtfully, "But didn't the Third Hokage promise to find a good place for Kokuo before he left?"

"There are many ways to handle it, Wakika-kun."

Orochimaru reminded him, "The Hokage has to consider the feelings of others in the village. The conclusion he reaches can only be a compromise."

"What are your own thoughts regarding your companion, Wakika-kun?"

What thoughts could I have?

Of course, just to let them all fall into chaos.

We Uchiha aren't fond of causing trouble, but we do enjoy resolving it!

"I want to buy a piece of land near the village, as big as possible," Wakika said seriously.

"..."

Orochimaru blinked, quickly slipping into "Wakika-style thinking."

"Buy a piece of land?" Orochimaru asked, wondering if he meant buying land for the Five-Tails?

And buying it near the village?

This child... surely just wants to buy a territory where the Five-Tails can live, right?

Well, that does fit Wakika's way of thinking.

However, Orochimaru didn't really see this as feasible.

"Yes," Wakika nodded. "This time, I saved a companion and destroyed the Kannabi Bridge. That should count as two major missions."

"Indeed it does."

Orochimaru smiled and agreed, "I'll report to the Hokage. These are two S-rank missions completed by Wakika-kun alone."

As his sensei, and with no shortage of money, Orochimaru had no intention of taking any of the rewards for himself.

"And then there was that guy named Han. He seemed to be an important figure in Iwagakure. Kokuo and I took him down, so the village should reward us for that too."

"Of course." Orochimaru nodded again, "That could also be counted as an S-rank mission."

What Orochimaru didn't mention was that capturing the Five-Tails alone was beyond what any mission could encompass.

However, the Five-Tails was Wakika-kun's companion.

Some things, Orochimaru believed, were not the right topic to bring up just yet... at least not by him.

"That should get me a decent amount of money," Wakika's eyes lit up. "In that case, I should have enough for the down payment and won't need to borrow from Clan Leader Fugaku!"

"Down payment?"