Chapter 35 – Visit

“We’ll meet at the training grounds at noon.” Kurenai stated as she prepared to leave. Last night she slept on the couch, it was the first time she had done passed the night there. Sango would have liked to let her sleep in his room but considering the mess it was in, he reconsidered it. For Sango it wasn’t a mess as everything in his room was placed following certain rules, but for others it would look like a mess with no fail.

“Yes, see you later.” He said while kissing her cheek, an action he hoped it wasn’t over the top, but Kurenai received it with a smile.

Kurenai left and Sango left too, his intention was to prepare some tea in the kitchen. While doing so he considered the tasks he needs to work on. First he had to continue developing the software he had an idea for, there he had some trouble because the programming language was rather different in principle than in his previous world, it also wasn’t as developed as he would have liked, not to forget that the computation power was also lacking. He wanted to create a software able to optimize chakra techniques, for such an outcome he needed e perfect understanding on how chakra worked and how the body used chakra. He was aware that the project would take a long time but once it was completed the gains would also be hard to ignore for anyone.

Then it was the bracelets, at first his intention was to create amulets, but they weren’t ideal for his desired results. Thanks to the Scroll of Seals, the research was developing much faster, he believed to have a prototype before long. The bracelets had only one use, protect the girls, he wouldn’t be able to protect them by himself, at least for now, and even if he could protect them by himself, he wouldn’t let himself being the only barrier between them and danger. His own weakness was obvious, his body stopped improving and the reason was unknown at the moment, he wasn’t good enough yet to protect what he loved, more research was necessary to find a solution to that problem, but he could make tools to serve his purposes, at least he had an enormous amount of chakra to use. Most of his time was spent researching and improving the bracelets, the last hurdle was to find a way to store a huge amount of chakra.

The tea was ready, he took a tray with two cups and the tea kettle and brought them to the living room, placing them on the table. Then he took one of the coups and placed it opposite him and the other coup he placed in front of himself.

“So? For what do I owe this visit, Orochimaru?” He spoke before taking a sip of the tea.

“Haha, such a warm welcome.” The person sitting on the couch opposite Sango said while also taking a sip of the tea.

Silence prevailed while they were watching each other, “I’m happy to see you were expecting me.” Orochimaru broke the quietness of the room as he began speaking.

“Hard not to, you made it clear you wanted to visit.” Sango replied with a wry smile. Orochimaru didn’t hid himself from Sango while waiting outside the apartment, even if he wanted to, Sango wouldn’t have been able to ignore his presence, he had to say that he had trouble resting last night. He could only admire his patience to wait all night while motionless, like a snake on the hunt.

“You are so interesting; I can’t seem too understand you even after observing your actions for such a long time, well, I can understand somethings.” Out of nowhere, Orochimaru said something unrelated to what they were just discussing. “But I can feel you and I are similar.”

His words didn’t surprise Sango at all, he had to agree that what Orochimaru said was indeed true.

“Yea, I agree.” Sango replied, his words did surprise Orochimaru as he didn’t expect Sango to agree so readily.

“Oh? How come you think so too?” Orochimaru, intrigued, asked.

“I’m not blind, although it sounds strange coming from me.” Sango smiled at his own joke, “I know myself and I somewhat know you, I can see the similarities.” He ended his words after saying so, leaving much unsaid.

Orochimaru squinted his eyes while looking at Sango as if wanting to see inside Sango’s mind.

“You’re becoming more and more intriguing, very well then.” After he said so, Orochimaru took a small sack from somewhere and presented it to Sango.

“This is?” Sango asked, although he already had an idea of what it was.

“A gift.” Passing the sack to Sango, Orochimaru waited for him to open it.

Taking the sack, he looked inside and it was indeed what he thought, without a change in expression he inserted his hand through the sack’s opening and took out the head by the hair. He wasn’t worried about the Hokage spying on him, Orochimaru had his ways to trick the old man’s crystal orb and Sango was sure that such safety measures were put in place by him, not that Sango didn’t have his own ways to escape the Hockage’s spying technique now that he had studied the Scroll of Seals.

Sango studied Asuma’s head while turning it around, his face was peaceful as if sleeping, it looked like he died without knowing it.

For a moment, a bloody aura escaped Sango’s body, an aura that asked for pain and torture for his enemy, thick as mercury. Its origin being the unnecessary and cruel intent to bring unimaginable pain upon his enemies, such a peaceful death wasn’t acceptable.

It lasted for only a fraction of an instant, but Orochimaru saw it and he was even more happy for having decided to do what he did. He was much more impressed by the fact that Sango’s expression didn’t change even with that inhumane and cruel aura coming from him, it indicated that his will has stronger than steel.

“So? What is this gift for?” Sango knew that the gift wasn’t just that, a gift, it was something that Orochimaru wanted to use for his own ends.

“Directly to the point eh? Alright then.” Orochimaru expression turned serious as he looked directly into Sango’s closed eyes, as if they were open. “I want you to become my disciple.”