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Rong Lin, not paying attention, directly blurted out this address.
"Hello, Rong Lin-kun."
Orochimaru was taken aback for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face as he nodded in greeting. It just gave Rong Lin a creepy feeling.
After adulthood, Orochimaru's appearance was somewhat peculiar, slowly changing, approaching that of some dangerous animal. Coupled with his icy aura, it made people feel uncomfortable.
Snake-like eyes, a long and narrow face, morbidly pale skin, and a tongue that would occasionally flick out with snake-like flexibility – it was hard for people to have a good impression of him.
At this time, Orochimaru hadn't become as evil as he was after leaving Konoha. He was still a decent person, who enjoyed researching various ninjutsu and collecting various bloodline limits.
Many of the ninjutsu Rong Lin learned were obtained from him by Tsunade.
"Are you looking for Tsunade?"
Slowly walking to Rong Lin's side, Orochimaru had a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face, making him hard to read.
"No, I was sparring with a friend, and ended up hitting him a bit too hard. I sent him to the medical department," Rong Lin shook his head.
"Oh."
Orochimaru responded casually, his eyes constantly sizing up Rong Lin, as if trying to see through everything about him. This made Rong Lin feel a bit uncomfortable. Sensing Rong Lin's reaction, Orochimaru withdrew his gaze and smiled.
"I haven't congratulated Rong Lin-kun yet for passing the Chunin Exams. Well then, I'll take my leave."
It was unknown how others got along with him; he always gave people an uncomfortable feeling. Watching Orochimaru walk past him and leave, Rong Lin thought for a moment and called out, "Uncle Snake, can I ask you about something?"
Since he had already called him that, calling him it a few more times wouldn't matter. Besides, given Orochimaru's age, he could indeed be his physical uncle.
"Oh."
Orochimaru stopped and turned to look at Rong Lin. "Is it about ninjutsu?"
If Rong Lin needed help, Orochimaru wouldn't mind assisting him, as long as it didn't interfere with his own affairs.
Also being a disciple of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru found Rong Lin more pleasing to the eye than Minato. Furthermore, given the relationship between the Sannin, let alone Rong Lin, even if Minato sought him out, he wouldn't deliberately refuse.
"Yes, it's about summoning techniques."
Rong Lin stepped forward, looked at Orochimaru, and explained his thoughts. "I want to learn snake summoning techniques from you."
"Summoning techniques, you didn't... with Tsunade..."
He trailed off, but the meaning was clear: You are Tsunade's disciple, Tsunade's summoning beast is a slug. Don't you like it?
"Compared to slugs that are good at healing, I still prefer summoning beasts like Manda."
Looking at Orochimaru's cold gaze, Rong Lin didn't flinch at all. "Among the Sannin, I prefer the combat-strong Manda, not slugs or strange-looking toads."
"Not a bad idea."
A long tongue flicked out, and Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
Being Sannin, there were naturally some rivalries, just that outsiders hadn't noticed. Hearing Rong Lin say this, Orochimaru thought Rong Lin had good taste; like himself, he would choose Manda, not slugs or strange-looking toads.
Staring intently at Rong Lin, Orochimaru seemed to be pondering. He fell silent. Rong Lin wasn't anxious and waited quietly. As for Orochimaru's gaze, it was fine as long as he didn't mind it.
Some things, the more you care, the more uncomfortable you feel. His behavior was just similar to a snake; he wasn't a real snake.
Besides, he wasn't afraid of snakes either. Just looking wouldn't cost him anything. Try to see through me? Keep dreaming!
If he were afraid of snakes, Rong Lin wouldn't have taken this opportunity to approach Orochimaru. A powerful summoning beast like Manda was basically out of the question, but as long as he could find a suitable summoning beast, Rong Lin believed that with his own nurturing, it would become stronger.
Snake-type summoning beasts weren't bad, but Rong Lin had something even more to his liking. Unfortunately, to obtain it, he still needed to wait, and also needed strength. At this moment, he wasn't qualified enough.
"Come find me tomorrow."
After considering for a moment, Orochimaru ultimately didn't refuse, leaving with a thoughtful smile on his face.
I don't know if you'll be like the original. Perhaps I can provide you with some help!
Watching Orochimaru's retreating figure, Rong Lin quickly dismissed these messy thoughts and headed towards his destination. He still needed to meet someone—Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan.
The so-called Senryu was just a restaurant, albeit a rather luxurious one. In Rong Lin's words, it was a place for rich people.
With Rong Lin's financial situation, it was basically hopeless. After he graduated, the village cut off his meager funding. He could only rely on himself, but the rewards from the various missions he could undertake at the beginning were too low.
The money he had painstakingly saved was treated by Jiraiya for a meal, and after helping Kai pay his medical expenses, it was basically all gone!
The money he had left now was only enough for living expenses for a while. As for going to Senryu, dream on!
"Come up with me."
When Rong Lin arrived at the entrance of Senryu, he saw Uchiha Izumi waiting at the door.
He nodded at him. Uchiha Izumi turned and entered Senryu, and Rong Lin followed him in.
"Tsk tsk, this is truly unusually luxurious."
Looking at Senryu's luxurious 597 decor, Rong Lin couldn't help but sigh. No matter which world, rich people knew how to enjoy themselves.
"Knock knock!!"
In a private room on the second floor, Uchiha Izumi knocked on the door.
"Come in." Fugaku Uchiha's voice came from inside.
"Go in." Uchiha Izumi opened the door, stood at the entrance, and gestured for Rong Lin to enter.
Not knowing what the other party would say, Rong Lin took a deep breath and walked into the private room. Uchiha Izumi, standing at the door, closed it and stood guard at the entrance.
"Sit."
Inside the private room, it wasn't just Fugaku Uchiha alone. There were two other people, or to be precise, a beautiful woman and a child of about ten years old. The child resembled the woman by about seventy percent, with a bit more refinement and tenderness, and a bit less of the woman's beauty. If the former was a ripe peach, the latter was a green apple.
Fugaku Uchiha, sitting in the main seat, didn't yet have that sternness he would have in the future. At this time, he was only in his twenties, having just taken over the entire Uchiha clan, but his expression was more or less a zombie face.
"Many thanks, Uchiha Clan Head."
Rong Lin smiled and expressed his thanks, not declining, and directly sat down opposite him.
"Hmph, not even a bit of courtesy, clearly he's the clan head."