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Of Ramen and Wooden Skates

The Hokage's Granddaughter

There was a time Orochimaru-kun asked if he could sleep in the restaurant instead. His landlady locked down the apartment he was staying too early in the evenings, and there were missions that ended only at an ungodly hour such as 1 AM. He tried explaining this to her, but she refused to see the point of it. At the back of my mind I guessed that Orochimaru-kun did not do any explanation whatsoever, but I shut my mouth. I've seen what my little employee could do, and it was not clean.

When I agreed, he cheerfully returned to his apartment for a moment and came back clutching a small bedroll that he deposited under the counter. He said he could sleep anywhere, may they be floors or tables or chairs – he wasn't choosy like Jiraiya, his teammate.

I often wondered what the Hokage's other students were like. Orochimaru-kun and I liked to talk about them when we were done for the day and sipping our tea before closing time. Orochimaru-kun said that Tsunade could possibly smash my face to a bloody pulp with only a single finger, and that Jiraiya was possibly the stupidest kid in the planet, with an eccentric leisure pursuit to peep at the ladies in the public bath he was currently employed in as a clean-up boy.

They were excellent young nins; Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade. News never fails to reach me here of their missions. Already and at such a young age they have accomplished one hundred and twelve, all successful. Their missions ranged from D-rank to A-rank, involving all sorts of danger and excitement. Sometimes, when he was feeling extremely nice, Orochimaru-kun would honor me of the details of their missions.

"So Jiraiya-kun managed to get rid of the Hunter nins?" I asked.

Orochimaru-kun nodded. "Yes. You know, sir, he's good but his stupidity overrules his actions. Sarutobi-sensei and I have put probably much effort to trying to change his priorities, but..." he shrugged. "He's as stubborn as a mule."

I laughed. "How do you see Jiraiya then?"

A pout curled on my employee's lips. "I'd be prepared to see him as an equal if only he'd be serious enough."

I didn't know if the Sannin Jiraiya ever knew that Orochimaru held him in such a high regard.

"What about the kunoichi..." I said.

A blush crept on Orochimaru-kun's cheek. "Tsunade." He said the name as if it were a prayer.

I grinned. "You told me she was a gambler?"

"Oh, unrelenting, sir. She is one of the main reasons why Jiraiya and I are working part-time. She loves to borrow money and when the due date arrives, she vanishes like a bubble bursting in midair. In fact, sir, she owes me over 5,000 ryo and 3,000 ryo from Jiraiya."

What a weird girl, I thought. "Then why not try to get the money during a mission?"

Orochimaru-kun laughed. Laughed. "Oh sir, if it were possible, I would have done it a long time ago. But you see, Tsunade has a monstrous strength. I wouldn't want to suffer Jiraiya's fate of ending up in a coma for one week when he did try to get the money out of her during our sojourn in the Sand."

As if summoning her, the First's granddaughter appeared on our doorstep, hazel eyes examining our place as she went inside, hands shoved in her pockets. I managed to see that Orochimaru-kun's blush deepened for a moment before it vanished entirely as he schooled his face into blankness as he rose.

"Ichiraku Irashai!" he said.

Tsunade-hime gave a start and turned wide eyes toward Orochimaru-kun. "So it's true you're working here?" she said.

I walked to the counter and heard Orochimaru-kun sigh.

"What will you be wanting, Tsunade? Please, sit down."

The First's granddaughter sat down near one of the windows, steepling her fine fingers together and looking up at Orochimaru-kun curiously as if he had grown an extra head. I hummed a tune as I started up the stove in case the princess wanted a hot serving of ramen.

Orochimaru-kun stood over her, paper and pen in hand. "Well?"

"Hmm...let's see...barbecue and...the usual."

"In a moment."

Orochimaru-kun headed to me and gave me his friend's order. As I prepared the broth and the noodles, I watched the two out of the corner of my eye. Tsunade-hime had been very pretty ever since she was young. It was hard to believe she could smash my face into a bloody pulp if she wanted to. But I did not doubt Orochimaru-kun's words. It was fun watching them. Orochimaru-kun gestured lightly as he talked to her, and the way his golden eyes sparkled...I knew that he held her in a special regard other than friendship, the way he secretly held Jiraiya-kun as a younger brother.

"Order up!" I said.

Orochimaru-kun jumped up and went to fetch Tsunade-hime's food and serving it to her. Afterward we left her alone as we tackled the pots and pans in the kitchen. And then we heard her call.

"Orochimaru! Hey, Orochimaru!"

"Oh, not again..." my employee hissed as he hastily wiped his hands on his apron and going out to see to her needs.

Their following conversation is as the best I could remember it:

"Hey, come on...I need money."

"What?"

"Yeah, well...my mother won't give me my allowance next week in advance, so..."

"Do you have any idea how much you owe me, Tsunade?"

"...remind me?"

"You owe me 5,678 ryo!" Orochimaru-kun's voice sounded pained. "And you haven't given me a single centavo back! I will not lend you another coin unless you pay up!"

"I promise I'll pay you back once I win -!"

"You are always making promises, Tsunade. Why not try paying up instead?"

"But -!"

"Tsunade, I won't be able to survive on your promises. I can't buy food with promises, much less pay my rent!"

"You're so mean -!"

"No, Tsunade. You're the one who's mean. Do you have any idea how Jiraiya cried in on me the other day because he got kicked out of his apartment for not paying four month's rent?"

"What?"

"Yes. And he's living with me right now. You cause far too much trouble, Tsunade. For once in your life try being the Hokage's granddaughter that you are and keep your promises – not pile them up on one another!"

There was a cry and crunch – I knew our door needed repairing. Orochimaru-kun joined me by the sink a minute later, a steely frown on his face. He refused to talk, so I kept my questions to himself.

"Troublesome flat-chested bitch," Orochimaru-kun glowered at the bubbles on his arms.

But apart from that, I knew he liked her. Because one day I saw him washing the dishes while tears flowed from his eyes. I asked him what was wrong, and I was surprised by his answer.

"She's already taken."

I think that was the only time I saw Orochimaru-kun cry, and that I was the only living soul to know that he was capable of doing so.