Here's the last "filler-chapter" if you want to call it that. There are only a few chapters left, so be prepared for some shocking moments in the next few chapters.
"So you told me about your friend... Kuraiko was her name, right?" Tsunade asked as Keiko and Ryu entered her office. They have proven that they are trustworthy, so the Hokage decided to talk about their friend now that it is clear that they were telling the truth. However she already knew her decision concerning Kuraiko wouldn't be accepted that easily.
"Yeah, she's still with him. We need to save her!" Ryu declared worriedly. "Who knows what he will do to her now that we are gone..."
"I'm not sure about this." Keiko murmured. "She has always been his favorite. I doubt he will do something life-threatening to her, so there is no need to hurry."
"What are you saying? She is your friend! You can't leave her with that snake!" Ryu was shocked by Keiko's answer. He expected her to do everything to get Kuraiko out of there immediately. At least this has been her plan at the beginning of their getaway.
"I agree with Keiko. We don't know if he wants to be saved. To be honest, we're having trouble finding enough shinobi for all the missions we have. We can't afford saving a person whose loyalty might lie with Orochimaru. Of course I will send out a team to look for her once the time is right, but now this is simply impossible. I'm sorry, but as Keiko already mentioned, he might not even hurt her."
"And what if he does? Can we ever forgive ourselves if he kills her? That bastard is unpredictable! You should know that as his former teammate, Tsunade-sama!" Ryu shouted, not able to hold back his anger anymore.
"He won't. He has other plans for her."
"Other plans?" The sannin and Ryu asked simultaneously.
"Yeah. I didn't know how to say it before, but I think now is tlethe right time for it. The relationship between Orochimaru and Kuraiko has always been special. Like I said, she is his favorite and yes... Let's just say things were getting out of hand."
"What do you mean?"
"I think there is kinda a love attachment between the two of them. At least he has kissed her and it didn't seem to disturb Kuraiko."
"Can you be sure of that? Maybe it was just to make her even more depended to him!" Ryu couldn't believe what he has heard. This couldn't be true, Orochimaru was not capable to love someone. Besides that, there was also another problem. "Wait...She's much younger than him! Shit, she's even underaged! That's illegal!"
"Not in his world." Tsunade chimed in. "No matter if this relationship is illegal or not, as long as it is a good evidence that Kuraiko will be fine until we are able to take her back, it's a good thing. However, Orochimaru isn't the type for long-termed relationships, so we still have to hurry. I'll do what I can, ok?"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Thank you."
"Now back to business. I want you to do your first mission. I want to test your abilities before I send you on A- or S-Rank missions, so it will be a B-Rank first. There is an old man, his name is Kazunori. He doesn't live here, yet he was seen eating at Ichiraku's ramen shop twice a week. I want you to collect as much information about him as possible. Although he doesn't look like a threat to the village considering his age and condition, I want to know who he is and if it is possible that he might be a spy for someone. Can you do that?"
"Of course, easy-peasy!" Keiko grinned. "I'm glad we can help."
"Alright. You're dismissed."
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
In the next chapter, Sarana will return to Orochimaru's hideout to set her plan into action. Will she succeed?
I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, because I have to do some research on poison first :D but I'll try my best to update as soon as I can!
See ya!