Orochimaru didn't bother hiding the large smirk that spread across his face at the scene in front of him. If he hadn't had the composure that he did, he would have laughed outright at the soul-sucking, dread-filled expression that had crossed Kakashi's face when he had told the younger man about his new teaching position. It was obvious the man thought of himself as a horrible sensei, but now, as Orochimaru watched him with his newest apprentice, he wasn't quite sure.
After the shock of finding out young Sakura's abilities, Kakashi had followed him in a daze as he tried to wrap his mind around Sakura being a mokuton user. It took a bit of encouraging to catch Kakashi's attention after that so they could finish Sakura's proposed training. Once he began listing off elemental justu for her to learn when her skill increased, Kakashi had jumped in with the vast knowledge of his. The calculating gleam in his eye was promising as he finally began to understand the girl's potential.
However, before they could finish, both Sakura and Tenzo had popped their heads into the room, the younger looking nervous while the older gave her a cheerful smile. Hesitantly, Sakura had asked if Kakashi could step out and briefly show her how to walk on water. At first, Kakashi looked ready to refuse on the basis of their discussion, but Orochimaru waved them away.
Now, after an exciting afternoon of Kakashi discovering just how quickly his student learned new things, the girl had exhausted herself. Tenzo had ushered them back inside when it was obvious the two geniuses wanted to keep training. Sakura had been so tired in fact, she had leaned against Kakashi and quickly fell asleep.
"She would appreciate you staying in her life, pup," Orochimaru spoke lightly. Kakashi hadn't stopped staring down at Sakura for a few minutes now. If Kakashi hadn't been so emotionally inept, no doubt he would have outright tried adopting the girl.
"You're her sensei now," he pointed out.
"Does not matter," Orochimaru shook his head. "When I took on Jiraiya's three, they never stopped calling him sensei, even if I was the one they were living with and taking care of them. To take you out of Sakura's life completely would be cruel to both of you."
"Won't I be too busy with my newest position?" The question was spat in bitterness, and Orochimaru didn't bother his eye roll. What was with young geniuses these days and assuming?
"The next Academy semester does not start for another month."
"Oh…"
Shaking his head, Orochimaru sent a silent apology to Sakumo. He should have taken Kakashi in when he had the chance, but at the time, he had been spiraling too quickly downwards to be of any use to the young boy. And even if he had, it would have been tricky trying to balance both Anko and Kakashi at the same time. Even if he hadn't been able to give the boy a home, he should have watched him much closer. He had assumed Minato would have been enough, but after losing both his genin teammates, it was obvious Kakashi hadn't been the same.
However, that was all in the past. Right now, they would need to focus on building Kakashi's very limited social range.
Thus, the reason Orochimaru had offered the idea of Kakashi working at the Academy.
While it was meant to be a punishment of sorts, it was a better way to accomplish what Minato had set out to do when giving Kakashi a genin team. Kakashi had stopped thinking of himself as a human, and as a weapon to be used by his superiors and the village. Minato had hoped that giving the man young students, he would find a reason to keep living and have a real purpose for himself, not simply doing what was best for the village. Children, especially the current generation being raised in peace, would have an innocence Kakashi never had, and perhaps reminding him of why he was fighting would help pull him out of his own downward spiral.
The idea had been in good conscious, but, it had become glaringly obvious Kakashi couldn't handle the large responsibility of training a team of future shinobi. Especially a team who came with such added baggage.
The Uchiha had still refused to publicly recognized that Kakashi had been gifted his Sharingan, which made training Sasuke all that more difficult. On top of that, the knowledge that Naruto would never truly be his student had weighed on him heavily, while viewing Sakura as his own dead teammate had haunted him since the team was formed. Ultimately, Orochimaru pitied him.
Hopefully, at the Academy, he could simply sit back in a safe, controlled area. The students would only need supervision, while loving to see a living legend spending time with them, and perhaps inspiring them. He would not be required to actually teach, only observe how the Academy teachers encourage and interact with their students. In a way, it was a vacation. Orochimaru had only suggested a semester of this before seeing how Kakashi's mental health had developed before moving him onto students' whose skill level could keep up with him.
Alongside that, keeping him involved in Sakura's training could benefit both of them in the long term.
"Stay for dinner," he said, leaving no room for argument as he stood and headed out of the room. With one final glance over his shoulder, he could see the way Kakashi adjusted Sakura's head on his shoulder as she slept on. Nodding to himself, Orochimaru was immensely pleased.
Meeting Tenzo in the kitchen, he silently chuckled as his son fluttered around the room with unbridled excitement.
"I assume you are thrilled to have a little sister."
"I can't believe we were right," Tenzo's smile was small, but filled to the brim with happiness. "I don't know how she has the ability, but yes. I'm happy I have a sibling just like me."
"What does that mean?" A voice asked from the doorway. Arms folded, Kabuto and Kimimaro stared at them suspiciously. "I thought Sakura-chan was going to train in medical jutsu with me."
"She will." Orochimaru agreed. "However, she will need to train her mokuton with Tenzo."
"Shit," Kabuto hissed, while Kimimaro nudged him harshly with an elbow.
"Pay up."
Raising an eyebrow, Orochimaru watched money pass between his younger children. How he wished Tsunade hadn't introduced betting amongst his children the only time she had actually come to visit. She would be hearing an earful from him, as would Jiraiya since he had only encouraged it. Thank kami Orochimaru had kept his teammate's other questionable activities away from his children. None of them needed to know what Icha-Icha was, especially not the one book in the series that talked about a black haired, pale beauty that was incredibly flexible.
"How could either of you possibly guess that she would have mokuton?" Orochimaru sighed.
"We didn't," Kimimaro shrugged. "We bet on who she'd be like the most. Kabu-nii was hoping she'd somehow be a blood relative of yours and sprout your clan markings over night."
"I believe Anko has offered to paint on the marking for all of you."
"Her idea of 'painting' them would be permanent tattoos," Kabuto drawled, voice dry. "But you have to admit, with Sakura-chan's mixed bloodline, it's not surprising she had something hidden."
"That is true," Orochimaru conceded. Giving them a small lecture on betting and gambling still being banned in the compound, he shooed them out so he could properly cook. Tenzo was the only one he allowed in his kitchen when preparing meals, mostly because he could identify the spices without 'accidently' handing him poisons. Anko did it on purpose, Kabuto wanted to help improve his siblings' resistance to poison, and Deidara still couldn't tell paprika from thyme. Meanwhile, the trio had learned how to cook from Jiraiya; meaning they knew how to burn food just enough, so it wasn't rendered completely inedible. Kimimaro found the activity boring and had admitted he wished for Orochimaru to out live him so he would always enjoy his cooking.
Preparing karaage, Orochimaru had to hiss at several of his summons to stay out of the oil, while Tenzo laughed at their antics. By the time they were done, Akane had nearly been cooked twice. How had he ended up with the nosiest summons? Tsunade's slugs were never like this, while Jiraiya's toads were fairly antisocial to begin with.
As they brought out the food, along with a dozen different sides and a large pot of rice, Orochimaru smiled at the relaxed way Sakura was sitting next to Kakashi. Before his tests, he had observed each team and hadn't approved of the distrust radiating from the girl when she was around her sensei, but now, it was a different story. He would need his children to corral Kakashi over to the compound frequently from now on. And speaking of his children…
"Oh kami! You're even cuter closer up!" Anko's voice pierced the air as she flung herself through the window and towards the smaller kunoichi. Even with how fast Kakashi was, he wasn't quick enough to stop Anko from slapping her hands on either side of Sakura's face and squeezing the poor girl's cheeks. "Has anyone told you that you're going to be one of the best spies in the whole Fire Country?"
"What?" Sakura's words were muddled from her squished face.
"Just look at you! You're going to be so pretty! As pretty as Oro-sensei!" Anko gushed over her, not noticing the way the girl clawed at her hands and tried to wiggle away from her. "I can't believe I have a little sister! Konan's great and all, but I was never able to teach her all my favorite torture techniques."
"Torture?!" Sakura squeaked.
"Ibiki is going to love you!" Anko cooed at the small girl's wide eyes.
"If," Orochimaru stressed. "Sakura-chan wants to join T&I, Anko."
"With her brains and ruthlessness, she'll be perfect!"
"Could you let me go, please?" Sakura's face was turning red, but Anko hadn't noticed anything in the least.
"Mitarashi-san," Kakashi interjected. "Please let my student go."
"Pfft! It's Anko, scarecrow," she laughed, finally releasing Sakura, but not leaving the girl alone quite yet. Plopping down next to her and throwing an arm around her, Anko looked like a truly demented older sister terrorizing her younger sibling. "If Oro-sensei actually had an official clan name, no doubt we would have all taken it by now."
"Doesn't stop him from attending clan meetings," Kimimaro pointed out.
"Only because he's trying to give the Hokage's council heart attacks," Kabuto snickered. Kakashi made a choking noise that went unnoticed. Sakura looked mildly terrified.
"Oh! There's one coming up, isn't there?" Anko thought aloud. "Are you taking Sakura-chan? He loves showing off his newest adoption."
"If she would like," Orochimaru looked over at the girl, who fidgeted slightly at everyone's attention.
"I've only been to the civilian council meetings…"
"Your mother is the head of the council, correct?"
"Yes," Sakura's face morphed into a proud expression. "A few years ago, a different merchant family tried to take the position, but okaa-san scared them off. She said the only way they could take it from her was from her corpse."
"A woman after my own heart," Anko sighed and fluttered her eyes.
"And your father? Is he also on the council?" Kakashi had been quiet as the family had talked, but Orochimaru could see the genuine interest as he asked his student about her parents. Smiling to himself, Orochimaru watched as his children, and his newest ones, began to eat, while he made sure to leave enough food for their missing guest. Why he bothered to send a message about his return, and didn't show up on time, would always vex Orochimaru.
By the time they had finished eating, that's when he felt a familiar chakra signature. Swiftly, he rose to his feet to meet him. Waving his children's attention away, they all knew exactly why he performed this little ritual.
Opening the door, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya.
"Oro-chan! Congrats! I heard it was a girl!" His life-long teammate and friend smiled at him, not even bothering to hide the still red handprint on his cheek.
"I thought you were banned from all the bathhouses," he said dryly.
"Ah well, I was trying to get some last-minute research in…"
"If you dare—"
"I know your rules, Oro."
"—even speak of your lecherous behaviors to my children," Orochimaru spoke over him. "I will personally castrate you."
"Yeah, yeah." Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "No talking about those adventures, no innuendos, and if you see one of my books, you'll set it on fire. Which you've done several times."
"And will keep doing until you get the message," Orochimaru snapped.
They stood in the doorway for a long moment, Orochimaru emphasizing his threats and Jiraiya staring him down as if he would actually try something. In the next moment, both broke their staring contest as Jiraiya swept Orochimaru until a bear hug. Hugging back just as fiercely, Orochimaru smiled.
"Your children will be happy to see you."
"They better," Jiraiya chuckled and released Orochimaru, but kept his arm wrapped around one of his shoulders. "Now, show me your newest stray. I heard you stole her from the Haruno; that's pretty bold, even for you. The civilians are going to throw a fit."
"I've already invited their clan head to meet about Sakura's training."
"Clan head—Oro! What the hell?! Are you trying to start a fourth war?" Jiraiya's voice dropped as he hissed at his teammate.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru hummed.
"I told Minato-kun it was a bad idea to lift sensei's ban on allowing you more kids."
"Technically, she's my apprentice."
"Technically," Jiraiya snorted. "I bet you already have her room all set up."
Orochimaru shrugged. He wasn't wrong.
Leading his friend to the dining room, they were met with an odd sight, but one that Orochimaru wasn't shocked about. Kabuto and Tenzo were deep into a conversation about poisons, while Kakashi was trying to cover Sakura's ears as the boys began to describe the side effects in greater details. Meanwhile, Anko had started to flick bits of rice at Kimimaro, who looked ready to start throwing bones at her if she got another grain in his hair. Her goal was to hit his clan markings.
"Children."
All eyes turned on him, and several eyes sparked with excitement as they spotted Jiraiya.
"Raiya-ji!" Anko shouted, jumping to her feet and tackled their unofficial uncle. While the boys were much less forceful, they all crowded around him, asking him about his travels, and much more subtly demanding the gifts he always brought back to them. Shaking his head fondly, Orochimaru knew Jiraiya relished their adoration.
"Aw! You're all so adorable," Jiraiya scooped them all up into a hug, his long reach able to grab all of them. Kabuto was the only one who squawked indignantly at that way Jiraiya had always treated them since they were children. Even so, they all accepted his affections, and sharing their own back. "But, before we get into things, let me meet my newest niece!"
Instantly, all attention was back on Sakura, who blushed and bowed her head.
"N-nice to meet you, Jiraiya-sama."
"Ha! So polite! Anko-chan will have fun teaching you every cuss word under the sun," Jiraiya cackled. "Just call me Raiya-ji or anything else less formal. We're family now."
His smile was infectious as Orochimaru's other children nodded encouragingly at Sakura, who gave a hesitant smile back.
"Now," Jiraiya dropped onto a cushion and pulled his cloth sack from his back. "I believe it's time for presents. Let's start with Sakura-chan's."
"You didn't have to—"
"It's tradition!" Anko nudged her. "Baka-oji always tries to buy our love with gifts."
"Oi! I do not, you brat!"
"Do to!" She stuck her tongue out, which Jiraiya of course did back to her.
"Don't listen to her," he winked at Sakura. Rummaging through his pack, he proudly pulled out a small box with a bow on top. "Welcome to the family."
Sakura glanced at Kakashi before reaching for the box, handling it almost as if it was come to life and bite her. When it didn't, she carefully untied the bow and took the lid of. With how silent everyone had become as they watched the girl so closely, Orochimaru had a small idea to cause mischief, but decided against it at the look of shock and wonder on Sakura's face.
Pulling out a hair clip, Orochimaru didn't bother hiding his snort at the large frog face that adorned the hair ornament. However, as the girl's clever fingers played with it, he nodded approvingly as the figurine opened up to reveal a small compartment.
"I know how smart Oro-chan's kids are, so I thought you'd like to start hiding state secrets or poisons on you as soon as possible." Jiraiya beamed at her.
"Thank you." Sakura whispered, utterly sincere. Immediately, she pinned one side of her bangs back with the clip.
"Looks great, Sakura-chan," Kakashi told her quietly.
"Thank you, sensei."
Leaning his head on a hand, Orochimaru simply watched as Jiraiya pulled out presents for his other children. While many would see Team Hiruzen as stubborn geniuses that kept each other in a deadlock, they had truly come far in life, and Orochimaru couldn't be any more thankful to have Jiraiya in his life and his children's.
Of course, those feelings quickly died and withered when he saw Jiraiya trying to sneak a new version of Icha-Icha to Kakashi. Safe to say, even though the Toad Sannin had arrived with a hand print on his cheek, he would leave with a black eye.