Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Time fades many things and changes many people and events.

There was no exchanging of cups or no clinking of glasses, only the pleasing sound of sake pouring into a bowl, the soft taps of chopsticks on a wooden tray, and the crunch of eggs being chewed. These sounds filled the room.

Ye Zi and Orochimaru ate silently, savoring eggs alongside their sake.

Though pairing eggs with sake was unusual, they both accepted this odd combination.

Thanks to Orochimaru, Ye Zi had grown accustomed to eating eggs.

When there was only one plate of eggs left and six jars of sake had been emptied, they both instinctively set down their chopsticks, no longer drinking with abandon.

Being able to handle alcohol well doesn't mean one won't get drunk, and being drunk could cause trouble and in this case, it would compromise their mutual caution.

Even though he didn't think there'd be any major issues if he got drunk, Ye Zi simply didn't want to appear inebriated in front of Orochimaru. This wasn't a deliberate precaution, just something that felt inappropriate.

Similarly, Orochimaru preferred drinking alone if he were to get drunk, not in front of others. This wasn't aimed at Ye Zi specifically but applied to everyone.

With unspoken agreement, they stopped drinking. Their faces, usually pale, now had a faint blush.

"Ye Zi," Orochimaru asked in his usual chilling tone, "Where do you want to go?"

In the past, Orochimaru had noticed but didn't care about this question. However, as Ye Zi grew stronger, even reaching the same level as him, he became curious.

Few people paid attention to this question, but Orochimaru was one of them.

When Ye Zi first introduced himself, he'd mentioned wanting to find a way back. Orochimaru and Kushina hadn't thought much of it.

At first, Orochimaru didn't either, but one night when they spoke of the Sage of Six Paths, Ye Zi's reaction and slip of the tongue piqued his interest. As the shroud of mystery grew around Ye Zi, so did Orochimaru's curiosity.

But these were secondary concerns; compared to his own ultimate goals, they were just minor distractions.

Perhaps under the influence of the alcohol, they touched on topics they usually wouldn't discuss.

Ye Zi slowly raised his head, staring at the ceiling. Unfazed by the question, he replied expressionlessly, "To a place no one else can reach."

Where do you come from? Where do you want to go?

Orochimaru's serpentine eyes flashed briefly, settling on the empty plates. "Is that your goal?" he asked nonchalantly.

Ye Zi lowered his gaze to look at Orochimaru, a cryptic smirk on his face, saying nothing.

My goal… could never be so simple.

Ye Zi fell silent, and Orochimaru followed, both wearing the same thoughtful expression.

You give me what I want; I'll give you what you want…

Years and decades of growing connection ultimately amount to nothing more than a "paper contract."

Leaving behind the remnants of a meal, Ye Zi exited Orochimaru's room. He no longer lived in the residence, so naturally, he didn't feel compelled to clean up as he once did.

After Ye Zi left, Orochimaru rested his elbow on the table, propping his face on his hand, gazing pensively at the scene.

His experiments had reached a bottleneck, and to break through, he couldn't stay underground. In the near future, he planned to pass his current tasks to Nanako and venture outside in search of "answers."

He was already considering this but now he had the notion of bringing Ye Zi along.

....

Having controlled his intake, Ye Zi wasn't drunk but was affected by the alcohol.

Walking through the corridor, his body swayed slightly. Not much, but noticeably.

With half-closed eyes and a strong smell of sake, Ye Zi entered his room, where a girl sat quietly.

"You've been drinking?" Kotoe, standing up, asked, startled by the heavy scent of alcohol.

Ye Zi walked up to her, glancing at the now-cold food on the table, undoubtedly prepared by her.

"Isn't it obvious?"

He spoke, his breath full of sake, which made Kotoe subtly frown.

Looking down at the girl a head shorter than him, Ye Zi suddenly took a few steps closer, lowering his head. His eyes, tinged with alcohol, gazed at Kotoe from close range.

Those emerald-like eyes sparkled slightly, and maybe it was the alcohol, but just looking at them drew him in irresistibly.

At such proximity, Kotoe felt nervous, her gaze darting around, not daring to meet his eyes as her heartbeat quickened.

She panicked.

"Why are you so good to me?" Caught in a haze of alcohol, thoughts he normally wouldn't voice slipped out.

It was a question with an answer he already knew.

With his breath warm on her face, Kotoe felt as if she, too, were intoxicated, her cheeks flushed as she stammered, "You're drunk."

"I'm not." Ye Zi's heart grew restless at that moment, and long-suppressed feelings burst forth with the clarity the alcohol failed to blur. He took another step forward.

Kotoe raised her hands nervously, pressing them against Ye Zi's chest as she stepped back.

"Tell me, why are you so good to me?" Ye Zi advanced again.

Feeling his strong presence so close, with warmth radiating through her palms, Kotoe's heart beat wildly like a small, panicked deer. She kept stepping back, while Ye Zi continued forward.

Thud!

Kotoe's back hit the cold, hard wall; there was no retreat.

Ye Zi placed his hands against the wall, trapping her with his arms as he looked down at the girl right in front of him.

The air thickened with an intimate atmosphere.

His arms, forming a cage around her, felt simultaneously warm and heavy.

She tilted her head back, her expression betraying her nervousness, yet she made no attempt to resist.

"I…" Kotoe widened her eyes, trying to push him, but Ye Zi remained unmoved like a mountain.

Ye Zi slowly leaned in, so close that she couldn't bring herself to say anything further.

Wasn't this what she'd been waiting for?

Kotoe's wide eyes slowly closed, her hands gripping Ye Zi's shirt in tension, wrinkling the fabric.

Even with her eyes shut, she could feel his breath drawing closer.

Even as her eyelids trembled, the anticipation was unmistakable.

But the expected sensation never arrived. Instead, she felt something on her shoulder.

Ye Zi's head rested in the crook of her neck, inhaling the unique, natural fragrance of her hair, his gaze growing distant.

His hands on the wall slowly fell, creating a gap between Kotoe and the wall, into which he gently pulled her slender body.

"Let me rest a while," he murmured, almost dreamily, into her ear.

Kotoe's trembling body gradually calmed.

"Mm."

She slowly opened her emerald eyes, her grip on his shirt loosening. Like discovering uncharted territory, her hand wandered over his chest and shoulders, reaching around to the back of his head.

With a gentle touch on his soft hair, she embraced him, holding him tightly, as if expressing her response.

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Currently on Chapter 338 - Kimimaro