Seeing that he had a five-figure deposit just moments ago and now only had two thousand points left, Uchiha Tatsumi felt a pang of pain.
The system was insatiable. No matter how much he fed it, it always wanted more. Eventually, he'd have to cough up public rations for it again. That alone made Tatsumi feel like he was being squeezed dry on a daily basis.
Back when he was weaker, points were easy to earn, especially through physical training. At that time, he often had a surplus, so he could casually distribute points across various attributes.
But now… how could he refuse his—cough—girlfriend, no, the system, when it demanded contributions?
If the system had a physical form, Uchiha Tatsumi might have dragged it out and given it a beating to vent his frustration. Then maybe the damn thing would finally understand why people hated freeloaders.
It took them more than three days to finally leave the dense forest surrounding them.
Following the road, they entered what Orochimaru had called a "relatively wealthy town."
Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. The place was full of worn-down wooden buildings that looked like they'd collapse from a stiff breeze.
"This is wealthy?" he muttered. "I've seen richer-looking side alleys in the village."
Still, the atmosphere here was more tense than in Konoha. Understandable—it was close to the border. This place saw a steady stream of ninja on missions, and with parts of the country already embroiled in skirmishes, the town was full of displaced refugees.
Ragged families lined the streets, begging for food. Dust-covered children with hollow eyes looked at passersby with pitiful expressions.
But Orochimaru, cold as ever, stared straight ahead and continued to guide the carriage without a word or glance toward them.
Eventually, the carriage stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated inn.
Tatsumi instinctively tensed. Orochimaru didn't choose stops at random—there was usually some hidden purpose. He decided to keep his guard up.
After getting out, Orochimaru turned to them. "We're close to the border. We'll stay here for the night and head out at first light."
With that, he walked inside.
"Where's Nawaki?" Mikoto asked.
"He's still asleep in the carriage. I'll wake him. Wait here," Tatsumi replied.
He climbed into the cart and shook the sleeping Senju.
"Hey, Nawaki, wake up. We've arrived."
Rope Tree jolted upright, his eyes snapping open. His left hand instinctively reached for his ninja pouch, while his right moved toward... somewhere suspicious.
"…Still there," he muttered, visibly relieved.
"…"
"We're in town now. Rest stop for the night."
"Oh." Rope Tree relaxed, then casually wiped the sleep from his eyes and hopped down.
Mikoto was already waiting. The three of them entered the inn together.
Despite its shabby exterior, the inside of the hotel was surprisingly tidy. Orochimaru stood silently at the front desk.
"Sensei, is the innkeeper not here?" Tatsumi asked.
"They are. Just went to change clothes," Orochimaru replied without emotion.
Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. Change clothes? At this hour? For guests?
Before he could voice his confusion, a woman in her thirties hurried out from the back. She wasn't especially pretty, but she carried herself with grace. Her presence was calming, almost poetic.
Especially in that kimono...
The three students glanced at Orochimaru—who was also wearing a kimono today—with very strange expressions.
Ah, so that's it…
Noticing their stares, Orochimaru spoke in his usual raspy tone. "I used to stay here frequently when I was on missions with Tsunade. So I'm familiar with the place."
"Ohhh… familiar~~people," Tatsumi drawled meaningfully.
"Sa-yo-na-ra~" he added dramatically under his breath.
The woman bowed slightly. "The usual room has been cleaned and prepared for the four of you. Please follow me."
Although she addressed all four, her eyes never left Orochimaru. She led them to the last room at the end of the hall, opened the door, and bowed again before leaving.
The room was simple but spotless.
"I'm heading out to restock supplies," Orochimaru said flatly. "Feel free to explore. The area is relatively safe."
He turned and left.
Despite being ninja, their appetites were larger than civilians'. Food pills could sustain them, but those were precious and not ideal during recovery. What Orochimaru said made sense… although no one was entirely sure what he was really going out to do.
Still, they trusted their teacher. Orochimaru didn't seem like the type to sneak off and watch goldfish with children.
Tatsumi opened the window. The sun was already setting, casting golden light across the small town. Smoke from dinner fires rose into the air.
Mikoto pulled out a few of the tea leaves Tatsumi liked from her scroll. She was preparing to brew tea using the kettle in the room.
"Let's go for a walk," Tatsumi said.
Mikoto never refused him. She nodded and packed up the tea again, standing to follow.
Of course, the moment they stepped outside, a familiar voice called out.
"Hey, wait for me!"
The human lightbulb known as Nawaki had followed them again.
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