Hokage: Immortal, I Open Unlimited Eight Gates

After Nawaki knocked on the door, footsteps echoed from behind it.

Crunch!

The door creaked open, revealing Orochimaru in casual clothing.

A smile curved on his face as he saw the two visitors. "You're here. Come in—it's cold outside."

Once they stepped into the house, Orochimaru gestured toward the sofa. "Have a seat. I'll get you some tea."

With that, he disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Uchiha Chiba to take in the surroundings.

The first thing Chiba noticed was how spotless the room was—almost unnervingly clean. A passing thought made him smirk.

'A room this neat and tidy, without a single odd smell... Either he's incredibly disciplined or... never mind.'

Of course, it was just a joke. Plenty of normal men liked to keep things orderly.

Beyond its cleanliness, Orochimaru's home was modest. There were only the essentials—household appliances and sparse furnishings. With two bedrooms, it was just the right size for someone living alone.

Breaking the silence, Nawaki exclaimed, "Chiba, what do you think our mission reward will be?"

Still surveying the room, Chiba replied nonchalantly, "I'm not sure. But since it was a B-rank mission, the reward shouldn't be too shabby."

B-rank missions typically offered between 80,000 and 200,000 ryo. Considering the challenge level of this mission, Chiba estimated their reward would fall somewhere in the six-figure range.

Hearing this, Nawaki grew visibly excited. Tens of thousands of ryo! It was far more money than he had ever handled himself—most of his pocket money came from his family. Earning it on his own felt different.

Their musings were interrupted by Orochimaru, who emerged from the kitchen carrying two steaming cups of tea. He placed one before each of them.

"Teacher Orochimaru," Nawaki blurted eagerly, "how much is the mission reward?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly, placing the tray aside. "Wait a moment," he said and disappeared into the bedroom.

When he returned, he held a thick stack of bills in his hand.

"Well?" Orochimaru teased with a confident smile. "Care to guess how much this is?"

Nawaki fidgeted impatiently. "I can't guess! Just tell us already, sensei!"

Chiba, feeling no need to indulge the guessing game, casually offered a number. "100,000 ryo?"

Orochimaru's eyes briefly widened. He hadn't expected Chiba to guess it on the dot. Still, he chalked it up to pure luck given the boy's uncertain tone.

"You're absolutely right, Chiba-kun," he said with a grin. "The total reward for this mission was 150,000 ryo. After dividing it equally, each of us gets 50,000 ryo."

True to his word, Orochimaru split the stack into three and pushed two shares toward Chiba and Nawaki.

"Take it, Nawaki, Chiba-kun," he said warmly.

Chiba accepted his share without hesitation, slipping it into his pouch. Nawaki, on the other hand, stared at the bills with wide eyes, giggling nervously as he took them.

Noticing this, Chiba stood and addressed Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-sensei, I'll take my leave now. I'll visit you again when I have the time."

His goal for visiting today had been accomplished. With his share of the reward in hand, there was no reason to linger. He also needed to return Jiraiya's manuscript, having already read through it.

As he moved to leave, Orochimaru stopped him.

"Wait, Chiba-kun," he said, his expression thoughtful.

Chiba paused, curious. "Is there something else, sensei?"

Orochimaru's lips curled into a confident smile. "I've been considering this for some time. Chiba-kun, would you like to become my disciple?"

The unexpected question left Chiba stunned.

Even Nawaki was caught off guard. His teacher had never shown interest in taking another disciple.

"What's happening here?" Nawaki mumbled under his breath.

First, his elder sister had taken Chiba in as her godbrother. Now his teacher wanted to make Chiba his student?

Still, Nawaki wasn't opposed to the idea. In fact, he liked it—if Chiba became Orochimaru's disciple, they'd be fellow students and could undertake missions together.

Chiba, however, didn't immediately respond. Instead, he asked, "Orochimaru-sensei, may I ask why you want to take me as your disciple?"

Orochimaru's smile didn't waver. "Well, for starters, you remind me a bit of myself. Your personality, your talent—it's all very promising. Do you understand, Chiba-kun?"

'I don't understand anything,' Chiba thought.

The truth was, he didn't see how Orochimaru could teach him anything useful. His strength came from his own physical abilities, including the Eight Gates and Haki—both of which he had already mastered on his own. Orochimaru's training wouldn't add much to his arsenal.

Sensing Chiba's hesitation, Nawaki stepped in.

"Chiba! You should totally accept! Orochimaru-sensei is an amazing teacher. Trust me, you'll learn a lot from him!"

Orochimaru raised a hand, silencing Nawaki. "Let him decide on his own, Nawaki. There's no rush."

He turned back to Chiba. "Take your time to think it over. If you want, discuss it with your family. Let me know when you've made up your mind."

Chiba nodded slightly. "Alright. I'll give it some thought. Thank you for the offer, Orochimaru-sensei."

With that, Chiba bowed politely and exited the apartment.

Outside, he exhaled deeply. Nawaki had stayed behind to ask Orochimaru some questions, so Chiba was left to his own devices.

'Good timing,' he thought.

He didn't want Nawaki to know about Jiraiya's manuscript. Explaining that would've been awkward.

It took him half an hour to reach Konoha's East Street. Following the address Jiraiya had given him, he soon arrived at a modest home marked with the number 64.