Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Several days later, at Orochimaru's residence.

Ye Zi quietly ate his meal while Orochimaru sat across from him, dressed in casual home attire that somewhat softened his usual cold and menacing demeanor.

In silence...

Both Ye Zi and Orochimaru were perfectly embodying this, as the meal passed in quiet.

After finishing his meal, he aimlessly sat in the corridor, staring at the lone tree in the yard, its leaves nearly all fallen off.

Orochimaru's residence was quite large, with the yard alone being equivalent to an average house's area. However, the yard contained only a single old tree. Perhaps once this old tree completely withers, this vast yard will become as barren as a desert.

A few days ago, when he learned that his future life would be overseen by Orochimaru, he felt immediately distressed. However, considering Orochimaru's unique abilities, he found some comfort, thinking that being in contact with someone with strange powers might help him return to his world sooner.

Over the past few days, Orochimaru had acted as though he had disappeared after bringing him to the residence. It was uncertain if he had forgotten about Ye Zi's presence. The large residence had not stocked any food, leaving him in a state of hunger for several days.

When Orochimaru returned and saw he looking as though he were starving, he said nothing. With Ye Zi's resentful gaze upon him, he went into his room, changed into another set of casual clothes, and then went out. When he returned, he brought a simple meal with him.

Due to frequent missions away from the village, and sometimes being gone for extended periods, Orochimaru never kept food stocked at home, only purchasing supplies as needed.

"Even someone like him can cook." Ye Zi mused while looking at the old tree, shaking his head at the thought of the delicious food he had just eaten.

"If you were smart enough, you would have seen the money on the living room table."

A cold voice suddenly came from behind; it was Orochimaru. It was unclear whether he had heard Ye Zi's remark.

Ye Zi was startled by the voice. He hadn't actually noticed the money on the living room table, focusing more on the kitchen due to the large size of the house.

Orochimaru then sat down next to him. Although he had taken on the responsibility of looking after Ye Zi, he still felt somewhat unsettled with the unexpected addition of another person in his usually empty home.

Ye Zi glanced at Orochimaru's pale profile with hesitation. He wanted to ask Orochimaru many things but didn't know how to start.

The two sat in the corridor, gazing at the solitary old tree in the yard, and neither spoke.

"If you have nothing to do, you can go for a walk." Orochimaru suddenly said after a long silence, and then got up to head towards his room.

Ye Zi stared at Orochimaru's retreating back, unsure of what to say.

People are not machines; they need rest. After completing a mission, Orochimaru only wanted to enjoy his rare free time.

With the current turbulent situation and ongoing conflicts, the minor skirmishes seemed to show no sign of ending. The end of the Second Shinobi World War had given all the ninja villages some respite to recover.

Though he had been in this world for almost a week, he knew nothing about it. Having stayed in Orochimaru's residence since being brought back to the village, he had not ventured outside.

"A walk, huh?"

He got up and headed towards the living room. Upon entering, he saw the coins on the table. He picked them up and put them into his pocket. He had no idea what these coins could be used for, but he needed some money on him.

Leaving Orochimaru's residence, he walked down the street.

The street wasn't very crowded, but there were indeed many shops on both sides. The prosperity of a village can often be judged by the number of businesses it has. At least, the presence of many shops in Konoha Village suggested its relative prosperity compared to other ninja villages, given its favorable geographical environment.

The sense of desolation typical of wartime was not very evident here...

As Ye Zi strolled down the street, he noticed that people did not pay him much attention for being unfamiliar. On the contrary, when he looked at them, they would smile and nod in greeting, which surprised him and made him feel somewhat self-conscious, prompting him to stop glancing around so much.

Due to his frail physique, the oversized clothes left from Orochimaru's childhood looked rather awkward on him. The clothes frequently slipped off, making Ye Zi adjust them as he walked.

"Although I still know nothing about this world, it does look a lot better here."

After wandering around the street for a while, he compared it to the desolate village he had seen earlier. Konoha Village was indeed a world apart.

Lost in thought, Ye Zi wasn't paying attention as he walked around a corner and collided with a small child. The impact was not very forceful, but it caused him to fall backward onto the ground.

"Damn it."

He winced in pain, looking up at the child who had bumped into him. This was another stark reminder of his frail condition. For now, the only option was to strengthen his body as quickly as possible.

The child who had bumped into Ye Zi appeared to be around 7 or 8 years old. With golden hair and delicate features, his sapphire-blue eyes were now filled with sincere apology.

"Are you okay?"

The young face of Minato Namikaze was full of concern as he extended a hand to Ye Zi.

Ye Zi coldly regarded the outstretched hand, chose to ignore it, and stood up by himself. He brushed off the dirt from falling and then walked past Minato without a word.

Minato, momentarily stunned by his indifference, stood there with his hand still extended, unsure of what to do. After a few moments, he retracted his hand, turning to watch his retreating figure with a puzzled expression.

The encounter with Minato was a trivial episode and Ye Zi expressionlessly headed back toward Orochimaru's residence, feeling a dull ache in his backside. His current frail body made even minor collisions painful. Determined to recover his health and eventually return to his own world...

He resolved to confront Orochimaru when he got back.

He needed to improve his physical condition, which required better food.

He needed to understand this world better to hasten his return to Earth.