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Sasame yawned.
After hours of patient explanation, Hinata finally understood Neji's intense reaction—yet unlike Hiashi, she refused to abandon her ideals.
"Such a good kid."
He patted her head. "Goodnight."
In a flicker, he reappeared in his bedroom.
In the darkness, Tsunade's eyelashes fluttered—but her eyes remained shut.
She'd been awake the whole time.
Despite her resolution, Sasame's prolonged absence had left an ache in her chest.
Men. All the same—philanderers even at this age.
Unaware, Sasame shed his coat and slid under the covers, admiring her serene face in sleep.
Unable to resist, he pinched her cheek.
Supple. Bouncy.
He smirked at the irony—Tsunade often called herself "old," yet her skin rivaled a twenty-year-old's.
Planting a light kiss on her forehead, he wrapped an arm around her neck and drifted off.
Tsunade's eyes cracked open.
Wordlessly, she nestled closer, her cheek against his, lulled to sleep by his steady breaths.
Morning.
Sasame awoke to an empty bed.
Dressed, he stepped out—only for Shizune to ambush him.
"Hey," she whispered, eyes alight with curiosity, "What did you say to Tsunade-sama? She actually went out to buy breakfast!"
"Dunno."
Sasame blinked. His first thought? Disappointment at missing her "love-filled" cooking.
...What the hell was wrong with him?
Soon, Tsunade returned with takeout.
"Your favorite—Ichiraku ramen."
She set the steaming bowl before him.
Shizune helpfully retrieved her own meal from the bag.
Sasame side-eyed Tsunade.
Still treating me like a kid.
How could romance bloom without equal footing?
Time to take matters into my own hands.
Post-breakfast, Sasame returned to Mount Myōboku, donning his "mask of suffering" for another round of brutal training.
Fifteen minutes later, Tsunade caught his bloodied body, her heart clenching as healing chakra knit his flesh anew.
She handed him fresh clothes—no longer flustered after years of this routine.
Habit was terrifying.
Without their shared history, she'd never have lowered her walls—sealed shut since the Second Shinobi War.
Yet Sasame had patiently pried them open.
"Go wash up," she said, ruffling his hair. "I'm needed at the Hokage Tower—the Uchiha situation's escalating."
He nodded.
From Itachi's intel, Orochimaru's machinations could spark a coup if unchecked.
Hiruzen still believed Itachi could "bridge the gap" between the Uchiha and Konoha.
Sure. Murdering everyone definitely "bridges" things.
Hours later, as Sasame cycled between senjutsu and Flying Thunder God training—
Ding.
[Through your actions, Uchiha Izumi's fate has shifted. Reward: 60 Destiny Points.]
His eyes sharpened.
Orochimaru.
The snake sannin had been "cultivating" Mangekyō Sharingan by torturing loved ones before Uchiha prodigies' eyes.
Targeting Izumi was bold—risking Itachi's wrath—yet logical.
Currently, Itachi and Izumi were the clan's top talents; Sasuke remained too young.
Having exhausted other candidates, Orochimaru had come for her.
Shunshin.
Sasame materialized inside a hidden lab.
"NO! STOP!"
Izumi's agonized scream pierced the air.
Trapped in a cell, her Sharingan pulsed with unstable chakra as Orochimaru choked her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, just beyond death's door.
The snake sannin's smirk froze when intruders tripped his sensors.
Throwing Hazuki aside, he flung open the door—and stiffened.
The shadow organization's leader.
"How did you find this place?" Orochimaru hissed.
This facility existed only in his mind.
Sasame chuckled. "Was I supposed to RSVP?"
"...State your business."
"Hand her over."
No point in diplomacy.
Orochimaru's slit pupils dilated.
If this enigma wanted Izumi this badly...
She must have Mangekyō potential.
"Mine," he rasped. "No trades."
"Last chance."
Sasame's chakra spiked—but Orochimaru launched himself forward.
He'd ached to test this man's limits.
And Orochimaru bowed to no one.
Sen'ei Jashu!
A tsunami of venomous snakes erupted from his mouth—as if his gut housed an entire serpent dimension.
Does this guy just... hoard snakes in his stomach? Sasame mused, even as the writhing tide engulfed him.
Mokuton: Hari Jizai!
Wood spikes exploded from Sasame's arm, impaling the lead snake before branching outward in a lethal chain reaction.
Within seconds, the horde lay dead.
Orochimaru activated Curse Mark—black sigils crawling up his face.
His trump card.
Though inferior to Sage Mode, this power boost was substantial.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 163 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 35 power stones I will publish the next chapter.
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