"Sasame, time to wake up and take your medicine."
Tsunade opened the door and peeked inside, seeing Sasame still fast asleep.
This kid is ridiculously good-looking.
"Big sis, could you step out for a moment?"
Sasame spoke with slight embarrassment. He wasn't used to someone watching him change clothes.
"Ah."
Tsunade snapped out of her daze, noticing his expression, and smirked. "What's there to be shy about?"
Ugh, this shameless woman!
Sasame stared at her, his expression making it clear—if you don't leave, I'm not getting up.
But paired with his childish face, it was… absolutely lethal.
Tsunade unconsciously swallowed, then closed the door. "Come out once you've changed."
She turned, tied on her apron, and headed to the kitchen to start cooking.
Shizune was there too, though she was busy brewing medicine.
While chakra was incredibly versatile, medicinal herbs still played a crucial role. As a medical ninja, preparing remedies was a must.
This particular tonic was meant to strengthen the body—specifically brewed for Sasame.
Having grown up in an orphanage, his meals had been meager at best, let alone proper nutrition.
"Sasame."
Shizune knocked on the bathroom door, holding the medicine.
"Done."
Sasame set down his toothbrush, opened the door, took the bowl, and downed it in one go.
Warm and comforting.
—Yeah, right.
His face twisted into a bitter grimace.
"Here, have a lollipop."
Tsunade pulled one out, unwrapped it, and popped it straight into Sasame's mouth.
Sure, she gambled, drank, and had a temper—but she was still a decent "foster mother."
Only three days in, and her true colors were already showing.
Every trip to buy medicine? Guaranteed to involve gambling.
Dinner? Always with alcohol.
A gambling addict and a drunk.
Sasame was just glad Tsunade was strong enough. Otherwise, she'd have long since had her kidneys harvested and been sold off to gods-know-where.
Before long, rice balls were set on the table.
Following routine, Sasame mentally prepared himself, picked one up, took two bites, and forced it down.
Across from him, Shizune did nearly the same.
Only Tsunade ate her rice balls while watching Sasame, her beautiful face breaking into an even wider smile.
People loved attractive faces.
Tsunade was no exception.
Sasame just happened to hit all her aesthetic preferences—looking at him put her in a good mood.
After breakfast, Tsunade pulled out two black mourning robes.
"Sasame, Shizune, put these on over your clothes. We're attending a funeral today."
Sasame nodded, taking his and slipping it on.
Instantly, he looked like part of a professional team.
The Konoha Memorial Stone.
By the time the three arrived, the place was already packed.
Everyone wore the same black coats, the atmosphere solemn and heavy.
It was Sasame's first time seeing so many canon characters in one place.
Every ninja not on a mission was present.
He scanned the crowd but only recognized a few with very distinctive features.
Like Hatake Kakashi.
That shock of white hair and the mask permanently glued to his face made him impossible to miss.
But he looked broken—like a ghost had sucked out all his vitality the night before, leaving only a hollow shell.
Sasame could understand why.
After losing his teammates, Uchiha Obito and Rin Nohara, Hatake Kakashi had now lost his sensei, Minato Namikaze.
Add in losing his father as a child, and the guy might as well be cursed.
It wasn't until meeting Naruto that Kakashi would finally pull himself together.
Since it was a funeral, no one felt like talking.
Sasame stood beside Tsunade, occasionally glancing around.
Before long, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped forward.
In a grave tone, he began his speech.
"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, along with the ninja and villagers who lost their lives, sacrificed themselves for Konoha's peace—for the Will of Fire. They gave everything to stop the invaders, even at the cost of their own lives."
"Among them were elders in their fifties and sixties, and children as young as seven or eight. Their loss is a tragedy for Konoha. We, the living, must honor their memory and carry forward their spirit—the Will of Fire."
"I promise here and now that all the deceased will receive compensation, and their surviving families will be properly cared for."
Though it was hardly the right setting, Sasame almost laughed.
The Nine-Tails' attack had been stopped thanks to Minato and Kushina Uzumaki.
Yet their son, Naruto, who should have been treated as a hero, was instead shunned for being a jinchūriki.
The irony was thick.
Every ninja and villager at this funeral owed their lives to Minato and Kushina.
But who would've guessed that years later, they'd call their saviors' son a demon fox and treat him like an outcast?
Fourth Hokage, just look at what you protected.
"Sasame."
Tsunade handed him a bouquet of white flowers. "Come with me later to offer these."
"Okay."
Sasame nodded.
Truthfully, he didn't feel much.
To him, the dead were all strangers.
After paying his respects, he followed Tsunade home.
From now on, he needed to focus on mastering the Wood Release: Three Basic Techniques—and then make contact with Orochimaru.
Because Sasame didn't know exactly when Orochimaru would defect.
If he missed that window, things would get complicated.
Orochimaru was a critical part of his plans.
Half a month later...
Sasame and Tsunade had grown even closer—a mix of mother-son and sibling-like affection.
Under her careful guidance, Sasame finally mastered the Wood Release: Three Basic Techniques.
Even though using all three in one go drained his chakra completely, it was still an impressive achievement.
For his age, he could already be considered a genius.
Around the same time, Hiruzen sent over an admission letter for the Ninja Academy.
Tsunade agreed—
But not entirely.
In her opinion, the six-year program could be cut short—two or three years would be enough for early graduation.
Nighttime.
"This technique is too much for you right now."
Tsunade wiped the sweat from Sasame's forehead with a tissue.
The Three Basic Techniques were E-rank jutsu.
But after mastering those, he'd tried moving on to a D-rank Wood Release jutsu—only to struggle badly.
Sasame looked up, his face inches from Tsunade's.
The proximity let him feel her warm, fragrant breath against his skin.
Instinctively, he turned his head—only for his eyes to land on a dazzling white abyss.
Intensity level: MAX.
"That's enough for tonight. Go take a bath and get some rest."
Tsunade ruffled his hair. "You're only seven. There's no need to rush training. Pushing too hard will only hurt your body."
Sasame nodded.
At this age, it was pretty taxing.
So, big sis, maybe tone it down a little?
Too many blessings, and all I can do is sigh in defeat.
After his bath, Sasame lay in bed.
Thirty minutes later, he got up.
Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!
Vines sprouted from his head and shoulders, quickly forming into two clones in front of him.
Wood Release: Transformation Jutsu!
The clones were wrapped in branches, their bodies stretching until they took the form of two men in their twenties.
"Do whatever it takes to convince Orochimaru."
Sasame wasn't about to go himself—that'd be suicide.
Thankfully, Wood Release made this possible. Normal clone and transformation techniques wouldn't cut it.
Of course, having the clones walk there wasn't realistic.
Sasame spent two Fate Points to teleport them directly to Orochimaru's hideout.
"I'll go first."
The left clone cracked his neck. "With Orochimaru's personality, I'll probably die."
"Doesn't matter. I've got this."
The right clone gave a thumbs-up. "This is a high-stakes game. Watch me work."
"Do your best, other me."
The left clone took a deep breath and stepped into the compound.