When Sasame woke up, he was already back in Konoha.
He scratched his head.
He hadn't expected to fall asleep just because the bed was too soft and comfortable.
How can someone your age sleep so soundly?
Sasame got up and gave himself a little pep talk.
In the main hall, Shizune was reading a book, while Tsunade was nowhere to be seen.
"Shizune-nee, I'm heading back to the orphanage for a bit."
"Be careful on your way."
Shizune looked up, unsurprised.
He returned to the orphanage every couple of days.
Konoha was vast in scope, but the core area within the village's barrier wasn't actually that large.
Why were the Uchiha so dissatisfied with their new territory?
Because it was already on the edge of the barrier.
Lose any more ground, and they'd be pushed all the way to the Forest of Death.
Uchiha Fugaku might as well have pointed at Shimura Danzō and shouted: Have you no shame?!
The former residence of Senju Hashirama and the orphanage were located in the central district, so it wasn't far.
After a few minutes of walking, Sasame arrived at his destination.
"Sasame-nii, you're back!"
"Sasame-nii!"
"Candy!"
The moment Sasame stepped into the orphanage, he was swarmed by a group of children.
He opened the bag in his hand and said, "No fighting—one lollipop each."
"Thank you, nii-chan!"
The kids were immediately distracted by the candy.
Sasame glanced around and spotted Yakushi Kabuto.
He was toying with a small white rabbit—or, more accurately, studying its anatomy.
"Kabuto, want some candy?" Sasame asked as he walked over.
"I'm not a kid."
Kabuto shook his head. His hands were stained with rabbit blood, and the sight of the dissected bunny didn't faze him in the slightest.
If not for his appearance, it'd be hard to believe he was only seven.
"Kabuto, in a little while, you'll come with me to meet Lady Tsunade. When the time comes, show off your medical talent."
Sasame unwrapped a lollipop for himself and popped it into his mouth.
Tasted pretty good.
Kabuto's eyes lit up. His earlier calm vanished, replaced by excitement.
"Will… will Lady Tsunade really take me in?"
"She will."
Sasame thought to himself, You have no idea how terrifying your medical talent is. "Even if she doesn't take you as a disciple, I'll make sure she teaches you medical ninjutsu."
Given his current relationship with Tsunade, a little begging and pleading should do the trick.
Yakushi Nonō was also an excellent medical ninja, but her status was… complicated.
If Kabuto stayed by her side, even the slightest misstep could draw Shimura Danzō's attention.
The First Hokage's shadow—much like Orochimaru—had a particular fondness for prodigies.
Though the two were different.
Shimura Danzō wanted to recruit geniuses into Root, brainwash them, and turn them into loyal subordinates.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, coveted their bodies—collecting them as potential vessels.
And Kabuto fit the bill perfectly.
"The poor little bunny is so cute, yet you're so cruel."
Sasame suddenly remembered an amusing meme from his past life and added, "Let's add some extra spice at lunch—we're having spicy rabbit stir-fry."
"..."
Kabuto froze for a second before nodding. "That was the plan."
The orphanage wasn't exactly wealthy, so wasting food wasn't an option.
After watching for a while, Sasame found it uninteresting and decided to practice ninjutsu nearby.
The D-rank Shunshin no Jutsu—a highly practical technique.
Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique was, in essence, an advanced form of Shunshin.
But it incorporated space-time manipulation, making it far beyond what an ordinary ninja could learn.
The basic Shunshin wasn't teleportation—just extreme acceleration, creating the illusion of an instant dash.
Aside from that, he also practiced Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave).
A fundamental water-style jutsu requiring three hand seals, it involved spewing a surge of water to strike the enemy.
Sasame's primary affinity was water, with earth as his secondary.
Since his water talent surpassed his earth, he prioritized training in water-style ninjutsu.
This would also help him mask his Wood Release, reinforcing his identity as a water-style specialist.
Sasame spent the rest of his Sunday at the orphanage, only returning home in the evening.
"You're back?"
Tsunade was lounging on the sofa, watching TV.
Yes, the shinobi world had television—and even computers.
But very few could afford such luxuries.
Most people lived just above the poverty line.
And for civilians outside the Five Great Nations, life was even harsher.
Yet, with shinobi around, they couldn't exactly rally under cries of "The nobles and generals—are they born to rule?!" and rise up in rebellion.
After all, even thousands of ordinary people could be wiped out by a single elite jonin.
Sasame naturally sat down beside Tsunade.
And just as naturally, she draped an arm over his shoulder, occasionally ruffling his hair—like petting a cat.
Sasame felt like a domesticated animal.
Come to think of it, in his past life, he'd also enjoyed idly stroking cats.
Since it was the weekend, there was no Wood Release training today.
Shizune, however, was diligently studying medical texts.
"Studying medicine won't save the shinobi world."
A certain Lu Xun's words suddenly popped into Sasame's mind.
Ordinary medical ninja could never reach Tsunade's level.
And even she felt like a side character by the endgame.
Real men pilot mechas.
Sasame sniffed the air—a faint floral scent.
Was it perfume, or just her natural fragrance?
There was a theory in his past life: If you can smell someone's scent even when they aren't wearing perfume, it means your genes have chosen them—ensuring your offspring won't have immune deficiencies.
"Nee-chan, are you wearing perfume?"
"No?"
Tsunade instinctively sniffed herself. "Why? Does something smell off?"
"Ah, no."
Sasame shook his head. "I just thought I caught a whiff of something nice."
Tsunade paused, then smirked, slithering closer like a serpent as she teased, "Want to take another sniff? See if you can figure out what it is?"
Woman! You're playing with fire!
Just… wait!
What official could withstand such temptation?!
Sasame felt like Tsunade was nothing like the woman he remembered from the series.
Is this what an older sister is supposed to be like?
In the original story, Tsunade had clearly adored her younger brother.
But now, that affection felt… oppressive.
Sasame wriggled free, gasping for air. "I—I can't see the TV like this!"
Only then did Tsunade release him.
And so, another half-month passed.
While attending the Academy, Sasame also took control of the Gunma Corporation.
With Tsunade's backing, the process was laughably simple.
Invite, behead, or take as a dog.
First, negotiate with the boss.
If negotiations failed, kill him.
The rest would kneel and proclaim: "All hail the new supreme leader, who has arrived at his loyal company!"
The Gunma Corporation had two main businesses: gambling dens and underground banking (loan-sharking).
Neither was particularly noble.
The moment Sasame took over, he ordered reforms.
Aside from the casinos, the underground banks were restructured into a modern banking system—like the ones from his past life.
He might've been the only person in this world who understood just how profitable banks could be.
Between the casinos and the new banking model, renovations were expected to take one or two months.
Staff training would take even longer.
For now, Sasame left it be.
He had other matters to attend to—like meeting Orochimaru and delivering a special gift to his classmate, Uchiha Itachi.
At the same time, he planned to use the company's profits to hire shinobi for a mission to Kusagakure.
But who to hire? That required careful consideration.
Under the cover of night, Sasame spent another point of Fate Value to send a Wood Clone to Orochimaru's hideout.