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"Master Sasori, flank him from the middle!"
"Orochimaru's 'Seven-Day Golden Lock' is impressive—but you're locking down a puppet, not a person!"
"Huh? Giving up already? Running away?"
From his spectator's perch, Sasame watched as Kakuzu and Sasori chased the fleeing Orochimaru until they vanished from sight.
He put away his telescope, unsurprised.
Orochimaru had held his own against Kakuzu, but once Sasori joined the fray, the scales tipped irreversibly.
A man obsessed with immortality wouldn't gamble his life recklessly.
Outmatched? Retreat.
Sasame waited half an hour before Kakuzu and Sasori returned—without Orochimaru's corpse or head.
Of course he didn't die that easily.
Still, Sasame guessed Orochimaru had suffered significant injuries.
"Your goods."
Kakuzu—perhaps embarrassed by the escape—handed over the storage scroll without mentioning Orochimaru.
"The commission is complete. Please collect your payment at the underground black market. I won't keep you."
Sasame stashed the scroll with a smile.
Without another word, Kakuzu and Sasori turned toward Tanzaku Town.
Professional mercenaries to the core.
No unnecessary questions.
Konoha, Sasame's Room
The storage scroll contained nine test tubes.
Having never seen Hashirama's cells before, Sasame couldn't verify their authenticity.
But he could test them.
Hashirama's cells possessed cancer-like proliferation—unchecked, they'd transform the host into a tree.
After some thought, Sasame headed to the orphanage to find Kabuto Yakushi.
"Can you extract a tiny sample for me?"
He held up a test tube.
"Easy."
Kabuto eyed the cells inside. "Follow me."
He led Sasame to Yakushi Nonō's small lab, equipped with medical tools Sasame couldn't begin to comprehend.
Minutes later, Kabuto handed him a syringe.
"Got any white rabbits here?"
"No, but we have white mice."
"That'll do."
Sasame carried the mouse to their usual secluded spot.
"Kabuto, what I'm about to show you… don't panic."
"...?"
Kabuto tilted his head. "What is that?"
"It's not a 'what.' It's… a rare form of life."
Sasame injected the cells into the mouse.
Soon, it began writhing and shrieking—
—before branches erupted from its body, morphing it into a tiny tree.
Kabuto's jaw dropped.
An animal turning into a plant?!
"Sasame!"
He grabbed Sasame's shoulders. "Explain. Now."
Sasame raised a brow.
That manic glint in his eyes… reminds me of Orochimaru.
No wonder you went full mad scientist later.
"This stays between us."
Sasame's tone turned grave. "Our lives depend on it."
Kabuto paused, then nodded.
Through the Third Shinobi War's chaos and their years at the orphanage, Sasame had always protected him.
Trust wasn't even a question.
(It was why he'd agreed to hide his medical prowess in the first place.)
"These are the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Implant them, and you gain Wood Release."
Sasame laid his cards on the table.
Though Kabuto became a villain in the original timeline, his loyalty to Orochimaru was absolute.
Now, without Danzō's manipulation? Even more reliable.
Plus—
Wood Release is too big a secret.
If Kabuto blabbed, neither would survive the fallout.
Smart as he was, he'd never be that stupid.
And by sharing this secret, Sasame effectively recruited a future powerhouse.
Kabuto's brain short-circuited.
A single sentence, packed with world-shattering implications.
Wood Release can be acquired this way?!
Wait—no.
The real question is—
HOW did you get Hashirama's cells?!
Through Tsunade?
No way. She'd never desecrate her grandfather's grave.
"I know what you're thinking. Answers come later."
Sasame pressed a test tube into Kabuto's hand. "I want you to develop a safe implantation method."
"…Me?"
Kabuto blinked. "You're overestimating me."
"You're underestimating yourself."
Sasame clapped his shoulder. "Come on. Let's visit Lady Tsunade. You'll see how monstrous your talent really is."
Though skeptical, Kabuto brightened at the prospect of meeting Tsunade.
Senju Hashirama's Former Residence
Tsunade wasn't home.
"Shizune-nee, where's sensei?"
(With outsiders present, Sasame stuck to formalities. Calling her "Tsunade-nee" might fry Kabuto's brain.)
"At the hospital."
Shizune looked shaken. "Orochimaru-sama showed up at Konoha's gates—severely injured. The Hokage and everyone rushed over."
Sasame pieced it together.
Orochimaru couldn't shake off Kakuzu and Sasori quickly.
With Tanzaku Town so close to Konoha… retreating here was his best bet.
And a master manipulator like him would have no trouble concocting a cover story.
Evening
Tsunade finally returned, spotting Kabuto and recalling him from Sasame's adoption day.
The two seemed close.
"Sasame, you brought a friend?"
She slipped off her sandals, bare feet padding across the floor.
"Lady Tsunade."
Kabuto stood and bowed.
Sasame darted over, eyeing her pale soles before grabbing her hand and pitching his voice higher.
"Nee-chan, my friend just learned a medical jutsu. I think he's super talented—will you take him as your student?"
Tsunade resisted the urge to hug him, turning to Kabuto. "Show me what you can do."
For Sasame's sake, she'd humor this.
Kabuto took a deep breath—
—and green light enveloped his hands.
"Sōzō Saisei (Mystical Palm Technique)?"
Tsunade's eyebrows shot up.
Even Shizune gaped.
Sōzō Saisei demanded insane chakra control and anatomical knowledge—far beyond most medics.
[Due to your actions, Kabuto Yakushi's fate has changed. You have gained 48 Fate Points.]
[Due to your actions, Karin's fate has changed. You have gained 69 Fate Points.]
The Fate Sanctum's notification confirmed it—Tsunade would take Kabuto as her apprentice.
His destiny had shifted again, though less drastically than before.
(Even without Tsunade, Kabuto would've become an elite medic. This just accelerated the process.)
As for Karin—with less narrative weight than Kabuto, her alteration yielded 69 points.
Regardless, Sasame profited massively.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 40 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 25 power stones I will publish the next chapter.