Natsume suddenly woke up from his sleep.
As he raised his head, he bumped into Tsunade's soft body.
"What's wrong?"
Natsume asked in confusion.
"There's a strong chakra fluctuation."
Tsunade got dressed and said, "One of them is Orochimaru. I'm going to check it out."
"I'll—"
Natsume swallowed back his words, because Tsunade had already disappeared.
Tsunade and Orochimaru were once teammates, so she was naturally familiar with his chakra.
It was unlikely she'd mistaken him for someone else.
Orochimaru making a move in Konoha?
It's Uchiha Obito.
Natsume immediately got up, opened his door, and saw Orochimaru's massive body.
Eight Branches Technique.
Looks like things are getting serious.
[Because of your actions, Orochimaru's fate has changed. You've gained 70 Fate Points.]
[Because of your actions, Uchiha Obito's fate has changed. You've gained 56 Fate Points.]
[Because of your actions, Uchiha Itachi's fate has changed. You've gained 30 Fate Points.]
The prompt from the Sacred Ring of Fate made Natsume pause in surprise.
Does that mean the fight's over?
He used Body Flicker and disappeared on the spot.
In less than a moment, he arrived at the scene of the fight.
Orochimaru and Itachi were facing off.
Obito was nowhere to be seen.
Besides them, the scene was clearly divided into two factions.
On one side was the Uchiha Clan, on the other, the rest of Konoha's ninja clans.
"What's going on?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward and asked, "Itachi, and Orochimaru, what are you two doing?"
His face was calm, but inwardly, he was furious.
The Uchiha Clan was already in a dangerous situation, yet Orochimaru still dared to make a move against Itachi, as if he didn't take Hiruzen seriously at all.
"We encountered the Wood Release user from three years ago."
Itachi glanced at his excited clansmen behind him, and said in a calm tone, "Orochimaru-sama didn't attack me; instead, he helped me."
"...?"
Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru in surprise.
This was completely unexpected.
But it was also the most satisfactory outcome for him.
Hiruzen quickly put his doubts aside and asked, "Where is he? Any news of Shisui?"
"He possesses space-time ninjutsu."
Orochimaru replied with a displeased look.
He'd almost managed to obtain Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan.
But he hadn't expected Obito's eye techniques to be so absurd.
He'd once had three pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan right in front of him, and he hadn't cherished them.
Now, he deeply regretted it.
But Orochimaru hadn't left empty-handed.
As the Eight Branches Technique, he'd bitten a part of Obito's body.
There seemed to be something remarkable inside.
Hiruzen's face darkened upon hearing this.
No wonder there hadn't been a single clue in the past three years.
So, it was because he possessed space-time ninjutsu.
"Itachi, is Shisui alive or dead?"
Fugaku hid his astonishment.
He'd arrived first, as this place was close to the Uchiha Clan's compound.
Though he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he'd felt that immense Yin Release power.
Could it be, like Shisui, that his own son had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?
If so, the Uchiha Clan might still have a fighting chance.
"I don't know."
Itachi replied coldly.
"Everyone, disperse."
Seeing more and more people gathering, Hiruzen waved his hand and said, "Leave the rest to the Anbu."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison.
"Itachi, come with me."
Hiruzen said sternly, "I need you to tell me exactly what happened, in detail."
Fugaku watched the two walk away, frowning in dissatisfaction.
He'd wanted to ask Itachi whether he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Natsume."
Tsunade noticed him, hurried over, and asked, "Why are you here too?"
"Couldn't sleep without you, sis."
Natsume naturally took her hand.
She was startled, quickly looking around, and only relaxed when she saw no one was there.
Tsunade put on a stern face and said, "Don't be so intimate outside."
Natsume suddenly felt like they were having a secret affair.
Alright, it's pretty exciting.
Thinking of his own plan, he asked, "Sis, can we go out and have fun tomorrow?"
"Fun?"
Tsunade's expression softened a little as she asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go out?"
"Training's been tough lately. I want to get some fresh air."
Natsume gave a very reasonable explanation, "Besides, it's summer, ninja school's on vacation—I should enjoy my break."
Tsunade recalled how hard he'd worked on Sage Mode and nodded.
"Since I'm the one who suggested it, I'll make the plans for tomorrow. How about it?"
Natsume asked excitedly.
"Sure."
Tsunade agreed without much thought.
The two returned home.
Shizune had also woken up.
After learning everything was fine, she went back to her room to rest.
…
A new day.
Tsunade had just woken up and was about to put on her usual tea-green jacket, when Natsume stopped her.
"What's up?"
"I said you'd listen to me today."
Natsume opened a storage scroll and took out a greenish kimono.
Tsunade, who'd been a bit groggy, instantly woke up.
She looked at the sexy kimono, then at Natsume.
If she were an ordinary girl, she'd naturally be shy.
But Tsunade was different.
She thought about it; since she'd already agreed, she should go through with it. She picked up the kimono and said, "You go out first."
Natsume immediately ran to the door.
After waiting a while, he heard her voice permitting him to enter. He turned around, and his eyes lit up.
With the kimono accentuating her figure, Tsunade looked absolutely perfect.
A slender waist, voluptuous curves.
The upper part of the dress used black semi-transparent gauze.
A dazzling yet seductive visual feast.
But two things were still missing.
"Sis, sit down."
Natsume opened the vanity, taking out a comb.
"You know how to do makeup?"
Tsunade watched him fussing around, unable to help asking.
"I taught myself."
Natsume smiled gently, "Because I think helping someone I care about with their hair and makeup is a wonderful thing."
Tsunade blinked, suddenly feeling quite pleased inside.
She wasn't sure about his skills, but she was happy with his answer.
Natsume undid her double ponytails, letting her thick blond hair fall.
He reached out, gathering her hair into a high ponytail slightly to the right, then fastened it into a bun with a floral hairpin.
Tsunade instantly looked much more like a married woman.
"Time for the next step, sis."
Natsume reminded her.
Tsunade gently tilted her head back.
At such close distance, Natsume could clearly see her stunningly beautiful face.
He reached out and applied her makeup.
Moments later, Natsume nodded in satisfaction.
Her cheeks had a faint blush, her lips were moist and bright red, and with the kimono's high, prominent curves, she exuded a noble and seductive aura.
Natsume knelt in front of her, carefully helping her put on over-the-knee black stockings.
Her smooth, jade-like calves were so alluring he couldn't take his eyes—or hands—off them.
"Natsume."
Tsunade, looking down at him, a flush and annoyance on her face, smacked his head with her fist and asked, "Who taught you that?"
Her first reaction was that he'd learned to be naughty, not that this was his nature.
Natsume's heart skipped a beat.
Naturally, Tsunade hadn't used any real strength—otherwise, his head would have split like a watermelon.
But how should he answer?
Natsume cleared his throat and said, "It's just because you're beautiful, sis, so I can't help but look."