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Before long, Sasame received what he had asked for from Kakuzu and Sasori—the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques and the Wood Release serum.
Kakuzu, however, had been grumbling the whole time, muttering something like, "Orochimaru, that spineless rat. The Sannin are nothing but frauds."
It seemed Orochimaru had taken Sasame's advice and hadn't shown up in person.
Kakuzu, missing out on tens of millions of ryō, was understandably pissed.
Sasame unsealed the storage scroll and found thirty vials of Wood Release serum.
His first thought? "Poor Yamato. Orochimaru must've drained him dry."
He didn't drink it immediately—he didn't trust Orochimaru.
What if there were… modifications? That'd be game over.
Right now, only Tsunade could reliably check for tampering.
But he couldn't take it to her, so he spent 10 Fate Points to verify the serum's safety.
Thankfully, it wasn't expensive.
Since Jūgo had contributed 19 Fate Points, it was still a net gain.
The test confirmed all thirty vials were clean.
Not surprising—Orochimaru had no reason to cross him yet. There were still too many secrets Sasame held.
He opened a vial and chugged it.
The pale-green liquid merged into his body, sending waves of warmth through him.
Within moments, his chakra reserves surged by nearly 10%, and his body felt revitalized.
Amazing effect.
But that was just the first dose—diminishing returns were inevitable.
Still, this was an absolute steal.
Orochimaru had even included a note: "Recommended dosage: one vial per week. Exceeding this may cause rejection—despite neutralization, these are still foreign cells."
After storing the scroll, Sasame headed to the Gunma Casino.
By now, he knew Kushina Uzumaki inside and out.
She had been an outcast in her clan, never trained as a shinobi.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have suffered so much in Kusagakure.
Even basic sealing techniques could've helped her escape.
But her low status was also why she survived the clan's massacre.
A blessing in disguise.
"Sasame."
The moment she saw him, Kushina's face lit up with a gentle smile. She lifted him onto her lap.
She used to call him "Lord," but Sasame found it weird and told her to use his name.
"For you."
"What is this?"
When she unsealed the scroll, her breath caught—Uzumaki sealing techniques.
As a former clanswoman, she recognized them instantly—though she'd never been allowed to learn them.
"T-This is too precious! I can't accept it!"
She owed him two million ryō already. With all the food and shelter he'd provided, her debt was skyrocketing.
Taking the scroll would mean lifetime servitude—for her and her daughter.
"Learning these will make you more useful to me. Think of it as an investment."
Sasame plucked a grape and bit into it.
Still as sweet as ever.
Kushina shivered, cheeks flushing as she nodded.
Right now, she was useless. But mastering sealing techniques would change that.
Sasame leaned back, eyes closed, enjoying the human sofa.
His hands weren't idle either—giving her a massage in return.
Fair exchange.
The day passed peacefully.
After a bath (courtesy of Kushina), Sasame returned home.
Dinner should've been followed by Wood Release training, but Tsunade called him to her room instead.
"Sasame, I need your help with something."
"Huh?"
He blinked.
What kind of training requires a kid's help?
Unless she's a youkai or something.
"You saw my… hemophobia episode last time, right?"
Tsunade sat on the bed, sighing.
"For a medic-nin, a blood phobia is a death sentence."
She'd been avoiding the issue, drowning in apathy.
But after bonding with Sasame—and taking on Shizune and Kabuto as students—she realized how dangerous her condition was.
All three of them were still young. They'd need her protection.
But with her hemophobia, she'd just become dead weight.
The very thought disgusted her.
Since fear was the root, medical ninjutsu couldn't cure it.
The only way? Confront it head-on.
Last time, holding Sasame had reduced her panic faster than usual.
So now, she wanted him to trigger her hemophobia—repeatedly—until she overcame it.
It'd be agonizing.
But for the first time in years, she had a reason to fight.
Sasame listened, surprised.
But it made sense.
If Tsunade conquered her hemophobia, her value would skyrocket.
Besides, his presence had already altered fate. She might never meet Naruto and heal like in the original timeline.
In a way, this was his responsibility now.
Guess I'm officially a teddy bear now.
Tsunade nicked her palm with a kunai. Blood welled up—and her body trembled.
Sasame burrowed into her embrace, instantly pinned between her thighs.
Hmm. Soft.
It reminded him of a game character—Reisalin Stout, famous for her thicc legs.
But Tsunade was better.
The night passed quietly.
When Sasame woke, Tsunade was watching him.
"Breakfast's ready."
She pinched his cheek. "Thanks for last night."
"No problem."
Honestly? Not bad at all.
Tsunade, focused on her recovery, had been generously unrestrained.
After eating, he headed to school.
Not that it was particularly exciting.
Time flew.
At seven, Sasame had seemed young. Now, nearing ten, he was ready to graduate early and become a full-fledged genin.
Those two and a half years had been uneventful.
Externally, Konoha and Kumogakure remained locked in a stalemate.
Internally, the scars of the Nine-Tails' attack had faded, and the village had stabilized.
Except for one thing—Naruto Uzumaki.
With the higher-ups' tacit approval, the villagers treated him as the "demon fox," subjecting him to cold disdain.
Sasame knew it was time to step in.
This was Naruto's first major turning point.
Without Hiruzen Sarutobi's token kindness, he might've snapped.
Sasame's goal? Expose the old man's hypocrisy, steer Naruto onto a different path, and reap the Fate Points.
As for Orochimaru, he'd been busy with Wood Release experiments, Edo Tensei, and cursed seal research—while keeping tabs on Itachi Uchiha.
His dealings with Sasame continued smoothly.
And for now, he'd shelved his defection plans.
After all, research required stability—something hard to find as a rogue ninja.
In terms of Fate Points, Sasame had gained contributions from two new sources:
Kimimaro Kaguya (49 Fate Points)
Suigetsu Hōzuki (27 Fate Points)
Both would've joined Orochimaru in the original timeline.
Ninja Academy.
Sasame submitted his early graduation request to Nakaido.
Approval came quickly—with just a basic Three Techniques test.
A breeze.
And so, the two-and-a-half-year student officially shed his academy status…
…and stepped into the shinobi world.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 50 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 45 power stones I will publish the next chapter.