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Uzumaki Naruto walked with a complicated expression, carrying a plastic bag full of instant ramen.
Sasame, who knew full well about his "demon fox" status, still treated him normally—something so bafflingly rare that Naruto didn't even know how to react.
"Let's go."
Sasame, holding a box of ramen, spoke up.
"Huh?"
Naruto snapped out of his daze, confused.
What did he just say? I wasn't paying attention…
"I'm taking you to a store that'll actually sell you stuff."
Sasame repeated himself.
"R-Really?!"
Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
It wasn't that he couldn't buy things—just that he could never get anything good.
Like milk.
He always ended up with the nearly expired ones.
In his past life, Sasame's mom also loved buying almost-expired milk—because it was cheap.
As long as you drank it before the date, it was fine.
But Naruto?
He paid full price for it.
And since he was just a kid, he wasn't careful enough. The milk would sit too long, meaning he'd never tasted fresh milk.
In the original story, he even got food poisoning from spoiled milk—and thought it was his own fault.
That's how little he knew about basic life skills.
No one had ever taught him.
"Of course."
The place Sasame had in mind was actually his casino.
After nearly three years of expansion, it had opened a branch in Konoha.
As the owner, getting the manager to look after Naruto was effortless.
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen found out, it wouldn't matter.
Sasame was Tsunade's student.
Not Danzō's. Not Orochimaru's. And definitely not an Uchiha.
If Hiruzen tried to mess with him, Tsunade would lose her mind.
And Tsunade represented the Senju clan.
If things escalated, Hiruzen's reputation—built up as the "God of Shinobi"—would crash and burn.
The great Hokage, praised as the strongest, turning on the descendants of his own teacher and the village's founder?
That kind of betrayal would make every other clan lose faith in him.
Even if Hiruzen was stupid, he wasn't that stupid.
"Come on."
Sasame reached the door and turned back, seeing Naruto still frozen in place. He waved.
Naruto stared at him, eyes reddening—but no tears fell. He rubbed his face and shouted back, "I'm coming!"
Gunma Casino.
Naruto was stunned.
He didn't know what gambling was, but this place was way too fancy for someone like him.
"We'll use the back door."
Sasame glanced at the battle-damage-themed kimono worn by the female staff at the entrance and pulled Naruto toward the rear.
Too young for that kind of view.
Then again, Naruto had invented the Sexy Jutsu at, what, twelve?
This kid might be a born degenerate.
"Boss?! You're here?"
A middle-aged man spotted Sasame and rushed over, his tone overwhelmingly respectful.
"Masayasu. Can't I visit?"
Sasame smirked.
"N-No! Of course you can! Anytime!"
Masayasu quickly corrected himself, flustered.
Can't blame him.
Since becoming manager of the Konoha branch, his family had gone from struggling to wealthy overnight.
Sasame was basically his savior.
Naruto's jaw dropped.
This huge, luxurious place… belongs to a kid barely older than me?!
Mind blown.
"Naruto, this is Masayasu."
Sasame turned to him. "From now on, you can buy anything you need from him."
Masayasu blinked, recognizing Naruto as the so-called "demon fox." But he still smiled warmly.
"Don't worry, kid. Whatever you want, we've got it."
His tone was completely genuine.
To him, labels like "demon fox" meant nothing compared to Sasame's word.
Naruto froze for a second—then tears spilled out.
"S-Sorry…"
He wiped his face frantically. "You're only the second person who's ever been this nice to me… I'm happy, but I don't know why I'm crying…"
Sasame sighed.
Damn, that's rough.
Even most adults couldn't handle daily bullying.
And Naruto was three.
Getting openly despised by an entire village, yet still staying optimistic?
That was insane resilience.
Maybe that's exactly what Hiruzen wanted—a stable vessel and weapon.
And he wasn't the only one.
Look at Gaara, the One-Tail's Jinchūriki in Suna.
Even worse off than Naruto.
Training a dog wouldn't be this cruel.
Sasame gave Masayasu a look, and the man quietly left.
"Who was the first person nice to you?"
He asked casually after a moment. "Why didn't they help you buy things?"
"An old man. I don't know who he is."
Naruto sniffled. "He visits sometimes, gives me money."
"What does he look like? Maybe I know him—then you could find him whenever."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
Whenever he felt lonely, he'd think of that old man's kindness.
But not knowing where he was made it impossible to seek comfort.
"Uh… Not too tall. White hair and beard. Smokes a pipe sometimes?"
His description was vague, but Sasame already knew the answer.
He was just laying the groundwork.
"Hmm… sounds familiar."
Sasame pretended to think hard.
Naruto watched him eagerly.
After a pause, Sasame snapped his fingers.
"Follow me."
He led Naruto outside, pointing at the third face carved into the Hokage Monument.
"That him?"
"W-Wait… yeah! It is!"
Naruto's voice trembled.
Even at three, he knew what the Hokage Rock was.
The man who'd shown him kindness was none other than the Third Hokage?!
The realization hit him like a wave.
No wonder I want to be Hokage!
Hokage-jiji is the best!
Sasame watched his expression shift and could guess his thoughts.
Hiruzen's manipulation was smooth.
What kid could resist this kind of treatment?
The so-called "Child of Prophecy" was just a puppet all along.
Naruto's only real strength was his heart.
Everything else? Mediocre.
Like when he talked-no-jutsu'd Nagato into suicide, promising to change Amegakure.
Spoiler: It got worse.
If Nagato knew, he'd claw his way out of the grave.
"It's really him! The Third Hokage!"
Naruto beamed.
The one person who cared was the leader of the village.
Suddenly, everyone else's scorn didn't feel as heavy.
"Wait… if he's the Hokage…"
Sasame frowned, feigning confusion. "Why hasn't he stopped people from treating you badly?"
Naruto's smile froze.
…Right.
The Hokage's word was law.
If he said something, no one would dare disobey.
So if he cared… why let this happen?
"M-Maybe he's too busy to notice…"
Naruto scrambled for an excuse.
"Then next time, you should remind him."
Sasame didn't push further. Slow burns worked best.
He knew Hiruzen wouldn't actually intervene.
At most, the glares and insults would turn into silent avoidance.
In some ways, that'd be even worse.
One conversation wouldn't change Naruto's mind.
But now that he'd have a steady supply line through Gunma Casino, their interactions would keep growing.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 60 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 20 power stones I will publish the next chapter.