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Hinata Hyūga wasn't chatting like Kiba and the others. Instead, she focused her Byakugan, carefully observing the fight between the two.
After watching for a while, she felt something was off.
Naruto Uzumaki was way too experienced.
Normally, with his two-tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke Uchiha should have been able to read Naruto's movements perfectly, predicting his every action.
But that wasn't happening. Instead, Sasuke was the one struggling, his movements stiff and reactive.
Their roles had completely reversed.
It was almost as if Naruto was the one with the two-tomoe Sharingan, not Sasuke.
Undoubtedly, this was thanks to Minato Namikaze.
Compared to facing Obito Uchiha—who wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan—Sasuke was still far too green. He was being played like a fiddle by the three of them.
Hinata suddenly flinched.
She turned and saw that the person who had tapped her shoulder was Sasame.
Sasame placed a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.
Hinata nodded and quietly stepped away from the crowd, joining him at the sidelines.
"What do you think? Could you beat them?"
Sasame watched as Sasuke performed an elaborate shuriken technique, reminiscent of Itachi Uchiha.
Has he already joined the Akatsuki?
After awakening the Sharingan, Sasuke's visual perception had improved dramatically, allowing him to fully exploit his weapon-throwing skills.
Since it didn't consume much chakra, it was a staple technique for genin and chūnin.
"It'd be… difficult."
Hinata thought carefully before answering. "If I could get close and hit their tenketsu, maybe."
The Hyūga's Gentle Fist was actually quite formidable.
Combined with the Byakugan, injecting chakra into an opponent's body could disrupt their chakra network and internal organs, securing victory.
In the shinobi world, internal organs were nearly impossible to train.
In theory, letting a Hyūga get close was extremely dangerous—one misstep, and you'd be incapacitated.
But in the later stages of battle, too many monsters existed.
Most never even gave you the chance to get close.
"Why not try hitting their tenketsu from a distance?"
Sasame smirked as he posed the question.
"From a distance?"
Hinata blinked. "But… Gentle Fist is a close-range taijutsu."
"Wouldn't long-range be more efficient?"
Sasame reached out and ruffled her hair. "If you could strike tenketsu remotely, combined with the Byakugan's range, you could safely neutralize enemies without ever risking close combat."
"That… actually makes sense."
Hinata found herself swayed by the logic.
But then why hadn't the Hyūga developed long-range techniques?
With the Byakugan's absurd visual range, incorporating ninjutsu should have allowed them to strike first.
The Hyūga could learn ninjutsu.
But since mastering the Gentle Fist was already a monumental task, no one bothered branching out.
"Hinata, you should try developing a new form of Gentle Fist."
Sasame could help her—using Fate Points, for instance.
But there was no rush. He'd wait until she was older.
"Eh?!"
Hinata shook her head rapidly. "I—I don't have that kind of talent!"
Creating new techniques was far harder than learning existing ones.
In Konoha's history, only a handful of shinobi had ever developed multiple original jutsu.
The most famous example was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
If there was an unknown forbidden jutsu, people just assumed it was his.
It had become a habit—much like blaming Danzō Shimura for everything.
Sasame crouched down to her eye level, staring until Hinata's face turned bright red.
Then he said, "I believe in you."
"I—I—"
Hinata's brain short-circuited, steam practically rising from her head as she stammered incoherently.
Sasame pinched her soft, warm cheek before letting go—lest she actually pass out.
He turned his attention back to the fight, which was reaching its climax.
Sasuke had intended to crush Naruto effortlessly with his two-tomoe Sharingan, reclaiming the Uchiha's pride.
But reality had defied his expectations—he couldn't land a single clean hit.
After several failed attempts, he formed hand signs.
His first ninjutsu: the Uchiha's signature Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Normally, Naruto would counter with a wind-style jutsu, but not today.
The fireball incinerated his clone.
The real Naruto appeared behind Sasuke, fist already in motion.
Thanks to the Sharingan, Sasuke barely managed to block.
THUD!
His expression twisted.
This power—!
Sasuke hastily retreated.
Naruto formed another hand sign.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Three Narutos charged.
"All real?!"
Sasuke's pupils contracted.
He didn't hesitate, spewing a flurry of fireballs.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
The three clones burst into flames.
For a moment, Sasuke felt triumph.
I finally beat him!
But then—
WHOOSH!
Leaf Whirlwind!
Naruto descended like a hurricane, his spinning kick slamming into Sasuke.
"GAH—!"
Sasuke was sent flying, crashing into the ground in a cloud of dust.
Naruto rushed over, offering a hand.
"Get away from me!"
Sasuke smacked his hand aside, forcing himself up despite the pain.
"Sasuke, you were amazing today!"
Naruto grinned, giving a thumbs-up.
Without Minato's guidance, he might not have won.
Unless he tapped into Kurama's power—but that would've been unfair.
Both Kushina and Minato had warned him against relying on the Nine-Tails unless absolutely necessary.
"Tch. Next time, I'll win."
Sasuke turned away coldly, though he had noticed Naruto's growth.
He'd also learned something crucial:
Use your brain.
Today, Naruto had fought smarter.
Sasuke took a deep breath.
I'll just have to be smarter than him.
Oddly enough, this had been his least frustrating loss.
Even though he'd lost, the pressure hadn't felt as overwhelming.
The Sharingan really is the greatest.
Lost in thought, Sasuke headed home—completely ignoring Sakura, who chased after him.
Sasame watched them go before turning back to Hinata, who had finally cooled down.
"I'll walk you home."
At the school gates, however, they were intercepted by Hinata's aunt, Hanabi.
"Sasame, you've been taking care of Hinata again."
Hanabi smiled warmly. "Why not join us for dinner?"
Her tone was so friendly, Sasame half-wondered if he'd already been adopted into the Hyūga clan.
But he declined—he needed to get back to Tsunade.
They hadn't seen each other all day, and they had a lot to catch up on.
Hanabi didn't press further, leading a reluctant Hinata away.
Hokage Building
Standing outside the Hokage's office, Sasame knocked.
He only knocked because he sensed someone else inside.
Otherwise, he'd have strolled right in.
At Tsunade's response, he entered—and froze.
Ino Yamanaka was there, hands pressed against a dying rooster, trying to revive it with medical ninjutsu.
Sasame blinked.
Wait, wasn't it supposed to be a fish?
In the original timeline, Sakura's first medical training involved fish.
Why a rooster?
Talk about a plot twist.
Distracted by the noise, Ino glanced over—and messed up.
The rooster twitched… then went still.
"S-Sensei, I'm sorry—!"
Ino's face burned with embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it."
Tsunade waved her off. "You're just starting. Mistakes are normal."
Ino exhaled in relief.
She didn't know Tsunade well enough yet to realize how laid-back she was.
To her, this was the Hokage—someone you did not want to offend.
"That's enough for today."
Tsunade checked the time. "It's getting late. Continue tomorrow."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Ino bowed before turning to leave. As she passed Sasame, she paused to greet him.
Once she was gone, Tsunade snorted.
"You've got a way with girls, don't you?"
Ino's mistake had clearly been because of him.
"Slander! Absolute slander!"
Sasame grinned, pulling her into a hug. "I don't flirt with anyone—except you."
"Smooth talker."
Tsunade yanked him closer, smothering him against her chest—as if trying to suffocate him.
Drowning in her scent, Sasame almost passed out.
This is a punishment I'd gladly endure every day.
Ever the researcher, he began exploring the depths of this treacherous abyss.
"You little—!"
Tsunade shoved him away, bonking him on the head. "Behave!"
Sasame wisely backed off.
Teasing was fun, but there was a limit.
"Now that you're Hokage Advisor, what's the plan for Root?"
Tsunade got straight to business. "We captured those Root operatives and removed their Cursed Tongue Eradication Seals, but they're still traumatized."
"Let them return as regular shinobi."
Sasame had no interest in using Danzō's brainwashed soldiers.
"Agreed."
Tsunade nodded. "Root is like the ANBU—loyalty is non-negotiable."
She cared more about Sasame's safety than her own.
That tragedy would not repeat.
Not unless she was dead.
"We don't need Root."
Sasame shook his head. "Its existence is a thorn in the side of many clans. Rebuilding it would only cause friction."
Danzō's recruitment criteria were simple: geniuses with a hint of darkness.
The latter aside, the former had pissed off many clans—like the Yamanaka and Aburame.
No clan wanted their prodigies serving someone else.
"No. You need protection."
Tsunade's frown deepened. "The shinobi world isn't safe. As Hokage Advisor—and my student—you'll have a target on your back."
The simplest example? Bounty hunters.
Nearly every notable Konoha shinobi had a price on their head.
Asuma Sarutobi's was 35 million ryō.
Sasame hadn't checked, but once his position was public, his bounty would likely be even higher.
"I—"
"Don't say you don't need it."
Tsunade cut him off. "If you refuse, I'm assigning you two Wood Style users."
"Wood Style?"
Sasame took the files—all members of the Sarutobi clan.
With Hiruzen retired (but still alive), their loyalty wasn't in question.
And with Wood Style, they were ideal candidates.
"I'm not used to bodyguards."
Noticing her darkening expression, he quickly added, "I want to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Flying Thunder God?"
Tsunade paused. She knew the technique well.
If Sasame mastered it, he wouldn't need protection.
Minato had used it to dominate entire battlefields.
But it was extremely difficult.
"You're Hokage now. Doesn't that give me access to the Forbidden Scroll?"
Sasame smiled.
This was the perfect chance to "officially" learn the technique—no more hiding it.
Plus, he could browse the scroll's other forbidden jutsu.
"Fine."
Tsunade relented. "Try learning it first. If you can't, you're getting guards."
"By the way… have you ever considered awakening Wood Style?"
Sasame waved the files. "The transplant procedure is safe now."
Tsunade fell silent before shaking her head.
She couldn't bring herself to use her grandfather's cells.
Sasame wasn't surprised.
He'd made the right call avoiding Hashirama's cells himself.
(The Wood Style serum didn't count—it was processed, not raw cells.)
"But I think it's worth researching."
Sasame pressed on. "Wood Style is a Kekkei Genkai. In theory, any Senju could awaken it—it's just dormant. If we could activate it…"
He wasn't entirely sure if that was true.
But in the original timeline, a kunoichi named Moegi had awakened Wood Style.
If Wood Style truly came from the God Tree, her existence made no sense.
Maybe it was a Senju trait.
Either way, it was a convenient excuse.
If research could unlock Tsunade's potential, great.
If not, he'd just use Fate Points later.
Tsunade was tempted.
Wood Style held deep significance for her.
"Are you saying I'm weak?"
Suddenly, she grinned, squishing his face. "That you need to carry me?"
"The stronger you are, the better you can protect me."
Sasame smirked. "That way, I can slack off guilt-free!"
In other words: Feed me, rich lady.
"Oh, you dare laze around?!"
Tsunade's grip tightened, molding his face like clay—before she abruptly kissed him.
The spark ignited.
Sasame retaliated in full, cashing in his earlier "reward."
The Hokage's office, which should have been closed for the day, instead echoed with a symphony of passion.
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