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Tsunade had said she'd leave the next morning—and she did, vanishing before dawn without a word.
When Sasame woke, the space beside him was cold.
Heartless woman.
Hard-hearted, tight-lipped.
…I'll find out just how tight someday.
He inhaled deeply. The lingering scent of her perfume still clung to the sheets.
After dressing, he considered his next move. With Tsunade gone, it was the perfect time to head to Kirigakure.
As a shinobi, leaving Konoha required one of two justifications:
A mission approved by the Hokage.
Defecting (hard pass).
After three years, Shizune had made Special Jōnin—but Sasame and Yakushi Kabuto remained chūnin. Why? Pure laziness. They hadn't bothered completing enough missions.
Konoha's promotion system was rigid:
Hard requirement: Mission quotas.
Soft requirement: Loyalty to the Hokage/village.
Luckily, Sasame had a workaround. Uma Corporation could issue a mission request. As long as the village got paid, they wouldn't care what he did—unless he outright betrayed them.
Ninja Academy
Sasame stopped by to bid farewell to Uzumaki Naruto.
Now nearly seven, the boy's skills had skyrocketed compared to the original timeline—reportedly at Special Jōnin level. His control was still lacking, but with his chakra reserves, he'd easily rank as a full jōnin once refined.
Yet his social standing hadn't improved.
If anything, the villagers' fear had deepened.
A mischievous brat was one thing. A trained shinobi? A tangible threat. Many feared he'd seek revenge for past mistreatment.
At school, though, things were better.
Naruto had forged bonds with:
Uchiha Sasuke (obsessive rivalry)
Rock Lee (pure-hearted sparring)
Hyūga Neji (tense but respectful)
Nara Shikamaru (lazy camaraderie)
Akimichi Chōji (snack-sharing alliance)
Even Haruno Sakura trailed after Sasuke—but Naruto couldn't care less. Sasuke's focus was entirely on him.
Women? Distractions from their rivalry.
Neji and Lee, meanwhile, engaged with Naruto on purely martial terms. Whether they were friends was debatable.
The Uchiha Situation
Speaking of Sasuke, the Uchiha clan had been eerily quiet.
In the original timeline, their coup was delayed two years after Shisui's death. Now, with a mysterious shinobi in play and Fugaku aware of Kotoamatsukami, external threats had temporarily united them with Konoha in hunting Shisui's killer.
Hiruzen had also made waves.
After Danzō's Wood Release exposure, Orochimaru was implicated—but the snake Sannin simply handed over his Hashirama Cell research, earning forgiveness.
Result? Konoha now had multiple Wood Release users.
Sasame learned this from Tsunade. As Hiruzen's heir apparent, she'd been briefed on Hashirama Cell projects—and didn't object.
Why would she? Konoha had dabbled in Wood Release experiments for decades.
This also fully cleared Sasame's name.
The consensus? The mystery shinobi had stolen Orochimaru and Danzō's research.
…Which was technically true.
Hyūga Compound
After bidding Naruto farewell, Sasame detoured to the Hyūga estate.
Kinda weird when you think about it.
Wasn't this just—ahem—replacing one trope with another?
Many fans argued Naruto never truly loved Hinata—just as Sasuke only married Sakura for heirs.
Hinata, startled by his daytime visit (he usually came at night), stammered:
"S-Sasame-nii…?"
"Morning." He smiled. "Hungry?"
Her cheeks pinked as she nodded.
"Good. I brought ramen."
He unpacked ten stacked takeout boxes. "Eat up. We need to talk."
"Mm."
Hinata picked up her chopsticks, embarrassed but obedient.
As she ate, Sasame studied her Byakugan—milky-white even when inactive, unlike the Sharingan's normal appearance.
"Th-they're… not nice to look at…"
She shrank under his gaze.
Unique traits often bred ostracization—especially in a conformist society like the Elemental Nations.
Hinata's childhood bullies had targeted her for the Byakugan's "unnatural" appearance, just as Naruto suffered for his whisker marks.
"Cute."
Sasame ruffled her hair. "You are."
Pshhh—!
Hinata's face erupted into steam, her mind short-circuiting.
"Finish eating."
He let her recover. Any more teasing, and breakfast would stretch till dinner.
Soon, she'd have training—though the intensity had lessened since Hanabi's birth.
The Hyūga clan now pinned their hopes on the younger sister. Barring intervention, one daughter would bear the Caged Bird Seal.
Unless Sasame became Hokage.
"I'm done."
Hinata set down her chopsticks with practiced grace.
"I'm taking a long mission—several months." Sasame met her eyes. "I might not be able to bring you food every night."
Her Byakugan widened. Lips parted, but no words came.
The conflict was plain: She wanted him to stay—but couldn't ask.
Shinobi existed to serve.
"…Be careful," she finally whispered.
"I will."
He pinched her cheek. "Don't look so down. I'll visit when I can."
Thanks to Katsuyu's reverse summoning, distance was irrelevant. This was just a precaution—in case nighttime duties delayed him.
"See you soon."
As he stood, Hinata lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him.
Her face burned scarlet, her expression dazed—as if she might faint from sheer audacity.
The Hyūga heiress was trying to keep him here.
Sasame hadn't expected this. For her, this was unprecedented boldness.
A beat later, reality crashed down.
She fled, diving under her blankets like a panicked rabbit, only her twitching feet visible.
Sasame chuckled. Adorable.
"I'm off."
A puff of smoke—Reverse Summoning Jutsu—and he reappeared at Konoha Orphanage.
Not for Kabuto.
For Uchiha Shisui.
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