"This Orochimaru dude… not bad. He really shows up when it counts."

  Natsume clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.

  He hadn't been able to witness Orochimaru's csh with Uchiha Shisui firsthand. That was a shame—it must’ve been one hell of a show.

  In the original timeline, Orochimaru was utterly defeated by Uchiha Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan. That crushing loss sparked his obsession. Unable to beat Itachi, he set his sights on Uchiha Sasuke instead.

  But now? After getting his ass handed to him ahead of schedule, there was a good chance Orochimaru would fixate on the younger Itachi instead.

  As for why Shisui had contributed some Fate Points?

  Natsume thought it over and nodded. Made sense.

  Shisui, much like Itachi, had outgrown the narrow mindset of the Uchiha cn and embraced the Will of Fire. But unlike Itachi, Shisui was more idealistic. He had lines he wouldn't cross.

  When the Uchiha began preparing for rebellion, Shisui didn’t strike first. Instead, he turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, even going so far as to reveal the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan.

  The result? Predictable.

  Danzo set his sights on him. And in a desperate bid to prevent conflict over his eye, Shisui took his own life.

  That death deyed the Uchiha uprising by two years.

  Later, Itachi awakened his own Mangekyō and, with the masked man who triggered the Nine-Tails attack—Uchiha Obito—sughtered the entire cn. Only Sasuke was spared.

  By now, Shisui was a die-hard believer in the Will of Fire.

  And Orochimaru, former student of Hiruzen, one of the legendary Sannin… to outsiders, he practically was the Will of Fire incarnate.

  And yet, he'd just ambushed Shisui.

  Shisui was probably questioning everything right now. A small but significant shift had occurred in the weave of fate.

  Nineteen points.

  Not much, meaning Shisui's ultimate fate likely remained unchanged.

  Orochimaru had yielded fifty-eight points. His fate had been partially altered, not fully rewritten.

  Not surprising.

  He wasn’t like Kimimaro or Kabuto. Orochimaru had a mind of his own—sharp, calcuting, and incredibly driven.

  Changing a man like him? Easier said than done.

  “Natsume, I don’t get this question. Can you teach me?”

  A shy little girl, cheeks faintly pink, twisted nervously as she spoke.

  Natsume gnced at the worksheet. “No clue either. Go ask Uchiha Itachi.”

  She blinked in surprise. This was supposed to be an easy question—no way he didn't know it!

  Staring at Natsume’s pretty face, she stammered, “N-no, it’s fine… I’ll go ask someone else.”

  Itachi, thanks to his aloof personality, wasn’t exactly popur. Add in the intimidating Uchiha name, and the girl didn’t dare approach him.

  Natsume knew what she was trying to do—flirt.

  Too young.

  In every sense of the word.

  Unlike Tsunade… everything about her was big.

  Given the choice, who wouldn’t know which way to go?

  For Natsume, there was no hesitation.

  After that minor interruption, the rest of the school day passed without incident.

  But today, instead of Shisui, Uchiha Mikoto came to pick up Itachi.

  That dy, Natsume had to admit—she was quite the beauty.

  He waited a while longer, then witnessed Tsunade in yet another debt-collector chase scene.

  This time, it was some old man.

  Natsume raised an eyebrow. Looked like his pn would have to move up on the schedule.

  A few minutes ter, the “old man” dropped the disguise and returned to Tsunade’s true form. She walked up to him.

  “Anything fun happen today?”

  She pinched his cheek, then slowly took his hand.

  “Nope,” Natsume said, shaking his head. “Sis, you went gambling again, didn’t you?”

  “Just pyed a few rounds,” she admitted without hesitation. After spending so much time together, hiding stuff from each other was pointless.

  “How’s your luck tely?” Natsume asked.

  “Uh…”

  Tsunade paused, then gave a high-EQ response: “Not great, just unlucky.”

  Unlucky? More like cursed. Tsunade was the literal embodiment of “always loses.”

  Natsume didn’t call her out on it. Instead, he said, “Next time, take me with you.”

  Tsunade instantly frowned. “You’re too young. Don’t get hooked on gambling. When you’re older, maybe.”

  She sounded genuinely serious, like she was offering heartfelt guidance.

  If Natsume didn’t know that she’d been gambling since she could walk—taught by Hashirama himself—he might’ve believed her.

  “I’m not going to gamble,” Natsume crified. “I’m going to make money.”

  He expined, “Since you always lose, if you take me with you, I can bet the opposite every time. We’ll win every round.”

  Tsunade froze. Her eyes sparkled with golden light—money signs dancing in her pupils.

  What a brilliant pn!

  Why didn’t I think of that?!

  She crouched down and pnted an excited kiss on Natsume’s cheek. “That’s for being a genius!”

  “Gross, all slobbery,” Natsume grumbled, pretending to be annoyed.

  Tsunade just ughed harder, then doubled down—licking his face like a teasing big sister.

  Natsume’s face instantly felt drenched.

  Just you wait, Tsunade… A few years from now, I’m getting my revenge.

  “Tomorrow’s Saturday. I’ll take you to Tanzaku Town, just outside the vilge,” Tsunade decred. “You and me, little bro—we’ll conquer the gambling world together!”

  Honestly, if anyone else had suggested this pn, Tsunade would've decked them on the spot.

  Dare question my gambling skills? Eat my fist!

  But coming from Natsume, it was a different story.

  As he enjoyed this sweet moment with his “sister,” Orochimaru, somewhere far away, had only one thought:

  Pain. Unbearable pain.

  And not the physical kind. This was the soul-crushing, ego-shattering pain that lingered long after the wounds healed.

  That morning, Orochimaru had tracked down Shisui. Seeing that the boy was barely in his teens, he’d ignored all of Natsume’s warnings.

  He went in full “One Piece Jack” mode.

  You know who I am? Pull the ship up! Let’s go!

  At first, the fight had gone back and forth. With his experience, Orochimaru even gained the upper hand.

  Then Shisui activated the Mangekyō Sharingan.

  Susanoo. Genjutsu. The works.

  Orochimaru broke.

  His disguise was blown. His identity exposed.

  Shisui froze the moment he recognized him.

  And those few seconds were all Orochimaru needed to escape with his life.

  Back at his hideout, the truth hit him like a truck.

  Natsume hadn’t been bluffing.

  The Mangekyō Sharingan… was terrifyingly overpowered.

  He was convinced now—not even Hiruzen Sarutobi could take Shisui down.

  “I need those eyes.”

  Orochimaru licked his lips. Blood welled up and he began coughing violently.

  Nearby, Aburame Ryoma’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  Orochimaru’s injured? Seriously injured?

  Who in the Hidden Leaf had the power to pull that off?

  Ryoma quickly turned and headed for the Foundation. He had to report this to Danzo.

  Orochimaru noticed him, of course.

  He just didn’t care.

  His mind was now fully consumed by those eyes.

  He would deal with Danzo directly. No more games. Just swift, decisive action.

  At the Foundation—

  “You’re saying he’s seriously injured?”

  Danzo’s grip tightened around his cane, a frown creeping across his face.

  Unbelievable.

  Even he wouldn’t be confident in injuring Orochimaru without revealing his Wood Release.

  “What about Agent A’s location?”

  “Couldn’t find him,” Ryoma replied. “Didn’t want to tip Orochimaru off, so I didn’t check the deeper hiding spots.”

  “Then let’s go pay him a visit,” Danzo said with a smile. “An ally’s been hurt. It’s only right we show our concern.”