"Haruya, get up and take your medicine."
Tsunade pushed the door open just a crack and saw Haruya sleeping peacefully inside.
This kid really was too good-looking.
"Sis… could you step out for a moment?"Haruya asked, a little embarrassed.
He still wasn't used to people watching him change.
"Oh."Tsunade blinked, caught his expression, and smirked. "What are you being shy about?"
Ugh. Thug in heels.Haruya glared at her as if saying, I'm not moving until you leave.
Matched with his small, childish face, the look was… cute.Tsunade swallowed unconsciously, closed the door, and said, "Get dressed and come out."
She turned around, tied on her apron, and headed into the kitchen to start cooking.
Shizune was already there, boiling medicine.Even with chakra, medicine had a long list of irreplaceable uses.For a medical-ninja, brewing decoctions was practically a basic skill.
This particular batch was meant to strengthen Haruya's body.Growing up in an orphanage meant he'd barely had three dull meals a day, let alone proper nutrition.
"Haruya."Shizune knocked on the bathroom door, medicine in hand.
"Okay."Haruya set down his toothbrush, opened the door, took the bowl, and gulped it down in one shot.
Warm. Comforting.
Weird.
His little face twisted into the bitterness of a kid forced to drink cough syrup.
"Here, have a lollipop."Tsunade unwrapped one and popped it straight into his mouth.
Sure, she gambled, drank, and had a terrible temper—but as an adoptive mom, she wasn't half bad.
Well, until three days later, when her true nature exploded into full view.
Going out "to buy medicine"?She had to gamble.
Dinner time?She had to drink.
A true gambling drunkard.
Haruya was honestly grateful she was strong enough.If she were weak, her belongings—and probably she herself—would've been stolen and sold somewhere shady by now.
Soon, breakfast was ready: rice balls on the table.
Haruya braced himself like always, picked one up, took two bites, and forced them down.Across from him, Shizune performed almost the same ritual.
Only Tsunade ate her rice ball calmly, watching Haruya with a growing smile.
Everyone liked beautiful things.Tsunade was no exception.Haruya was easy on the eyes, and that alone put her in a good mood.
After breakfast, Tsunade brought out two sets of black mourning clothes.
"Haruya, Shizune—put these on. We're attending a funeral."
Haruya nodded, took his set, and slipped it on.
Instantly, the three of them looked like a professional unit.
Konoha Memorial Stone
By the time they arrived, the place was already crowded.Black jackets everywhere, solemn silence hanging in the air.
It was Haruya's first time seeing so many canon characters in one place.
Every ninja without a mission had shown up.
He glanced around, only recognizing a handful of the more iconic faces.
Like Hatake Kakashi.
That white hair and that mask—practically glued to his face—made him stand out immediately.But Kakashi looked miserable, like a ghost had drained him dry overnight.
Haruya understood.After losing teammates Obito and Rin, Kakashi had now lost his teacher, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.He'd lost his father young too.
Calling him a "child of misfortune" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
He wouldn't really recover until he met Naruto Uzumaki.
Because this was a funeral, no one was talking.Haruya stood beside Tsunade, occasionally scanning the crowd.
Soon, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared.He began speaking, voice heavy.
"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, as well as the shinobi and villagers who lost their lives, gave everything for Konoha's peace and for the Will of Fire. They died fighting the invader."
"Among them were elders in their sixties and children as young as seven or eight. Their loss is a loss for all of Konoha. Those of us who remain must remember them—and more importantly, carry on their spirit and the Will of Fire."
"I promise that all the deceased will receive proper compensation, and their families will be taken care of."
Totally inappropriate for the setting, but Haruya nearly laughed.
The biggest contributors in the Nine-Tails attack were Minato and Kushina.And their son, Naruto—who should have been treated like a hero—ended up living a miserable life as a Jinchūriki.
The irony was enormous.
The people attending this funeral were alive because Minato and Kushina saved them.Yet in a few years, many of them would look at the savior's child and call him a demon fox.
Fourth Hokage… is this really what you protected?
"Haruya."Tsunade handed him a bouquet of white flowers."Come with me later to lay these down."
"Mm."Haruya nodded.
To be honest…He didn't feel anything.Everyone who died was a stranger to him.
After laying the flowers, he followed Tsunade home.
In the coming days, he needed to master Wood Release and the Three Body Technique before contacting Orochimaru.He didn't know exactly when Orochimaru would defect.Missing that timing would be a huge problem.
Orochimaru was a crucial piece of his plan.
Half a month passed.
Haruya and Tsunade had grown much closer—something between mother-and-son and older-sister-and-little-brother.
With her guidance, Haruya finally learned Wood Release and the Three Body Technique.Sure, using them exhausted all his chakra in one go… but for his age, it was impressive.
He was already considered a prodigy.
Around this time, the Third Hokage sent an admission notice for the Ninja Academy.
Tsunade agreed.
Mostly.Her plan was for Haruya to graduate early—two or three years instead of six.
Night
"This jutsu is still too hard for you."Tsunade dabbed the sweat from Haruya's forehead with a tissue.
The Three Body Technique was E-rank.After mastering it, he'd tried training a D-rank Wood Release technique.
But it drained him too much.
Haruya lifted his head and found Tsunade's face suddenly very close.At that distance, her warm breath brushed his cheek.
He turned his head—and immediately, his eyes were drawn to the snowy valley of cleavage right beside him.
Instant excitement. Doubled.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Go shower and get to bed."Tsunade ruffled his hair."You're only seven. Don't push yourself too fast. Rushing will only harm your body."
Haruya nodded.
Yeah, at this age… the body was fragile.
So maybe you should restrain yourself too, sis?So many benefits, yet all he could do was sigh helplessly.
After showering, Haruya lay down.Half an hour later, he sat up.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone."
Vines sprouted from his head and shoulders, shaping into two clones.
"Wood Release: Transformation!"
Branches wrapped around them, lifting and reshaping their bodies into the appearance of two men in their twenties.
"You two try your best to convince Orochimaru."
Of course Haruya wasn't going in person.That would just get him killed.
Thanks to Wood Release, this trick was possible in the first place.Ordinary Clone and Transformation Techniques couldn't pull this off.
He spent two Destiny Points to send them directly to Orochimaru's residence.
"I'll go first," the clone on the left said. "Given his personality, I'll probably drop dead immediately."
"It's fine. I'll step in if needed."The clone on the right gave him a thumbs-up."Watch how I handle this high-difficulty mission."
"Please do, future me."
The left clone squared his shoulders and boldly stepped inside.