Chapter 129: Brought a Sword but Forgot an Umbrella

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No sooner had Sasame left than Orochimaru arrived.

This wasn't a coincidence.

He had left his summoning snakes—creatures from Ryūchi Cave—in the secret base. Normally, Sasame's arrival would have been detected immediately.

But Sasame knew Orochimaru well. He had knocked out the snakes beforehand, ensuring they only woke up after he left.

Orochimaru's face darkened as he entered the base. He soon reached the glass chamber, where Jūgo and Guren lay collapsed on the ground.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Though unable to stand, neither was unconscious. They hurriedly greeted him upon seeing him.

"What happened?"

Orochimaru licked his lips—a sign of his foul mood.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

Jūgo spoke first. "I accuse Guren of colluding with the enemy! She let them take Shin Uchiha!"

"I didn't!"

Guren ignored her pain and shouted, "My loyalty to you is absolute! That mysterious intruder used some technique to force me to reveal Shin's location!"

"Enough."

Orochimaru frowned.

Guren betraying him was unlikely.

The shinobi world had many interrogation methods.

Though this one sounded advanced, it wasn't impossible.

Entering the arena, Orochimaru sniffed the air and smirked.

This intruder's stealth skills are lacking.

Leaving a shadow clone to tend to Jūgo and Guren, his real body vanished.

Shin Uchiha was crucial to his Mangekyō Sharingan research—he had to retrieve him.

Even if it was a trap, Orochimaru was confident he could escape.

His survival skills were unmatched.

After leaving the base, Sasame hurried through the Land of Rice, entering the Land of Lightning.

Orochimaru was fast, but no match for Sage Mode-enhanced speed.

By dusk, Sasame set up a simple tent.

Leaving a shadow clone to guard Shin, he teleported to the Land of Waves.

He had no interest in spending the night with a freakish kid.

And freakish was putting it mildly.

Shin looked barely human—his skin was corpse-pale.

"Still working?"

Sasame appeared in the Land of Waves' daimyo residence, watching Uzumaki Ena buried in paperwork. He sighed.

Too diligent.

Since taking over the merchant guild, she worked nonstop—eating and sleeping were her only breaks.

Thankfully, as an Uzumaki, her stamina was exceptional. Anyone else would've collapsed long ago.

"I had nothing else to do, so I handled some guild matters."

Ena looked up, smiling gently.

"Delegate more."

Sasame took her chair, forcing her to sit on his lap instead.

She wrapped an arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

As he brushed her forehead, he asked, "Remember the Chūshibiao I made Karin memorize? Who wrote it?"

"Uh… Zhuge… Zhuge… Village… Ming?"

Ena hesitated, struggling to recall. She'd only skimmed it once.

"Zhuge Kongming."

Sasame twirled her hair. "He worked himself to death—handling everything personally."

"What?"

Ena blinked, surprised by such an absurd demise.

Sasame chuckled at her reaction.

Pinching her soft cheek, he met her lovely eyes. "So rest when you need to."

"Understood."

By now, Ena was used to his teasing.

"If you're this energetic, you could've kept me company instead."

And there goes the seriousness.

Ena sighed but indulged him.

She adjusted her position, sitting properly on the chair.

Her slender legs crossed, delicate feet idly swinging her heeled sandals.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't Mikoto Uchiha who awakened a dōjutsu first—but Ena.

Though hers was a unique third eye.

Night fell.

Four hours had passed.

Sasame grew slightly concerned.

But Ena remained energetic, her sharp tongue reminding him never to underestimate a kunoichi—especially an Uzumaki with Yin Seal training.

It made him question Hashirama Senju's death.

Given his godly cells, his demise was suspicious.

Maybe Madara and Mito teamed up…

"Ahem."

After a pause, Sasame spoke. "I'll visit again later."

Ena tilted her head up, unable to speak, but blinked in acknowledgment.

Once he left, she peeled off sticky spider silk from her face.

"Time to clean tomorrow."

Slumping to the floor, she eyed the cobwebbed ceiling.

Today had been satisfying.

She'd helped both the Going Merry guild and Sasame.

Though she'd planned to stop after the first hour, she'd stubbornly pushed through three more.

"The water's too deep."

Sasame reappeared by a riverside camp.

Despite the damp chill, he dove in to wash up.

His clothes had gotten soaked—he'd brought a sword but forgotten an umbrella.

Once cleansed, he sent his clone ahead with Shin and returned to Konoha.

It was late. Tsunade was already asleep.

Shedding his coat, Sasame slipped under the covers.

So warm.

Especially after that cold bath.

"Why are you so cold?"

Tsunade's voice froze him mid-movement.

"Sorry, sis. Didn't mean to wake you."

He defaulted to an apology, dodging the question.

"It's fine."

Tsunade wasn't fooled.

Her hands roamed his chilled skin, checking for illness before relaxing.

"Take care of yourself, understand?"

She pulled him closer, sharing her warmth.

Sasame stiffened, trapped under her weight, but sleep was impossible now.

Too alert.

Tsunade opened her eyes, meeting his gaze.

Both flushed with embarrassment.

Yet she didn't let go.

Face unreadable, her voice trembled slightly.

"It's late. Sleep."

Dawn.

A throbbing headache, dizziness, lingering numbness—sensations swirled as Sasame awoke.

"…Sis, what are you doing?" he rasped.

"Just teasing you since you were so energetic earlier."

Tsunade released him, grabbed her robe, and bolted.

After being caught by Shizune, she'd stopped overthinking.

We're already like this—why hesitate?

Still… it was bold.

Sasame rubbed his temples as he got up.

He'd barely slept—practically pulling an all-nighter.

But the real problem?

He now had to wash the sheets.

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