Chapter 20 - The Start of the Hug Pillow Life

Yugao Uzuki.

In the original story, after graduation, she joined the ANBU with her Konoha-Style swordsmanship and became a special jōnin.

Now, with Orochimaru taking her as a disciple—even as a tagalong—she'd gone from ordinary to extraordinary.

But sadly, she was just a minor side character in the source material.

If not for her looks, probably nobody would remember her.

The number of Fate Points gained depends on two factors:

The character's importance in the original.

The degree to which their fate changes.

A single character can yield at most 100 Fate Points per fate node.

Each factor roughly splits 50 points.

Yugao gave 49 points—meaning her fate changed dramatically, diverging hugely from canon.

Itachi only gave 18, meaning that even as Orochimaru's disciple, his core motives weren't altered.

For Konoha's sake, he'd still make extreme choices.

Orochimaru took Itachi and Yugao with him, ending the day's Academy tests.

Everyone headed home.

Natsume, reaching the school gate, spotted his guardian—Tsunade.

"Why are you half an hour late?"

"Lord Orochimaru was recruiting disciples, so the school held a test."

Natsume slipped his small hand into hers.

Tsunade was silent for two seconds.

She thought of Nawaki, her brother—Orochimaru's last disciple.

Noticing her silence, Natsume looked up to see her face, but his line of sight was blocked by 106 mountain size.

There's a saying:

 "A woman who can't see her toes when she looks down is a peerless beauty."

He never thought he'd experience that—reversed.

Natsume realized his words might have upset her and was about to comfort her when Tsunade picked him up and hugged him tight—soft everywhere.

He could finally see her expression.

There was a faint sadness.

Sure enough, his words reminded her of Nawaki.

Yet that longing seemed to transfer to him.

"Don't move. Let me hold you for a bit."

Hearing this, Natsume quieted down, becoming a well-behaved hug pillow.

After a while, Tsunade let go, but didn't put him down, carrying him all the way home.

Natsume said nothing, idly watching her elegant jaw move up and down.

"You stared at me the whole way. Any thoughts?"

Tsunade bent down, gazing into his eyes.

Natsume was caught off guard by her sudden question.

Tsunade found his flustered look adorable, hugged him tighter, and rubbed her face against his. "Thank you. I feel much better now."

Her breath tickled him, making him shiver.

"I'll check if Shizune's finished cooking."

Tsunade set him down and patted his head.

Natsume breathed a sigh of relief, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV.

How to put it? The shows were pretty mediocre, but good for killing time.

Soon after, Tsunade and Shizune brought out dinner.

"I'm digging in!"

Natsume clapped his hands together.

He'd had the cafeteria's bland food for lunch and Tsunade's rice balls for breakfast.

Only dinner was truly satisfying.

So he ate heartily, big bites of rice and meat.

After dinner, it was time for Wood Style ninjutsu training.

Shizune went to her room to study medicine.

Tsunade stayed in the living room, watching TV while keeping an eye on Natsume outside—to make sure his training went safely.

Natsume flipped through his jutsu scrolls and decided his next would be Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall.

A defensive technique—summoning a row of wooden pillars that curve into a dome for all-around protection.

"Natsume, want an apple?"

 Seeing he'd trained for a while, Tsunade called out, "I'll peel one for you."

"Okay," Natsume replied.

But after a few minutes, Tsunade still hadn't come out.

He wiped his sweat, ran to the window, and peeked in—then froze and rushed inside.

Tsunade was hugging herself, trembling.

Natsume saw bloodstains on the knife.

He quickly cleaned it.

Ninjas are typically all offense, little defense.

Tsunade was no exception—unless she activated her own jutsu.

Right now, she'd accidentally seen blood and triggered her hemophobia.

Natsume didn't know what to do, so he gently patted her back. "Don't be afraid."

Tsunade slowly looked up and, seeing him, suddenly hugged him tightly.

Natsume was overwhelmed by softness, speechless.

But he couldn't move at all.

No idea how long it lasted, but finally, the trembling stopped.

Natsume, numb, said, "Sis, you should rest."

But Tsunade didn't let go—she clung even tighter.

She must not have fully recovered yet.

Natsume sighed inwardly. What else could he do but endure?

Then Tsunade stood up, carried him to her room, and tucked him into her bed.

"Huh?"

Natsume was confused.

What's going on?

Tsunade turned off the light and, without a word, used Natsume as a hug pillow.

In minutes, her breathing slowed—she was asleep.

So hard for me…

Natsume felt like he'd become medicine.

Oh well, the sick come first.

He'd just have to put up with it for one night.

…

…

Morning.

Natsume woke up sore all over.

Tsunade was a restless sleeper—arm around him, leg over him, face buried in his neck.

Short term, it felt like being surrounded by soft slime.

But holding one position so long was exhausting!

"Sis."

Natsume watched her beautiful sleeping face and called.

She responded by hugging him tighter.

Then, like a kitten, rubbed her face against him.

"Let me sleep a bit longer."

"…"

Natsume, unable to bear the pressure, used his trump card—hugged her neck and pitifully said, "Sis, I'm hungry."

Tsunade opened her eyes at once. "I'll make you rice balls."

Natsume finally escaped.

He changed clothes, washed up, and felt alive again.

Last night was torture.

After breakfast, Natsume went to school.

His desk-mate, Itachi, never missed class—but he wasn't there today.

The others were jealous.

Not because he skipped class, but because he was getting personal training from Orochimaru.

Natsume, knowing the truth, wasn't envious.

Training? More like being experimented on.

Soon, it was Saturday.

Natsume put all his chakra into his Wood Clone and spent a Fate Points to send it to meet the infamous Akatsuki.

The plan to save Karin and her mom officially began.

PS: If you think Tsunade getting cut by a fruit knife is unrealistic—don't ask. It's just for fan service.