The Ladies' Tea Party

Naturally, the one born with Sage Transformation was Jugo.

How should he put it?

It sounded impressive, but in reality, it was nothing special.

Judging by his performance in the original story, Jugo's strength was at most equivalent to that of a jonin. He wasn't particularly outstanding.

Sage Transformation was more like a negative effect for him.

It made him go berserk at any time or place.

Orochimaru was the only one who could use him to develop the Cursed Seal.

For everyone else, getting Jugo would be quite troublesome.

Natsume thought it over. Giving him to Orochimaru would be fine.

Although he looked down on the Cursed Seal, it was actually quite useful—a flawed version of Sage Mode.

The Heavenly Curse Mark, in particular, provided a huge boost.

However, it also had many side effects.

First, the survival rate for implanting the Cursed Seal was low.

Second, remaining in the Cursed Seal state for too long would cause one to lose oneself.

Third, the bearer would be controlled by Orochimaru or whoever granted the seal.

Natsume had made an enormous profit by trading the Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan.

He didn't know where Jugo was now, but the Destiny Point Shop could exchange for anything, including someone's whereabouts.

The price depended on how much screen time they had.

Jugo was only a minor supporting character, so finding his whereabouts cost just nine Destiny Points.

"What do you think of this trade?" Natsume asked.

"Agreed." Orochimaru accepted at once.

There was no need to elaborate on the might of Sage Mode.

He had wanted to obtain it for a long time.

But he lacked the talent, so he could only seek another method.

Now that an opportunity had appeared before him, how could he let it slip away?

The Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan was certainly precious, but it wasn't his. He didn't feel bad about taking it out.

Besides, he would definitely be giving a copy. Konoha wouldn't lose anything.

"Then, just like with the Hashirama Cells, you'll hand the item over to my subordinates."

Natsume paused, then revealed a faint smile. "However, they're quite unhappy about your previous attack. I suggest that you send someone else this time or use a Shadow Clone. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety."

"..."

Orochimaru's expression froze.

I was the one who suffered last time!

I lay in bed for half a month before recovering. How did this become entirely my fault?

But there was nothing Orochimaru could do after Natsume put it that way. He indeed had no desire to see Kakuzu and Sasori again.

Those two really dared to kill people.

"Is there anything else?" Natsume asked.

"I want to know how to speed up Itachi Uchiha's eye-opening process."

Orochimaru thought for a moment before saying, "As he is now, I can't see any sign that he's about to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"You're too impatient."

Natsume was speechless. Itachi Uchiha was only six years old. "Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan requires a certain foundation. Wait a few more years."

Take Sasuke Uchiha, for example. After his entire clan died, he had only awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan.

It wasn't that his talent was lacking. He was simply too young and lacked the necessary foundation.

Hearing this, Orochimaru had no alternative.

He couldn't defeat Shisui Uchiha.

He could only work on Itachi Uchiha.

"See you next time."

Natsume dispelled the Wood Clone.

Orochimaru returned to the laboratory.

He would continue researching the Wood Style Potion.

"Kano, come over and lie down."

Orochimaru revealed his characteristic dangerous smile. "It's time to collect your cells."

Yamato didn't hesitate and lay down on the experimental table.

He knew very well that he had no other choice besides obeying.

In fact, things had been the same for him in Root.

If it was Orochimaru, he was already used to it.

Moreover, Orochimaru's skills were clearly superior to Shimura Danzō's. This was excellent, and it allowed Yamato's Wood Style to advance fairly quickly.

The next day, the sun shone brightly.

"Natsume, I'll come pick you up at noon."

At the school gate, Tsunade seemed to remember something and spoke.

"Is something wrong?"

Natsume raised his head. In the past, he had always eaten lunch at school.

"A small gathering."

Tsunade smiled. "There'll be lots of delicious food. I usually wouldn't bring just anyone along."

"Okay."

Upon hearing that there would be food, Natsume agreed.

"Good boy. Pay attention in class."

Tsunade patted his head.

Natsume turned and entered the school.

"Itachi, it's rare to see you today."

"Teacher Orochimaru is busy with something."

Itachi Uchiha answered calmly.

Orochimaru had been torturing Yamato recently and didn't have time to teach him. As the model student he was, Itachi had come to class.

After exchanging greetings, the two had nothing else to talk about.

That was normal.

Not long afterward, Naoto Yamanaka entered the classroom.

Today was a theoretical test, or what was known as the Will of Fire.

Natsume made use of his advantage as a liberal arts student in his previous life. He couldn't say that his answers were dazzling, but at least he filled the entire paper.

At noon, he left the school with Tsunade and eventually arrived at an izakaya.

An ordinary izakaya was just a small tavern, but this one was extremely high-end. It was practically a grand restaurant.

Natsume grew increasingly puzzled. What kind of gathering was this?

It was an exquisite private room.

The faint sound of women chatting and laughing drifted from within.

Tsunade slid open the door, allowing Natsume to see inside.

There were eight beautiful married women. They had noble bearing and dressed magnificently, with quite a few wearing kimono.

Natsume knew only one of them: Mikoto Uchiha.

"...?"

Natsume's face was full of question marks.

Did I just walk into the Spider's Web?

"Tsunade-sama has arrived."

The eight beautiful women greeted her with enthusiastic smiles.

Although Tsunade didn't usually cultivate connections, as the most skilled doctor in the world, connections came knocking on her door of their own accord.

"Oh, you even brought a handsome little guy."

A blazing gaze swept over Natsume, as though it wanted to swallow him whole.

"What a pity that he's still a child."

One of the beautiful women giggled, though no one knew what she found so funny.

"Natsume, let me introduce you."

Tsunade pointed to the beautiful woman who had just spoken. "The Feudal Lord's Wife. Her name is Miki Haraguchi, and she's also today's guest of honor. It's her birthday."

So she was the Feudal Lord's Wife.

It wasn't strange for Tsunade to know her.

The Feudal Lord's family often posted missions in Konoha.

In the original story, Naruto Uzumaki and the others had once helped the Feudal Lord's Wife find her cat.

However, that Feudal Lord's Wife was rather ugly.

Clearly, she wasn't the same person as this one.

"Risato Kajiwara, the wife of Tanzaku Street's administrator. In the future, she can look after your Gunma Casino."

Tsunade introduced another beautiful woman.

Natsume raised his eyebrows.

No wonder she called me here. It was to build connections.

With both the underworld and the respectable world on his side, his casino would naturally remain firmly established.

Besides these two women, the other six were all wives of Konoha's ninja clan heads.

For example, the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan, and the Nara Clan.

The nine beautiful women ate and drank.

Natsume was extremely uncomfortable.

Weren't a few of their looks a bit too suggestive?

After they finished eating, Miki Haraguchi had Risato Kajiwara paint her portrait.

She lay on a soft couch, her cheeks flushed and her pose alluring. She looked both pure and seductive, dignified and full of charm.

"Children shouldn't look."

Tsunade covered Natsume's eyes.

Damn it!

Can't I even enjoy the view?

The gathering ended.

Natsume sent his Wood Clone to school while he went to eat grapes at Naruto Uzumaki's mother's place.

It wasn't that he had to fight Karin for the food.

He had discovered that the grapes could improve his body and increase his Chakra.

Natsume was an orphan and had received only average nutrition since childhood.

Even after exchanging for Hashirama Senju's Wood Style Talent, without the Sage Body and sufficient Chakra, he still couldn't reach the invincible state he was supposed to have.