Enjoying the Good Life

With a clear plan in mind, Sasuke returned to his room and went to sleep. He had one more day before he had to go back to the Ninja Academy, and he planned to make the most of it.!-- 1 --

I fought for a whole month. Can't I enjoy myself a little? With that thought, Sasuke drifted off to sleep.

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the crystal ball in his hands, feeling increasingly uneasy. Ever since the incident in the mountains behind the village, the old lecher hadn't felt like peeping. Instead, he'd spent every day keeping watch over the area, even after the Anbu had withdrawn.

What frustrated Sarutobi Hiruzen was that he could see the Anbu and Root operatives were fine one moment, then switch the crystal ball's view elsewhere. When he switched it back, they had vanished—not even their bodies remained.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply troubled by this. Whether they were Anbu or Root, they were part of Konoha's strength! The Root operatives might not listen to him, but they could still help him carry out some of his plans!

Like framing Sakumo Hatake, or dealing with the Uchiha Clan. Now that most of the pieces on his board had been killed, Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally felt the loss. After all, these people were a reflection of his power! He couldn't accept that the very instruments of his authority had been killed.

"The mountains behind the village have become a no-go zone for Konoha. Still, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If anything happens, I can pin the blame on that mysterious figure. As for Danzo, he can be my backup scapegoat."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shifted the crystal ball's view to the Uchiha Clan Compound. His gaze grew dark and distant.

The next morning, Sasuke put on his playboy outfit again and began wandering around Konoha. He'd been in this world for four whole years, but he'd never really explored the village!

After all, this was once a scene from his dreams! He ought to take a good look around—especially since it would probably be destroyed in about two years.

Of course, Sasuke's strange outfit caught the attention of some curious onlookers: Ino, who was watering flowers at the flower shop; Sakura, who was out buying vegetables; and Shikamaru, who had been dragged by Choji to wait outside the hot pot restaurant for it to open, even though it was still early.

Naruto was also loitering outside Ichiraku Ramen first thing in the morning. After all, Sasuke hadn't shown his face for a whole month. Everyone knew he'd been training—he'd crushed Shikamaru, the runner-up, in practical exercises several times already.

Shikamaru had even learned his family's secret Shadow Possession Jutsu! Yet Sasuke had still beaten him in an instant. That made Shikamaru want to work harder and improve, but there was a glutton beside him who dragged him around Konoha in search of food every day.

Curious about Sasuke's behavior, they soon began trailing him in secret.

Ino and Sakura led the way, followed by a bewildered Shikamaru and Choji, who was busy eating chips.

Sasuke didn't pay them much mind. They weren't ruining his mood, so he didn't mind them tagging along.

After wandering around for a while, Sasuke realized he was hungry and turned toward Ichiraku Ramen to grab some breakfast.

The moment Sasuke turned around, the four people sneaking after him hurriedly hid behind a pillar.

With four people crammed behind one pillar—and Choji among them—it was only natural that they'd give themselves away.

"Are you on a date?" Sasuke asked curiously, walking up to the pillar and looking at the four people who were silently praying he wouldn't notice them. Their hiding skills were pathetic.

"No! Of course not!"

Realizing Sasuke had spotted them, Shikamaru hurriedly shook his head. What are you talking about? Even if I were going on a date, I wouldn't go out with those two fangirls!

"Oh, you're not?"

At Shikamaru's answer, Sasuke casually rubbed his head, then headed into Ichiraku Ramen behind him.

"So handsome!"

After Sasuke left, Ino and Sakura thought back to the way he'd just moved, their eyes shining.

"Hey! Did you forget why we're here?" Shikamaru looked helplessly at the two of them, now wearing lovestruck expressions. Then he glanced at Choji, who was focused entirely on his chips, and began to wonder if he'd be stuck handling the difficult task of figuring out why Sasuke was acting strangely all by himself.

"Ahem... Of course not! We're just trying to distract Sasuke. Right, Ino?" Sakura snapped out of it at Shikamaru's question and hurriedly shook her head. Then she nudged Ino, who was still staring blankly at Sasuke's retreating figure.

"He's so handsome... Mm... Right, we're trying to distract Sasuke!" Woken from her daze by Sakura, Ino wiped the drool that had nearly spilled from her mouth and nodded at Shikamaru.

"Sigh..." Faced with Sakura and Ino acting like this, Shikamaru could only shake his head helplessly. Women really were such a hassle.

Meanwhile, Sasuke walked into Ichiraku Ramen and spotted Naruto eating like there was no tomorrow. Judging by the two empty bowls in front of Naruto, Sarutobi Hiruzen must have just given him his living expenses yesterday!

Poor kid! The son of the Fourth Hokage had to rely on handouts from the Third Hokage just to afford a bowl of ramen, while the Third Hokage's grandson ate lavish meals every day and even had a personal instructor to train him. The contrast was striking!

But Sasuke wasn't interested in Naruto as he was now. Naruto wasn't useful to him yet, and if Sasuke openly drew his blood or took his cells, people would definitely get suspicious.

"One bowl of ramen!"

Sitting one seat away from Naruto, Sasuke called out to Teuchi.

"Coming right up!"

At the sound of Teuchi's voice, Naruto finally looked up at Sasuke, who was sitting beside him. Naruto had noticed Sasuke outside Ichiraku Ramen earlier. Something about him seemed different today; even the way he carried his clothes didn't seem to suit him.

"Sasuke!"

As soon as Naruto spotted him, he began shouting, spraying spittle everywhere. Seeing this, Sasuke was glad he hadn't sat right next to Naruto. Otherwise, he'd have needed a bath!

"Oh, what is it?" Though Sasuke secretly looked down on Naruto's behavior, he wanted to build a "bond" with him. That way, Naruto would come after him when he went rogue, giving Sasuke a chance to get his blood and cells. So he spoke to Naruto politely.

After finishing his ramen, Sasuke went back to wandering around. By dusk, he walked into a hot spring bathhouse.

"This feels great!" Sasuke couldn't help exclaiming as he soaked in the hot spring.

Enjoy the good life, Uchiha. A fake bond with Asura.

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