Seven: This Orochimaru is like a cold, aloof female sword immortal from the Great Thunder Sect, capable of making one gasp with just a few words.

"To see a more beautiful... scenery?"

Orochimaru repeated Sakuya's words, his golden pupils fixed upon Sakuya, remaining motionless for a long time.

He had never imagined that Sakuya, a boy ten years his junior, could utter such philosophical words.

One must know that even his most revered teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could not say such things.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would only speak of protecting the village and safeguarding the future pieces.

"I love ninjutsu, but not just for the sake of it. I love their structure, their form, the source of their power..."

Sakuya continued, "I crave all of this. I want to uncover the truth behind everything, so I must survive, train with all my might, and clarify the origins of ninjutsu and chakra to behold the most essential beauty of this power."

"Truth... power... immortality..."

Orochimaru murmured, repeating these words.

To Orochimaru, these words were like honey in the eyes of a child; once he saw them, he could not tear himself away.

It was as if a fundamental line of code had been triggered. His golden snake-like eyes stared at Sakuya, and then, a low, pleased chuckle emanated from his throat.

"Heh heh... Sakuya-kun, your thoughts are truly interesting."

Mostly because you're easy to deal with.

Sakuya smiled and savored his dango, offering no reply.

The third simulation task required others to remember him deeply. He already had some headway with Tsunade and Jiraiya, but how to handle Orochimaru?

Ah, you've come to the right person for that.

Orochimaru had a "speedrun" strategy.

For Orochimaru, it was nothing more than scientific research and immortality. As long as he aligned himself with those interests and completely crushed him in terms of strength, Orochimaru would naturally never forget him.

It was like a blonde-haired protagonist with someone else's girlfriend, or a NTR enthusiast with a family man's wife.

Specialized tactics are just so useful, kids!

If this were a dating sim, Orochimaru would be one of those yandere landmine girls or cold, aloof sword immortals—seemingly impossible to approach, but once you find the key to their heart, you could conquer them in minutes!

"Sakuya-kun, this conversation today has been of great benefit to me."

Orochimaru looked at Sakuya, his eyes filled with mutual appreciation. He felt he had finally found a like-minded partner, a friend who understood the true depths of his heart.

He took a silver card from his sleeve and handed it to Sakuya.

"Times are becoming increasingly unstable. I think this gift might be of some use to you."

"Is this... a free all-you-can-eat card for Kanurigami?"

Sakuya took it, glanced at it, and revealed a look of surprise.

Kanurigami was a famous dessert shop in Konoha; it was expensive, and the sweets were incredibly delicious.

The key point was the sweets!

One must know that while the Uchiha Clan were masters of fire, they were also a clan shrouded in cold, arrogant power.

The Sharingan contained a massive amount of Yin-attribute chakra. While this granted the Uchiha high talent for genjutsu, it was a double-edged sword; this cold chakra would permeate their spirits day and night, bringing an invisible and constantly growing pressure.

Affected by this, almost every Uchiha suffered from hypoglycemia, and the higher the level of one's Sharingan, the more severe the symptoms.

Therefore, the Uchiha Clan were all fond of sweets and had no resistance to high-sugar foods.

Sakuya, who possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan, was no exception.

This body required a large intake of sugar every day to maintain equilibrium, so buying candy or eating desserts was a very common occurrence.

But at this point in time, sugar was not easy to buy.

With the Second Shinobi World War looming, the prices of strategic materials in every nation were skyrocketing.

Especially sugar.

For the Uchiha Clan, sugar was their lifeline.

It would be fine in normal times, but with the current chaotic situation, sugar had become a strategic commodity that was impossible to find even with money.

Now that Orochimaru had gifted him an all-you-can-eat silver card, it was indirectly providing Uchiha Sakuya with a supply station to replenish his energy at any time. This gift could not be considered light.

"Then I shall accept it without modesty."

Sakuya took the silver card and nodded at him.

Orochimaru, in this simulation, was a delicious friend.

"Creak—"

The front door of the house was pushed open.

"Nagato? Nagato?"

A gentle woman's voice reached the boy's ears, causing his spirit to lift.

"Mother!"

The red-haired boy ran quickly out of the room and looked at his mother: "Welcome back, Mom!"

"Are you hungry?"

The man standing beside the woman smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Wait just a little longer, Mom and Dad will make you dinner right away."

"Mm, I want to eat seaweed rice balls!"

Nagato said expectantly.

"We have everything, we have everything."

The woman shook the bag in her hand: "Mom and Dad earned a lot of money today, Nagato. Whatever you want to eat, you can have it today."

"Great!"

Nagato nodded obediently: "Thank you, Mom!"

"Mom and Dad are going to the kitchen to cook, you play in the living room for a while."

The man nodded at Nagato and helped the woman into the kitchen.

The light turned on, revealing the woman's pale face.

"Wife, you sit down first, I'll get some sugar to mix you some sugar water to drink."

The man spoke while grabbing a bottle: "You just finished drawing blood, you're very weak, don't move around too much, I'll handle the cooking."

"Thank you, husband."

The woman leaned against the kitchen wall, looking at her husband tenderly: "The current situation is bad, sugar is something we should save."

"It's alright."

The man took a large bag of crystal-clear white sugar from his pack: "Look."

"Such beautiful white sugar... where did it come from?"

The woman asked, puzzled.

"The village chief distributed it last night."

The man explained: "They say the lords of Amegakure have opened up the trade routes to the Land of Fang, so now we in the Land of Rain can buy high-quality white sugar from there. You just eat it without worry."

"Mm."

The woman nodded, a happy smile appearing on her pale face: "Then I'll drink a bit more. Once I recover, I'll draw some more blood."

"Even though we are members of the Uzumaki Clan, we can't keep doing this forever!"

The man urged: "Next time, let me do it. My body is sturdy, I can handle the extraction."

"Mm."

The woman did not refuse, instead feeling that this was a perfectly normal thing.

They were members of the Uzumaki Clan who had drifted to the Land of Rain after the fall of Uzushio Village.

As distant relatives of the Senju, the Uzumaki Clan possessed blood flowing with vigorous vitality.

Because of this, those who were injured only needed to bite into their bodies to absorb the chakra within and heal their wounds.

Furthermore, the blood within their bodies could also be extracted and processed into various types of medicinal products.

In the current Land of Rain, where mist and rain drifted perpetually and dangers were unknown, medicine capable of effective healing was always highly sought after.

Precisely because of this, this family of Uzumaki who had migrated to the Land of Rain made a living by drawing blood to create medicine, running a clinic in this small village to maintain a peaceful life.

"Dad! Mom!"

Their son's voice came from outside the living room, causing the couple to exchange a glance.

"What is it, Nagato?"

The man asked.

"We have guests, Dad!"

Nagato said.

The couple left the kitchen and looked toward the doorway, only to see two travel-worn men standing at the entrance.

"Apologies for the intrusion."

The leading man nodded at them: "We are merchants from the Land of Fire. May we stay the night here?"