Not long after, Haruya received exactly what he wanted from Kakuzu and Sasori:the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques and a full batch of Wood Release enhancement serum.
Kakuzu was furious the entire exchange.
"Orochimaru's a coward," he grumbled, counting the lost profit. "All three Sannin are glory-chasing fools anyway."Apparently, Orochimaru had taken Haruya's advice and refused to appear in person — costing Kakuzu tens of millions of ryō in potential bounty. No wonder the old miser looked ready to strangle someone.
Haruya broke the seal on the storage scroll and found thirty bottles of pale green serum.His first thought was of Yamato.
Man… Orochimaru must've squeezed you dry for this stuff.
But he didn't drink any yet. Not before he checked.
He didn't trust Orochimaru enough to swallow anything the man brewed in a lab. For all Haruya knew, the snake might've slipped a motherboard into the formula just to see what happened.
Tsunade could've examined it, of course — she was the best medical mind alive —but giving her that serum would raise too many questions.
So Haruya simply paid the cost: ten Destiny Points to scan all thirty bottles.Not bad, considering Kimimaro and Jūgo's contributions earlier had already offset the expense.
Result:All thirty bottles were clean.
Makes sense. Orochimaru still wanted far too much information from Haruya to sabotage him now.
Haruya uncorked the first bottle and drank it down in one go.Warmth surged through him, spreading like gentle fire. His chakra swelled — a full ten percent increase — and his body felt sharper, lighter.
"The effect's insane," he muttered.Though he knew it would drop off over time. Even so, the payoff was huge.
Orochimaru's included note recommended one bottle per week to avoid cellular rejection.
Reasonable enough, Haruya decided, pocketing the scroll.
He headed for Gunma Casino, where Uzumaki Einai waited.
After months of being around her, Haruya understood her well.A low-status member of the Uzumaki clan — ignored, uneducated in ninjutsu, and abandoned by history.That ignorance was the only reason she had fallen to such a miserable position in the Grass Village.
Ironically, that same low status also let her escape the clan's genocide.
Blessings hiding in misfortune — or the other way around.
"Haruya," she greeted warmly the moment he entered. She pulled him into her lap with practiced ease, smiling as if he were the brightest thing in her day.
She used to call him sir, but Haruya found it awkward and told her to use his name.
"For you," he said, handing her a scroll.
"What is this?"Einai opened it, froze, and stared in disbelief.
Inside were Uzumaki sealing arts — the real thing.
"This is too precious!" She panicked immediately. "I can't accept this! I already owe you two million ryō— I'm eating and living off you— I can't— my daughter— we would never repay—"
"You can serve me better once you understand sealing," Haruya said, picking up a grape and biting into it. "Think of it as an upfront investment."
Einai trembled, cheeks pink, and nodded.She knew she didn't have the ability to refuse him right now. And if mastering sealing made her more useful… then maybe she truly could repay what she owed.
Haruya closed his eyes, relaxing against her. She was too comfortable as a human couch.
And since he wasn't the type to freeload completely, he used one hand to absentmindedly massage her shoulder — an equal exchange in his mind.
The peaceful day drifted by quickly.
After Einai helped him wash up, Haruya headed home, expecting to start his Wood Release training.
Instead, Tsunade called him into her room.
"Haruya, I need your help with training."
"…Huh?"He blinked.Since when did she need help from a teenager?
"Do you remember my hemophobia attack?" Tsunade asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. Her voice was calm, but her hands were tight around each other.
"As a medical ninja, being terrified of blood is fatal. I ignored it for years because… well, I didn't care much about living back then."
She looked away, quietly ashamed.
"But now I have three apprentices — Shizune, Kabuto, and you — and you're all still young. I can't be the burden who collapses when you need me most."
Haruya understood immediately.Hemophobia wasn't physical; no medicine or healing worked.The only cure was to face it head-on — repeatedly — until the fear cracked.
"And last time," Tsunade continued softly, "holding onto you helped. The fear eased faster. So I want to try that again. As much as it takes."
This training would be painful for her… but necessary.
And Haruya didn't mind.If Tsunade overcame her hemophobia now, she wouldn't need Naruto to fix it years later.In a strange way, this mess was partly caused by Haruya interfering with canon — so helping her now felt like compensation.
A pillow delivered right to his door.
Tsunade drew a kunai across her skin.Blood welled instantly. Her entire body shuddered.
Haruya stepped close, and she pulled him into her arms tightly. His face ended up buried against warm, powerful legs — soft and strong in equal measure.
…Damn. She's built like a tank with luxury cushioning.
It reminded him of a character from a game in his previous life — Lysa, famous for her "legendary thighs."But Tsunade put her to shame.
By morning, Tsunade was watching him with surprisingly gentle eyes.
"You're awake. Go wash up and eat."She pinched his cheek lightly. "Thank you, Haruya. Truly."
"It's fine," he said, stretching.Honestly? It wasn't bad at all.
Tsunade focused entirely on her recovery, showing no hesitation or walls around him.She trusted him completely.
After breakfast, Haruya went to class.
School, unfortunately, remained as boring as ever.
Time slipped by.
Haruya, who had entered the academy at seven, turned sixteen before he knew it — calm, competent, and more than ready to graduate early.
In the world outside:
The tension between Konoha and the Cloud Village continued, trading wins and losses.
Within Konoha, the scars left by the Nine-Tails had finally healed.
Naruto Uzumaki, with the silent approval of the elders, lived under cold hostility from the villagers — labeled the demon fox.
Which meant Haruya's moment had arrived.
This was Naruto's first major destiny node.If not for Sarutobi Hiruzen offering the boy rare warmth, Naruto could've fallen into darkness.
Haruya planned to expose the old man's true face and guide Naruto toward a different path — for destiny points, of course.
Meanwhile:
Orochimaru continued his Wood Release and Sage Transformation experiments.
His research into the Immortal Reincarnation technique deepened.
He maintained his pact with Haruya.
And for now, he postponed defecting. Research required peace, after all.
As for Destiny Points:
Haruya had gained contributions from two key figures — Kimimaro and Suigetsu — both currently under Orochimaru's control.He wouldn't meet them for years.
Kimimaro provided 49 points, Suigetsu 27.
Back at the academy, Haruya submitted a request for early graduation to Instructor Naoto Yamanaka.
He was approved instantly, with only a small test in the Three-Body Technique.
Naturally, he passed without effort.
And just like that — after two and a half years — Haruya ended his student life…
And stepped officially into the world of shinobi.