Chapter 124: I, Your Father, am not a Swindler

After things calmed down a bit, Wu took it upon himself to help Sasako get situated in the estate. The main house had more than forty bedrooms, so he gave her, her daughter, and Kushinada individual quarters.

Fortunately for Wu, Sasako was a very perceptive woman, waiting until they were alone to ask, “Are you planning to turn us into your women as well? It’s clear you’re in a relationship with most, if not all, of the girls in this estate. I’m fairly certain that infant in Tsunade’s arms is also yours…”

Instead of footing around the issue, Wu nodded his head, calmly replying, “I have something of a passion for strong, capable, and beautiful women. My bloodline is also exceptional, so people have been trying to force me into arranged marriages since I was eight. After a while, I decided to take matters into my own hands, using my position and power to bring an end to open conflict and foster unity between the Great Shinobi Nations…”

As someone who had been pressured by the village in a similar manner, Sasako could empathize with Wu’s words. She could also appreciate his desire to bring an end to war, but, more importantly, she approved of his conviction to grow stronger and encourage others to do the same. Nearly everyone present during the meeting had Jonin-level Chakra Reserves. A few had even stepped into the realm of Kage, yet, as far as she could tell, most of the girls present were around the same age as her daughter. They had clearly benefitted from Wu’s presence, so she didn’t hesitate to state, “I can’t make a decision for Kushinada or Sarada. However, if it’s true that you can restore my eye, I will lie with you for as long as our goals align…”

Without any hesitation of his own, Wu pulled out a 10-year Revitalizing Peach, explaining, “Since your injuries seem fairly old, this will revitalize your body by around ten years. I prefer older women, but you’ll have an easier time fitting in with the others if you’re closer to them in apparent age.”

Since she was fairly certain her village, if not her entire world, had been destroyed, Sasako immediately took a larger bite out of the aromatic pink and white peach. The moment she did so, she felt a tingling heat from her empty eye socket and the stump of her left arm. Seconds later, a healthy-looking hand popped out from the end of her sleeve, her hair appearing a little longer and her complexion less pale.

After staring at her left hand for a few moments, Sasako reached up to remove her eyepatch, revealing a somewhat eerie purple eye comprised of concentric circles and six tomoe surrounding an abyssal black pupil. Her already tremendous Chakra Reserves increased by a factor of ten, and, though she didn’t exude any hostility, Wu felt his body tense when she looked directly at him.

Placing her right hand on her hip out of habit, Sasako said, “You’ve upheld your end of the bargain. What do you want me to do…?”

Catching the raven-haired woman a little by surprise, Wu shook his head and answered, “For now? Nothing. My instincts tell me it would be difficult to convince your daughter if the two of us began fucking immediately. I’m also not into forcing people, so I’ll wait until you’re good and ready before having sex with you. For now, you should just calm down and relax. You’ve been through a lot. Take the time to process your loss…”

“…”

Hearing Wu’s words, Sasako understood how he had been able to charm so many women. He clearly desired her, but there was no ‘desperation’ in his words or actions. Instead, he exuded confidence and gave the people around him a sense of security.

Adopting a faint smile, Sasako asserted, “If you behave like this around my daughter and Kushinada, you’ll have the two of them wrapped around your finger. Sarada is weak to strong and dependable men, and Kushinada is a perverted fool. She’ll presumably be devastated by the loss of Hinata, but she’s never been good at denying her ‘instincts.'”

Raising his brows, Wu remarked, “It sounds like you’ll be supporting my efforts. Aren’t you a little worried that your daughter will be corrupted by my influence…?”

Shaking her head, Sasako revealed, “I’ve never been a good mother to Sarada, and she’s the first Uchiha to awaken her Sharingan through love, not hatred. The destruction of our home will leave a void in her chest that will consume her if not filled with purpose. Your dream of unifying the Five Great Shinobi Nations and our shared goal of defeating the Otustuski will become her everything in the future. I speak from experience…”

Having learned about the Uchiha from both Hashirama and Tobirama, Wu was fairly certain that Sarada wasn’t the first to awaken her Sharingan out of love. Since it didn’t matter, however, he kept this sentiment to himself, nodding his head as he replied, “Just leave it to me. I can’t promise it’s the only thing I’ll fill her with, but I can guarantee your daughter will never be lacking in purpose under my watch.”

Though she furrowed her brows slightly at the innuendo, Sasako didn’t condemn or rebuke Wu. Instead, she returned a nod of her own, stating, “I’ll try and make things a little easier for you. Just know that if you ever harm either of them, my vengeance will not stop at the Otsutsuki…”

Undaunted by Sasako’s words, Wu adopted a cheeky smile as he teased, “I’m looking forward to finding out which comes first…the chicken or the egg…”

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Several hours after losing consciousness, Sarada awoke from a nightmare that was actually a memory. Within it, she and her friends could only stare helplessly as the sky over Konoha became enveloped in an all-consuming darkness. If her mother hadn’t appeared at the last moment, carrying her away despite her protests, she would have vanished along with everyone she had ever known or loved…

With sweat covering her from head to toe, Sarada sat up and hugged her knees, tears welling in her brilliant red eyes as she refused to accept that the images burned into them were real. Unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed to sink into her delusions as the door to her unfamiliar room was suddenly opened, revealing a version of her mother she had never seen…

“Kaa-chan…? Your arm…it’s healed…”

Showing no visible emotions, Sasako nodded her head, explaining, “The Lord of the Senju Clan, Senju Wu, healed me. I’ll explain in greater detail later on. For now, how are you feeling…?”

Returning to hugging her knees, Sarada’s voice was barely audible as she asked, “Everyone’s dead, aren’t they…?”

Shaking her head, Sasako’s expression and tone were firm as she replied, “We’re alive, Sarada. So too is Lady Seventh. Once she awakens, I’m sure she’ll tell you exactly what I’m about to say. So long as there is life, hope, and a strong enough desire, nothing is impossible. Even if our world truly has been destroyed, we’ll find a way to restore it. You need to stay strong until then…”

Though she couldn’t imagine a power that could restore an entire world, Sarada chose to believe her mother’s words. They had already traveled through time, and there were known to be countless dimensions. If they searched long and hard enough, there should be a solution ‘somewhere.’ There had to be…

Putting on a brave front, Sarada forced a sad smile as she asked, “Where is this? It looks like some sort of mansion…”

Moving to her daughter’s side, Sasako took a seat, surprising the younger Uchiha by pulling her into a hug and cradling her for several seconds. The two of them rarely shared moments of intimacy, so Sarada began tearing up again, her Mangekyou Sharingan gradually fading away until her eyes had reverted to their usual obsidian black.

Sensing that her daughter had calmed down, Sasako continued to hold Sarada as she explained, “This is the main residence of the Senju Clan. We will be staying and training here for the foreseeable future…”

Releasing her hold just enough to meet her daughter’s gaze, Sasako was remarkably calm and stoic as she added, “The power we’ll need to defeat the Otsutuski Clan and restore our world is not small. I’ve told you before, but Shinobi should be prepared to sacrifice themselves if it’s for the sake of their village and the people they wish to protect. I don’t know how long it will take to complete our objectives, so we’ll need to harden our hearts and be willing to do whatever it takes to gain strength…”

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Sadara’s voice was fainter than a whisper as she asked, “What do you want me to do…?”

Though Wu had said not to ‘force’ the matter, Sasako believed it would be best if her daughter were fully aware of their situation. Wu seemed like a decent enough person, but these weren’t exactly ordinary circumstances to find themselves in. They couldn’t afford to wait around and let matters take their course. They needed to drive things forward so they could get ahead of the Otsutsuki instead of always being on the back foot.

Squeezing her daughter’s hand, Sasako’s expression and tone softened ever so slightly as she replied, “I need you to be a Kunoichi…”

Understanding what her mother was really asking, Sarada hung her head and succumbed to a profound, contemplative silence. Most of the historic ‘responsibilities’ of Kunoichi had been outlawed by the Shinobi Regulatory Committee. They were still taught about such practices during their final year in the Academy, but there were a growing number of people pushing to have all references to the Shinobi World’s dark history removed. If she hadn’t taken the class as an elective, Sarada might not have known there was a time when the value of a Kunoichi was ‘much ‘lower than their male counterparts.

To alleviate any potential misunderstandings, Sasako drew her daughter’s attention by stating, “Senju Wu is a good man. If I didn’t believe he was a suitable partner for you, I wouldn’t have come to you like this. When the two of us discussed the matter a few hours ago, he even asked me not to force you. The only reason I’m doing this is to ensure you’re prepared…”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sarada nervously inquired, “Prepared for what…?”

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Sasako stated, “Ambitious and capable men like Senju Wu surround themselves with strong, competent, and beautiful women. To secure his favor and ensure the fulfillment of our objective, we will ‘all’ need to work hard. I already attempted seducing him once, but he refused, insisting I take the time to grieve…”

Shaking her head, Sasako asserted, “Even if it takes decades to achieve our objectives, we don’t have time to grieve, Sarada. That fiend, Otsutsuki Kojin, annihilated our village, possibly even our entire world. We ‘must’ get our revenge…”

Though she felt her current mother was a bit scary, Sarada only hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. Her father and Kushinada had taught her that revenge was never the solution, but the destruction of her home, and all the people she cared about, wasn’t something she could forgive. It would be one thing if the Otsutsuki Clan could be reasoned with, but the only thing the monochromatic people seemed to care about was causing as much death and destruction as possible…

With a look of resolution in her eyes, Sarada stated, “I’ll do it…even if it only increases our chances by 0.1%, I’ll give it my all…”

Nodding her head in approval, Sasako surprised Sarada by pulling her into another hug. She truthfully wished that her daughter could have grown up as a perfectly ordinary civilian. Unfortunately, fate had never been kind to members of the Uchiha Clan. Thus, shortly after releasing Sarada from her embrace, Sasako’s expression became serious as she said, “I’ll teach you what you need to know…”

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(A/N: Sasako’s pragmatism is terrifying…)