Sora rubbed the corners of his mouth, which were almost twisted from laughing, trying to calm himself down from the memory.
His gaze shifted to the last photo.
Tenten, holding little Sora Tenten, leaned sweetly against his chest, wearing a warm, happy smile.
Sora instinctively wanted to click on it… but after hesitating for a long time, he finally decided not to.
After all, Tenten still existed in reality. As for Sora Tenten... it was better to treat her as simulated data.
The process of reviewing simulation details was a rapid, mental task — Sora didn't spend much real time on it.
In the next few days, aside from digesting the simulated memories, Sora also kept up chakra extraction and carefully planned his next steps.
Once he finalized everything, Sora decided to get discharged early from the hospital.
Thanks to his newfound chakra and innate talent as a ninja, his recovery speed was astonishing. Within just five days, he could walk freely.
He completed the discharge process and retrieved the remainder of the money Tenten had left for his treatment, giving him a total of over 6,000 ryo in spending money.
6,000 ryo wasn't much for a trained ninja, but for Sora, it could cover basic living expenses for two months.
Still, he immediately spent 5,000 ryo on paper, ink, and a new set of clothes. With a stack of supplies in hand, he returned to his tiny home.
When he reached his old street, the neighborhood grannies and grandpas enthusiastically greeted him.
Some were ordinary villagers, some elderly retired shinobi — but now, they were all simply Sora's neighbors.
As an orphan, Sora had managed to survive thanks not only to Konoha's stipends, but also to the kindness of these people.
All the way home, he greeted the elders and accepted their concern and care with a smile.
By the time he reached his small, run-down courtyard, it was already noon.
He lightly pushed the crooked wooden gate, held together only by rough straw rope — and the gate collapsed backward with a loud thud.
Embarrassing, but that's all past-Sora could afford.
He hadn't had the money or energy to replace the hinges.
Fortunately, there was nothing worth stealing in the house anyway. Everything — from bowls to chairs — was either cracked, patched, or half-broken.
Sora set his new writing supplies down on the desk. Compared to his surroundings, he looked completely out of place now.
But he was long used to this kind of life, and he had no doubt that he would rise beyond it.With that thought, he dove into writing.
He didn't notice that someone was already watching from the rooftop.
It was Tenten, who had just finished her leave and was preparing to head out on a mission.
She had only meant to check in on Sora briefly — and was surprised to hear he had already been discharged.
Fortunately, the hospital records included his home address, so she followed it straight there.
Quietly lifting a roof tile, Tenten curiously peeked inside and began watching him.
With her keen eyes, she could easily see what Sora was writing.
Before she knew it, she was captivated.
Time flew. Before she realized it, the sky had gone dark — she had been lying on the rooftop watching Sora the entire afternoon.
Her face flushed with heat.
When Sora started preparing a simple dinner with cabbage and radish, Tenten quietly slipped away.
She told herself she'd put all thoughts of Sora behind her.
After all, she had helped many people — and Sora, aside from being a bit handsome, wasn't particularly special.
What Tenten didn't expect… was the dream she had that night.
It was long, vivid… but by morning, she remembered nothing.
Only a faint feeling remained — like it had something to do with Sora.
Staring blankly into the mirror the next morning, she wondered:
Did I actually… start caring about him?
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Sora still hadn't finished The Life of Madara Uchiha, but the first volume was polished enough to show others.
He also finished the blueprint for the first ninja tool he designed during simulation:
the Fragment Kunai.
Inspired by shrapnel grenades, the idea was simple but deadly.
A regular kunai had to hit its target to cause damage. Even when wrapped with an explosive tag, its damage radius was limited.
But Sora's Fragment Kunai used two core ideas: a built-in explosive tag and a custom-textured blade.
It could be thrown like a regular kunai — but when chakra was injected at the right moment, it would detonate, scattering lethal shrapnel.
Its lethal radius was about 5 meters, and injury radius up to 15 meters.
Because the explosive tag was hidden inside, enemies unfamiliar with the weapon wouldn't dodge in time.
And if the user applied poison?
Then unlucky enemies even dozens of meters away could end up dead.
All in all, it greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of Genin or short-range fighters.
In the hands of a ninja tool specialist — like someone from the Uchiha clan, or Tenten herself — this kunai could even allow one person to suppress a whole group.
That was exactly why Sora was confident Tenten would love it.
That morning, Sora groomed himself carefully, dressing in his new black clothes.
Though the fabric wasn't expensive, paired with his chakra-enhanced vitality, he now radiated a striking aura — his black clothes practically glowing against his clear spirit.
Neighbors were delighted to see his new look. Some even teased him:
"Got yourself a girlfriend, Sora?"
In the ninja world, early maturity and early marriage were common, so Sora took the teasing in stride and joked back with a smile.
Leaving his familiar street, he headed toward the Hokage's Office.
Along the way, he turned a few heads — a sign that he was, indeed, becoming more charismatic.
He even spotted a familiar face from afar… but didn't dare stare.
After all, that person was a real ninja.
When he finally arrived at his destination, Sora walked through the civilian entrance to the 1st floor administrative department and filled out a Request for Audience form.
He was going to meet the Third Hokage — face to face.