Sadness, Karin Uzumaki Might Be Gone (For Alliance Leader's Reward!)

Uchiha Qi left.

Ultimately, he didn't accept Uchiha Fugaku's kind offer.

However...

He didn't outright refuse it either, leaving things ambiguous.

After all, some things are good to have, even if you don't use them.

It wasn't just about benefits; it was a symbol of power.

And right now, Uchiha Qi needed these things, these things that could secure the Uchiha Clan's support.

Huff... now I can't just be a free agent anymore. Getting some things means choosing a specific stance, Uchiha Qi mumbled to himself. He returned to his residence, and after a short rest, headed straight for Minato Namikaze's home.

It was precisely 5:30 PM.

Uchiha Qi arrived at Minato Namikaze's house in just two minutes.

This was because Minato Namikaze, like him, lived in a small apartment building. This building was also where Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki would live after they got married—at least, this scene appeared in the original manga.

It was also fortunate that this area was relatively far from Konoha's core, which is why it wasn't destroyed in the Nine-Tails Attack in the original storyline.

He knocked, and the door opened.

A beautiful girl with long red hair, appearing to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, stood at the doorway.

Her long red hair was tied in a single ponytail, and her eyes were a rare silver-gray, reflecting Uchiha Qi's figure in the setting sun. Her pupils sparkled with a bright and joyful light.

A genuine, happy smile blossomed on her delicate, beautiful face.

Although she was dressed in a somewhat boyish black jacket and pants, it didn't look bad at all. On the contrary, it perfectly accentuated her excellent figure.

Moreover, the iconic Konoha ninja headband on the girl's forehead revealed her identity as a Konoha ninja.

Such an appearance would surely make fans of Naruto in Uchiha Qi's previous life exclaim, "Could this be Kushina Uzumaki? How can she be so cute?"

However, in reality...

"Brother Qi!" the girl exclaimed with a bright, happy smile, using her special name for Uchiha Qi.

Uchiha Qi smiled back and reached out to pat the girl's head. "Good evening, Kikyo."

The soft touch made Uchiha Qi sigh with contentment. Indeed, this feels so good. Just touching it can relax one's body and mind.

The girl, having her head patted, puffed out her cheeks with a displeased expression. "Seriously, I'm already grown up. Don't pat my head like that..."

Despite her complaints, the girl didn't swat Uchiha Qi's hand away. It was clear she was used to it, with a hidden longing in her actions.

Just then, another warm and generous female voice rang out, "Qi-kun, you're here too? Kikyo, quickly let your Brother Qi in."

Along with these words, a beautiful woman, somewhat resembling the red-haired, single-ponytail girl, also with long red hair and wearing a green dress, walked out of the kitchen. She stood with her hands on her hips, smiling broadly and casually.

She wasn't as cute, but she exuded a warm and uninhibited personality, and she appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.

This was Minato Namikaze's current girlfriend, Konoha's current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—Kushina Uzumaki!

Hearing Kushina Uzumaki's words, the girl named Kikyo immediately responded with "Yes, yes," and then proactively took out the slippers specifically for Uchiha Qi, a regular guest at the Namikaze home, from the shoe cabinet and placed them directly in front of Uchiha Qi. She performed these actions with great familiarity, clearly having done them many times before, and seemingly enjoying it.

As the one being served, Uchiha Qi accepted all of this quite naturally. After changing into the slippers, he walked into Minato Namikaze's home.

However, catching a glimpse of Kikyo's smiling face and the undisguised admiration and longing in her eyes when she looked at him, he couldn't help but scratch his head.

The girl I saved all those years ago has grown up and fallen for her savior out of a maiden's crush. This trope is really quite cliché.

Yes, the girl named Kikyo was saved by Uchiha Qi. Her full name was Kikyo Uzumaki, a member of the Uzumaki Clan, and someone who never appeared in the original Naruto series. She was a butterfly effect brought about by Uchiha Qi.

After Uchiha Qi graduated from the ninja academy, he didn't immediately join the Konoha Military Police Force. Instead, he followed protocol, forming teams with others as a regular ninja to undertake various missions.

At that time, Uchiha Qi was in the same team as Minato Namikaze. With Minato Namikaze as a powerful ally, the team's mission completion rate was naturally very high; it was essentially a guaranteed win.

However, at the age of fourteen, Uchiha Qi accompanied his team on a mission to the Land of Grass. During that mission, they encountered some dangerous individuals and ninjas from the Land of Grass. It was then that they met Kikyo Uzumaki, a scattered Uzumaki clan member. The girl, only twelve at the time, possessed the special physique of the Uzumaki Clan. After being discovered by the Land of Grass ninjas, they intended to use her as "human medicine."

Among the Uzumaki Clan, who possess immense vitality, some individuals can even allow others to absorb their life force by biting their bodies to heal injuries. Kikyo Uzumaki was one such Uzumaki clan member with this specific constitution.

Minato Namikaze, as Kushina Uzumaki's boyfriend, naturally had to help this Uzumaki clan girl who would undoubtedly suffer greatly if left in the Land of Grass. Uchiha Qi also chose to support him, and in the end, even risked his life to personally rescue Kikyo Uzumaki.

Afterward, Kikyo Uzumaki was brought back to Konoha. Through the efforts of the then-very-assertive Old Man Third, Kikyo Uzumaki was successfully and completely separated from the Land of Grass, settled in Konoha Village, and even allowed to live with her clan member, Kushina Uzumaki.

For the Uzumaki Clan, who had lost their homeland, with their country and clan annihilated, meeting a fellow clan member in a foreign land and being able to live together was a rare warmth and fortune amidst their immense tragedy.

Both Kikyo Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki were extremely happy, even moved.

It must be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi at that time was worthy of the Hokage title. Although his methods of winning people over were not particularly brilliant, he used them at the right time to achieve the best results.

That was the entire process of Kikyo Uzumaki coming to Konoha. And after that, Uchiha Qi's interactions and relationship with Kikyo Uzumaki never ceased, thanks to Minato Namikaze.

Years of interacting, coupled with the "bridge effect" of being a lifesaver, solidified Uchiha Qi's status in Kikyo Uzumaki's heart as something akin to a "white moonlight" and a "true hero." No wonder the girl secretly gave her heart to him.

In fact, for the inherently passionate Uzumaki Clan, experiencing something like this and not falling in love would most likely be because the savior's appearance was so unattractive that it was difficult to look at—it's worth noting that even the Akimichi Clan, known for their larger physiques, would be considered a "living Pan An" in such a situation.

And Uchiha Qi's looks were not low at all. Although his ninja talent was lacking, he was still an Uchiha, and there were virtually no ugly people among the Uchiha; they were all handsome men and beautiful women.

Even Uchiha Obito, who was often criticized for lowering the average appearance of the Uchiha Clan, was actually very handsome if he bothered to groom himself.

In this situation, it was only natural that Kikyo, who was just two years older than Uchiha Qi, would fall for him.

And for Uchiha Qi, being liked by a proactive and kind-hearted beautiful girl, he naturally wouldn't refuse. After all, he wasn't some super-straight guy who could be completely uninterested in a pretty girl.

However, Uchiha Qi harbored a very subtle concern in his heart, which was...

Karin Uzumaki, a crucial character and important future companion to Uchiha Sasuke in the original story, might no longer exist—Kikyo Uzumaki could very well be Karin Uzumaki's mother, who had already died in the original storyline!

Many thanks to 'A Passerby Passing By' for their generous Alliance Leader reward, I am endlessly grateful!

Sob, sob, sob, it's been so many years, seeing you again, I'm so touched~~~