Chance Encounter with Little Tsunade

Compared to the systems in the transmigration novels Hoshiryu Uchiha had read, this one required nothing of him and only consumed AFK Slots, leaving him immensely satisfied.

Now, all he needed was to learn the system's AFK rate to fully understand it.

The system's initial version only had two AFK Slots, making careful allocation all the more necessary.

Some skills might start at a very low level, yet no one could say how much potential they contained.

The Cooking skill filled him with possibilities. Preparing ingredients was cooking; preparing rules was also cooking.

Perhaps this white-tier Cooking skill would become a bug-level ability after being modified by the system.

But compared to the Sharingan and Uchiha bloodline, two skills that could reliably increase his combat strength, Cooking was firstly too unstable. There was no way to be one hundred percent certain it would become a bug-level ability later on.

Moreover, for this skill to show its advantages, the time required might slow down his growth and prevent him from making full use of the system's greatest advantage.

Having thought it through, Hoshiryu Uchiha stopped agonizing over it and decided to raise the levels of his Sharingan and bloodline first.

After dealing with the system, Hoshiryu Uchiha took some money and left his room, planning to take a stroll outside and find something to eat while he was at it.

When he had first arrived, handling his parents' funeral and worrying about the future had left Hoshiryu Uchiha with no mood to go shopping.

Now, the system's arrival had not only eased the anxiety in his heart, but also given him the confidence to face the future.

Besides, he had been here for several days already. Things he had loved in his previous life were truly appearing before his eyes; it would be a shame not to take a good look around.

With complicated emotions in his heart, Hoshiryu Uchiha slowly made his way onto the street.

The sight before him disappointed him somewhat, but the familiar scenery still left him dazed for a moment.

Though the overall layout resembled what he had seen in the anime, it was far more rundown.

This was the closing stage of the First Shinobi War. Although the war was about to end, those who had died would never return.

Under such circumstances, there were few people on the street. Of the familiar shops, only the future Barbecue Q could be found; there was no sign of the famous Ichiraku Ramen.

Business at the various snack shops was not particularly good either, showing that Konoha's current situation was far from ideal.

Compared to its future prosperity, Konoha was now a place still waiting to be rebuilt.

As Hoshiryu Uchiha walked down the worn-out road, the Uchiha Clan Crest on his clothes made those who saw him frown slightly.

He could not help but sigh at this. Even this early on, the Uchiha's reputation was already poor. It surely had something to do with the Second Hokage's policies.

The Uchiha Clan was a clan of love, but also a clan of obsession. As long as they lost love, they could awaken the Sharingan depending on their talent.

The most gifted among them could even awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Yet at the moment it awakened, it would cause its wielder to fall into their own world. The most representative examples were Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi.

After witnessing Rin's death, Uchiha Obito became so obsessed that he believed the Infinite Tsukuyomi could bring people happiness. He did not care in the slightest when he killed his own master's wife.

After experiencing war and indoctrination, then finally witnessing Shisui's death, Uchiha Itachi came to obsessively believe that the Uchiha Clan would bring about irreparable consequences, and decisively annihilated his clan.

To prevent this situation, Tobirama Senju established the Military Police Force.

On one hand, it allowed the Uchiha Clan to live in peace, reducing their battles to weaken their fighting spirit and decrease the number of people who awakened the Sharingan.

On the other hand, he understood that the Uchiha's obsessive nature would make them ruthless enforcers of the law, damaging their reputation.

One had to gain everyone's recognition to become Hokage. Though that statement had major loopholes, it was not entirely without reason.

With the Uchiha's poor reputation and lack of support from the common people, naturally no true Hokage could emerge from among them.

It had to be said that Tobirama Senju's scheme was highly sophisticated, but only the Uchiha would be so stubborn.

If the Uchiha had been able to restrain their obsessive nature and instead use the Military Police Force to build themselves a good reputation—

Then even if an Uchiha Hokage still could not emerge, they could at least have secured a place among Konoha's upper ranks.

They were being plotted against without realizing it, and even after seeing their own limitations clearly, they refused to change.

Though the Uchiha Clan had been blessed by heaven, most Clan Members wallowed in their clan's glory and stagnated in complacency. Was that not another kind of Caged Bird Seal?

After making a round of the area, Hoshiryu Uchiha stopped walking. The villagers' strange looks had robbed him of any desire to continue sightseeing.

So he turned and headed toward Barbecue Q. This barbecue restaurant run by the Akimichi Clan was also one of the famous dining spots in the Naruto world.

Asuma Sarutobi liked bringing Shikamaru and the others here for gatherings, and a food-loving clan like the Akimichi Clan also served as the best advertisement for the restaurant.

The moment he entered, the aroma of meat drifted into Hoshiryu Uchiha's nose, greatly whetting the appetite he had neglected for some time.

Unlike the deserted street outside, the restaurant was lively, with many people in ninja attire gathered together for boisterous meals.

At a glance, only one little blonde girl looked very familiar.

Hoshiryu Uchiha narrowed his eyes and took a seat nearby.

After ordering, he casually began observing that familiar figure.

"Mom, Dad, are you leaving so soon? Isn't the war already over?"

Hearing this, the two adults smiled helplessly and answered the blonde girl's question with affection in their voices.

"Little Tsunade, your father and mother are from the Senju Clan. We have to set an example..."

Before they could finish, Tsunade's eyes brimmed with tears as she said aggrievedly:

"No! I don't want you to!"

"Grandpa said the same thing before! He was a liar! He's not coming back either! I hate all of you!"

With that, Tsunade ran off crying, catching her parents completely off guard.

But their ninja instincts let them catch up to Tsunade quickly. Just as the man was about to go and hold her, the woman stopped him.

"Let Little Tsunade vent for a while. Uncle Tobirama's death hit her hard. We just need to follow behind her."

Tsunade's father found that reasonable. He nodded, then silently followed behind Tsunade.

Watching Tsunade run and cry at the same time, both their eyes reddened.

Sometimes adults had to be strong. Otherwise, who could children rely on?

After hearing their conversation, Hoshiryu Uchiha also confirmed that this was Tsunade as a child.

What surprised him was that Tsunade had never been particularly strong inside, even from a young age.

Perhaps something else had happened later—something she could not accept—which was why she had put on that protective mask.

The carefree, explosively hot-tempered Tsunade of the past had merely been a disguise.

Then, the deaths of her lover and younger brother tore apart the final layer of defense in her heart, causing a Medical Ninja to develop hemophobia. It was nothing short of ironic.