Butterfly Effect, the Deep-Minded Uchiha

Deep within the forests of the Land of Fire.

Kushina Uzumaki's ankles had been rubbed raw and bloody. Every time she fell, it felt as though countless needles were piercing her wounds.

She bit her lip tightly, the taste of rust spreading through her mouth. This was the third time she had deliberately fallen today.

"Walk faster!"

A Cloud Village jonin kicked her.

Kushina grunted and staggered to her feet, wrapping a strand of her red hair around a thorny bush with her right hand.

The seventh spot...

Someone has to see it...

That was what Kushina Uzumaki thought.

The ropes around her body suddenly tightened, and she staggered as she looked up.

The Border Line was close at hand. The last rays of the setting sun were like dying sparks, while moonlight filtered down through the forest beneath her feet.

She stared at her blurry shadow on the ground.

She suddenly remembered the disdainful looks people had given her when she first arrived in Konoha.

"Red-haired outsider!!"

"Someone from a fallen country, stay away from her! She'll bring bad luck!!"

"What kind of hair is that? It's red like a tomato! So ugly!"

"..."

The mocking voices echoed in her mind. Kushina's tears flowed against her will, blurring her vision.

Her nails dug deeply into her palms.

Only when a warm tear splashed onto a blade of grass did she realize she was crying.

She was just an outsider. The people of the village did not even accept her, so why was she still hoping they would save her?

Kushina's mood sank even lower.

"The border is up ahead!!"

The Kumogakure ninja walking in front whispered excitedly.

"Idiot, keep it down!"

The Kumogakure ninja beside him was just as delighted. He yanked hard on the rope tied to Kushina again.

Kushina was nearly dragged to the ground once more.

"Be careful, don't kill her! She's from the Uzumaki Clan, she's still useful!"

The one behind them coldly reminded him.

"Got it, got it!"

The man replied indifferently as he looked at Kushina Uzumaki.

"Walk faster!"

By then, Kushina had already given up on Konoha rescuing her. Her eyes held nothing but numbness.

Her entire body was like that of a walking corpse.

Her lips moved as she muttered.

"I'm just an outsider... why would I expect anyone to come save me..."

At that moment, thick clouds covered the sly moon.

A black shadow darted over.

The two Kumogakure ninja behind Kushina only felt a sudden warmth in their throats before losing consciousness.

As their bodies fell, a pair of fair hands abruptly caught their clothes and gently lowered them to the ground.

Whoosh!

A pitch-black Kunai shot through the darkness like an arrow, accurately piercing the throat of the Kumogakure ninja leading Kushina onward.

The soft sound of flesh being pierced immediately caught the attention of the remaining two Kumogakure ninja.

"What happened?!"

Both drew their Kunai and warily looked around.

Just as one of them was about to step forward and grab the still-unresponsive Kushina—

A black figure suddenly appeared from a distant tree. With a flick of his hand, he hurled three or four shuriken.

Clang, clang.

The night was dark. Relying on their combat experience, the two blocked two of them, but one shuriken still slipped through and struck the Cloud ninja on the left in the chest.

He collapsed in the blink of an eye.

At some point, a black-haired young man had appeared in front of Kushina.

"You are..."

When the Cloud ninja looked at the young man's face, a scarlet light flashed.

His voice halted.

His body froze in place, and the expression on his face gradually became dull as he was dragged directly into the Sharingan's Genjutsu.

Chiyo flicked his hand, and a Kunai nailed itself into the man's neck.

The last Cloud ninja also fell heavily to the ground.

In just a few breaths, the entire group of Cloud ninja had been dealt with.

Chiyo turned around, his scarlet Sharingan already restored to black pupils.

He looked at the familiar scene before him.

Wasn't this the incident from the original story where Minato traveled a thousand miles to save Kushina?

He had not expected that he, an Uchiha investigating missing children, would stumble into saving her instead!

Was this the Butterfly Effect I brought about?

Chiyo examined Kushina and spoke softly.

"Hey!"

"Are you hurt?"

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Kushina finally looked up.

Just then, the clouds drifted past.

Pure white moonlight spilled down once more.

Kushina's previously hopeless, lifeless eyes gradually regained their light.

"Is that Lord Chiyo?"

Kushina murmured softly.

Kushina Uzumaki

"You can call my name, so it looks like you're fine."

Standing beneath the moonlight, Chiyo flashed to Kushina's back.

A Kunai appeared in his hand, and he swiftly cut through the ropes binding Kushina.

"Why did you come save me? I'm just an outsider..."

Hearing her murmur, Chiyo replied calmly.

"What outsider? Aren't you wearing a Konoha forehead protector?

"And as a member of the Guard Unit, it's naturally my duty to protect the village and its villagers.

"Not just you. Even a cat or dog from Konoha can't be snatched away by ninja from another country."

Hearing Chiyo's words and seeing her red hair in his hand, Kushina felt a warm glow in her heart. Is this what it feels like to be accepted?

The tension in Kushina's heart finally eased.

As she relaxed, exhaustion surged through her entire body.

Her legs, clad in stockings, went limp, and she was about to fall to the ground.

Chiyo quickly reached out and caught the falling Kushina in his arms from behind.

A trace of relief appeared in Kushina's eyes.

But then she felt discomfort in front of her chest and involuntarily looked down.

Hey, where is that arm...

Looking at that strong arm, Kushina's pale and delicate face rapidly turned red.

"Um..."

"Forget all that! It's getting late, I'll take you back first!"

Before she could remind him, her vision blurred.

Like handling a puppet, Chiyo swiftly moved her onto his back.

His hands slid beneath her legs, and he directly hoisted Kushina onto his back.

By the time she reacted, all Kushina could see was the back of Chiyo's head.

"Hold on tight!"

"Wait..."

Kushina's eyes widened.

Chakra surged beneath Chiyo's feet as he leaped forward.

Feeling the wind kicked up by his rapid movement, Kushina finally came back to her senses.

Boldly, she stretched out her arms around Chiyo's neck and pressed her small body against him.

She felt Chiyo's warmth, along with an unfamiliar yet pleasant scent.

The blush on her face instantly spread to the tips of her ears...

Under the moonlight, the two figures sped through the forest.

Just then, a Prompt Tone sounded in Chiyo's mind.

[Mission triggered: Intercept Kushina Uzumaki. Reward: Uzumaki Clan bloodline and its Sealing Jutsu.]

Outside Konoha, inside a secret Root base.

Danzo, his face gloomy and sinister, listened to the report from the Root ninja below.

"The Senju Clan has begun taking precautions against children going missing. At the same time, the Uchiha Guard Unit has entered an alert state. Regardless of the time, Uchiha Clan Guard Unit patrols can be seen everywhere."

Danzo waved for the man to leave.

His gaze shifted to Orochimaru beside him.

"These damned Uchiha are really going to ruin our plans!"

There was not the slightest change on Orochimaru's stiff face.

"The Guard Unit investigating missing children is their duty. That is hardly surprising."

Danzo snorted after hearing that.

"It must be that Chiyo Uchiha causing trouble!

"After becoming Clan Leader, he set all this up for no reason other than to consolidate the Uchiha Clan's power.

"I underestimated him. That Chiyo is still so young, yet his thoughts run so deep!"

After speaking, Danzo looked at the experimental "materials" around him.

"For the time being, forget about children from the village, especially those from the major clans. I'll try to get you some materials from other countries..."

Orochimaru nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly thought of something and paused.

"Could Chiyo Uchiha have already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Danzo's expression changed abruptly.

"The Mangekyō?!"

"It's possible. If that's the case, an Uchiha beyond our control will inevitably become the village's greatest threat in the future!"