Obito the Simp

Kakashi's loss of fighting spirit and how he rekindled it were none of Uchiha Mai's concern. As usual, he simply went home to rest.

For some time afterward, nothing major happened in Konoha.

Uchiha Mai practiced Nintaijutsu as part of his daily routine, developed new applications for Super Beast Imitating Drawing, and occasionally got dragged off by Tsunade to play cards, where he was forced to win over a hundred thousand yen.

Every so often, Might Guy and Kakashi would block his path home, calling it a challenge to a worthy rival. After giving the two of them a thorough beating to loosen up his muscles, Mai's days passed quite happily.

In the blink of an eye, it was late December. Heavy snow fell over Konoha, the mountains danced like silver serpents, and the plains stretched like wax elephants, enchanting beyond measure.

That day, Uchiha Mai was once again summoned by Tsunade to play cards.

A fire burned inside the room. Tsunade sat beside the kotatsu, idly flipping through the cards in her hand as she gazed at the snowy scene outside the window and sighed. "It's almost the end of the year.

"I feel like I've gotten another year older. I'm not young anymore."

"It's fine."

Uchiha Mai comforted her. "You have the Yin Seal, Sis. You can alter your outward age whenever you want. What difference does it make whether you're thirty or fifty?

"You'll get used to being old eventually."

"I was just sighing."

Tsunade glanced at her hole cards, calculated her theoretical odds of winning, then tossed out a stack of cash and asked, "Although all sorts of things happened this year, things have been fairly peaceful overall.

"When I was little, Konoha had just been established. Other than ninja clans, there was practically no one