They Don't Thank the Uchiha

Hyuga Kiyonari placed the food container on the table, and the moment he lifted the lid, a rich, savory aroma instantly filled the entire space.

"Is that chicken soup?" Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she leaned in with a pleasant surprise, "How did you know this is my favorite?"

"Perhaps... it was just a coincidence."

Tsunade took a deep breath of the enticing aroma, impatiently ladled a full bowl with a soup spoon, blew on it, and took a small sip. The warm broth slid down her throat, soothing the lingering burn left by the alcohol.

She sighed in satisfaction: "Delicious. This soup is stewed perfectly. Where did you buy it?"

The corners of Kiyonari's mouth curled up, looking somewhat smug: "Guess?"

Tsunade eyed him with suspicion, her eyes narrowing into slits, and she asked tentatively: "Don't tell me... you made this yourself?"

"Of course," Kiyonari nodded candidly, "After all, I live alone; I have to learn how to take care of my own stomach."

Tsunade drank a few more mouthfuls, the look of satisfaction on her face deepening, and she praised: "Not bad, not bad at all."

With a bowl of hot soup in her stomach, Tsunade's spirits, which had been sluggish from the hangover, clearly lifted, and a healthy flush returned to her pale cheeks.

"Much better."

She let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. As she stood up to get a second bowl, her gaze inadvertently swept across Kiyonari's face, and a sudden realization dawned on her.

If she hadn't received that drift bottle a week ago, she might be throwing chips away in some casino right now. If Shizune hadn't gone to the barbecue restaurant that afternoon, she might have missed the chance to get to know this child.

One coincidence after another, woven together thread by thread, had finally brought him before her.

Whether she had received the drift bottle a little earlier or a little later, any misalignment in the chain of events could have caused her to miss this bowl of chicken soup.

So, this is what it means to change the timeline and give birth to a parallel world.

From the moment she received the drift bottle, every version of Tsunade became unique.

Tsunade picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully: "Kiyonari, how much do you know about the Uchiha?"

Kiyonari thought seriously for a moment before speaking: "The Uchiha clan... to be honest, my impression of them is rather complicated."

"Complicated? How so?"

"As far as I know, the vast majority of Uchiha clan members join the Konoha Military Police Force after graduating from the academy. The police force acts as the village's law enforcement, a role that inherently offends people. Coupled with the fact that there are few Uchiha in other roles, most villagers only ever interact with the Uchiha as members of the police force."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully, signaling for Kiyonari to continue.

"And, Teacher, you should understand the Uchiha. Their personalities are generally quite arrogant and difficult to talk to. During law enforcement, these personality traits are only magnified."

"That is true."

Tsunade recalled seeing Fugaku Uchiha yesterday and felt a bit surprised. In her subconscious, the Uchiha should have been too proud to attend such a banquet, especially one held by a member of the Senju Clan.

Kiyonari didn't stop, continuing: "They are naturally prone to keeping a straight face, and when they are enforcing the law, it gives people a sense of cold, unapproachable alienation."

"Is there a problem with that?" Tsunade asked, "Law enforcers should be like that. Only by being impartial and unyielding can fairness be guaranteed."

"From the perspective of law enforcement, there is indeed no problem." He paused, as if weighing his words, "But as I just said, most of the villagers' contact with the Uchiha is through the police force. Over time... the villagers' impression of the police force is projected onto the entire Uchiha clan."

"The police force's unapproachability becomes the Uchiha's unapproachability; the police force's difficulty in communication becomes the Uchiha's difficulty in communication. Add in the nature of their work as law enforcers, and that is why the villagers isolate and exclude the Uchiha."

Tsunade fell into deep thought, then asked: "Then, do the Uchiha engage in corruption or abuse of power during law enforcement?"

"Not at all." Kiyonari shook his head, "To be honest, the Uchiha are very fair when it comes to law enforcement. No matter who the other party is, as long as they violate the regulations, they dare to arrest and punish them."

"As law enforcers, the police force is both strict and fair, because the Uchiha's arrogant nature makes them disdainful of accepting bribes or bowing to power. However... most ordinary villagers find it hard to realize that this fairness is hard-won."

"Since the founding of the village, the Uchiha have shouldered the duties of the police force. The villagers have become accustomed to their enforcement, and in their eyes, this fairness is taken for granted—something anyone could do."

Tsunade understood: "They won't be grateful to the Uchiha for their fairness."

"Right," Kiyonari spread his hands, looking rather helpless, "The villagers only focus on how harshly the Uchiha punished someone or how unfeelingly they enforced the law. They remember the moments the Uchiha made them feel unhappy, but they don't remember the efforts the Uchiha made to maintain order in the village."

Tsunade frowned: "In that case, the Uchiha clan is indeed being wronged."

"Not only that," Kiyonari continued, "The Uchiha clan's own personality is a double-edged sword; while it ensures fair law enforcement, it also exacerbates this conflict."

"They are too proud. They disdain explaining their actions to the villagers and are unwilling to lower their stance to communicate. In their view, what they are doing is right, so there is no need to explain it to anyone."

"Furthermore, the more the villagers exclude the Uchiha, the more they huddle together for warmth within their own clan. This isolation further reduces communication and deepens the divide. It even makes the villagers feel as if the Uchiha are independent of the village."

Tsunade's expression turned solemn: "Independent of the village?"

Although every ninja clan in Konoha has its own compound and residential area, no other clan is like the Uchiha—rarely interacting with other families and rarely participating in the village's collective activities.

Combined with their work as law enforcers, this leaves the Uchiha with almost no friends or supporters in the village. Once public opinion turns against them, there is simply no one to stand up and speak for them.

Isn't the Nine-Tails Incident the best example of this?

The higher-ups suspect the Uchiha, and the villagers exclude the Uchiha.

This kind of sustained cold violence, even if inflicted on a single person, would be enough to drive them insane.

Let alone when it is inflicted on the entire Uchiha clan, who are already a group with unstable psychological traits. And ironically, for them, the more easily their emotions spiral out of control and the more unstable their mental state becomes, the more powerful their strength grows.

Moreover, they are deeply obsessed with this power known as the Sharingan.