The emerald sky gradually gave way to blue. Sunlight slipped over the clouds and into the carriage, racing ahead.
Rikusei raised a hand to shield his eyes from the dazzling sunlight and gazed back at the forest path growing ever more distant.
Although his encounter with Kakuzu had been an accident, it had changed history once again.
To be precise, the future he knew was gradually becoming unrecognizable.
The departments established early in Konoha, along with the Konoha Military Police Force no longer controlled solely by the Uchiha Clan, had weakened the clan's influence compared to the original timeline.
The overlapping appointments across the various departments also helped the Uchiha integrate into Konoha.
As the eye of the storm, the first Hidden Village in the Shinobi World was bound to attract attention from all sides.
Even Kakuzu, far away in the Land of Waterfalls, already knew the Nine-Tails had been sealed by Konoha. That was enough to show there were spies from all manner of factions in the village.
But none of that had anything to do with Rikusei for the time being. They had already left the village and set off toward freedom. The troublesome matters vanished without a trace, like a breeze drifting behind them.
They would probably all end up on the shoulders of some white-haired man.
Feeling the carriage rocking beneath him, Rikusei rested his head on a scroll and pulled his backpack over his face to block the annoying sunlight. He couldn't help rolling over.
Dragged by Madara across the Shinobi World to travel and train, Rikusei had been forced to put his youthful school romance on hold. He figured it wasn't so bad.
At least, thanks to his efforts, Madara had begun changing in an unknown direction. He was no longer as haughty and