Encounter on a Rainy Night

"In short, our conflict with Konoha can be put to rest for the time being. Is that the situation?" Naoki asked inside Uchiha Yashiro's office.

Uchiha Yashiro nodded.

"Although I don't know what the Third has planned, his gesture of goodwill is quite clear. Fugaku and I have discussed it and decided to accept it for now so that everyone can catch their breath."

Naoki offered a reminder.

"There are some things I can only say to you... I hope you will remind Lord Fugaku not to let his guard down. With Obito and Namikaze Minato dying one after another, the clan has effectively lost its hold on the position of Hokage. The clansmen might not understand this yet, but as long as someone stirs the pot, I believe it won't be long before everyone realizes it. At that point, unless the Third is willing to appoint you as a Hokage advisor, or someone formidable emerges within the village to suppress the restless hearts of our people, the anger of the clansmen will completely tear apart the fragile peace between the clan and Konoha..."

"I know, I know all of this. From the moment I learned of Namikaze Minato's death, I foresaw these issues. I will handle it properly."

Uchiha Yashiro patted Naoki on the shoulder and said, "You've worked hard these past two days. Get some rest, focus on your training, and strive to become a pillar of the clan as soon as possible."

Walking home, Naoki felt his steps were much lighter.

He hadn't been in this world for long, but the future of the Uchiha clan had weighed heavily on his heart, leaving him breathless.

Now that the trouble from the Nine-Tails Incident was largely resolved, the crisis facing the Uchiha clan, while still present, had eased enough for him to catch his breath. Furthermore, looking at the foreseeable future, Naoki began to believe he could truly save the Uchiha clan and avoid his own tragic fate as one of them.

Just two steps out of the Police Force building, he suddenly felt water droplets land on his face.

He reached out, the rainwater leaving a faint chill on his palm, and he murmured, "It's raining."

The drizzle gradually thickened. The ruined streets of Konoha were filled with the scent of damp earth and charred wood. Naoki quickened his pace, turning into a relatively intact alleyway to take a shortcut home.

There were no streetlights in the alley, only the dim, yellow glow from distant, functional lamps reflecting off the alley entrance through the curtain of rain.

Naoki hurried into the alley, not expecting someone to be walking out, and immediately collided with the person.

Fortunately, his reflexes were sharp; he subconsciously turned his body to dissipate the force, though he still sent the other person stumbling back a few steps.

"Sorry!"

Naoki quickly reached out with his right hand to steady the person by the arm.

By the dim light filtering in from the alley entrance, he saw her face. She was the female ninja who had treated him with the Mystical Palm Technique amidst the chaos last night...

The female ninja appeared slightly older than Naoki, perhaps around twenty. Her eyes were round and clear, looking like a pool of tranquil spring water in the hazy light, with the corners naturally tilted upward. Even now, with a hint of surprise, she exuded a unique, gentle charm.

Her long, dark, wavy hair was dampened by the rain, with a few strands clinging to her smooth forehead and cheeks. Without the tactical vest she wore last night, her wispy bangs and casual attire made her look less sharp and more lively.

"It's you." She recognized Naoki as well, her tone tinged with surprise. "By the way, your injuries from last night... are you alright?"

Scratching his head with his left hand, Naoki smiled. "Your medical ninjutsu is excellent; my injuries have fully healed."

After saying this, Naoki fell silent, standing there blankly.

The sound of rain in the alley was rhythmic, isolating them from the noise of the outside world.

Naoki's hand was still gripping the female ninja's slender arm. Through the slightly damp sleeve, she could feel the scorching heat radiating from his palm.

The female ninja paused, her gaze falling on her arm, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Um..." she spoke softly, her voice gentle amidst the rain. "You can let go now."

Naoki snapped back to reality, immediately released her, and took a half-step back, scratching his head. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I..."

"It's fine." The female ninja lowered her head, raising a hand to tuck a wet strand of hair behind her ear—a gesture that made her look somewhat flustered.

"The rain suddenly got heavier. I was just heading home."

Naoki looked at the female ninja before him, his mind flashing back to those glowing green hands from last night, her calm expression, and her hurried departure...

"I didn't get a chance to thank you properly last night." Naoki's tone was sincere. "Thank you for saving me."

With that, he bowed to express his gratitude.

The female ninja shook her head slightly, rainwater dripping from her hair tips. "That is my duty. I am a medical ninja."

"I am Uchiha Naoki." He straightened up and introduced himself. "If it weren't for you last night, I might have..."

Before he could finish, a flash of lightning tore through the night sky, followed by a roar of thunder. The rain intensified instantly, turning from a light drizzle into a torrential downpour.

"This rain really chose a bad time." The female ninja looked up at the sky, then toward the depths of the alley. "I have to go."

She turned to leave.

Seeing her about to depart, Naoki, as if possessed, grabbed her arm.

Being grabbed by the arm again, and in the same spot, the female ninja turned back, glaring at Naoki with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

Even though he had been single for decades, Naoki had seen enough to know he had messed up. A thought struck him, and he came up with a plan.

"I... I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask your name... and invite you to a meal to thank you for your treatment last night."

"My name is Sakurai Hideko... can you let me go now?"

Naoki quickly let go. Hideko, clearly not truly angry, smiled and jogged away.

Not until Hideko's figure vanished into the rainy night did Naoki react, tugging at his jacket.

"I am such an idiot!"

Sighing, he headed back home.

Before he even opened the front door, he saw the lights on the second floor of his house were on.

"Those two blockheads, I told them not to use the window!"

Riding the momentum, Naoki walked into his home with a dark expression, only to see the Uchiha Zongye brothers eating noodles. He said in a deep voice, "You two climbed through the window again?"

"Yeah." Uchiha Zongxin slurped his noodles, nodding with "shameless" ease.

"I'm not..."

Before Naoki could finish, Uchiha Zongye pulled him to the dining table with a beaming smile and handed him a bowl of noodles.

"Naoki, you can't blame us for this. You didn't give us a key, so we had no choice but to climb through the window."

Naoki looked at the steaming bowl of noodles in front of him, then back at Uchiha Zongxin, who was slurping away with great satisfaction, and couldn't help but laugh despite his frustration.