Hinata and Naruto's Meeting, Shimizu's Interruption

Winter always arrived in a hurry.

Konoha was already draped in frost and snow, covered in silver as if it were the Land of Snow.

Light snow began to drift outside the window, the sun obscured by hazy clouds and replaced by a bright, pale moon.

"Haa."

Naruto watched the busy figures outside the window with a lonely expression, breathing onto his small hands.

While everyone else was happily celebrating the upcoming holiday, he was still here all by himself.

Naruto hung his head, unable to understand why things had to be this way.

He wrapped a scarf given to him by a kind nurse around his neck and stepped outside.

Kushina, hiding nearby, felt a bitter ache in her heart as she watched this scene.

The two were mother and son, yet they could not acknowledge one another.

"Kushina" was already dead.

She had made a pact with Shimizu that she must never reveal her true identity.

Otherwise, such a technique would cause a massive uproar in Konoha.

This was a forbidden technique left behind by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!

The villagers were incredibly wary of such techniques; they were seen as a desecration of the dead.

It would only push the Uchiha back into the center of a public opinion storm.

However, Shimizu had already bestowed an unforgettable favor upon Kushina, and she still owed him much.

Kushina's conscience would not allow her to betray their agreement, no matter what.

"Naruto, I'm sorry. Mommy can't protect you."

Kushina sighed.

Over these years, she had thoroughly seen through the darkness hidden within Konoha.

Under the village's decaying system, countless filth had been birthed.

The Will of Fire passed down by the First Hokage was supposed to be a symbol of legacy and hope.

But the current Konoha had