The Forgotten

Two weeks had passed since the duel between Yueshu and Minato Namikaze. Yueshu's daily life remained unchanged, save for the fact that Minato Namikaze was no longer in his class.

Minato Namikaze had passed the early graduation exam, becoming a glorious genin ahead of everyone else present, rather than a student like Yueshu who still had to sit in a classroom.

Yueshu didn't pay much attention to this. To him, being a genin was actually worse than being a student; attending school for a short time each day and spending the rest of the time slacking off was, in his opinion, far too blissful.

He had been a shut-in in his past life, not some ambitious schemer, and his personality hadn't changed. How could he suddenly become motivated and strive for the peak just because he had transmigrated?

Besides, this was a time of peace; why force himself? Life was meant to be lived happily.

This was Yueshu's philosophy and life motto. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. One shouldn't always assume they were the savior or the protagonist; this world wasn't a game, everyone was real, so what right did he have to claim he was the main character?

Yueshu held nothing but disdain for those protagonists who transmigrated and suddenly had their personalities flipped, obsessed with becoming stronger and building a harem. It was as if transmigrating was an evolution; they had been useless shut-ins for twenty-some years, yet acted like entirely different people the moment they arrived.

"You really are lazy, you know that?"

Tsunade had gone out for a rare walk, and the moment she returned home, she saw Yueshu lying on the tatami after coming back from school.

"I'm the last person who wants to hear that from you."

Yueshu yawned and cast a sidelong glance at Tsunade.

This woman was far lazier than he was; she usually had nothing to do and just knew how to lie around doing nothing.

Tsunade didn't respond, simply lying down next to Yueshu of her own accord.

"Hey, don't you have any goals? Like becoming the Hokage or something? It's not good to be like an old man at such a young age."

"My goal is to open a shop. It's very simple. Alright, conversation over."

No sooner had Tsunade finished speaking than Yueshu shut her down, leaving her stunned.

"If those who aim to be Hokage heard you, they would be very sad, Konoha's number one genius."

"They can do what they want; I'm not stopping them."

"You really aren't cute at all."

"My apologies, then."

Tsunade and Yueshu lay on the tatami in the middle of the afternoon, and before long, both began to feel drowsy.

"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!"

Shizune's voice drifted in from outside, and the drowsiness of Yueshu and Tsunade was instantly dispelled for the most part.

With a snap, the door was pushed open, and it was indeed Shizune, dressed in black, who appeared.

"What is it, Shizune?"

"You haven't taught me medical ninjutsu today yet."

Tsunade clutched her forehead; she had suddenly remembered this troublesome chore.

"Fine, let's go to the courtyard."

Tsunade always wanted to skip work, but seeing the look in Shizune's eyes, she had no choice but to obediently play the teacher and instruct her.

"Good luck."

Yueshu waved his fist, then turned over and continued to lie down.

Shizune's shining eyes were right there, so Tsunade had no choice but to take her to the courtyard.

The temperature in the afternoon was just right; it was warm enough even without a blanket, perfect for a nap.

Yueshu had only been lying there for a moment before his eyes closed involuntarily.

"Is anyone there? Is there anyone? Please, save me! I don't want to die yet!"

"If there is an afterlife, I really hope I can be a carefree person, not having to hustle for a living every day, opening a small shop, making the food I love, and having a gentle wife. That would be enough. God, my wish is just that simple!"

"Yueshu! Yueshu!"

As these two sentences echoed in his mind in different voices, Yueshu slowly opened his eyes.

Shizune and Tsunade were right in front of him, only a few dozen centimeters away, their eyes filled with a hint of worry.

"Didn't you go to learn medical ninjutsu?"

Yueshu asked, as Tsunade and Shizune stared directly at him.

"It's already time for dinner."

Shizune didn't speak; it was Tsunade who answered.

"Eh?"

Yueshu looked to the side. The courtyard was already flushed red under the dusk, and the light of the setting sun had stained both the courtyard and the tatami.

"Is it already this late? It seems I slept for quite a while. It was my turn to make dinner today. Wait a moment, I'll go do it right now."

Yueshu said, preparing to stand up.

"You should wipe your face first."

Tsunade sighed and said languidly.

"I think so too. Besides, I'll handle dinner tonight. Yueshu, you should just rest; you seem a bit tired."

Shizune's voice was naturally gentle, but today it was even softer, like a breeze in springtime.

Yueshu didn't quite understand. Following their lead, he raised a hand to wipe his face, only to find it wet.

His eyes were shedding tears without his awareness or volition; his mind hadn't registered it at all.

Yueshu stared blankly at his damp arm.

"Get some good rest. I'm going to make dinner."

Shizune said softly before rising to head toward the kitchen, leaving only Tsunade behind.

"Hey."

Yueshu looked up at Tsunade. He had no idea what was happening to him; he had simply woken up from a nap to find himself in this state. And then there were those two sentences—two sentences he had no memory of, yet they had sent ripples through his calm heart.

"Do you remember? The things from before."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems you don't."

Tsunade scratched her hair as Yueshu watched from the side.

"Well, I'm not sure either. You'll have to go find out for yourself."

Tsunade said this in one breath and then walked away, leaving Yueshu stunned in place.

"What is this person talking about again?"

Yueshu habitually retorted, but the next second, he fell silent.

My past self? Or things related to this original body?

Yueshu whispered in a voice only he could hear.

The aroma of dinner wafted from the kitchen. The system's electronic chime hadn't sounded for a while, and dinner tonight was much quieter; even the usually boisterous Tsunade had gone silent.

Yueshu noticed.

Although he knew he had been a shut-in who exercised and worked out before transmigrating, he had absolutely no clue how he had arrived here. Not only that, he lacked any memories of the body he had transmigrated into; it wasn't like the novels he read where one would inherit the original owner's memories upon arrival.

The system was also a standalone entity that rarely spoke, offering no hints or answers to Yueshu.

For some reason, whenever Yueshu tried to recall his life before transmigrating, everything felt vague and blurry.

This was not a good omen, or at least that was what Yueshu thought.

A single drop of water is enough to ripple the surface of a calm pond, and the same was true for the Naruto World. With Yueshu, an outsider, added to the mix, everything was beginning to change.

The sun had quietly dipped below the horizon, and after dinner, Yueshu returned to his room.

There wasn't much entertainment in the Naruto World. Yueshu lay down as he usually did, the window wide open. To him, enjoying the leisurely breeze at night wasn't so bad.

"Well, take it slow."

Yueshu stopped dwelling on these trivial matters, closed his eyes, and quietly enjoyed the chill of the night wind.

The night in Konoha Village was very quiet. It wasn't like his previous life; there was no concept of late-night business here. Street food stalls, KTVs—none of these things existed in the Naruto World.

Thinking of this, Yueshu couldn't help but smile.