Yin Jie and Tsunade

After all, Tsunade's status spoke for itself.

She was the disciple of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi; the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju; and more importantly, a genuine princess of the Land of Fire, related by blood to the Land of Fire's daimyo.

Combined with the Konoha Hospital she managed, which benefited the entire village, and her immensely formidable medical ninjutsu—though it had not yet reached perfection—Tsunade's prestige in the Hidden Leaf Village was far beyond that of Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who shared her title as one of the "Three Legendary Sannin."

Therefore, whether for himself or for his clan, Yin Jie needed to build a good relationship with Tsunade.

He was currently the only link through which the Uchiha Clan could connect with—or rather, speak to—Tsunade.

"Tsunade... sis!"

Yin Jie knocked on Tsunade's door and called out that once-familiar yet now somewhat unfamiliar form of address, his tone carrying a slight hesitation.

This was the first time he had seen Tsunade again in nearly half a year.

What startled Yin Jie was that Tsunade no longer possessed the bold, heroic bearing she had shown when he last saw her. All that remained was endless dejection and despondency.

Even so, clever as Tsunade was, the moment she saw Yin Jie at her door, she understood why he had come.

Yet she did not reject him.

Had any other Uchiha come, she would not even have opened the door. After all, she was not familiar enough with the Uchiha Clan for that.

But Yin Jie was different.

Yin Jie's arrival brought a trace of warmth to Tsunade's heart. She had already instinctively viewed him through a lens of closeness because of what had happened back then.

It seemed her decision at the time had not been wrong. He truly was a polite little Uchiha child.

Not only had he not forgotten her after all this time, but upon learning that she had returned to the village and that something had happened to her, he had come to visit and comfort her.

Tsunade welcomed Yin Jie inside.

What met his eyes was a complete mess. Empty bottles and household trash were scattered everywhere.

Yin Jie frowned slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched unconsciously.

He had a slight obsession with cleanliness, and what he could not stand most was a home this messy.

So, after sighing, Yin Jie took up the cleaning tools by Tsunade's door and began doing housework for her.

To be honest, he was merely an ordinary seven-year-old child. Even counting both his past and present lives, he had never had any experience comforting someone.

So how could he possibly know how to comfort Tsunade, whose heart had been wounded?

Before long, diligent Yin Jie had cleaned Tsunade's home until it looked completely new, as if the whole house had instantly become much brighter.

As Tsunade watched Yin Jie, his forehead lightly beaded with sweat, a surge of tenderness and affection suddenly rose in her heart.

Although Yin Jie had not said a single word of comfort and had done nothing but housework since entering, that was precisely what pried open a crack in Tsunade's nearly sealed-off heart.

At that moment, Tsunade seemed to see a trace of her younger brother Nawaki in Yin Jie. Though the two had nothing in common, she saw it nonetheless, without any logic behind it...

Nawaki... Dan...

Tsunade murmured silently to herself.

However, she did not voice those thoughts, instead pressing those inexplicable feelings down within her mind.

It was enough for her to know. There was no need to speak of it and cause Yin Jie needless worry.

Besides, Lady Tsunade did not need any substitute.

To her, Yin Jie would only ever be Yin Jie.

Then, after shaking her head slightly, she forcibly pulled Yin Jie along and began today's "little drink."

She did not care about the three ninja prohibitions, and she believed Yin Jie would not care either.

Naturally, Yin Jie would not spoil Tsunade's mood or disappoint her when she seemed to have finally begun stepping out of her gloom.

After all, it was only low-proof sake. It was nothing compared to what he had drunk in his previous life, and drinking a little would not hurt anything.

In the end, Yin Jie drank with Tsunade until his steps began to feel light and unsteady before finally taking his leave.

The lingering warmth of late summer had yet to fully fade.

Autumn had already arrived quietly on light footsteps.

The sky gradually became higher and more distant, while the sunlight was no longer so scorching. The trees began to shed their deep summer green, and the edges of their leaves quietly took on shades of yellow and red.

The breeze carried a hint of chill as well. The unbearable summer heat was gone, replaced by a sense of freshness and comfort.

Autumn had come to the shinobi world.

The Second Shinobi World War had also drawn to an appropriate close. Only scattered, insignificant local clashes still occurred from time to time.

The Hidden Leaf Village signed ceasefire agreements with the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Rock Village respectively, while the Hidden Cloud Village's surprise attack against the Hidden Rock Village ultimately came to an abrupt halt because the Hidden Rock Village held every advantage in terrain and home-field combat.

The clouds of war hanging over the shinobi world were completely blown away by the wind called "peace."

And on the day before the new term officially began at the Ninja Academy, the Konoha shinobi who had fought the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Rock Village across two battlefields in the Land of Rain all returned to their long-missed home.

For a time, the entire Hidden Leaf Village became a sea of celebration.

Whether shinobi or civilians, everyone wore relaxed, joyful smiles.

The festive atmosphere lasted the entire day.

At night, clusters of beautiful fireworks glittered across the sky.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Streak after streak of light rose into the sky, bursting in all directions above the Hidden Leaf Village. The entire village was shrouded in dazzling brilliance, breathtakingly beautiful...

Everyone in the village stopped what they were doing, standing where they were and looking up at the night sky to admire the beautiful sight. Thunderous cheers rose from every corner of the village.

Atop Hokage Rock, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood quietly in his white Hokage robe, surveying the village into which he had poured his heart and soul amid the howling night wind.

After a while, as fireworks exploded and cheers rang out, a satisfied smile appeared on his calm face, and a faint sense of relief flashed through his eyes.