Important Events from Memory

Life in Konoha's forty-first year flowed forward like a seemingly tranquil stream, steady and orderly. Kyohaku Uchiha continued his low-profile, routine school life, burying every unusual edge deep within himself.

Yet the calm was eventually shattered.

It was an ordinary-looking afternoon. The cultural theory class had only just reached its midpoint when unusual clamor and rapid, dense footsteps suddenly erupted from the street outside. The teacher paused her lecture in confusion, walked to the window, and looked outside. Her expression changed slightly.

On the street, squads of ANBU ninja in animal masks and standard uniforms, along with large numbers of Chunin and Jonin wearing Konoha forehead protectors, were rushing through the area and taking up defensive positions at incredible speed. Their expressions were cold, their movements swift and silent. In an instant, they secured every intersection and high ground, and an invisible yet oppressive killing intent spread through the air. The once-noisy village seemed to have been muted.

"What happened?"

"Is it a drill?"

"Doesn't look like it..."

Whispers immediately stirred throughout the classroom as unease began to spread among the children. The teacher quickly shut the window and tried to calm them. "Quiet! Continue with the lesson! It may be a temporary village security drill." But the uncertainty in her own eyes was impossible to hide.

The lockdown lasted until school ended. When the children left the school gates, they found that the atmosphere on the streets was still tense. There were far more patrolling ninja than usual, and inspections had become much stricter. Leaning on his cane, Kyohaku silently observed everything, thoughts racing through his mind. A lockdown on this scale was no trivial matter.

He had only just returned near his family's small courtyard when he saw his older cousin, Maiyi Uchiha, waiting there. Her face carried the exhaustion of a completed mission, along with a trace of lingering gravity.

"Big Sister Maiyi?" Kyohaku showed the right amount of confusion and timid concern. "What happened in the village? There were so many ninja uncles..."

Seeing him, Maiyi's expression softened somewhat. Lowering her voice, she said, "It's fine now. It's been dealt with. Kumogakure spies infiltrated the village this afternoon. How bold of them!" Her tone carried the Uchiha Clan's characteristic indignation toward those who dared provoke them.

"Kumogakure spies?" Kyohaku cooperatively showed a startled expression.

"Mm." Maiyi nodded. Since Kyohaku was also part of the Uchiha Clan, she felt she could reveal a little. "Those people had far too much nerve. They actually tried to secretly abduct someone in our village with a special Kekkei Genkai!" Seeming to feel that she should not say too much to a child, she summed it up. "Fortunately, they were discovered and stopped in time, so they didn't succeed. Be careful for the next few days too. Go straight home after school, and don't run around outside."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Big Sister Maiyi." Kyohaku nodded obediently, his face showing lingering fear and understanding.

Yet beneath his lowered eyes was an entirely different scene. Maiyi's words were like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of memories from his previous life.

Kumogakure spies... stealing a Kekkei Genkai...

This was not an ordinary espionage incident at all! This was that major plot point from the original story—Kumogakure ninja attempting to abduct Kushina Uzumaki, a member of the Uzumaki Clan with special chakra, enough to become the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki!

The relevant memories immediately surfaced in his mind. Twelve-year-old Kushina had been abducted, but she cleverly left behind strands of her red hair as clues along the way. Thirteen-year-old Minato Namikaze, still an unknown young talent at the time, relied on extraordinary tracking ability and combat talent to catch up alone, swiftly eliminate three adult Kumogakure elite ninja, and successfully rescue Kushina. This event not only displayed the budding potential of Minato's "Golden Flash," but also picked up the red thread linking his fate with Kushina's, capturing the young girl's heart.

So it's already reached this point in time... Kyohaku thought. Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage and user of the Flying Thunder God, was still only a young genius who had just begun to stand out. And Kushina, the future Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki... the gears of fate were slowly turning somewhere beyond his sight.

He once again felt a strange sense of detachment, as though he were standing at the edge of a stage and watching a play unfold scene by scene when he already knew the script.

Not long after that incident, another event confirmed the passage of time and the advancement of the plot.

During a routine visit to Konoha Hospital for a follow-up examination of his right foot, Kyohaku keenly noticed that the atmosphere in the hospital was somewhat different. It had always been busy before, yet there had also been an orderly professionalism to it. This time, however, the air seemed to carry a faint sense of anxiety and loss.

The Medical Ninjutsu practitioner examining him looked particularly exhausted, and her eyes had lost some of their usual brightness. During a pause in the examination, the low voices of two nurses vaguely reached his ears:

"...Lady Tsunade's treatment plan is indeed effective, but this case is simply too complicated..."

"...If only Lady Tsunade were still here..."

"...Sigh, stop talking. Focus on your work..."

Lady Tsunade... a plan she left behind... if only she were still here?

Kyohaku's heart skipped a beat. He immediately realized what had happened. Considering the timing, along with the atmosphere permeating the hospital, as though it had lost its pillar...

Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, had suffered immense psychological trauma from the death of her lover, Dan Katō, and the early death of her younger brother, Nawaki. She developed severe hemophobia due to war and bloodshed. She could no longer remain in a hospital that constantly reminded her of her pain, nor could she continue facing everything in Konoha. She chose to leave.

She left Konoha with Dan Katō's niece, Shizune Katō.

Tsunade has left too... Kyohaku lay on the examination bed, allowing the Medical Ninjutsu practitioner to inspect the still-withered meridians in his right foot, while turmoil surged in his heart. This means Konoha's medical system has temporarily lost its central pillar. It also means... some future possibilities have become more difficult for me, but perhaps... a crack has appeared?

His original plans had included making use of the Medical Ninjutsu system, especially the possibility of coming into contact with Tsunade or her legacy in the future. Tsunade's departure undoubtedly added more uncertainty. Yet on the other hand, her departure might also leave gaps in knowledge or unmet needs.

The two incidents were like stones cast into a tranquil lake, their ripples gently stirring Kyohaku Uchiha's small boat as it cautiously sailed onward. They reminded him that predetermined fate was still rolling relentlessly forward, and that he, an unexpected variable, had to hide himself even more carefully while seeking those faint opportunities that belonged to him amid the gaps between these great events.

Once the follow-up examination was over, he leaned on his cane and slowly walked out of the hospital. The sunlight remained bright, but in his eyes, Konoha's sky seemed to have grown a little dimmer—and... a little more real.