Various Reactions

In the late autumn of the 46th year of Konoha, the chill grew heavier, and even the air seemed congealed with the murderous tension of an impending major war. Just on the eve of Kyohaku Uchiha receiving his transfer orders and preparing to set out for the front lines in the Land of Rivers alongside Orochimaru, two long-absent relatives took advantage of a brief window between completed missions to visit his secluded little house on the edge of the village.

When the knock sounded, Kyohaku had just finished organizing a portion of his experimental notes that he needed to carry with him. He got up, walked with a steady gait across the small courtyard, and opened the gate.

Outside stood a travel-weary Maiyi Uchiha and Shota Uchiha. Maiyi was still wearing her Chunin flak jacket, her brows carrying a touch more of the grit forged through the fires of war. Shota, on the other hand, wore a look of exhaustion, as Military Police Force duties became exceptionally heavy during wartime.

"Kyohaku, our mission just ended, so we dropped by to see you..." Maiyi's voice cut off abruptly. Her pretty eyes widened suddenly, staring dead-fixed at Kyohaku's right foot in disbelief, before snapping back up to look at his face. "You... your foot...?!'"

She clearly saw that Kyohaku was standing there, his center of gravity resting steadily on both legs without relying on that familiar cane! Moreover, he seemed to have... grown a bit taller. Although still slender, the impression he gave was no longer one of frailty, but rather of a certain restrained, wiry strength.

Shota Uchiha was likewise stunned, his stern face plastered with shock. His sharp gaze swept up and down over Kyohaku, eventually landing as well on those steadily planted legs, his pupils contracting slightly.

A well-calibrated smile carrying a trace of shyness and joy appeared on Kyohaku's face—an expression he had practiced meticulously. "Big Sis Maiyi, Uncle. You're here. Come inside and talk."

He stepped aside to make way, his movements fluid and natural.

Walking into the house, Maiyi's excitement remained difficult to calm. She practically circled around Kyohaku, her voice filled with pleasant surprise. "Goodness! Kyohaku, is your foot really healed?! When did this happen? How did it get better? That's wonderful! This is really... really wonderful!" She couldn't help reaching out to gently pat his arm, a trace of relieved moisture even welling up in her eyes. She was genuinely happy for this ill-fated cousin of hers.

Shota Uchiha was considerably more composed, but his tightly furrowed brow also relaxed as he let out a long breath and sighed with emotion. "This is truly unexpected... I never thought your injuries would actually have a day of recovery. Great, now the souls of your parents in heaven can finally rest in peace." He looked at Kyohaku with a complex gaze containing concern, relief, and a hint of a burden lifted. As a ninja, he knew all too well what a disability meant, and now that Kyohaku was able to recover, it was undoubtedly a massive blessing.

Yet, after the initial surprise faded, Shota Uchiha's powers of observation as a veteran Jonin and police force squad leader began to take effect. He noticed Kyohaku's unusual, bloodless pale skin; it wasn't sickly, but it gave off a cold sense of detachment. He also keenly sensed that a condensed, unyielding chakra fluctuation—one by no means possessed by a Genin or even a Chunin, serene yet immense—was faintly swirling around Kyohaku's entire body.

More importantly, he knew who Kyohaku had been close to over the years—Orochimaru. One of the Legendary Sannin, a man of bizarre temperament who was obsessed with forbidden jutsu.

Joy was gradually replaced by a hint of suspicion and worry. Shota pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly, his tone turning cautious. "Kyohaku, how... was your injury cured? As far as I know, even Lady Tsunade back then..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear: an old injury that even the master of medical ninjutsu could do nothing about had suddenly healed, which was definitely out of the ordinary.

Kyohaku had long since prepared his explanation, and he replied with a natural expression. "It's thanks to Teacher Orochimaru. A novel cell-activation technique of his, combined with my own persistent medical ninjutsu cultivation over the past few years, stimulated my atrophied meridians to grow back. The process was very slow, and it was only completely consolidated recently." He shifted most of the credit to Orochimaru, which both fit the facts (on the surface) and sufficed to explain this miraculous recovery.

"Lord Orochimaru, is it..." Shota Uchiha muttered, the suspicion in his eyes not completely dissipating. He knew well that Orochimaru's methods often came with risks and costs that ordinary people found hard to imagine. Looking at Kyohaku's abnormally pale complexion, it was hard for him not to connect this change with that cold-hearted man. Was this recovery a blessing or a curse? A faint unease lingered in his heart, but faced with Kyohaku's obvious "health," he could say no more and could only caution in a deep voice, "Lord Orochimaru... has extraordinary means. It is fortunate that you received his treatment, but... in all things, be extra careful and protect yourself."

"I understand, Uncle. Thank you for your concern," Kyohaku answered respectfully, his attitude flawless.

Maiyi didn't seem to think along those lines; she remained immersed in the joy of her cousin's recovery and began eagerly asking about Kyohaku's future plans, and whether he was considering returning to a regular ninja squad.

Kyohaku did not reveal the news that he was about to head to the front lines, only vaguely stating that he would continue following Teacher Orochimaru to study medical ninjutsu and conduct research.

After the brief visit concluded and he saw his cousin and uncle out, Kyohaku closed the door, the "joy" and "shyness" on his face instantly fading away, returning to his customary calm.

He knew his uncle definitely had suspicions, but that didn't matter. As long as everything looked reasonable on the surface, no one would dig deep. As for Danzo and the Third Hokage...

Just as he had anticipated, whether it was the gloomy base of Root or the Hokage's Office, no one invested any attention into the recovery of a "small fry" like Kyohaku Uchiha.

In Danzo's eyes, he was still an "insignificant, crippled Uchiha good-for-nothing." Even if he recovered, at best he was just an ordinary medical ninja with zero recruitment value, and Danzo couldn't even be bothered to update the intelligence file on him.

To the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, bustling wartime official duties and heavy strategic decisions left him no time to spare. A brief report concerning "Kyohaku Uchiha's recovery from injury" might have been placed in a corner of his mountainous piles of documents, but it could only evoke a relieved sigh of "a misfortune among misfortunes" before being drowned out by more urgent paperwork regarding front-line casualties, supply allocations, and diplomatic maneuvering.

No one truly perceived the power hidden beneath his pale skin, and no one knew he was about to willingly step into that bloody shithole of a battlefield.

This suited Kyohaku's intentions precisely.

Amidst the intentional and unintentional neglect of all parties, he completed his final preparations before the war.

The pale youth stood quietly by the window, gazing out at the gloomy sky outside. His gaze seemed to pierce through distance itself, landing upon that land of the Land of Rain soon to be stained red with blood and fire.

The storm was about to arrive. And he was ready.