Two Years Ago

Hyuga Mina sobbed so hard she could barely speak. "Captain, how could you leave us like this?" Tears streamed down her cheeks and fell onto her jade-smooth hands.

She walked through Konoha's bustling streets, but beneath all that noise and color, she sensed only silence. It felt as though she had no one left to lean on in the village.

She entered an izakaya on Rongchuang Street. The dining room was loud and lively, yet none of that warmth reached her. She felt like a spectator looking in.

"Owner, a bottle of sake, five chicken skewers, and a grilled fish," Hyuga Mina ordered listlessly.

"Of course. Please wait a moment." Xiao Qing wiped the sweat from her brow as she answered, looking flustered. The crowd of customers seemed to have left her struggling to keep up.

Hyuga Mina turned a Kunai over in her hand. Uchiha Ying had left its marks when he first mastered the Flying Thunder God. She gently traced the character "Ying" carved into it, as though she could still feel the powerful Space-Time Ninjutsu lingering there.

"Excuse me, could I have a glass of water first?" Hyuga Mina asked Xiao Qing.

"Of course. Here you go. If it's not cold enough, I can add some ice." Xiao Qing hurried back toward the kitchen as soon as she finished speaking.

A white-haired man wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector and a Jonin vest came over. "Mina, you're eating here? Mind if I join you?" Hatake Sakumo asked.

"Of course. Sit down. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to." Hyuga Mina managed a faint smile.

After Hatake Sakumo sat down, grief surged in Hyuga Mina's eyes. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "Sakumo, do you know what the captain was to us? He was Konoha's brightest light.