Unchanged

Satomi was deeply concerned about the outcome of the meeting, but she had no right to attend and could only wait at home for Kazemori Masaki to return. When she heard the door open, she hurriedly put down what she was doing and went to ask him how it had turned out.

Seeing Kazemori Masaki's calm expression, Satomi already felt relieved. If the meeting had gone badly, he would not have looked so composed.

After sitting down, Kazemori Masaki told Satomi about the Uchiha Clan's situation. Just as she had expected, Lord Hashirama had resolved the incident without any trouble. She said happily, "That Kagami Uchiha should become the Clan Head, right? With him in charge, I'm sure the Uchiha Clan can get along with the village instead of being like they were before."

"Yes." Although Kazemori Masaki agreed aloud, he silently added, As long as Kagami doesn't die along the way.

Kagami Uchiha was undoubtedly someone who stood with the village. As long as he remained the Uchiha clan head, the Uchiha Clan would never turn its back on the village. In the future Kazemori Masaki knew, the Uchiha Clan had ultimately been brought to the brink of extinction, and Kagami Uchiha's early death had played a part in that.

Kazemori Masaki also knew something of the Uchiha Clan's traditions. The clan revered great power, and those who possessed it earned their respect. Under the influence of that mindset, some rather brutal rules of competition had developed within the clan.

Even Kagami Uchiha, whom Madara had personally chosen, had won the support of most of the clan through his outstanding talent and strength. According to the original course of history, Kagami Uchiha would die at twenty-five. Even in an age when people married very young, he could not possibly have left behind an adult heir, and the clan would never accept a child as its leader.

According to the Uchiha Clan's traditions, they generally chose a new Clan Head through fierce competition. The process usually involved bloodshed and suffering. A Clan Head selected this way possessed the strength needed to earn the clan members' trust and lead the entire clan forward.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Uchiha Clan must have chosen its new head this way after Kagami Uchiha's death—otherwise, the position would never have passed to Sasuke Uchiha's branch, since Kagami Uchiha had children of his own. As the newly chosen clan head was not Kagami Uchiha's successor, he naturally could not inherit the close ties Kagami Uchiha had established with the Konoha High Command. Coupled with the Uchiha Clan's temperament, their gradual estrangement afterward was understandable.

A major reason Tobirama Senju had taken Kagami Uchiha as his student was that he hoped Kagami Uchiha could influence those within the clan who rejected the village, gradually fostering the Uchiha Clan's sense of belonging to it. However, Kagami Uchiha's early death had cost the clan its bond of trust with the high command. As the Uchiha Clan drifted farther and farther from the center of power, Tobirama Senju's painstaking efforts had gone to waste.

If the Uchiha Clan was to truly become an inseparable part of Konoha Ninja Village, Kagami Uchiha absolutely could not die—or he had to find a successor before his death so that this bond of trust would not be broken.

It looks like I have another reason to keep Kagami alive, Kazemori Masaki thought. But there's still a big problem: I don't know which mission he died on. At least I know something happened to him when he was twenty-five. I'll have to keep an eye on him then.

Looking at the now-relaxed Satomi, Kazemori Masaki said, "By the way, Lord Hashirama wants us to get married as soon as possible, sometime in the next few days. And Kagami came up with an idea: having our wedding on the same day as his."

"Hm? Kagami Uchiha is getting married too?" Satomi froze for a moment, then realized what his last sentence meant. Her eyes widened. "We're getting married on the same day?"

"Yes. Would you rather not?" Kazemori Masaki asked.

"It's not that. What does Lord Hashirama think?"

"He thinks it's a great idea. He even clapped and praised it at the meeting. If you don't like it, I can speak to Lord Hashirama," Kazemori Masaki said.

"I already said I don't mind." Satomi puffed out her cheeks. "I'm just a little surprised, that's all. We're getting married on the same day, after all."

That really is something novel in Konoha Ninja Village, Kazemori Masaki thought. Then he brought up what Kagami Uchiha had said to him. He felt he should tell Satomi and ask her opinion. "On the way back, Kagami wanted to make an agreement with me. If our children turn out to be a boy and a girl, he suggested we could arrange a betrothal while they're still little."

"Did you agree?" Satomi asked, her eyes wide.

"No." Kazemori Masaki smiled. "I have to ask your opinion too. How could I decide something like that on my own? You're the one who'll give birth to our child, aren't you?"

"Good thing you know that," Satomi said with a huff. If Kazemori Masaki had truly decided on his own, she would have been a little angry even if she thought it was a good idea. "He's the head of the Uchiha Clan. If he's willing to join our families through marriage, we'd be marrying above our station. Still, I think it's better to let the children decide for themselves. There's nothing wrong with letting them grow up close to each other, though."

"That's what I think too." Kazemori Masaki smiled, then asked with some curiosity, "Satomi, if you didn't like me, would you have refused even if Lord Hashirama had arranged our engagement?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want to spend my whole life with someone I didn't like either." Satomi looked at Kazemori Masaki and lowered her head slightly. "Actually, Lord Hashirama arranged our engagement precisely because I liked you."

Kazemori Masaki's gaze shifted slightly. They had only been nine when they got engaged. He had not even known what it meant to like someone and had somehow ended up engaged to Satomi without really understanding it. But from Satomi's tone, it seemed Lord Hashirama had brought them together because she had feelings for him.

Kazemori Masaki slowly recalled the past. After Lord Hashirama had taken him in, he had stayed temporarily with the Senju Clan. The loss of his family had left him deeply wounded. During his recovery, a girl who had also lost her parents had shared her feelings with him. After he recovered, however, all he could think about was becoming stronger, and he had never seen that girl again.

Now that he thought back on it, hadn't that girl been Satomi? But grief had blinded him, and with nothing but training on his mind, he had forgotten all about her. When they got engaged, the girl standing before him had clearly been that same girl, yet he had failed to remember her.

"Heh." Remembering this, Kazemori Masaki could not help letting out a quiet laugh. He really was an idiot.

"What are you laughing at?" Satomi glanced at Kazemori Masaki.

"At a certain fool." Kazemori Masaki shook his head and said self-mockingly, "He knew someone, but when they met again, he'd forgotten her."

Satomi quickly understood what Kazemori Masaki meant and gave a soft huff. "You finally remembered. When we got engaged, I was hoping you'd have something to say to me, but you treated me like a stranger."

"I'm sorry. It was my fault. I hurt you," Kazemori Masaki said quickly.

"It wasn't quite that bad." Satomi had indeed been a little angry at the time, but after all their years together, she no longer cared about it. Only because Kazemori Masaki had brought it up again did she remember how she had felt back then and find herself making a few complaints. In any case, she was about to marry him, so the matter was behind them.

"But Masaki really is still Masaki." Resting her cheek in her hand, Satomi smiled. "Lately, you've seemed so much more dependable than before, almost like a different person. But now I can see you haven't changed after all. I'm so glad."

Kazemori Masaki was taken aback. After gaining the experiences of another life, he had often struggled to tell which person he truly was. Was he Kazemori Masaki, who had acquired another set of memories, or someone else who possessed "Kazemori Masaki's" memories? Now, hearing Satomi's words, he still had some doubts, but the confusion in his heart faded for the time being.

(End of chapter)