Director Yakushi and the prelude to the storm

The moment the dismissal bell rang the next day, the Ninja Academy students eagerly slung on their schoolbags and hurried out of the classroom in twos and threes, arms draped over one another's shoulders.

Normally, Shingetsu would linger at school a little longer, waiting for Madara Uchiha to finish his work so they could return to the clan grounds together. Today, however, she had decided to visit the Konoha Orphanage with Chinatsu.

Of course, she had not simply decided to go without telling anyone. She had informed Hōkaku and Madara well in advance, and both guardians had agreed. Madara had only said that once he finished dealing with that batch of garbage they called homework, he would come find her at the orphanage.

"The food should have arrived this morning."

Walking beside Chinatsu along Konoha's main street after leaving school, Shingetsu saw the disbelieving joy in her friend's eyes and could not help feeling proud, like a cat that had successfully caught a mouse and was waiting for its owner to pat its head and praise it.

"Shingetsu, you're amazing!"

Chinatsu was so happy that her face flushed red. Praise poured from her lips as though it cost her nothing, without a moment's pause. A genius, kind, incredible, clever-if it sounded nice, she said it. Even after Shingetsu blushed under the praise, Chinatsu kept going.

"All right, let's talk about something important!"

Her face as red as a ripe cherry, Shingetsu hastily interrupted her and asked a few questions about the orphanage.

Konoha had only just been founded and had yet to experience war, so there were not many children at the orphanage. After some rough calculations, Shingetsu figured the food delivered that morning should feed them for two or three months.

She was not worried in the slightest about anyone targeting the orphanage, though. Everyone knew it was under Hashirama Senju's protection! Anyone who dared touch it must have been tired of living and wanted a blast of Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands to end their life.

As they chatted, the main street gave way to a dirt road, and their surroundings gradually grew quieter.

Little by little, untended weeds thickened on either side of the road, their lush green spreading as if possessed. The Konoha Orphanage stood amid a vast stretch of forest.

The rather crude wooden buildings sat quietly in this secluded corner far from the village, surrounded only by a few verdant vegetable plots. Children in plain but neat, clean clothes played with their Grasshoppers in the clearing. A woman wearing a white hood and a black kimono sat nearby, basking in the sunlight as she soothed the baby in her arms to sleep.

At the sight of Chinatsu, the brown-haired woman's eyes lit up, and an infinitely gentle smile immediately spread across her face.

"Oh, Chinatsu, you're back."

"Welcome home, Chinatsu!"

The children abandoned their toys and rushed toward Chinatsu, each trying to reach her first. Yet they all lowered their voices, afraid of waking the sleeping baby.

One little squirt after another jumped at Chinatsu, wanting her to pat their heads. Though they had lowered their voices, their high-pitched chatter mingled into a racket like quacking ducks, impossible to ignore.

"I didn't get into trouble today! Wasn't I good?"

"You're lying! I just saw you slacking off!"

"Chinatsu, look at the Grasshopper I made! Isn't it just like yours?"

Forgotten off to one side, Shingetsu stared wide-eyed in astonishment. Having always been an only child, she had never seen such a lively scene before!

What a warm, loving family.

Watching Chinatsu listen to each child and pat every head even while buried beneath her little brothers and sisters, Shingetsu could not help admiring her. In her place, Shingetsu's brain would have exploded long ago.

Being a big sister really isn't easy.

"Chinatsu, did you bring a friend?"

The woman who appeared to be the director stood with the baby in her arms and walked over. Her leisurely voice was wonderfully gentle. In the blink of an eye, the children ran behind her, watching the unfamiliar Shingetsu with nervous eyes.

"Director, this is my classmate from the Ninja Academy. She's also my good friend."

Chinatsu took Shingetsu's hand and introduced her to the director. Suddenly finding so many people staring straight at her, Shingetsu grew a little embarrassed.

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Shingetsu!"

Before coming to the orphanage, Shingetsu had looked through the director's information.

The director, Yakushi Chan, was a gentle, compassionate woman. She cherished the orphanage's children, lavishing the same deep love on every one of those lonely little souls.

What surprised Shingetsu, however, was that she was neither a native of the Land of Fire nor a shinobi. Shingetsu was very curious how a physician had ended up coming to Konoha and establishing an orphanage.

"Huh? Director, you aren't from the Land of Fire?"

Hearing Shingetsu's question, Chinatsu was surprised too. She had never heard the director speak about her family background and quickly asked about it.

"My family served as medical officers to the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water for generations. But we were later exiled, and my family fled to the Land of Fire."

Yakushi Chan seemed unconcerned as she spoke of her once-illustrious family, whose glory had long since faded. Faced with the children's questions, she offered only a brief, matter-of-fact explanation before steering away from the subject.

"That was all a very long time ago. There's nothing worth mentioning."

In fact, Yakushi Chan had begun adopting orphans before Konoha was founded. Chinatsu was one of the children she had taken in back then. But supporting so many children during the turbulent Warring States Period on a traveling physician's income had been no easy task.

To earn more money, she sometimes had no choice but to deal with shinobi, providing them with basic treatment.

Medical shinobi were exceedingly scarce in those days. Ordinary shinobi either treated their own injuries or sought help from civilian physicians like Yakushi Chan. Over the years, she had developed considerable medical skill, but as an ordinary person, she could go no further.

Never having learned Medical Ninjutsu so that she could save more patients had always been one of Yakushi Chan's greatest regrets.

"What made you decide to open an orphanage in Konoha?"

Seeing Director Yakushi's spirits beginning to sink, Shingetsu quickly changed the subject and asked how the orphanage had been founded. Once this came up, Yakushi Chan became noticeably more talkative, and her eyes shone like torches.

"Lord Hashirama invited me."

According to Yakushi Chan, Hashirama Senju had heard about what she was doing and personally sought her out.

At first, she had been frightened of this strange shinobi who had turned up uninvited. But to put her mind at ease about establishing an orphanage in Konoha, Hashirama had not only offered free land and buildings, but also promised that Konoha would cover the orphanage's expenses from then on.

Yes, the wooden buildings Shingetsu found so crude, along with all the wooden furniture inside, had been built by Hashirama Senju himself using Wood Release.

Looking at the simple buildings and everyone's shabby clothes, then recalling Chinatsu's so-called Mixed-Grain Rice, Shingetsu's expression darkened. She felt she might have overestimated Hashirama Senju's noble character.

So that guy was this stingy?

Shingetsu had truly misjudged Hashirama. She did not know that, despite Konoha's mounting budget deficit, he had overcome everyone's objections to set aside a large plot for Yakushi Chan's orphanage, personally built its buildings and furniture with Wood Release, covered its expenses from his own salary, and even dropped by from time to time with supplies to visit the children.

Yes, Hashirama alone was actually paying all the orphanage's expenses. Together with his other great hobby, gambling, those expenses had successfully drained his wallet.

"Have you tried the food that arrived today?"

"The children had some at lunchtime. They were all delighted!"

Speaking of the food delivered that morning, Yakushi Chan's face filled with boundless gratitude. At this point, she immediately stopped walking and bowed deeply to Shingetsu.

"Lady Shingetsu, thank you so much! With all that food, the children won't have to eat Mixed-Grain Rice anymore!"

"This is too much!"

Startled, Shingetsu hurriedly pulled Yakushi Chan upright. She could not stand such embarrassing displays; they made her scalp prickle. Besides, she could tell that Director Yakushi was clearly a bit of an airhead, acting on whatever popped into her head!

Watching the two of them tug at each other in such a comical scene, Chinatsu could not hold back a laugh. Yakushi Chan looked up at the sound and narrowed her eyes in thought for a long moment. Then she suddenly slapped her forehead and blurted out:

"Chinatsu, Matron saved your share of lunch for you."

Just then, a baby's loud cries rang out from inside the building. The moment she heard them, Yakushi Chan left the two girls and rushed toward the nursery.

"Excuse me for a moment! Chinatsu, show Lady Shingetsu around!"

Watching Director Yakushi disappear down the corridor, Shingetsu had just begun reflecting on how difficult running an orphanage was when she suddenly felt a tug at the hem of her clothes.

She looked down to find a little girl who seemed only two or three years old gazing up at her, her large eyes sparkling with innocent curiosity.

"Are you the girl who sent us rice?"

When Shingetsu nodded, the little girl immediately let out a delighted cheer. Like a whirlwind, she scampered down the corridor, spreading the news to all her little friends.

"Wow! The girl who gave us rice is here!"

Then came a scene that made Shingetsu want to turn tail and flee. The orphanage's children surged toward her like a tide and surrounded her, eager to speak to her, their innocent faces full of curiosity and gratitude.

The children chattered endlessly, each talking over the others. How could a reserved Uchiha possibly endure such an onslaught? Shingetsu wanted nothing more than to run.

"All that rice! You must be really rich!"

"Thank you, girl I don't know! Here, you can have my favorite toy."

"She's so young! She's younger than us!"

"Stay and eat with us today!"

As Shingetsu stood surrounded by little squirts, utterly bewildered, Chinatsu was struggling so hard to suppress her laughter that she nearly fell to the ground. Just then, a gentle voice called to her from behind.

"Chinatsu, you're back."

A woman with straw-yellow hair, dressed in the same style of clothing as Director Yakushi, appeared behind Chinatsu and gently patted her shoulder.

"Are you hungry? I saved your lunch."

"Oh, Matron, I'm not hungry yet."

Chinatsu hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, rubbing her head in embarrassment as she habitually claimed she was not hungry.

"You're always like this, child."

Seemingly seeing through Chinatsu's words, the woman called Matron wore a faintly helpless expression. She must have been angry, for she turned her back on Chinatsu, yet her voice remained just as gentle.

"There's plenty of food, and everyone else has eaten. How can you go without?"

"Oh, I see. Then... then, all right!"

Chinatsu's face immediately turned bright red, but anticipation rose in her eyes. This time, she did not refuse again and instead obediently followed Matron toward the kitchen.

"Wait!"

Shingetsu suddenly called out to stop them. Carefully pushing her way past the children, she picked up the schoolbag she had left to one side and ran straight to Chinatsu.

"Chinatsu, I'll come with you."

"Who is this?"

"She's..."

Seeing an unfamiliar face, Matron asked curiously. Just as Chinatsu was about to introduce her by name, Shingetsu spoke for herself.

"Hello, Matron. I'm Chinatsu's classmate!"

"Oh, a classmate of Chinatsu's. Come have something to eat, then."

Matron nodded gently, then turned and led the two children to the little kitchen where she had kept the meal.

The orphanage's little kitchen was used to stew food for children too young to eat regular meals. It was only a small room, and people rarely came near it. Even the curtains were drawn to keep sunlight off the stored food.

Entering first, Matron took the white rice she had set aside from the stove. Wisps of steam rose from the piping-hot rice, and its fresh fragrance immediately filled the room, making Chinatsu, who followed her inside, eager to eat.

Clang! Shingetsu, the last to enter, reached behind her and shut the door firmly.

"Go on, eat."

"Wow, it looks wonderful!"

Matron handed the rice to Chinatsu, but the moment she took it, the heat nearly made her drop the bowl.

Her instinct to treasure food, however, kept her from letting go. Only after her hands were nearly red and swollen from the heat did she manage to set the bowl on the nearby table.

"Thank you, Ma-"

Just as Chinatsu was about to thank her, her smile and voice suddenly froze. Behind her glasses, her pupils widened in disbelief, as though they might shatter at the sight before her-

A powerful gust swept toward Matron from behind. A long blade thrust diagonally from an angle she could not see. Shingetsu suddenly appeared at her back, her brilliant crimson Sharingan spinning rapidly as she sought out the flaws in all things.

Though she caught Chinatsu's despairing expression from the corner of her eye, Shingetsu still reached out without mercy and cut through the death lines across the woman's chest.

Thud-

The unsuspecting woman was easily sliced in two by Shingetsu. Her severed body struck the floor, her hollow eyes staring straight at Chinatsu before her, glinting with a bewildered, empty white light called death.

"Ah... aaah-"

Seeing someone she knew die so horribly before her, Chinatsu's legs gave way, and she collapsed helplessly to the floor. Instinctively, she wanted to scream and sob, but before she could make either sound, Shingetsu, fresh from the killing, reached back and covered her mouth.

"She was already dead, Chinatsu. Look closely at her wound!"

Shingetsu lowered her voice, her expression exceptionally grave. She firmly restrained all of Chinatsu's struggles, never taking her eyes off the woman she had cut in two.

Despite the enormous wound, not a drop of blood spilled out. The woman's blood had already clotted completely. Long before Shingetsu dismembered her, she had been dead for quite some time.

Slowly, Chinatsu stopped struggling. Tears of grief kept spilling from her eyes, and her body went limp in Shingetsu's arms. Having studied medicine and Medical Ninjutsu, she had already confirmed the truth of Shingetsu's words.