Main World.
Konoha Year 25, winter.
Imperial Palace, Consort Xin's Bedchamber.
The snow outside grew heavier, blanketing the New Capital's rooftops and streets in white silence. The fire burned brightly, and the occasional crackle of wood sounded especially clear in the warm room. Kushina sat beside the bed, holding a cup of hot tea. The tea had already gone cold, but she had not drunk any. Her gaze rested on the woman sitting quietly across from her, her eyes slightly red.
Uchiha Mikoto. No, she could not be called "Uchiha" yet. In Shinobi World No. 1, she had already died. She had died on the night of the massacre, beneath her son's blade. In the Main World, she had only just been resurrected, only just been brought to the Empire, only just opened her eyes, only just seen this world.
Mikoto sat in a chair, wearing white pajamas-Kushina's, as she had no clothes of her own yet. Her face was pale, her eyes full of bewilderment. She did not know where she was, who the red-haired woman before her was, or who those people in dark gray uniforms walking back and forth outside the door were. She remembered only that she had died. Then someone had brought her here.
"Mikoto." Kushina's voice was soft, with a slight tremor. "It's me. Kushina."
Mikoto's pupils contracted slightly. "Kushina? Didn't you... weren't you..."
"Dead? I'm not." Kushina's tears finally slid down her cheeks. "I'm alive in another world. This is the Great British Empire, not the Shinobi World. The person who saved you is the Empire's emperor, my husband-Toyotomi Yinglang."
Mikoto was silent for a long time. She was taking it in. Taking in "another world," taking in "Empire," taking in "husband," taking in "I'm still alive." Her lips moved as she tried