Main World.
Konoha Year 30, summer.
Country of Roran, West City Resettlement Area, medical station.
This medical station was a little smaller than the Relief Station, but its structure was sturdier. Its walls were rammed earth mixed with sand and stone, and thick palm leaves covered the roof. A half-length cloth curtain hung over the entrance, letting air through while keeping sand out. Inside were three beds and a row of wooden shelves along the wall, stacked with medicine and gauze. The floor was clean, with no accumulated sand.
Little Tsunade had just finished treating a child's scrape and was washing her hands at the basin.
An old man entered through the doorway. It was Uzumaki Jifang. This was only his third day since moving into the Resettlement Zone, and he had not quite grown used to life without windblown sand indoors. He would always stand at the entrance, looking at the stone-paved road outside. Today, he had walked a few steps, spotted this medical station, and lifted the curtain to come in.
After entering, he did not look at Tsunade. His gaze fell on the person sorting medicine by the wall. She was a young woman in a light gray short jacket, a little over thirty, with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and brisk, efficient movements. She rearranged several bottles of medicinal liquid by date, then turned to fetch gauze, coming face-to-face with the entrance.
Uzumaki Jifang's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then shifted down to her eyes. He stopped.
Those eyes were scarlet. Three tomoe slowly rotated within her pupils. This was no stress response, just their normal operation-the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was active, but she did not seem to be watching for any threat.
He watched for several seconds before speaking. His voice