Yuki had been wandering for three years. Now seventeen, she carried herself with natural grace, her hair tied in a high ponytail her father had styled for her.
In these three years, she had traveled through many countries and faced numerous battles.
She had not inherited her father's red hair, which had caused her some trouble along the way, but she had not disappointed Ren either.
Now, she was a powerful wandering ninja, choosing not to wear the symbol of the Land of Whirlpools so she could meet more enemies.
The Land of Rain.
Yuki walked through this country, wearing a straw hat.
Nestled between several major nations, it was a country shaped by war. Even though the wars had ended years ago, the land still bore the scars.
She arrived at an inn and sat at a table, beginning to write a letter.
"Father, Mother, good evening. Your daughter is traveling through the ninja world, wandering from place to place. Now I have reached the Land of Rain, a small country still ravaged by war."
"During these three years, I have thought deeply about what war brings and whether the current peace in the Land of Whirlpools is truly right. I have concluded that war only brings sorrow and suffering. Nothing else."
"Father, the Land of Whirlpools is well, but if things continue as they are, it will eventually fall into war. I wish to unify the ninja world and achieve what you could not. I hope you can forgive your daughter."
After signing her name, Uzumaki Yuki, she folded the letter and used a summoning beast to send it—her way of keeping in touch with her family during these three years of wandering.
In a cave in the Land of Fire, a figure also wearing a straw hat, with his aura hidden, received the letter from the summoning beast. Ren read it carefully.
Seeing his daughter's ambition, he could not help but smile lightly. His own reason for not unifying the world was simple—without capturing Black Zetsu, all his efforts would be meaningless.
But he did not want to crush his daughter's confidence. Instead, he silently guarded her from afar.
"Still so slow… is it because Obito hasn't been chosen, so he hasn't made contact with my daughter?" Ren murmured to himself.
In truth, Madara had planned to approach Ren's daughter, Yuki.
First, because of her exceptional talent, which had inherited much from Ren.
Second, simply because she was Ren's daughter—just this fact alone excited Madara greatly. The thought of a father and daughter facing off each other thrilled him endlessly.
Yet he would not act impulsively. Ren had surely placed the Flying Thunder God mark in his daughter. A rash approach could disrupt his plans, so from the beginning, he had kept his distance.
In a small town in the Land of Rain, suffering from food shortages, Yuki spotted two figures stealing bread.
"Who are you?" Yahiko asked cautiously, hiding the blue-haired girl behind him.
Yuki didn't reveal her identity and simply turned to leave. Over the years, she had seen too many war orphans, and her resolve had grown firm.
Seeing that the woman in the straw hat didn't approach, the two little ones let out a sigh of relief. But before they could celebrate, a few taller orphans approached them.
"Konan, run!" Yahiko grabbed Konan without hesitation and ran toward Yuki.
They were smart. Seeing the two run toward the woman in the straw hat, the taller orphans didn't dare get closer. They cursed under their breath and left to look for food.
Yuki didn't mind the two using her reputation. To her, these war orphans might actually survive longer this way.
"Wait, please!" the boy called out loudly.
Yuki stopped, curious about what he wanted to say.
"Big sister, thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" Yuki's interest was piqued. She was currently traveling through the ninja world, mainly observing to see if this world was beyond saving.
"Because you don't blame us," Yahiko said, shaking his head with a bright smile.
Yuki paused. This was the first pure smile she had ever seen on a war orphan. A feeling of pity arose in her heart. "I won't blame you."
"You're a ninja, right, big sister?" Yahiko asked after thinking for a moment. War orphans were too fragile. He hadn't yet seen the rains stop in this country, and he didn't want to die with Konan.
"Yes," she replied.
"Can you teach us ninjutsu?" Yahiko clenched his hands tightly, his body trembling slightly, afraid that Yuki might refuse.
Yuki didn't answer immediately. She observed the two children in front of her. They left a good impression. Teaching them wouldn't cost her much—it would simply be a question of whether they would die in battle or fade away in hardship.
Caught in her gaze, the two children wavered slightly, but their eyes remained determined.
"All right," Yuki said after a moment. She had never intended to walk alone. This, after all, was an experiment—to see if they could become her support.
"That's great!" Yahiko smiled sincerely. Finally, Konan wouldn't have to suffer hunger alongside him.
Though she spoke of teaching them, Yuki had never guided anyone before. She planned to follow her father's method—imparting knowledge and letting them learn through experience.
But before learning ninjutsu, they first needed to strengthen their bodies. They were far too weak.
...
"Did you meet the two from Rain? Looks like a long training journey is ahead." Ren decided not to wait around anymore.
Using Flying Thunder God, he slipped past Konoha's barrier. His simple makeup made him look like an ordinary civilian.
The streets were quiet. The village was much smaller than in the original story, since many ninja clans had chosen to join the Land of Whirlpools, but Konoha was still the strongest ninja village outside of the Whirlpools.
"After the Third Hokage took office, the Senju slowly disappeared, didn't they?" Ren touched his chin and muttered Konoha Hyūga's negative rumors across the streets.
Ren really didn't understand. Konoha's current strength was much weaker than in the original story, yet they were still forcing geniuses to suicide? He couldn't comprehend Danzo and Hiruzen.
"By the way, if there's no deviation, Uchiha Obito should be a target. Better confirm if he exists." Ren worried that his own butterfly effect might cause some characters to appear differently.
Luckily, there was no surprise. On the street, an Uchiha helping an old lady cross the road appeared—except for Obito, there was no one else.
"Madara, Black Zetsu… hope they won't be too hard to find." Ren decided to stay in Konoha for a while. There was no ID system like in modern times, and the Anbu or Root wouldn't be able to find him.
At the Hokage's office, the trend of the "Four Great Powers" was already forming.
"Hiruzen, Uzumaki Yuki, Ren's daughter, has appeared in the ninja world. If we can recruit her, Konoha could gain immense power," Danzo said coldly.
"Danzo, you know Yuki's strength well," Hiruzen said, taking a drag of his cigarette.
A few years ago, Yuki had tested her power by almost single-handedly challenging the entire ninja world. Konoha's ninja teams had lost without a doubt.
"Hmph." Danzo had no intention of relying on strength. He wanted to use political ties—if she married into Konoha, all problems would be solved.
"The Land of Whirlpools is getting stronger again. Danzo, any spies infiltrated them?" Koharu asked, looking at Danzo.
"The Whirlpools' barrier is very strong, and with their strange identity system, infiltration is nearly impossible," Danzo replied gravely.
Most other villages had infiltrated each other, but the Whirlpools were nearly impossible to get intelligence on.
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