Jiraiya stood where he was, watching the red-haired brat pull his precious disciple farther and farther away, until the two disappeared from his sight.
For him, Kaoru had initially been nothing more than the Child of Prophecy he believed in.
Later, with Nagato's appearance, that belief had been overturned—but that didn't erase the years of effort and care he had poured into her.
If he were being honest, he had never truly treated Kaoru as just a student.
She was more like a daughter.
Kaoru was sensible, gentle, and obedient. That was exactly why Jiraiya had tried so hard to oppose her relationship with Kyusei.
Kyusei was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Even though he had already fully mastered the Nine-Tails, his very existence meant that, no matter what crisis Konoha faced in the future, Kyusei would be its final trump card—the last and strongest line of defense.
To be with Kyusei meant accepting an unbearably heavy future.
The Second Great Ninja War might have ended, but the Five Great Villages had not suffered irreparable damage. Within ten years, the Third Great Ninja War was almost guaranteed to erupt.
And when that time came, Kyusei would very likely step onto the battlefield.
Who could force a perfect jinchūriki to fight?
Only opponents of the same level.
Kage?
Or perhaps… other tailed beasts?
If something were to happen to Kyusei on that battlefield, what would Kaoru do then?
Losing the one she loved—she would be crushed by that pain.
And on top of everything else, that kid Kyusei was far too unreliable on a daily basis. That alone was reason enough for Jiraiya's dislike.
If Kaoru chose to be with him, her life would not be easy.
"What are you staring at?"
A calm voice spoke up beside him. At some point, a black-haired man had appeared at Jiraiya's side.
"Hmph. That idiot's been trying to split those two apart nonstop. I swear, he's asking for a beating."
Standing with Orochimaru, Tsunade immediately understood Jiraiya's mood just by looking at his face.
Jiraiya was never good at hiding his thoughts—everything showed plainly on his expression. As someone who had grown up alongside him, Tsunade knew him inside out.
"It seems quite a lot of interesting things happened while I was away from the village."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
He had already heard about the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. As one of the Third Hokage's core confidants, he naturally had access to information that had shaken the entire upper echelon of Konoha.
Including that particular secret.
"Hahaha, enough about that!"
Jiraiya suddenly slung an arm around Orochimaru's shoulders, grinning broadly.
"You finally made it back alive, Orochimaru. Let's go drink—call it a victory celebration!"
Orochimaru glanced at him helplessly, but didn't refuse.
From the Hokage's office window, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the three figures walk away together. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
His students had become the pillars of Konoha.
At the same time, the village's new generation was beginning to grow strong.
Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction.
Yet his thoughts inevitably drifted back to the future information Kakashi had once mentioned.
White Fang's suicide.
Tsunade's hemophobia.
Orochimaru's defection.
Jiraiya leaving the village.
The jinchūriki losing the tailed beast.
The Fourth Hokage's death.
Kumo's attempt to steal the Byakugan.
The Uchiha clan's annihilation…
One grim event after another struck his mind like hammer blows.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, a chill crawling over his scalp.
Now that he knew of this future, he could not allow it to happen again.
If that was the case… then the first change should start with Tsunade.
"Someone," he said quietly,
"go and summon Katō Dan."
According to the intelligence, Dan would die early in the Third Great Ninja War—caught in an enemy encirclement and killed while using the Spirit Transformation Technique, unable to resist.
That death was the primary cause of Tsunade's crippling fear of blood.
So what if Dan were assigned as an ANBU squad leader instead?
Would that not alter his fate?
After all, the reason Konoha suffered such heavy losses in the Third Great Ninja War was precisely because Tsunade—the strongest medical-nin in the world—had withdrawn from the battlefield.
And then there was Sakumo Hatake…
Had he been pushing him too hard?
Maybe he should reduce Sakumo's missions, let him spend more time at home with his child…
And Kyusei's training—Sakumo couldn't be allowed to slack on that either.
Kaoru's growth as well… that future Fourth Hokage needed to hurry up and mature.
—
Rain poured endlessly, dark clouds blanketing the sky.
"I don't like this place."
Atop a steel tower, a cold-faced少女 gazed down at the city of iron and concrete below.
"If you want to destroy the Uchiha clan,"
the old man behind her said in a deep voice, wrapped tightly in his cloak,
"then you must possess power of your own."
"I don't see how these Rain Village trash can offer me any real strength."
The girl—Uchiha Hikaru—turned her gaze to the tall man standing behind the old one.
He wore a shinobi combat suit, a gas mask covering his face, long sandy-blond hair falling behind him.
Hanzo of the Salamander.
His eyes were dull, empty—clearly under the effects of genjutsu.
"Only Hanzo here is worth my attention."
"To destroy the Uchiha, you must first deal with Konoha."
Madara Uchiha tightened his cloak against the wind. The height was unbearable for an old man like him.
"Konoha is far too strong right now. The White Fang. The Sannin. A perfect jinchūriki. The Third Hokage."
"With your current strength, you cannot destroy Konoha alone."
"Even a single jinchūriki is beyond you."
"So," Madara said slowly,
"you need companions."
Hikaru remained unmoved, her expression icy. She wore a dark blue-black Uchiha clan outfit—clothing she despised, yet deliberately chose to wear as a reminder of her hatred.
That clan, which had engineered her parents' deaths and turned her into a butcher, deserved nothing less than extinction.
"With just this Rain Village, and you playing house with those three brats," she said flatly,
"you think Konoha will fall?"
"Uzumaki Nagato possesses the Rinnegan," Madara replied.
"You and he will be the perfect partners."
"The other two are merely extras."
"They will serve as nourishment for Nagato's growth."
"With your Mangekyō and his Rinnegan, even the Nine-Tails will be nothing more than an easy catch."
"And once my Yin–Yang Release is complete,"
Madara continued,
"you will gain yet another ally."
"This is all part of the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"And when that time comes…"
"You will meet your parents again."
At the mention of her parents, a flicker of warmth unconsciously surfaced in Hikaru's eyes.
Perhaps…
A world like this was better left to sleep forever in a dream.
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