"What astonishing ocular jutsu!" Karura exclaimed, standing fifty meters away.
"Though it pains me, as an enemy, I must ask you to die here!" Karura apologized softly, pulling out a kunai and throwing it at Inoyue.
Inoyue was completely defenseless at that moment. After such a massive shock, it was already impressive that she hadn't had a mental breakdown. Uchiha Suien, with his leg injured, was still some distance from Inoyue; even if he wanted to save her, he was powerless.
"Goodbye, little girl. Don't be a Ninja in your next life!" Karura murmured softly.
Clang! With a parry, a figure flashed, and Minato Namikaze, holding a kunai, suddenly appeared beside Inoyue.
"I finally made it!" Minato Namikaze exclaimed with relief. He had been dispatched by Danzo to perform another mission. After returning to the main camp and understanding the situation, he immediately used Flying Thunder God to rush over. If he had been even a moment slower, Inoyue would have surely died.
Minato was incredibly strong, but Karura was not weak, and being in the desert, she had a geographical advantage.
When two strong opponents clash, one is bound to be injured, especially since the main objective this time was simply to rescue someone. Minato glanced at Karura, picked up Inoyue, grabbed Uchiha Suien, and with a Flying Thunder God, vanished.
...
Maturity means experiencing things you didn't want to experience, and then still being able to face life correctly!
Maturity is also a process that accompanies a person throughout their life because, until death, things you don't want to happen may still occur.
After returning to the main camp, Inoyue just lay there, staring blankly, occasionally blinking. This was even true during her treatment.
Inoyue's injuries were severe, and she was Minato's temporary disciple, plus she had suffered psychological trauma, so she received special treatment. With approval from the higher-ups, she was sent back to Konoha to recuperate.
Her mental state had no issues, but she simply couldn't overcome the mental hurdle. Killing wasn't something she couldn't accept, but killing women and children crossed the line of Inoyue's conscience.
Hokage is a passionate anime that makes people's blood boil, but if you were truly in that world, there would only be cruelty and struggle; passion? Truly, there would be none.
"Inoyue, are you feeling better?" A purple-haired loli, holding a bouquet of daffodils, walked into the hospital room.
Yūgao Uzuki, with purple hair, was the same age and in the same class as Inoyue, and one of Inoyue's few good friends. After Inoyue transmigrated, she hadn't actively sought her out, partly fearing Yūgao might discover something, and partly because she was rushed to the battlefield.
When Inoyue was sent back to Konoha, Yūgao Uzuki, having heard the news from somewhere, came every day to look after her good friend.
It was truly wonderful to have someone care for her. Yūgao Uzuki genuinely had the potential of a virtuous wife and loving mother; she was very attentive in her care. Uzumaki Kushina was the opposite example; though well-meaning, her food was not suitable for a patient.
After more than a month of recovery, Inoyue's body had mostly healed. Compared to her physical state, the mental hurdle was the real obstacle.
"Ah! Much better!" Inoyue forced a smile.
Yūgao Uzuki's small head tilted close to Inoyue's face, looking into Inoyue's eyes, and asked with much confusion, "Really?"
"Really!" Naruto was very clingy but also very thoughtful. How could she, an adult, always trouble Naruto? So Inoyue nodded seriously in response, indicating that there was no need to worry at all.
"Yūgao, I want to go out for a walk!" Inoyue had been lying in bed for almost a month and was already fed up.
"Ah! Really?" Naruto clasped her hands together in a prayer gesture, her eyes sparkling with stars. It was as if Inoyue wanting to go for a walk was both an unexpected and joyful thing for her.
...
Konoha was very peaceful. Even though the Third Shinobi World War had been going on for so long, Konoha remained unchanged from its usual peace.
Inoyue politely declined Yūgao Uzuki's company, wanting only to walk around and see things alone. It had been almost three months since she transmigrated to the Hokage world, and she had never properly seen Konoha.
Walking on the stone-paved streets, facing the wind, she adjusted the strands of hair by her ears. Listening to the shouts of the shopkeepers, this feeling was truly wonderful.
It was late autumn, and some leaves were beginning to turn yellow. The sun in the sky began to slant, and the shadows of the utility poles also started to shift with the slanting sun.
Inoyue came out after lunch. Whether it was dressing or eating, everything was done under Yūgao Uzuki's supervision. Naruto was very worried about her going out alone, as if she would commit suicide the moment she left her side.
Suicide? Once was enough. No matter what happens, I will never commit suicide again, because only by living is there possibility, only then is there hope. If I'm not even afraid of death, then what else is there to fear?
Yes! What am I afraid of? Inoyue muttered to herself.
With a soft thud, a ball hit Inoyue's heel.
"Big sister, I'm sorry!" A three-year-old boy rubbed the back of his head, apologizing shyly.
Inoyue smiled, bent down, picked up the ball, and threw it back to the little boy.
"Thank you, big sister!" The little boy took the ball and immediately ran back to the group of children waiting for him, and they started playing again.
Peace is truly good, Konoha is truly good. Perhaps among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha is the most normal and peaceful. However, this peace is built upon the Ninja who fight on the front lines. They are like border guards, protecting their homes and country. The current peace is built on the blood, flesh, and mental sacrifices of those border guards.
Peace is hard-won, which is why it needs to be protected with everything, even life. That's how I should be now!
As for those people she unintentionally killed: "I'm sorry! I cannot die yet, and I don't want to die. If one day I truly die, then in hell, you can pull out my tendons and skin me to repay it!"
Inoyue was not a great person, but she knew how to be grateful. In this world, many people were genuinely good to her, including Naruto Yūgao Uzuki, Minato Namikaze, Uzumaki Kushina, and Uchiha Suien, among others. Since she had transmigrated to this world and knew its future, why not try to change it?
Changing it requires great power, and power is precisely what is currently lacking.
After experiencing painful things, only you can emerge from confusion. Some people adapt quickly, but others remain stuck in that hurdle for a lifetime. Those who emerge are called mature; those who stay are called deluded.
There are many shadows in life, but most of them are self-imposed, placing oneself in the most pathetic position, believing oneself to be the most miserable and unfortunate person in the world. But little do they know that as long as they take that one proactive step, life truly changes. Pathetic is due to one's narrow perspective, seeing only oneself.
To see more beautiful scenery, one must be proactive, because being proactive versus passive leads to completely different views and outcomes.
With a chuckle, Inoyue took a deep breath, and determination finally shone in her eyes.
"I, Chiba Inoyue, will definitely protect what I want to protect!" Inoyue, who had unknowingly walked to the Hokage Rock, roared down at Konoha below.
With all the gloom in her heart gone, a charming smile appeared on Inoyue's face.
"Peaceful Konoha is truly wonderful; as a home, perhaps it's truly not bad!"
...
"You've been following me for so long, aren't you going to come out yet?" Having cleared the gloom from her heart, Inoyue, looking down at Konoha below, suddenly said.
After a while, an Anbu wearing a mask walked out: "Hokage-sama is looking for you!" His voice was somewhat flat, as if all Anbu were like this! Or perhaps because Inoyue, a Genin, had discovered his presence, which left him with some lingering irritation.
Hokage, that kind old man from my memories? I wonder what he wants?
Well! Never mind that for now, as long as it's not Danzo. I haven't met the Third Hokage in this life yet, so it's a good time to go see him today.