She removed her ANBU fox mask and stared blankly at Akihito.
Under her intense gaze, even Akihito felt slightly uncomfortable.
No other reason—
There was heat in her eyes, mixed with grievance, as though he were some heartless scoundrel who had toyed with her feelings and then abandoned her without mercy.
As if she had finally made up her mind, Uzuki Yūgao stopped hesitating and suddenly threw herself into Akihito's arms.
Uchiha Akihito was completely caught off guard.
"Tch! This damn womanizer—how infuriating!"
Off to the side, Tsunade's mood darkened, irritation bubbling up inside her.
Having Kurenai constantly around Akihito had already made her displeased.
And now there was another?
What did he take her for?
Naturally, the surrounding Sand ninja became the unfortunate targets of her pent-up frustration.
"You damned Sand shinobi! How dare you run wild in Konoha! Who gave you the courage? All of you—die!"
By the time Yūgao, face flushed red, stepped away from Akihito's embrace, the surrounding Sand ninja had already been beaten down by Tsunade, their fates unknown.
"Tsunade, Yūgao's injured. Help treat her."
Tsunade shot Akihito a glare. "You've got the nerve to say that to me? Can't you do it yourself?"
Akihito replied, "Don't be like that. Yūgao was injured protecting the village. As Captain of the ANBU, her direct superior—can you really stand by and ignore your subordinate's injuries?"
Yūgao hurriedly said, "I'm fine, Akihito. There's no need to trouble Lady Tsunade…"
What she had done earlier—in front of Tsunade, no less—made her feel embarrassed upon reflection.
Yet she did not regret it.
Tsunade: …
"Akihito, you…"
Now that he had put it that way, no matter how annoyed she was, Tsunade had to endure it.
Still, she was already plotting how to "get even" later.
Not far away—
An ANBU wearing a cat mask silently watched.
Pain, sorrow, and…
Relief flickered in his eyes.
Feelings could not be forced.
What did not belong to him was not worth chasing endlessly.
Since Yūgao had made her feelings clear and chosen to throw herself into Lord Akihito's arms, then from now on, he would not disturb her again.
Yūgao… I hope you find happiness.
With that silent thought, Gekkō Hayate vanished in a flicker.
Watching his lonely departing figure, Uchiha Akihito fell into thought.
In the original timeline, Uzuki Yūgao had been Gekkō Hayate's lover.
But due to his transmigration and the butterfly effect, Yūgao had instead become his most devoted admirer.
That left his subordinate, Gekkō Hayate, in an awkward position.
Still, this wasn't Akihito's fault.
After all, Yūgao had taken the initiative from beginning to end.
He had never made any promises.
Akihito sighed inwardly.
Ah, this damn charm…
Once Tsunade finished treating Yūgao, Akihito had her follow them along.
Yūgao readily agreed, delighted.
By now, flames of war were burning throughout Konoha.
Large and small battlefields could be seen everywhere.
To Konoha's credit, however, its logistical response was excellent.
The moment fighting broke out, civilians were methodically directed into safe shelters.
Though buildings suffered heavy damage, there were few casualties.
In that regard, the Third Hokage deserved credit.
Akihito and the others continued patrolling the battlefield.
Whenever they encountered Sand ninja, they eliminated them on the spot.
Before long, they ran into Kakashi and Might Guy.
The two rivals were busy competing over who had taken down more Sand ninja.
As for Naruto and Sasuke, they were probably chasing after Gaara by now.
"Akihito, you're here."
Kurenai, dressed in her red-and-white jacket over black mesh armor, spoke with obvious delight upon seeing him.
"Master…"
Hinata stood beside her, calling softly and shyly.
If not for Akihito's sharp hearing, he might not have caught it.
After being rescued from a kidnapping by Kumogakure at age three, Hyuga Hiashi had entrusted her to Akihito as his disciple.
Nine years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Hinata was now twelve.
Under Akihito's guidance, her strength far surpassed what it had been in the original timeline—even Hyuga Neji might not necessarily defeat her.
However, her shy and timid nature seemed innate and remained unchanged.
Also present were the other two members of Team Eight: Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino.
Seeing Akihito, they were clearly excited.
Not because of his titles as Uchiha Clan Head or Chief of the Konoha Police Force—
But because of what he had done back then.
Single-handedly defeating the Two-Tails' jinchūriki.
Fighting both the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki at the same time—
Defeating the Fourth Raikage and capturing the Eight-Tails alive.
Turning the tide despite overwhelming odds and leading Konoha to a decisive victory over Kumogakure, bringing immense prestige to the village—
From elders to children, everyone in Konoha knew his name.
His prestige had once even surpassed that of the "Legendary Three Ninja."
Though after killing Danzō, Akihito had kept a lower profile—
His influence in Konoha remained undiminished.
"Kurenai, you're here too? Looks like things are settled on this side."
Akihito smiled.
Kurenai stepped closer. "We just finished. Akihito, what's going on with Sunagakure?"
Akihito shook his head. "Sunagakure is being used by Orochimaru… I'll explain the details later."
"Orochimaru?"
Kurenai looked startled.
How did this connect to Orochimaru—the former member of the Legendary Three Ninja turned traitor?
Yūgao, hearing this for the first time, was equally shocked.
But she obediently refrained from asking.
"Hey, Kurenai. Do you only see him in your eyes?"
Tsunade's tone carried dissatisfaction.
Kurenai quickly smiled. "How could that be? Lady Tsunade, you know you're the one I admire most…"
As she spoke, her gaze subtly lingered for a moment on Tsunade's ample chest.
"Hm? Yūgao, you're here too?"
Yūgao: …
Is my presence really that faint?
After chatting briefly, Akihito prepared to return to the Four Violet Flames Formation.
By now, the life-and-death battle between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage was likely nearing its conclusion.
"Tsunade, let's go."
"Yūgao, you stay with Kurenai's team for now. Watch each other's backs."
After giving his instructions, Akihito gently patted little Hinata's head before disappearing in a flash.
Tsunade followed close behind.
She was still holding a bellyful of anger.
Once they got there, she was definitely going to beat Orochimaru senseless.
Hinata, face flushed crimson from the head pat, stared at Akihito's retreating figure.
...
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