Afternoon.
At the refugee shelter, Mikoto Uchiha was distributing supplies to the people. This was voluntary work she had chosen to do.
"Thank you so much! You're from the Uchiha clan, right? Thank you all for saving the village!"
An elderly man who had just received supplies spoke warmly to Mikoto.
Mikoto gave a somewhat awkward smile and continued handing out supplies to the next person. She had encountered this scenario countless times today. Some had been even more emotional than the old man—holding her hands, tearfully expressing gratitude, and thanking the Uchiha clan for saving their families.
The night before, Fugaku had told her that the Uchiha would have a new future, and now she could clearly feel the shift in the clan's standing within the village.
The shelter was crowded, mostly with women, children, and the elderly. The younger, able-bodied villagers had joined the construction teams to help rebuild the village.
As Mikoto continued distributing supplies, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure nearby, talking with a mother and daughter. She paused for a moment, then quickly walked over.
"Big Brother Ren, the things you brought, the village has already handed out. Why don't you get me something tasty?" the little girl with two buns on her head said.
"Where would I find something good to eat in times like these?"
"Don't listen to her, Ren. She only thinks about food," the girl's mother interjected.
The boy they were talking to exchanged a few words with the mother and daughter, and Mikoto hesitated for a moment before softly clearing her throat.
"Um..."
The attention of the trio shifted to Mikoto.
"Oh, are you here to give out supplies too? Thanks!" the little girl said cheerfully.
"What's it this time? Blankets?"
Mikoto smiled awkwardly and handed over the supplies.
"Do you remember me?" she asked, looking at Ren.
"Yes."
"I haven't had the chance to thank you yet. May I ask for your name?" Mikoto asked, smiling warmly.
"Ren Kanzuki."
"My name is Mikoto Uchiha," Mikoto introduced herself with a smile.
"I know," Ren replied. "You're the wife of the Uchiha clan head."
"That night, helping you was nothing more than an instinctual act. Any Konoha shinobi would have done the same."
But Mikoto shook her head, smiling. "Regardless, you are our savior. My son and I owe you our lives."
"I was wondering if, whenever you have time, you'd like to come over to our house. Sasuke would love to see you again."
"That won't be necessary. The village is still in need of manpower for many things," Ren replied plainly.
"That's okay. I can wait until you have time," Mikoto said, still smiling. After bidding farewell to Ren and the mother and daughter, she turned and left.
Ren watched her back, frowning slightly.
"Wow, that was the wife of the Uchiha clan head! Big Brother Ren, you know such important people!" Tenten exclaimed after Mikoto left, full of admiration.
"Didn't she say? I only saved her that night," Ren said.
"But you'll be interacting with such big names now!" Tenten said excitedly.
Ren gave her a curious look and rubbed her head.
"Do you think that's a good thing?" he asked.
"Isn't it?" Tenten replied, confused.
"Dealing with people like that is exhausting," Ren said flatly.
"But aren't you their savior?" Tenten asked, puzzled.
Their savior…
Ren glanced at the system interface's character list.
---------------------------------------------------------
[Name]: Mikoto Uchiha
[Gender]: Female
[Age]: 34
[Affection Level]: 49
[Relationship]: Fellow villager
[Difficulty]: S
[First Kiss Reward]: Mastery of Yin Release
[Intimacy Reward]: Power of the Uchiha
---------------------------------------------------------
He vaguely remembered her affection score being 51 the first time they met.
Had she figured out that she was being watched?
"I'm leaving," Ren said to Tenten and her mother.
"Big Brother Ren, take me out to play!" Tenten called out.
"Ren has important matters to handle. Don't bother him, child," her mother scolded.
As Ren walked toward the exit of the shelter, he encountered another familiar face.
It was Kakashi, still in his standard shinobi battle gear, though without his mask.
"What a coincidence," Kakashi said when he spotted Ren.
"Are you on a mission, senpai?" Ren asked casually.
"No, just taking a break."
Kakashi's expression was indifferent, and he looked somewhat drained. Noticing Ren's green standard-issue combat uniform, he asked, "You left the Foundation?"
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded and looked down at Ren for a moment in thought.
"I'm here to visit someone, want to join me?"
"Who?"
"Yūhi Kurenai. You saw her at that dinner the other day," Kakashi replied.
"I heard it was you who saved her that night."
Ren shook his head. "Not going."
"It's just the two of us. The others already visited yesterday." Kakashi, almost as if he could sense Ren's dislike for noise, added, "I only just found time today."
Ren shook his head again. "It has nothing to do with me."
"You're pretty cold, huh?" Kakashi said helplessly.
"After all, you're her savior. I'm sure Kurenai would love to see you."
"Not necessarily," Ren replied calmly.
"Do you have something else to take care of?"
"No."
"..."
Kakashi began to understand that the young man before him was even more aloof than he had imagined.
"Why do you want me to go?" Ren suddenly asked.
Kakashi paused, slightly taken aback.
Why did he want Ren to go? He was just making conversation, and before he knew it, he had mentioned the visit and asked Ren to join him.
Did he really want Ren to come?
Kakashi was silent for a moment, then said, "Making more friends is always a good thing."
"You have a lot of friends, don't you, senpai?" Ren replied.
"..."
Kakashi said nothing more, but quietly observed Ren.
This boy's experiences seemed to mirror his own in some ways.
He had surely felt hatred toward the world after all he had lost—probably even toward himself...
Kakashi thought he understood Ren's current state and suddenly found himself hoping Ren could find a way out of that darkness.
"Come along. Kurenai is easy to get along with," he said softly, lowering his gaze slightly.
Without waiting for a response, Kakashi walked past Ren and headed toward the medical section of the shelter.
Yūhi Kurenai was sitting on her bed, bored, flipping through a book.
Her friends had visited earlier, but given the current circumstances, everyone was busy. She didn't want to burden them with staying too long.
Other than feeling a bit restless, Kurenai didn't need much care anymore. After a day of treatment, she was almost fully mobile. Now, all that remained was for her to rest and heal.
Suddenly, the tent's entrance flapped open, and someone stepped inside. The shifting light made her look up.
"Kurenai," Kakashi greeted her.
Kurenai smiled when she saw Kakashi, but her expression changed when she noticed the figure behind him.
Rustle, rustle...
The pages of the book slipped from her hand and fluttered noisily before landing on her lap.
Kurenai snapped out of her daze, hurriedly lowering her head in a fluster, one hand fumbling for the book, the other brushing back the strands of hair that had fallen across her forehead.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked as he approached her bed.
"N-Nothing," Kurenai stammered, picking up the book. She flipped through the pages aimlessly before remembering she shouldn't be reading right now, and quickly closed it.
She looked up at Kakashi, making sure her line of sight included only the silver-haired man standing beside her.
Kurenai forced a smile. "What brings you here?"
"Just came to check on you," Kakashi replied, his tone calm.
"Look who I brought with me."
"..."
Kurenai bit her lower lip before finally turning her gaze toward the door, where she met a pair of serene, water-like eyes.
He stood there, framed by the light streaming in, the golden and dark hues casting a soft glow around his silhouette. His black, tousled hair appeared almost tinted with color in the fading sunlight, and his usually cool and distant face now seemed softened by the warmth of the evening light.
Kurenai found herself momentarily lost, unable to tear her gaze away.
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