In the deep forest of the Land of Fire.
Uzumaki Kushina's ankles were rubbed raw, flesh and blood exposed. Every time she fell, it felt like ten thousand needles driving into the wounds.
She bit down hard on her lips. The taste of iron spread through her mouth. This was the third time today she had fallen on purpose.
"Walk faster!"
A Kumo-nin jonin kicked her hard.
Kushina let out a muffled groan, stumbled back to her feet, and at the same time wound a strand of her red hair around the sharp thorns of a nearby shrub.
'The seventh spot now.'
'Someone has to see it.'
Kushina thought this in her heart.
The rope binding her suddenly pulled tight. She staggered and raised her head.
The border line was right in front of them. The last light of the setting sun looked like a dying ember. Moonlight fell through the trees onto the ground below.
She stared at her own blurry shadow on the ground.
She suddenly remembered the first day she arrived in Konoha, and the looks of contempt from the people around her.
"Red-haired outsider!"
"She is from a fallen country. Stay away from her, she will bring bad luck!"
"What kind of hair is that? It is red like a tomato. So ugly!"
The mocking voices echoed in her heart. Kushina's tears fell without her wanting them to, blurring her vision for a moment.
Her fingernails dug deep into her palms.
A warm tear dropped onto a blade of grass. Only then did she realize she had been crying.
She was an outsider. The people of the village did not accept her. So why was she still hoping they would come to save her?
Kushina's mood sank even lower.
"The border is right ahead!"
A Kumo-nin walking at the front said in an excited but hushed voice.
"Idiot, keep it down!"
The Kumo-nin beside him had the same look of excitement in his eyes. He grabbed the rope binding Kushina and yanked it hard again.
Kushina nearly got pulled off her feet.
"Be careful. Do not get her killed. She is from the Uzumaki Clan. She is still useful."
The one behind them warned in a cold voice.
"Yeah yeah, I know!"
That person said carelessly, then looked at Kushina.
"Walk faster!"
By this point Kushina had already given up on rescue from Konoha. There was only numbness in her eyes.
Her whole body moved like a hollow shell.
Her lips moved slightly as she muttered to herself.
'I am nothing but an outsider after all. What rescue could I possibly hope for.'
At that moment, a large mass of dark clouds covered the cunning moon.
A black shadow darted past at high speed.
The two Kumo-nin behind Kushina felt a sudden heat at their throats. Then they lost consciousness.
As their bodies fell, a pair of pale, slender hands caught their clothes and set them down gently on the ground.
A black kunai cut through the darkness like an arrow and struck the vital point at the throat of the Kumo-nin who was pulling Kushina forward.
A soft thud drew the attention of the remaining two Kumo-nin.
"What is going on!"
Both of them pulled out their kunai and looked around with sharp eyes.
One of them moved to grab Kushina, who had not yet reacted.
A black shadow appeared from a large tree in the distance. A hand flipped open and three or four shuriken were flung out.
Clang. Clang.
The darkness of night was thick. The two drew on their battle experience and blocked two of the shuriken, but one got through and struck the chest of the Kumo-nin on the left.
He collapsed in an instant.
Directly in front of Kushina stood a black-haired young man who had appeared without her noticing.
"You are..."
When the Kumo-nin looked at the young man's face, a flash of crimson light appeared.
His words stopped mid-sentence.
His body froze in place. The expression on his face turned blank and dull. He was pulled directly into the genjutsu of the Sharingan.
Chiya flicked his hand and a kunai pinned itself into that man's throat.
The last Kumo-nin fell heavily to the ground.
In just a few breaths, the entire group of Kumo-nin had been dealt with.
Chiya turned around. The crimson Sharingan had already returned to black pupils.
He looked at the familiar scene before him.
'Is this not that incident from the original story where Minato rescued Kushina across a thousand miles?'
'I never expected that I, an Uchiha sent to investigate missing children, would stumble into rescuing her instead.'
'Could this be the butterfly effect I caused?'
Chiya looked Kushina over and spoke quietly.
"Hey."
"Are you hurt?"
Kushina heard a voice that sounded somewhat familiar and finally lifted her head.
At that moment, the dark clouds drifted past.
Clean white moonlight poured down again.
Kushina's eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, slowly regained their light.
"Is that you, Chiya-sama?"
Kushina murmured softly.
"You can call out my name, so you are probably fine."
Chiya stood in the moonlight and moved in an instant to behind Kushina.
A kunai appeared in his hand. In a few quick movements he cut through the ropes binding her.
"Why did you come to save me? I am just an outsider."
Chiya heard her muttering and replied in a calm, flat tone.
"What outsider? Are you not wearing a Konoha forehead protector? Besides, as a member of the Military Police Force, my job is to protect the village and its people. It is not just you. Even if it were a cat or a dog from Konoha, I would not allow a ninja from another country to take it away."
Hearing Chiya's words, and looking at the strand of red hair he held in his hand, Kushina felt a warmth fill her chest. Was this what it felt like to be acknowledged?
The tension Kushina had been holding finally loosened.
The moment she relaxed, exhaustion hit her entire body all at once.
Her legs went soft beneath her silk stockings and she was about to fall to the ground.
Chiya reached out quickly and caught Kushina from behind, pulling her close to stop her from falling.
A look of relief came into Kushina's eyes.
But she felt something uncomfortable against her chest and instinctively looked down.
'Wait, where exactly is this arm positioned.'
Kushina looked at that strong arm. The pale, delicate skin of her face turned red fast.
"Um..."
"Stop with the um's. It is getting late. Let me take you back first."
Before she could say anything more, her vision shifted in a flash.
Chiya moved her like a doll, repositioning her quickly onto his back.
By the time she realized what had happened, Kushina was looking at the back of Chiya's head.
"Hold on tight."
"Wait..."
Kushina's eyes went wide.
Chakra surged through Chiya's legs. He leapt forward hard.
Feeling the wind rush past from the speed of his movement, Kushina finally caught up to what was happening.
She worked up her courage and reached out both arms, looping them around Chiya's neck. Her small body leaned in against his back.
She felt the warmth coming from his body, and a scent she had never smelled before, unfamiliar but very pleasant.
The flush on her face spread all the way to the tips of her ears.
Under the moonlight, the two figures moved quickly through the forest.
At that moment, a notification tone from the system rang out in Chiya's mind.
[Mission triggered: Intercept Uzumaki Kushina. Reward: Uzumaki Clan bloodline and their sealing techniques.]
Outside Konoha Village, inside a secret Root base.
Danzo, his face wearing its usual grim expression, listened as a Root ninja below him reported.
"The Senju Clan has begun taking precautions against the disappearance of children. The Uchiha Military Police Force has also activated alert mode at the same time. No matter the hour, there are always members of the Uchiha Clan's Military Police Force patrolling."
Danzo waved the man off.
He turned his gaze to Orochimaru standing beside him.
"Those cursed Uchiha are actually going to ruin things for us after all!"
There was no change at all on Orochimaru's stiff face.
"The Military Police Force investigating missing children is simply their proper duty. That part is not surprising."
Danzo let out a cold snort after hearing this.
"It must all be that Uchiha Chiya's doing! He became clan head and stirred all this up. It is nothing more than him trying to consolidate power within the Uchiha Clan. I underestimated him. That Chiya, young as he is, has such a deep and calculating mind!"
Danzo finished speaking and turned his gaze to the experimental "materials" around the room.
"For now, forget about the children in the village, especially those from the major clans. I will try to bring you materials from other countries."
Orochimaru gave a small nod, turned to leave, then suddenly seemed to think of something and stopped.
"Uchiha Chiya, could it be that he has already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan?"
The expression on Danzo's face shifted sharply.
"The Mangekyou!"
"It is possible. If that is the case, an Uchiha who cannot be controlled will without question become the greatest threat to the village in the future."