Arisu frowned as he looked at Reiko in the scene. He had met Hagoromo's original wife during the first cycle, and she had definitely died in that one.
There was no way she could come back to life in the second cycle.
"Something's strange... I'll check it myself."
Arisu vanished in an instant.
———
As the days passed, Yumeko completely settled into her identity as "Reiko, the Sage of Six Paths' wife."
During the day, she endured the awkwardness and let the maidservants help take care of the two little ancestors, Indra and Asura, while she worked hard to learn the etiquette and basic common knowledge of this era.
Fortunately, Reiko had originally been gentle and reserved, and the lingering memories kept Yumeko from exposing herself too much.
The thing she did most often was sit in the corridor of the Ninja Sect's back courtyard, staring blankly at the peaceful sleeping faces of the two babies.
"One will become the ancestor of the Uchiha, and the other the ancestor of the Senju... And I'm actually their mom. This is way too surreal."
"So when the time comes, won't Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama have to call me their ancestor?"
Every time Yumeko thought about it, the corners of her mouth twitched.
In her previous life, she had loved shipping Hashirama and Madara the most.
"It's just that I'm still an ordinary person. Whether I'll even live long enough to see that era is another matter..."
Yumeko felt like crying.
The good news was that she had transmigrated into the Naruto world and become Indra and Asura's mother.
The bad news was that she probably wouldn't live long enough for the main story to begin.
She also tried asking around about the current timeline.
From bits and pieces she heard from the maidservants and Hagoromo, she learned that more than a hundred years had passed since the Divine Tree War.
The Ninja Sect had only recently been established, the world was still fairly peaceful, and Indra and Asura had just been born. It would be many years before the brothers turned against each other.
"There's plenty of time... I'll just take it slowly."
Yumeko planned quietly to herself.
She began using her status as Lady of the house to occasionally ask Hagoromo about techniques, chakra, and the history of this world.
Hagoromo was extremely gentle and patient with his "wife." He answered every question she had and even demonstrated a few simple techniques himself.
But that was when Yumeko discovered that she couldn't learn them.
Ninjutsu hadn't even been born yet, and hand seals didn't exist either.
Hand seals wouldn't be invented until her son Indra created them, and that was still several years away.
That left Yumeko feeling speechless. At first, she had wanted to develop them herself, but later realized she had no idea how.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu had begun making his moves.
Hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu watched every move the Ninja Sect made. The progress bar for the system's main quest, "Drive Asura and Indra into opposition," was still at 0%, but he had already begun making long-term plans.
He would start by observing the Sage of Six Paths' family and look for the best opportunity to sow discord.
He would start sowing discord from childhood!
The system occasionally popped up reminders saying, "Host's current status: Showing some initiative. Please keep it up." That filled Black Zetsu with motivation, and every day he silently chanted to himself, "For the reward, charge!"
Hagoromo remained as busy as ever, handling the Ninja Sect's affairs, teaching disciples, and mediating disputes among the nearby tribes. Whenever he returned to the back courtyard, he always came to see his wife and children first.
One afternoon, the weather was pleasant and a gentle breeze was blowing.
Yumeko finally couldn't take it anymore. After being bound by the identity of "Madam" for so many days, she felt like she was about to suffocate.
"Husband, I'd like to take a walk alone in the bamboo grove behind the mountain and get some fresh air.", She spoke to Hagoromo softly.
Hagoromo hesitated slightly before nodding.
"Let a maid accompany you."
"No need. I'd like to be alone for a while... I'll be back soon."
Yumeko smiled, her eyes sincere.
Hagoromo ultimately didn't insist. The area around the Ninja Sect was extremely safe at the moment, and no one dared commit crimes in the territory of the Sage of Six Paths.
After reminding her to be careful, he let her go.
By herself, Yumeko slowly walked along the path behind the Ninja Sect.
The bamboo grove was deep, bamboo leaves rustled softly, and the air carried the fresh scent of bamboo.
She took a deep breath and felt as though she had finally come back to life.
After wandering through the bamboo grove for quite some time, Yumeko finally found a clean bluestone to sit on. Hugging her knees, she let out a long sigh.
The bamboo leaves rustled, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the wind could be heard. She finally couldn't help muttering to herself.
"Being a mom is so exhausting... I only transmigrated not long ago, and now I have to deal with two chakra monster babies. On top of that, I have to play the role of a good wife in front of Hagoromo every single day..."
Yumeko rubbed her face.
Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the bamboo grove.
Startled, Yumeko hurriedly called out, "Who's there?!"
The next second, a young man dressed in a plain white robe slowly walked over. When he saw Yumeko, he paused for a moment in surprise, then quickly cupped his hands in greeting.
"My lady, I am Arisu. I was traveling through this area and happened to pass by. I didn't expect someone to be in this bamboo grove... I hope I haven't disturbed you.", Arisu spoke in a gentle, apologetic tone.
Yumeko looked him over.
He appeared to be around eighteen years old, handsome and refined, with an extraordinary bearing. However, he wasn't wearing the clothing of a Ninja Sect disciple, nor did he give off any particularly powerful aura.
Subconsciously, she took him for an ordinary wandering swordsman or traveler.
After all, if he were someone remarkable, he should have been mentioned in the original story.
"It's alright... I just came out to get some fresh air."
Yumeko smiled.
She suddenly felt that this person named Arisu looked rather special.
He had the face of a protagonist.
If Yumeko hadn't known she was in the Naruto world, where Naruto was the protagonist, she really would have thought this man was the main character.
Seeing that she wasn't on guard, Arisu simply sat down on another stone a short distance away and spoke casually.
"My lady is here all alone. You don't seem to be in very good spirits."
"If you don't mind, I'm willing to listen. I've traveled the world for many years. I'm good at listening to people's troubles, and even better at keeping secrets."
Yumeko froze for a moment.
Looking at this complete stranger, the urge to confide that she had suppressed for days suddenly burst out like a broken dam.
After all, he was just an ordinary passerby. Even if she told him everything, no one would ever know. After hearing it, he'd simply pat his butt and leave. How nice.
Back in her previous life, she had girlfriends she could vent to. Now she was all alone...
So she took a deep breath and smiled bitterly.
"Just treat what I'm about to say as a story."
"Actually, I'm not originally from here... To be more accurate, my old life was completely different."
"I was just an ordinary person. I had parents, friends, and every day I went to class, scrolled on my phone, read novels, and ate snacks."
"Then, in the blink of an eye, I... ended up here, and even became a woman who had just given birth. Now I have two sons to take care of."
The more Yumeko spoke, the more immersed she became. She completely treated Arisu like a place to vent.
"My husband treats me very well. He's a really good person. Every day he comes to see me and the children."
"But I don't have any feelings for him at all! All of a sudden, I have to become someone else's wife and the mother of two children. I really can't get used to it... Every time he gently asks how I'm feeling, I have to force myself to smile. My acting is so fake."
"My biggest regret is that I transmigrated before I could finish reading a really good novel."
"Sometimes, when I can't sleep at night, I keep thinking about it. I worry that I won't live very long, and I worry that my sons will end up turning against each other in the future..."
Yumeko talked and talked without stopping.
She became so absorbed that she completely lost track of time.
Only after she finished did she awkwardly rub her face and smile at Arisu.
"Sorry, Mr. Arisu. I made you listen to a complete stranger ramble about so much nonsense."
"You don't think there's something wrong with my head, do you?"