The year had already passed its halfoint.

  As Masashi and Shisui once again stood before the gates of Konoha, basking in the pleasaher of the Land of Fire, they both felt fort.

  It was truly delightful!

  Stretg leisurely, Masashi turo Yagura with a smile. "Mizukage-sama, this is your first time in Konoha, isn't it?"

  "Yes, it's indeed a unique experience."

  To establish a truly amicable retionship between Kiri and Konoha, this Mizukage had gone all out.

  He personally traveled to Konoha, apanied by Ao and Mei.

  A gesture of absolute siy.

  Masashi and Shisui, not oo take advantage of others, showed full respect to Yagura throughout the journey, extendiiculous care to ensure his fort.

  It wouldn't do to let their guest feel even a hint of displeasure—such duct would be trary to the traditional virtues of Konoha.

  Once assured that Yagura was in a pleasant mood, Masashi turned his attention elsewhere.

  "Are you both adapting well, Hikari, Haku?"

  The Kiri ti sisted of three individuals. In addition to Yagura, there was Hikari and her younger brother.

  Yagura was a man of his word. He followed through on his promises.

  This too was a demonstration of siy, and in a way, it was meant to showcase this to Konoha— even the Ice Release bloodline as a gesture of goodwill. Kiri's stance was clear; how Konoha chose to respond was now up to them.

  Such a dispy of siy would ehat even the most shrewd minds in the Hokage's office wouldn't make things too difficult fura.

  Even if Danzō were alive, he wouldn't dare slight the Mizukage, lest he risk alienating Kiri from the broader ninja world.

  Hikari, holding her brother's hand, gazed at Konoha with a sense of dazed wonder.

  Looking at the t gates in the distance, she finally felt the reality sink in—she and her brother had found a new life.

  They would once again live as individuals in this world.

  "Konoha has strict procedures for citizenship. I'll take you to meet the Hokage. He's a kind man. With his endorsement, you'll be able to plete the expedited process for citizenship," Masashi expined.

  He was fident.

  Minato would surely agree. Ice Release was a renowned bloodline limit in the ninja world, a valuable addition to Konoha's capabilities—a talent the vilge sorely cked.

  Assassination-specialist bloodlines were a rarity in Konoha.

  "Yes, I'll rely on you," Hikari said, l her head. Haku looked up and noticed tears in his sister's eyes.

  The perceptive boy said nothing, merely tightening his grip on his sister's hand.

  In his heart, he ched his little fist, encing himself. Stay strong!

  Yagura observed the siblings, sighing inwardly.

  He was relut, after all.

  The Ice Release! From now on, it would be Konoha's exclusive treasure.

  Yagura had thought his proactive efforts were suffit, having built a strong rapport with Haku early o was all for naught. Hikari's heart had been won over, and as the saying goes, "an elder sister is like a mother."

  Naturally, Haku followed his sister.

  Retrag his gaze, Yagura accepted the loss. This was a signifit setback; better not to dwell on it.

  At least it wasn't a total loss. Life always has surprises, and he had uhed a major treasure from the Kaguya .

  Uhe potential represented by Hikari and Haku, the boy named Kimimaro had definitively awakehe powerful bloodline limit, Shikotsumyaku.

  Thinking of him lifted Yagura's spirits.

  The group approached Konoha's gates.

  From a distahey saw a squad of Konoha ninja already heading toward them.

  "Masashi-nii!" The loud voice at the forefront beloo Tetsuka.

  "This must be the Police Force?" Yagura asked Ao and Mei. "Ao, do you think we could form a simir unit in our vilge?"

  "Mizukage-sama, I'm afraid it would be difficult—not because of manpower, but because we ck the necessary talent," Ao replied, unsciously toug his eyepatch-covered right eye.

  "What do you think, Mei?"

  "I share Ao's view," Mei said.

  She had beeively quiet throughout the journey, perhaps still uled by the ret turmoil in Kiri.

  This turmoil had cimed the lives of many familiar faces, including Masu. Among the surviving male members of the Hōzuki , only Suigetsu remained.

  After hearing their responses, Yagura nodded. He uood the implication of "talent."

  Copying an anizational structure was easy, but without the right personnel, it would be nothing more than ay shell with no real effectiveness.

  When Konoha established its Medical Corps, many vilges copied the cept. Most of them ter disbaheir medical units, leaving only hospitals in pce.

  The Police Force was formidable not because of its size, but because it could monitor the entire vilge and surrounding areas, leaving infiltrators with o hide. Its bat squads were also above the average ninja level.

  This strength relied entirely on the Uchiha, Hyūga, and Inuzuka s.

  Kiri had no equivalent s.

  As they spoke, Tetsuka and his squad reached them.

  Notig Yagura and his ente, he grinned widely. "Mizukage-sama! Wele to Konoha! That must've been a tough journey."

  "Not at all," Yagura replied politely. "It's rare to have an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful sery of the Land of Fire."

  The atmosphere seemed harmonious.

  Though Hikari and Haku appeared a bit nervous—likely startled by the sudden rush of people—the warmth of the wele helped them rex.

  "Don't worry; you're safe here," Tetsuka reassured them with a sheepish grin.

  Hikari managed a small smile, finding his demeanor endearingly simple. Surely someone like this couldn't harbor ill iions.

  "Where's Fugaku-sama?" Masashi asked.

  "He will be here shortly. He had an importaing and is running a bit te," Tetsuka expined, gng back toward the gate. Then his expressihtened. "Oh, there he is!"

  "Let's not keep him waiting," Masashi said, pattisuka on the shoulder. "Let's go."

  "Right!" Tetsuka waved his hand, and the apanying Police Force members formed an escort for the group as they headed toward the gates.

  As they he entrance, Masashi spotted the leader. Usually stoic, Fugaku was now wearing a rare smile as he waited to greet Yagura.

  It just went to show—no one was truly incapable of smiling. If someone cimed they couldn't, it simply meant they didn't want to.

  Upon reag the gate, Fugaku stepped forward to shake Yagura's hand.

  "Mizukage-sama, I must apologize. The vilge has been chaotic after the ret battle, and the notification from Masashi came te. It's regrettable that you had to travel such a long distance personally," Fugaku said before turning to Masashi with a stern expression. "You haven't shown any disrespect to the Mizukage, have you?"

  Masashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes, maintaining a polite smile instead.

  "o worry, Fugaku-sama. I've gotten along quite well with Masashi. If anything, I find him too formal," Yagura said with a hearty ugh.

  "That's a relief," Fugaku replied, chug. "This boy barely respects me as leader. I worried he might ck de."

  "Not at all. If he were one of my juniors, I'd be quite fond of him."

  Watg the two adults exge pleasantries and subtly take advantage of him, Masashi chuckled coldly to himself.

  Keep ughing. But by tonight, that little stash you've hidden under your tatami mat will be gone.

  ---

  The name Konoha was unfamiliar to Haku.

  Though he was said to be an orphan of the Yuki , the term "Yuki " was equally fn to him.

  Strictly speaking, he and his sister were not biological siblings. However, Haku's mother knew Hikari, and thus he came to know her as well.

  Hikari liked Haku a lot and asked him to call her "sister," but the precocious Haku saw it as an act of dession from someone of higher status.

  Both of Haku's parents were marginalized in the Yuki —they her awakened a bloodline limit nor possessed any talent as ninjas. Kiri was not Konoha; members like them were branded as "useless" and received few resources.

  In the Land of Water, fairness existed in a peculiar way. Even ninja s had to work tirelessly to maintain their po oppo would go easy on them due to their status—only one could survive.

  No one wao die.

  For ninja s, ensuring their ninja's survival meant prioritizing resources for those who could fight.

  As the child of ordinary members with no notable talent, he never felt familial love from the d naturally held nard for the Yuki name.

  Hikari was not a niher, but as the daughter of the Yuki 's leader and a skilled manager, she was respected—though the respect was akin to how oreats a prized pet.

  Haku thought they were different, but in Hikari's eyes, they were the same.

  On the night of the 's massacre, all titles and statuses lost their meaning.

  Obito, with pure malice, annihited every ninja in the Yuki . At the time, Yagura remained in hiding and allowed Obito to lead the ANBU in this massacre. Fortunately, Obito had his reservations and spared some Yuki members with non-batant statuses.

  In the end, only Hikari and Haku remained in the vilge, and that too for reasons that could not be disclosed.

  For Hikari, her situation didn't ge much. The Hōzuki sured her basieeds were met, but she lost her superficial freedom. Her once promi status now made her a pawn for the Hōzuki to curry favor with powerful figures.

  Still, she had to live. She had to survive to protect Haku.

  Haku was the only remaining member of her her eyes. The exiled Yuki members ceased to be part of the from that moment on. If they didn't erase their identities, they wouldn't meet a good end.

  In this process, Haku truly came to see Hikari as his sister. By the age of five, he uood a great deal about life.

  He obeyed Yagura's arras, hoping to save Hikari from her plight.

  Now, it seemed as though he and Hikari had escaped the pit of fire.

  The sun in Konoha was warm, and the air leasant.

  Everywhere he looked, there were people.

  There were no t, cold fortresses. Shops lihe streets, and vilgers strolled freely, their ughter filling the air.

  Vilgers didn't avoid ninjas when they saw them. Ninjas and ordinary people versed with mutual respect.

  Many street-side food stalls were filled with both civilians and ninjas sitting together, chatting aing without disfort.

  So, this is what a vilge outside Kiri is like.

  Suddenly, Haku felt a surge of anticipation.

  "Hikari-neesan, we live here iure?" Haku looked up and asked her, who was also the surroundings.

  "Yes... it seems like this is where we'll be living from now on." Hikari gazed at the streets so unlike Kiri, taking in the genuine joy of the people around her. She felt as though her past life had been a waste.

  So, life could actually be this carefree.

  "Not seems, but definitely." Masashi, walking ahead of the siblings, turned back. "You're already Konoha vilgers now. Get used to it."

  "Don't worry; the vilgers here are very friendly," Shisui added, smiling warmly at the two.

  Meanwhile, Tetsuka looked on curiously.

  He felt a tiny pang of envy.

  Masashi could casually bring back beautiful womesuka wished he had that talent.

  But would these siblings also be moving to the Uchiha pound?

  He mused that there were still plenty of vat plots in the pound.

  Building a house wouldn't be difficult, just time-ing.

  "Masashi-nii, where do you pn to have them live?" Uo suppress his curiosity, Tetsuka asked.

  Hikari and Haku turheir gaze toward Masashi upon hearing this.

  Having a house was essential for settling down—a universal belief, even in the Naruto world.

  "There are plenty of houses in Konoha. Let the Hokage decide," Masashi replied casually.

  After joining Konoha, vilgers could buy nd to build their homes or rent apartments. Both the North and South districts had numerous options.

  If they found it too expehey could sider the West district, though it was less desirable due to poor accessibility.

  Given Hikari and Haku's special status, finances wouldn't be an issue. Once Konoha allowed them to join, such matters would be covered by publids.

  Konoha even had a budget specifically for recruiting talent.

  Ahead, Fugaku and Yagura were engrossed in a lively versation, paying no attention to the minor happenings behind them.

  Ao and Mei watched the siblings with amusement.

  "You don't have to worry," Mei assured them. "Given your uatus, Konoha will take care of everything. For now, you don't have to worry about ine."

  "What about ter? I find a job myself?" Haku mustered the ce to ask, finding her less intimidatie her Kiri background.

  "You're still young," Mei said fondly, patting Haku's head. She appreciated how mature he was for his age. "Besides, what if you bee a ninja? Then you won't o worry at all."

  After f Haku, Mei g a figure ahead and added silently in her heart: Even if you 't bee a ninja, he won't let you suffer.

  She was about to admire Konoha's charm further wheiced Ao seemed troubled.

  "Ao, what's wrong?"

  "Oh, nothing. I'm just amazed by Konoha's prosperity," Ao replied with a smile.

  He seemed fine, but Mei quickly figured it out.

  It was about Aht eye.

  Though he wore ach, this was Konoha—home to the Hyūga . At any moment, they could enter them.

  The seal on his eye patch was merely to prevent the Byakugan from being stolen, not to hide the fact he had o simply wasn't possible.

  The Sharingan users ahead had already noticed the Byakugan under his eye patch. If they could see it, the Hyūga certainly would.

  Being in the heart of the Byakugan's in, Ao's tension was uandable.

  Ao art of Yagura's sed gesture of goodwill, a bargaining chip iiations.

  While the Hokage wouldn't forcibly take the Byakugan on Yagura's behalf, entering the Hyūga could be uable.

  In Konoha, a hot-headed young ninja might already have charged forward shouting, "Prepare to die!"

  Mei didn't fully believe the Konoha s were much different from Kiri's, but she trusted Yagura.

  Ao, too—though nervous—followed Yagura's decision without hesitation.

  After passing through a particurly bustling street, they arrived at a building.

  A rge round emblem hung above it, with the bold red character for "fire" in the ter.

  They had reached the Hokage Building.