Nicknamed Bloody Red Pepper, Uzumaki Kushina was constantly getting into fights with the boys who badmouthed her.
And nearly every time…
Minato was there.
He just watched quietly from a distance, never stepping in.
Warring States Period.
The Senju and Uchiha watched this scene unfold—eyes nearly brimming with tears.
"So peaceful…"
"Still ninja, right? But all they do is go to school and brawl a little? Sounds like a dream."
On the actual battlefield, the kunai in their hands still dripped with blood.
Some hadn't even finished dressing their wounds.
Their clothes were soaked scarlet from the fighting.
In this era, children as young as seven or eight were forced onto the battlefield.
Death was commonplace. Kids barely had a chance to grow up.
But on that screen…
Those children lived in safety.
They were learning ninjutsu in classrooms.
Hashirama's eyes shone with excitement. "That boy just said… he's a genin."
The chubby boy who had come to beat up Kushina pointed smugly at the Konoha forehead protector on his head.
Madara's voice followed soon after. "That means the ninja are ranked. Missions are assigned by difficulty. That would drastically reduce casualties."
The two turned to face each other.
Their bright, hopeful eyes met.
The dreams they once voiced at the banks of the Naka River…
Those childish ideals…
They just might have come true.
If this really was the future…
Then they had made it happen.
"Hashi-mama…"
Their intense, almost tender gaze made both Butsuma Senju and Tajima Uchiha frown in discomfort.
Of course, Izuna Uchiha and Tobirama Senju were equally disturbed.
Tobirama furrowed his brow, his blood-red eyes cold and alert. "Stay calm, Brother. We don't even know if this is the future. It could be the effect of some jutsu."
"We still don't know who's behind this."
Izuna sneered. "If there's an ulterior motive, it's probably from your Senju side. That girl up there is from the Uzumaki clan—your in-laws, isn't she?"
The brothers exchanged a cold glare.
Tension thickened in the air like smoke.
Then the screen shifted to a new scene.
It was nighttime.
A foreign ninja had infiltrated the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Is anyone there? Help me!"
Kushina had been overpowered and captured.
A voiceover narrated softly:
"My chakra is unique… something the Hidden Cloud has long coveted.
They kidnapped me."
Three adult ninjas from Kumogakure bound Kushina and carried her away into the night.
[Hyuga Neji: Cloud ninjas again.]
[Inuzuka Kiba: They're like walking disasters—always stirring up trouble wherever they go.]
[Karui: Excuse me?! And your Leaf Village is so innocent, huh?]
[Tenten: Oh, come off it. Everyone knows the disgusting things the Cloud has done—stealing Byakugan, trying to snatch tailed beasts—it's all in the history books. You don't get to play victim here. You're the walking disasters.]
[Raikage A: Kisama… You picking a fight, Leaf?]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Just kids fooling around, Raikage. You wouldn't really take it seriously, would you? That'd be petty.]
[Monkey D. Luffy: [picking nose] [picking nose]]
The comment feed flared with hostility.
Everyone soon forgot about the scene playing on the screen, now shifting focus to Uchiha Sasuke's current situation.
Back in the Warring States timeline.
Tobirama coldly observed the Uchiha name gaining attention on the screen.
"Hmph. As expected from the evil Uchiha."
The comment instantly won support from many Senju.
All except for Hashirama.
"Don't say that, Tobirama. Look at it! It really seems like everyone set aside their hatred and built a village. It's called the Hidden Leaf, right? There are Uzumaki, Uchiha, even the future generations of Ino-Shika-Cho… It's wonderful."
Tobirama shot him a cold glance. "And yet… I don't see any Senju."
That one line made his older brother visibly deflate.
"You're right… I've been watching for a while now and still haven't seen a single Senju. Could it be… Madara abandoned me and built the village alone?"
Hashirama turned toward Madara with puppy-dog eyes, looking like he'd just been dumped.
Madara recoiled with a shudder, glaring. "Don't look at me like that!"
Hashirama curled up in gloom.
Now both his little brother and his best friend were rejecting him.
He looked like he was about to sprout mushrooms on his head.
"There's no peace even in that future," Madara muttered, clenching his fists.
Konoha. Kumogakure. Likely other villages too.
From the screen comments alone, it was obvious the tension between ninja villages was still alive.
And Kushina… was still being abducted by Cloud shinobi.
There was no true peace in the future.
Even with the villages built, peace had never been achieved.
Madara's eyes gleamed with frustration.
Hashirama's brow was tight, his gaze dimming.
"…But seriously, what kind of name is 'Luffy'? People still name kids that these days?"
Some couldn't help but poke fun at Monkey D. Luffy's name.
"It sounds Western. And they sure don't look like ninja."
"So weird."
"Back then, on the way out…"
"I secretly yanked out some of my red hair."
"But I was an outsider… I didn't expect anyone would come save me."
"As we neared the border, I was completely hopeless…"
A blond-haired figure appeared out of nowhere.
In just a few swift moves, he took down all three adult ninjas.
"You okay? Are you hurt?"
Minato's appearance was like a beam of light piercing her world.
"I'm fine now."
He scooped her up in a princess carry and leapt through the moonlit night.
Minato held the red strand of hair she had dropped earlier.
"It was such beautiful hair. That's how I found you right away."
Kushina turned her face away. "You never helped before…"
"Because I knew. I knew how strong you are."
"In both heart and spirit."
They stopped atop a treetop.
"But this time… it wasn't just kids messing around. It was a village-level conflict."
"So…"
"So what?"
"I didn't want to lose you." Minato looked at her seriously.
"Even though I'm an outsider?"
"Why would you say that? You live in the Hidden Leaf. That makes you my comrade."
[Tenten: I take it back—this guy's smooth as hell.]
[Uzumaki Naruto: I thought this was supposed to be my highlight reel! Dattebayo!]
[Haruno Sakura: So romantic… Who wants to watch that dummy Naruto anyway? The couple on screen is way more entertaining.]
[Yamanaka Ino: That blond guy is fine. A totally different kind of hot compared to Sasuke.]
[Akimichi Choji: Even though he's just a kid, he gives off such a reliable grown-up vibe.]
[Nara Shikamaru: Who is he…? He seems so familiar…]
[Hyuga Neji: Son of a hero… What exactly does that mean?]
Back in the Fourth Hokage's era.
Minato and Kushina were both visibly flustered.
Their childhood love story had just been broadcast to everyone.
That really was the beginning of their love.
Minato rubbed his head, laughing awkwardly. "Didn't think the younger generation would get to see us like that… It's really embarrassing."
Fugaku gave him a sidelong glance.
"Truly… even your flirting got passed down to the next generation."
Still, most of his attention remained fixed on Uchiha Sasuke.
"Hahaha…" Minato let out a dry, uncomfortable laugh.
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter