Dark clouds smothered the sky, and the rain refused to let up.It wasn't thunderstorm rain—no lightning, no roar. Just that steady, heavy kind of drizzle that feels like the whole world is sulking.
Three kids sat together at Kushina's place, staring out the window.
Why here of all places? Don't ask me—ask Kushina.
"Seriously? You don't even have cake for your guests?"Jinzō rapped the table in protest.
Clatter.Kushina dropped a plate of fruit in front of them. The slam alone told him exactly how she was feeling: cranky. Probably because of a certain idiot.
Across the table, Minato sat politely upright, but his expression screamed love-struck fool.
"Oi, Minato," Jinzō said, smirking, "what's with that creepy face? You look like you're about to get arrested."
"Uh…" Minato blinked, confused. Kushina's glare only made his awkward smile twist even harder.
"Gross," Kushina muttered.
That was all it took to completely break Minato. He slumped forward onto the table like his entire future had just ended.
With a huff, Kushina pulled a scroll from behind her back and tossed it to Jinzō."This is for you."
He caught it, cracked it open, and blinked. Sealing jutsu—techniques even his clan didn't have.
"I don't owe you anything," Kushina said proudly, sitting back down beside the devastated Minato. "And you're not allowed to take that home. Read it here."
It was smart of her. The Uzumaki clan's sealing arts technically belonged to Konoha now, but if Uchiha hands got on them? That'd be a political nightmare.
"So that's why you invited me, huh?" Jinzō muttered. "Figures."
Still, he started memorizing. Thanks to his "cheat finger," every seal, every kanji sank instantly into his memory. He didn't just understand it—he could break it down, reorganize it, and teach it back like a textbook. If you asked him, he was already a sealing master.
…A sealing master who couldn't actually use seals.
"By the way," Jinzō said while skimming the last line, "why do we even have a holiday today? It's not the weekend."
No answer. Just silence. Minato and Kushina both looked down.
"…Senpai Nawaki…" Kushina whispered.
Her voice cracked. "My brother… died."
Jinzō froze.
Minato added quietly, "Today's Nawaki-senpai's funeral."
Bam! Jinzō's palm slammed the table. His heart dropped.
Nawaki's dead? Already?
The Rope Tree was gone.
Jinzō knew him, though not well. Same school, different class. But the weight of it—of what it meant—hit harder than grief.
Because Nawaki's death marked the countdown. Within a year, the Second Great Ninja War would begin.
And when that war came, Sarutobi would slash the graduation age, hurling kids like him straight into the meat grinder.
So yeah. Rope Tree's death wasn't just tragic. It was terrifying.
"I've got stuff to do," Jinzō muttered, shoving the scroll back. He'd already memorized it all anyway. Before Kushina could stop him, he bolted into the rain.
Heavy rain poured across the village. Jinzō crouched on a telephone pole, peering down.
A man in a green bodysuit struggled through the mud, shielding a tiny kitten with his body.
"Don't worry," the man soothed. "I'll get you home safe."
The cat poked its head from his collar, patient and quiet.
Jinzō sighed. Finally found him. Maito Dai.
No fame, no glory—just a genin lost in history. But Jinzō knew better. Dai's hard work would shape legends. He was exactly the kind of person Jinzō needed.
Still, it wasn't easy arranging "accidental" meetings with nobodies like him. Jinzō had literally begged Grandma Cat to stage these fake missing-pet missions. And today's cat? One of hers in disguise.
The plan was to wait for the perfect chance encounter. But Nawaki's death had wrecked his timeline. He couldn't wait anymore.
Jinzō dropped from the pole, rain pelting his face."Uncle, that cat's mine."
"…Huh?" Dai blinked. Why was the client suddenly here?
"Kitten!" Jinzō called.
The cat leapt from Dai's arms onto Jinzō's shoulder, purring. Thanks to his "cat language" deductions, he even understood the little meows.
"A year's supply of treats, or I tell Grandma Cat you've been slacking," Jinzō whispered.
"Eh—? O-okay!" Dai stammered.
Blackmailing a man with cats. Peak Uchiha genius.
"Uncle, thank you for finding Xiaomei. You're soaked. Come to my place for tea."
"Wait, no—this is my mission!" Dai protested.
"I'll get your reward too."
"But—"
"Enough buts! What, you think Uchiha don't pay their debts?" Jinzō let his Sharingan-less eyes sharpen just enough, the clan crest on his back glinting in the rain.
"U-Uchiha?!" Dai yelped.
This man was pure comedy gold.
"Good. Then let's go."
Dragging the poor genin behind him, Jinzō led him straight into the Uchiha compound.
Inside his family's big, empty house, Dai sat stiffly, drenched, still scared of Uchiha police appearing any second.
Jinzō served tea and snacks, even offered him clean clothes.Then he slid a scroll across the table.
"Your reward."
"…This is ninjutsu." Dai hesitated. "Can I even accept this? What about the mission pay—"
"Sorry," Jinzō said solemnly. "I'm broke. This is all I can give."
"No, no!" Dai waved his hands. "You don't need to—"
"Oh, so you're saying the Uchiha don't keep promises?" Jinzō's voice sharpened.
Dai flailed. "That's not what I meant!"
"Then take it."
At last, Dai sighed, smiling earnestly as he accepted the scroll."Thank you. I'll work hard."
"Good. Do that," Jinzō said, shoving an umbrella at him too.
When Dai left, still dazed, Jinzō pulled out a small notebook. Names were written inside, each with a neat circle.
He added one more.
Namikaze Minato ○
Uzumaki Kushina ○
Maito Dai ○
"These are the people I can trust right now," Jinzō whispered.