Yakushi Nono's original life trajectory was to be manipulated by Shimura Danzo through her bond with the orphanage, subsequently having the last bit of her worth squeezed out, and becoming a spy who would never leak secrets.
Today, Megumai had explicitly warned Yakushi Nono to prevent the tragedy from occurring.
However, Megumai was not certain whether her warning would be effective.
She recalled that before she left Konoha, out of friendship, she had warned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to be extra careful when pregnant and giving birth, to avoid an uninvited guest seizing the opportunity of the weakened seal to release the Nine-Tails.
Unfortunately, that warning did not change the outcome.
Konoha was still infiltrated by Uchiha Obito, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki still died on the day Naruto was born, and Namikaze Minato still perished heroically.
Megumai had also considered sneaking back into Konoha to personally protect her friend during childbirth.
However, her strength was not formidable at that time.
Against Uchiha Obito, who had mastered Wood Release, Dojutsu, and Forbidden Techniques, she wouldn't have lasted more than a few rounds.
It wasn't until the same year, after giving birth to her son Seiya, that Megumai's strength dramatically increased, becoming incomparable to her former self.
Alas, by then, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had already tragically passed away.
Life is full of sad regrets. This was true for her mother's death, and it was true for her friend's death.
Having parted with Yakushi Nono today, Megumai was unsure if they would ever meet again.
However, that was no longer important. She now had only one life goal: to do her best to ensure her son's life would be one without regrets!
...
A new day, the sun rose as usual.
The supermarket was as prosperous as ever, but the customer base had subtly changed.
Previously, most customers were ordinary civilians. Now, the proportion of shinobi was growing higher.
These shinobi had unfamiliar faces and came from different Hidden Villages, confirming Yakushi Nono's warning.
The Tetsu no Kuni was becoming a stage for dramatic events, transforming into a new battleground for the major Hidden Villages.
On the streets, samurai patrolled every half hour, a frequency far exceeding the past.
Under the supermarket's eaves, Seiya sat on a small stool, bathed in warm sunlight, happily moving his hands and feet with contentment.
"Baby, open your mouth, ah-"
Megumai spooned up some porridge and offered it to her son.
"Ah- Mm!"
Seiya obediently opened his mouth wide, took a bite, and chewed diligently. Megumai smiled and gently wiped away the remnants from the corner of his mouth with a wet wipe.
Spoon after spoon.
Bite after bite.
Finally, Seiya patted his little tummy, "Mama, the baby is full!"
"Okay."
Megumai smiled in response and untied the bib hanging around her son's neck.
"Go play."
"Mhm!"
Seiya nodded solemnly, then pulled a wind-up toy car from his pocket and scooted it along the ground with a deng-deng-deng sound.
He chased the toy car while making sound effects with his mouth.
Pure, innocent childlike fun.
Megumai ate her meal, her eyes smiling, her gaze closely following her son. Suddenly, a brown-haired girl not far away entered her line of sight.
A rare hair color.
The girl was about fourteen or fifteen, wearing a Kumogakure forehead protector.
Her beautiful hair was tied into a simple braid that fell to her waist; her expression was cool and serious, and her chin was slightly raised, giving her the air of a young prodigy proudly looking down on the masses.
A prideful self-regard that made one nostalgic.
When she was in Konoha, Megumai often saw this kind of expression on the faces of her clan members, and she could also see it on her own face in the mirror.
The newcomer indeed had the capital to be proud.
Yugito Nii, fourteen years old, a Kumogakure Jonin, and the perfect Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails!
Even when looking across the entire Shinobi World, she was one of the few elites.
Compared to her, the middle-aged female shinobi accompanying her seemed slightly unremarkable.
Megumai glanced at the two Kumogakure shinobi approaching and then continued to focus on her son's every move.
More customers were entering the store.
With so many people around, the open space in front of the supermarket was no longer suitable for Seiya to play with his wind-up toy car.
"Baby, come over to Mama, be careful not to get bumped." Megumai called out while standing up to meet him.
Seiya was a little reluctant, but he obediently put away his toy car.
"Mama, baby's back!" Seiya opened his arms, moved his legs, and ran deng-deng-deng towards Megumai.
"What an obstruction! Where did this little mutt come from, blocking my path!"
A rough voice suddenly rang out.
The grim-faced strong man mercilessly lifted his foot and kicked towards Seiya .
A strong wind rushed towards him.
If that kick had landed squarely, the two-year-old child would have had no chance of survival. In that moment of crisis, Seiya 's body suddenly became illusory and transparent.
Megumai was utterly furious, forgetting to breathe for a moment. Her eyes abruptly widened, and the veins on her forehead bulged.
Her usual facade of gentle tranquility completely vanished!
The next second, she disappeared from where she stood, and when she reappeared, Seiya was already safe in her arms.
At the same time, Yugito Nii, seeing the injustice, drew her blade to help.
"You shameless bastard! How dare you attack an innocent child!"
Yugito Nii shouted angrily and slashed at the strong man.
Although the man was despicable, his strength was considerable, which was his confidence for acting so recklessly.
In the blink of an eye, the two were fighting fiercely on the street, and passersby quickly dispersed.
Megumai, however, had no time to spare, her gaze focused only on her son.
"Baby, were you scared?"
Megumai spoke gently, kissing her son's forehead and stroking his little face.
This overly anxious manner made Seiya, who was completely unaware of what had happened, very confused.
The little guy had no idea he was in danger just now; he was only surprised that he had clearly been on the ground a moment ago, yet suddenly he was in his mother's arms.
How amazing!
Seiya smiled happily.
Simultaneously, the three nested, circular ripples in his left eye slowly vanished.
His entire body returned from its illusory state to being solid.
Joka (Purification) - Megumai's left Mangekyo Dojutsu, the effect of which is to grant immunity to any negative effect suffered.
When Seiya was first born, Megumai implanted [Purification] into his left eye and set it to passively activate upon detection.
If Seiya faced danger or was about to face danger, [Purification] would activate.
The main reason Megumai had dared to invite Yakushi Nono to hold her son a few days ago was because her son had the Dojutsu protecting him.
Of course, such a useful technique could not be without a price.
Megumai was consuming chakra and losing eyesight with every passing second.
As of today, her left eye was almost half-blind.
The young Seiya was unaware of his mother's sacrifice.
Now nestled in her arms, his attention was completely drawn to the two people fighting not far away.
His eyes were sparkling, and he was thoroughly excited by the spectacle.
"Hoo! Heh! Hey!"
Seiya waved his little hands, making sound effects for Yugito Nii and the strong man, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Seeing this, Megumai forcibly suppressed her killing intent, allowing the strong man to live for a few more minutes.
He was going to die anyway, so he might as well put on a show for her son before he died! It was a way of making the most of him!
⚔️ Level Up This Fanfic! ⚔️
Every 500 Power Stones = 2 BONUS CHAPTERS! 🚀
Want faster releases? Show your support—drop those Power Stones, leave a review, and light up the comments! Your engagement keeps this story going strong!
Let's make this novel unstoppable—Power Stones, comments, and reviews are the ultimate power-up! 💥