As the mother of Sakiya Kihana, Sakinoko Kihana and Kira Kitahara were among the spectators.
They watched their daughter—so different from the others—displaying overwhelming power against her opponents.
They felt both worry and pride.
Then, chaos erupted.
Feathers rained from the sky, leaving many in a daze.
Giant snakes rampaged through the village.
Explosions, roars, screams, and the clash of battle filled the air, creating a scene of utter mayhem.
Sakinoko and Kira instinctively fled with the crowd—but something felt off.
As they ran, they noticed something strange.
The enemy ignored them completely.
Even when they came into contact with the feathers that had knocked others unconscious, nothing happened to them.
It was as if something was protecting them.
Holding hands, they exchanged a glance—both coming to the same realization.
They slowed their pace.
Amidst the chaos, they began walking calmly, as if untouched by the battlefield around them.
"Kira… it feels like a divine force is protecting us."
Sakinoko smiled softly as she leaned slightly toward Kira.
"Maybe… maybe Sakiya has truly grown stronger."
Kira nodded.
"Yeah…"
Together, they reached a vantage point in the stands.
And there, in the midst of all the turmoil, they silently watched their daughter's battle.
---
With the Third Hokage and Orochimaru both gone, the battle began to settle.
Kakashi, working with the Anbu, swiftly eliminated most of the giant snakes attacking the village.
Might Guy and the other Jōnin subdued and captured the remaining enemy ninjas from the Sand and Sound Villages.
Among them were Temari and Kankuro—while Gaara was personally restrained by Choji.
The captured enemies were immediately handed over to the Sealing Corps for containment.
Especially Gaara.
His seal was reinforced with the utmost care.
Not that they needed to do much.
Shukaku, upon realizing that his "home" had been reinforced, seemed oddly satisfied.
He even added his own barriers and locked himself inside.
Just like that—the invasion was over.
Konoha had survived.
But there was no celebration.
Because the Third Hokage had died in the war.
And Konoha had suffered great losses.
---
One Week Later
After a week of post-war recovery, the entire village gathered for a memorial service in honor of the Third Hokage.
Even the sky seemed to share in their sorrow.
A gentle drizzle fell upon Konoha, as if the heavens themselves mourned his passing.
On this day, nearly every ninja in the village stood before his tombstone—heads bowed in silent grief.
The air was heavy with mourning.
The entire village felt gray, as if sorrow itself had settled over Konoha.
And for a time, the village remained in that quiet sadness—grieving the loss of its leader.
Not many people could remain calm.
But Sakiya was one of the few who could.
Her emotions felt… strange.
The death of the Third Hokage barely stirred anything in her.
If she felt anything at all, it was no different from seeing a tragic news report in her past life—a brief sigh, a fleeting moment of thought, and then, nothing.
She had never truly assimilated into this world.
It always felt distant, as if she were merely observing from the outside.
Perhaps it was because of her rapidly growing power—an ability that defied logic, increasing without any real struggle. It made everything feel like a game.
Was it arrogance?
Was it detachment?
Or was it simply the result of having too much power too easily?
Either way, she felt separate from everything.
The people of this world—aside from her friends and family—felt no more real to her than NPCs in a game.
Whether they lived or died…
It barely affected her.
Just like the Uchiha massacre, which she had long forced herself to forget.
They died. So what?
This mindset explained why she had no emotional reaction when facing her first true enemy.
Sakiya lifted her hand, turning it over, staring at her palm.
"Have I killed someone before?"
She tilted her head.
"Maybe… maybe not…"
The thought didn't linger.
Perhaps this was why she had so easily slipped into the role of an outsider.
Suddenly, Sakiya shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks with both hands.
"Tsk. Why am I thinking about useless stuff?"
With a long sigh, she reached up and pulled off her blindfold, facing the mirror.
Her left eye had changed.
No longer was it the same as before.
The pupil had turned a deep, dark blue, speckled with flecks of light—like a miniature galaxy swirling within her eye.
It carried an irresistible sense of mystery.
This transformation was the result of her right eye's energy constantly washing over her left eye.
Now, her left eye was nearly fully controlled.
Its abilities had evolved far beyond her original Death Perception and had even eliminated some of its previous limitations.
Sakiya smirked, satisfied.
She casually closed her left eye and declared,
"The Eye of Death is the best."
---
At the same time, Konoha's leadership convened for a crucial meeting.
Upon learning of the Third Hokage's death, Jiraiya immediately returned to the village.
The meeting involved the two Konoha advisors, Danzo, and Jiraiya.
As expected, Danzo pushed for himself to be named the next Hokage.
But the two advisors opposed him, instead proposing Jiraiya for the position.
Jiraiya, just like in the original timeline, declined—suggesting they find Tsunade instead.
Danzo's ambitions were crushed once again.
As he left the meeting, he silently plotted in the shadows.
"Perhaps I should remove those two troublesome advisors…"
And so, the plot continued as always.
---
Training Ground No. 78
At a secluded training ground, a group of young ninjas trained relentlessly.
Naruto.
Sasuke.
Sakiya.
Ino.
Hinata.
Naruto threw kunai over and over, frustration clear on his face.
His body was still bandaged, a sign of his previous battle wounds.
Sasuke, too, bore the marks of battle.
As Naruto hurled another kunai, he muttered under his breath,
"I can't believe it…"
His hands clenched into fists.
"I was unconscious the whole time. I didn't even know what was happening… And now, even Old Man Third…"
Hinata hesitated beside him, shy as ever.
But seeing Naruto's grief, she gathered her courage and softly encouraged him.
"Naruto-kun… The Third Hokage protected us all. He—"
Before she could finish, Naruto turned toward her.
Their eyes met.
Hinata froze.
Her face turned completely red.
Naruto, too lost in thought, didn't notice her reaction.
With determination burning in his eyes, he declared:
"I'll train harder than ever before!"
"I'll get strong enough to protect everyone!"
His words caught the attention of both Sakiya and Ino.
The two had been training together when Naruto and Sasuke arrived.
Naruto's enthusiasm made sense.
But Ino couldn't understand why Sasuke was following them around.
Wasn't he supposed to be the cold, lone-wolf type?
She narrowed her eyes.
"What's up with this guy?"
Of course, she would never get an answer.
Meanwhile, Sakiya continued practicing with Ino.
Of course, her magic circles were still a crucial part of her training.
A short distance away, Sasuke secretly observed her movements.
His grip tightened.
"I have to get stronger too."
---
The events had settled.
Not long after, Jiraiya took Naruto on a training journey, using it as an excuse to search for Tsunade.
And so, the individual paths of growth had begun to subtly change…
Each of them stepping toward their own destinies.
___
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