Seeing the two chatting happily, Furina had no intention of interrupting. She found a clean spot to rest. After fighting Baki and then treating several people in a row, even she felt a bit tired.
After resting for a while, people from Konoha and Sunagakure finally arrived. Kakashi and Gai, Temari and Kankurō were among them, and they brought the news of the Third Hokage's death in battle.
After confirming the news was true, Naruto, who had been in a fairly good mood earlier, clearly lost his spirits. The Third's death had dealt him a considerable blow.
"Sigh." Looking at the silent Naruto, Furina did not know how to comfort him. No matter what kind of person the Third was, he definitely held significant weight in Naruto's heart. Such a reaction was only natural now.
She could only let him recover on his own.
"Kakashi-sensei, where were you during all the chaos earlier? I never saw you at all. Your student here almost got taken out by that guy named Baki, mmm~"
After scanning the surroundings once, Furina's gaze finally landed on the equally silent Kakashi. Since arriving here, aside from informing them of the Third's sacrifice, he had not said a single word. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Haha, since Kakashi doesn't want to say it, I'll tell you instead. Back then, the two of us were at the venue competing to see who could defeat more enemies. This guy lost to me this time, so he's probably sulking right now."
Facing Furina's "complaint," the visible eye of Kakashi flickered. He was about to open his mouth to explain, but before he could speak, Gai's signature voice came from behind and to the side.
"Gai-senpai."
Hearing this, Furina looked toward the source of the voice. Gai was currently animatedly recounting what had happened earlier. It was clear that defeating Kakashi this time had put him in an excellent mood.
"A competition to see who defeated more enemies?" After hearing this, Furina could not help glancing at Kakashi on the other side. The venue was full of small fry what was there to fight over?
"Maybe there were some stronger enemies at the venue too." She silently shook her head in her mind. That was the only way to explain it. After all, it was unrealistic for a bunch of small fry to hold back two top-tier jōnin.
One could only say that adapting a short story into a long one created many hard-to-explain parts. As long as it did not affect her, there was no need to dwell too much on it.
"Eh, right, Furina. You said that guy named whatever-Baki almost took you out, right? No worries, I'll help you get revenge." As he spoke, Gai grinned widely and gave Furina a big thumbs-up, as if to say she could rest assured.
Hearing Gai's promise, Kakashi beside him narrowed his eyes slightly. He had received information that there seemed to be some misunderstanding on Sunagakure's side. Baki was also an important figure in Sunagakure. Killing him now would not be easy to carry out, but...
"No need to trouble yourself, Gai-senpai. That guy named Baki has already been taken care of by me. I was just sighing about it."
"Hmph~" Hearing this, the corner of Kakashi's mouth curled up slightly. He was not surprised. He had come to roughly understand his student's personality by now. Speaking in such a tone was most likely just her having fun.
But she had actually killed Baki. It seemed his student was about to surpass him. Really, it suddenly made him feel motivated again.
...
"Battle, so satisfying. Looking at Naruto and Gaara, it seems Konoha and Sunagakure are going to reconcile next. Good thing Fufu took out that Baki. Otherwise, Gekkō Hayate would have really died for nothing. His friend wouldn't even have had a chance to avenge him."
"What do you mean saving lives and healing the wounded, miraculous hands bringing people back? In just a short while, she saved three people in a row. I really didn't expect Fufu to know medical ninjutsu too. She can fight and she can heal truly worth it in every way, amazing in every aspect."
"Comrades don't need so many questions. You say it, and I do it. What kind of ultimate perfect teammate is this? Can someone arrange one for me at my house?"
"Daily peach craving (1/1)"
...
[Affection Value +1 +1 +1... +1 +1]
[Affection Value: 47033]
Three days later
Konoha Memorial Stone site
Perhaps to match the heavy atmosphere in the village today, the sky over Konoha was unusually covered in thick dark clouds. A light drizzle fell from the sky, making the already somber mood even deeper.
Dressed in uniform black mourning clothes, Furina joined the others in mourning those who had perished in this battle. After a while, the gathered crowd dispersed, each heading to the tombstones of the people important to them.
"Sigh." Unlike the others, Furina had no one close to her who had died this time. For a moment, she did not know where to go. After thinking it over, she finally walked to the tombstone of her late parents.
"Maybe your blessings worked. I really did join Team 7, and things have turned out pretty well for me. If possible, please bless me so things go even more smoothly in the future, haha."
Perhaps amused by her own "unfilial" words, even in such a heavy atmosphere, Furina ended up laughing. Realizing that laughing like this did not fit the mood, she quickly scanned her surroundings.
"Hm, no one noticed I laughed out loud. Good. Hm?? Wait, no."
Just as Furina was secretly relieved, she suddenly felt like she had overlooked something earlier. Looking again yep, there really was someone, staring straight at her.
The person opposite was a very sorrowful-looking woman with long purple hair and an older-sister aura. After seeing this appearance, Furina already had a guess about the other's identity in her heart, though she still asked knowingly.
"Excuse me, big sister, who are you? Is there something you need? I was just thinking about some funny things from when I was little with my parents."
After hearing Furina's explanation, the sorrow on the long-haired woman's face did not change. She simply spoke softly in reply to Furina's question.
"My name is Uzuki Yūgao. You might not know me, but that doesn't matter. I'm here this time to thank you. The Baki you killed had previously murdered my lover.
Now that Konoha and Sunagakure are about to reconcile and restore their alliance, without you, I fear I would never have had the chance to... to avenge Hayate. Really, truly, thank you very much."
When mentioning Hayate's name, Uzuki Yūgao clearly lost composure for a moment. She barely managed to hold back her grief to finish her words of thanks. Her slightly trembling body showed just how difficult it had been for her to say all this.
"..."
Looking at Uzuki Yūgao desperately trying not to break down, Furina fell silent. She knew that Baki had killed Gekkō Hayate, but she had found out too late.
The memories from her previous life had long been forgotten. It was only through the scenes shown in the playback that she remembered he would be killed by Baki. But when it actually happened, she had been asleep. The next day, when she had nothing to do, she checked the system and only then learned about it.