Among the Grass ninja Genin,
a girl with bright red hair and thick-rimmed glasses stood out remarkably.
It wasn't just her fiery hair color, but also the numerous shocking bite marks covering her arms and legs that drew disapproving stares and hushed whispers from passersby, speculating what kind of abuse she had endured.
Heiyan immediately recognized the red-haired girl as Uzumaki Shinrin.
He recalled now—in the original timeline, Shinrin indeed participated in Konoha's Chunin Exams representing the Hidden Grass Village.
To Grass ninja like her, participants from major villages such as Konoha and Sunagakure seemed like monsters. During the second stage of the Chunin Exams in the Forest of Death, Shinrin got separated from her teammates and encountered a massive black bear, nearly losing her life. Fortunately, Sasuke showed up, defeated the bear using Lightning Flash Lion Combo, and rescued Shinrin.
From that moment onward, Shinrin had developed feelings for Sasuke, eventually joining his Taka team years later, willingly devoting her entire life to him.
Now amidst the crowd, facing scornful gazes from teammates and pointing fingers of strangers, Shinrin kept her head lowered, silently staring at her feet, appearing extremely self-conscious.
"Hey, hurry up and ask for directions. We came to the wrong inn again."
At this moment, an impatient Grass Chunin shoved Shinrin aside, ordering her to approach someone for directions.
This was simply how things worked in minor villages—traveling here at their own expense to participate in Konoha's Chunin Exams, lacking organizational support, unfamiliar with surroundings, problems kept arising constantly.
"Eep!"
Caught off guard by the push, Shinrin stumbled forward unsteadily and fell awkwardly onto the floor. Her pants tore open at the knee, revealing scraped skin that first turned red before quickly bruising.
In an instant, bitterness and sorrow surged through her heart.
Ever since the destruction of Uzu Country, as one of the last surviving members of the Uzumaki clan, Shinrin had spent her childhood wandering without stability from the very earliest memories she possessed.
After barely settling down in Grass Village, she was treated merely as a living medical kit. Her mother even sacrificed herself protecting Shinrin, having her chakra completely drained away by Grass ninja.
Her mother's death granted Shinrin the status of a Grass Genin, yet nothing changed—her life remained the same, destined only to serve others like an expendable tool.
Living worse than an animal.
Right now, after enduring years of pain and humiliation, when she hit the ground helplessly, emotions could no longer be restrained—tears burst forth like a broken dam.
Just as Shinrin reached the most desperate moment in her life—
"Are you alright?"
A gentle voice came from above her. At the same time, a man's hand stretched toward Shinrin, five fingers spread wide, reaching out like a lifeline thrown to someone drowning.
Shinrin stared blankly at the hand—it was the most beautiful hand she'd ever seen—pale white skin, long elegant fingers.
Slowly raising her gaze, she immediately saw a young man dressed in a white robe, with flowing white hair falling behind his shoulders, smiling kindly at her. That smile was as warm and gentle as a spring breeze brushing over her soul.
At that very moment, it was as if a beam of light had pierced through the darkness, shining directly into Shinrin's bleak existence.
"I... I'm fine, thank you, thank you..."
She came to her senses and stammered, instinctively grabbing his hand and rising with Heiyan's help.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Heiyan looked at Shinrin, who had bite marks all over her body. A flicker of compassion passed through his eyes as he gently asked.
"Oh right, that is..."
Under Heiyan's gaze, Shinrin felt rather flustered. It took great effort for her to finally explain clearly that they had reserved an inn but got lost trying to find it.
"I see. I happen to live nearby and know this area well—you've definitely come to the right person."
Smiling, Heiyan offered to personally guide Shinrin and her companions.
Before Shinrin could even respond, the Chunin who had ordered her around stepped forward, eyeing Heiyan with obvious suspicion before turning to scold Shinrin harshly.
Apparently, since Shinrin had only recently joined Kusagakure and this group treated her poorly most of the time, they naturally worried she might try to break free from Kusagakure's control after arriving in Konoha.
This man in front of them looked extremely dangerous; if Shinrin spent too much time around him, who knew whether she'd be lured away?
After all, Shinrin was the only Medical Ninja in Kusagakure's delegation.
Like kidnappers, the rest of the Kusagakure Ninja forcibly dragged Shinrin past Heiyan, hurrying off without delay.
Unable to resist, Shinrin turned her head involuntarily, as if trying hard to memorize Heiyan's image.
Heiyan waved goodbye to her, watching them lead her away.
He wasn't in a rush. The moment their hands had touched earlier, he had secretly marked her palm with a hidden Flying Thunder God formula, which allowed him to track Shinrin anytime.
In fact, ever since he first saw Shinrin, Heiyan had already added her to his list of targets.
Like Izumi Uchiha and Haku, Shinrin was another talented individual Heiyan planned to bring under his wing—though currently, he needed just the right opportunity.
Unless something unexpected occurred, that opportunity would arise during the upcoming Chunin Exams.
Thinking thus, Heiyan also turned around and strolled leisurely toward his residence.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Izumi Uchiha and Haku had just exited from the marketplace, each carrying two large bags of fresh ingredients, cheerfully walking along the alleyway chatting.
Though one was male and the other female, Haku's appearance and personality were more feminine than most girls', making them seem more like inseparable best friends in their daily interactions.
Today, upon learning that Teacher Heiyan would return, both specially went out shopping intending to prepare an elaborate lunch upon returning home, welcoming their teacher back properly.
Coincidentally,
Just like Heiyan, Izumi and Haku also encountered Gaara's Trio in this area, experiencing a minor unpleasantness between both sides.
"Huh, it's a cross-dresser! How rare!"
As Kankuro passed by Izumi, he looked curiously at Haku dressed femininely, muttering oddly with unusual expression.
The sharp word "cross-dresser" pierced into Haku's ears, making his whole body tremble. His once-bright eyes dulled significantly.
Izumi couldn't stand seeing her best friend being pushed around and jumped in front of Kankuro, blocking his way and telling him to apologize to Haku—right then and there.
"Apologize? What a joke. Beautiful lady, I'm warning you—I'm a ninja from Sunagakure. You better back off now before you bite off more than you can chew," Kankuro said coldly, casting a contemptuous glance at Izumi.
"Guess you're not backing down, huh?"
Izumi didn't bother with another word. Her eyes flashed with icy light as she threw a punch straight at Kankuro without hesitation.
[Todoroki]
The instant Izumi moved, a shockwave burst from her, blasting pebbles into the air. The sheer pressure sent chills down Kankuro's spine—he didn't see that coming.
Damn it, I underestimated her.
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