Time flowed on, day after day.
It was only when the maple leaves in the courtyard suddenly turned red that Uchiha Ran realized: autumn of Konoha Year Forty-Seven had finally arrived…
Everything in his plans was progressing in an orderly, controlled way.
So, Uchiha Ran decided to reward himself with a day off.
Upstream of the Nanga River—or rather, at the very source of the Nanga River—stood Mount Nanga.
At the foot of Mount Nanga lay a deep, still pool.
The water was so dark that the bottom was invisible. The pool hugged the mountain's base, winding in a long, curving ribbon, like a band of jade coiled around the foot of the peak. Standing at one end, you could not see where the water finally disappeared.
This spot was merely a quiet, secluded corner of Mount Nanga.
Every morning when the sun rose, the pool would catch the sunlight and scatter it back in shimmering reflections. In the soft glow of dawn, it filled anyone who saw it with a quiet joy.
The Nanga River itself began here. Snow on the mountaintop melted and gathered, then flowed down along the ridgeline, joining into a thin stream, then a waterfall, then this pool, and finally became the Nanga River that ran past the Uchiha compound.
Today, when Ran saw the maple leaves at his door blazing scarlet, his mood instantly soared. In high spirits, he made a special trip to this rarely visited mountain pool to go fishing.
Because it was still morning, the surroundings were peaceful. Aside from birdsong, there were only the occasional dragonflies and butterflies flitting past—small, vivid traces of life.
"Fishermen never go home empty-handed…" Ran flicked his rod and tossed it aside with a grin. "Another one landed. Today's a total jackpot~"
There was no audience in sight, no one to boast to, but Ran was genuinely happy. Simple and pure—that was the charm of fishing.
"Mm… later I've got to carry this fifteen-pound fish back and walk a full lap around Konoha with it."
He could already picture the villagers' stunned faces and the barrage of curious questions. Just imagining it made the corners of his mouth curl up. Today was a truly blessed day for a fisherman.
On the other side of the same pool where Uchiha Ran was fishing…
A female ninja with long golden hair tied into a thick ponytail and a bluish-violet diamond mark on her forehead stepped to the water's edge. Her clothes were casually loose, revealing a pair of pale, slender legs.
"Perfect. I knew it—no matter how long I stayed away, no one ever comes to this place. It's been ages… I'll take a proper bath here before heading back to Konoha!"
If Orochimaru had been here, he would have realized at a glance that this woman who had been away from the village for so long… was Tsunade.
Clearly, there was no one around. Tsunade stretched lazily, then shrugged off her loose robe, revealing flawless skin, smooth and white like polished mutton-fat jade.
The fullness of her chest seemed about to spill free; the curve of her waist was sinfully alluring; her long, straight legs flashed in and out of view between the trunks of the mountain forest.
As the old saying went: "A girl of eighteen is soft as wine; with sword at hip she fells the common swine."
Heads might not literally roll to the ground, but in secret she left men hollowed to the bone.
With a figure like this, anyone who saw her would be loath to ever look away.
A light breeze rose, stirring a faint fragrance, and a scattering of osmanthus blossoms drifted down, landing across Tsunade's body.
Tsunade did not move, letting the tiny flowers slowly gather over her chest.
Then she lifted a hand and gently smoothed the loose strands of hair by her cheek, feeling the lingering warmth of Konoha's autumn on her skin.
Tsunade's gaze grew distant, as if she were sighing over something far away.
After a long while, she finally murmured to herself, "After all these years… I'm finally back~"
Her quiet sigh scattered along with the osmanthus petals.
Tsunade slowly closed her beautiful eyes. In her mind flashed scenes of Orochimaru, Jiraiya, the Third Hokage, Nawaki, and even Dan—tiny fragments, one memory after another.
Those memories hurt her… yet filled her. They made her feel a bittersweet happiness that bordered on unbearable.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ran was starting to feel tired from fishing.
"All right, all right~ in a place this comfortable, I've got to take a good swim."
Ran abandoned his fishing rod, stripped off his clothes in a few swift motions, and dove into the pool.
Splash—
With a burst of water, Ran's entire figure vanished beneath the surface.
…
On the other side—
Tsunade was still immersed in the water, thoroughly enjoying the bliss of relaxation.
Suddenly, a faint, unfamiliar sensation brushed across her skin. She frowned slightly and opened her eyes.
"Mm?" Tsunade's delicate brows knit as she lowered her head to look at her own body.
A small golden fish swam lazily through the middle of those towering peaks on her chest.
"What species is this?" Tsunade reached out and caught the tiny golden fish in one hand, studying it. "So it's a golden dragon carp. I thought this kind only lived around the islands of the Land of Water~"
After saying that, Tsunade casually tossed the golden dragon carp back into the pool.
"So comfortable…"
Her entire body relaxed as she floated on her back atop the water.
Drifting along the surface, Tsunade admired the scenery along the pool's edge. The maple trees all around had turned a sea of red, and under the sunlight they were even more vivid and dazzling, so bright it made one's heart instinctively open and clear.
On the other side, Uchiha Ran, worn out from swimming, was now resting against a rock at the edge of the pool, completely naked as he soaked in the sunlight.
"This place is amazing. The Third can't monitor me out here, and it's perfect for tempering the body and calming the mind. This is real luxury~"
He closed his eyes and let his breathing even out.
Just then, a woman's voice drifted over the water.
"So nice… If the whole ninja world were as peaceful as Konoha, that'd be perfect. I could gamble and soak every day~"
Hearing the sigh, Ran responded on reflex, "Konoha isn't that peaceful. There are constant clashes on the borders. Sooner or later, the sparks of war will spread to the village."
"There's someone here?"
Only then did Ran come fully back to his senses—and his gaze was instantly captured.
Floating toward him on the surface of the water were two snow-white, towering peaks. At the top of each peak perched a ripe cherry, and this was exactly the season when cherries were at their sweetest.
Ran's eyes went wide and fixed in place. He swallowed hard, the sound loud in his own ears, his throat suddenly dry.
It felt like the air itself was filled with the fragrance of cherries, sweet and tempting enough to make one's mouth water.
He, Uchiha Ran, had done nothing but good deeds since arriving in this world—uniting clan and village, treating others with warmth and kindness. Of course he was due this kind of heavenly reward!
Tsunade, drifting with the current, froze for a long moment after hearing Ran's words before she finally reacted.
"There's actually someone here?"
Without realizing she was still in the water, she snapped upright with a sharp, reflexive motion.
The resulting tremor was astonishing—snow-white and perfectly full, every curve the work of the heavens.
In an instant, Tsunade's naked body, from head to toe, was laid bare before Uchiha Ran's eyes.
"Holy—!"
Ran's eyes almost popped out of his head. He nearly sprayed blood from his nose. He never imagined this world still held such supreme examples of divine craftsmanship.
And those peaks. Those peaks. Those peaks…
That's Tsunade, right? It has to be Tsunade! As expected of Konoha's most terrifying, most outrageously stacked big soft target! At this age she still looks like a girl! Ran's heart hammered in his chest.
At the same time, Tsunade also took in a scene she absolutely should not have seen: a boy clearly still in his teens, completely naked, something nameless and wicked swaying in front of him.
"Brat. Where did this little brat come from? You're way too bold—your eyes still dare to look!?"
Tsunade's furious roar crashed against Uchiha Ran's ears.