The Spring Stream and the Bloodstained First Encounter
The spring sun filtered through the newly green leaves, casting dappled, swaying shadows on the ground. The air was filled with the fresh scent of budding grass and the delicate, sweet fragrance of wildflowers. For the aristocratic ladies, long confined to their inner mansions, this was the perfect time of year for an outing.
After receiving her grandmother's approval, eight-year-old Uchiha Aoi, accompanied by several cousins of similar age and a large group of servants and guards, rode an ox cart to a valley in the suburbs, some distance from the capital. With its beautiful scenery and clear waters, it was a popular spring outing for the nobility.
Girls, dressed in brightly colored spring kimonos, played and laughed excitedly on the grass like a flock of birds released from their cages, picking unknown wildflowers and comparing whose garland was the most beautiful. Maids spread out tablecloths and prepared tea. Guards were scattered around, keeping vigil but not overly disturbing their masters' enjoyment.
Aoi, also dressed in a light green visiting dress (a slightly formal kimono), quietly followed the others. She admired the rare natural scenery, breathing in the free air unencumbered by sandalwood and rules, and her mood brightened slightly. But she remained cautious, only smiling faintly. She rarely joined in the playful activities, mostly just watching others play.
After playing for a while, the girls grew tired and returned to their tablecloths to rest and drink tea. Aoi felt a little depressed, so she whispered to the leading nanny that she wanted to go to the nearby stream to wash her hands. The nanny glanced at the stream not far away, saw a maid following them, and nodded in agreement.
Aoi, accompanied by a young maid, slowly walked to the stream. The water was crystal clear, gurgling and shimmering like golden hues in the sunlight. She knelt down, dipped her hands in the cool water, and sighed comfortably.
At that moment, her eyes stumbled across a dense patch of reeds not far downstream. It seemed as if... something was reflecting light? Furthermore, the surrounding river water seemed to have a faint, abnormal, pale pink hue.
Her heart skipped a beat. A bad premonition gripped her. She asked the maid to wait there, saying she wanted to walk downriver on her own. The maid hesitated, but seeing that the downstream was still within her sight, she didn't try to stop her.
Aoi lifted the hem of her kimono and carefully treaded the pebbles along the stream's edge, heading downstream toward the reeds. The closer she got, the faint scent of blood grew stronger, a mixture of water vapor and earthy aromas that filled her nostrils. Her heart began to race, and her steps became hesitant.
She parted the thick reeds—
My breathing stopped instantly!
A white-haired young man was half-leaning against a rock behind a thicket of reeds. He was soaking wet, his face as pale as paper, his eyes closed, and he seemed completely unconscious. He wore a dark blue ninja uniform, which was torn in many places. The most horrifying was the wound on his abdomen, a deep wound that looked like it had been cut by a sharp weapon. Although soaked in water, it still slowly seeped blood, staining the rocks and the river water beneath him a faint red.
A kunai fell next to the boy's hand, and it was the sunlight reflected by it that caught Aoi's attention.
A huge fear instantly seized Aoi. She almost screamed out loud and subconsciously took a step back, almost falling into the stream. Her first thought was to turn around and run away, as far away from this dangerous ninja as possible!
However, when her eyes fell on the boy's face, which was extremely pale due to blood loss but still had a handsome outline, and saw his slightly furrowed brows, it seemed that he was still enduring great pain in his coma... Aoi's footsteps were nailed to the spot again.
He doesn't look very old, probably only a few years younger than Big Brother Madara. He's seriously injured, and if no one takes care of him, he'll die here.
die.
The word stung Aoi. She thought of her mother and brothers lying in a pool of blood, and the cruelty of war. The young man before her, whether he was a ninja or a civilian, was first and foremost a seriously injured and dying being.
And... he is also a ninja, just like Madara. If Madara was seriously injured outside, would he also hope that someone could help him?
A complex emotion surged in her heart - there was an instinctive fear of ninjas, there was a fear of ninjas, but more importantly, there was a respect for life that came from a modern soul, a kindness that could not bear to see people die, and an empathy that seemed to see the figure of her own brother through him.
The intense mental struggle lasted only a few seconds. Aoi took a deep breath, bit her lower lip hard, and finally made up her mind.
She quickly glanced around to make sure no one else was paying attention. Then, she squatted down, mustered her courage, reached out her slightly trembling hand, and felt the boy's breath—although it was weak, he was still breathing.
She forced herself to calm down, recalling the extremely limited first aid knowledge she had learned in her previous life. She tore off the softest fabric from the lining of her kimono (luckily, the kimono had many layers, so the missing layer wouldn't be noticeable), soaked it with stream water, and carefully wiped away the blood and mud around the boy's wound. While cleaning the wound, the boy, even in his unconscious state, winced in pain and let out a faint groan, frightening Aoi so much that she almost dropped the cloth.
She clumsily used her belt as a bandage, attempting to wrap it tightly around the wound on his abdomen to stem the bleeding. Her strength was limited, her technique clumsy, but she did her best to be as careful as possible. In the process, she inevitably touched the boy's cold, soaking body, feeling the solid muscular lines of a ninja beneath. Her cheeks burned, her heartbeat quickened, and her resolve to save him grew stronger. Such a young and powerful life should not be lost in silence.
After performing these simple first aid procedures, she was already sweating profusely. Seeing the boy still unconscious, his complexion showing no sign of improvement, she knew this wasn't enough. She needed help, but she couldn't reveal his identity, or he would surely die.
She thought quickly, then made a decision. She kicked the boy's kunai deeper into the reeds, hiding it there. She then shifted him slightly, so that he was more hidden by the rocks and reeds. Finally, she gave him a long look, turned, and ran quickly upstream.
She ran to where the maid was waiting. She acted panicked and about to cry, grabbed the maid's hand, and cried, "Over there... over there behind the rocks... there's a person... lying on the ground... so much blood... it's terrible! Go tell Mammy!"
She only said she found a wounded man, without mentioning ninjas or kunai, and she successfully played the role of a frightened little girl.
Upon hearing the news, the nanny and the guards rushed over and followed Kui to the reeds. Seeing the seriously injured boy, the guards immediately became nervous and carefully checked the surroundings to confirm that there was no ambush or danger.
"Looks like a ninja from his attire." The captain of the guards looked serious as he checked the boy's injuries and belongings (Aoi had already hidden her kunai, and her other tools might have been lost or subconsciously overlooked by Aoi during the impact of the water and the struggle). "He's badly injured, but he's still breathing."
"What should we do?" The nanny was a little flustered and looked at Kui and several other young ladies who rushed over after hearing the news.
"What else can we do?" An older cousin frowned in disgust. "They must have provoked an enemy ninja who got injured! Let's not meddle in other people's business and bring disaster upon ourselves! Let's go!"
"But..." Aoi spoke softly and timidly, tears in her eyes, "He...he looks so pitiful...If we don't care about him, he will die..." She made full use of her young and soft-hearted image.
The captain of the guards paused. Finding an unidentified injured ninja near the Fire Nation's capital would be problematic if left unattended. Rescuing them might yield some intelligence.
Finally, the nanny made a decision: "Well, we can't just sit there and watch him die. Two people, carry him to the cart carefully. When we get back to the city, find a doctor to see him. Whether he lives or dies will depend on his luck. No one should say anything too much about what happened today!"
The guards stepped forward and carefully lifted the unconscious white-haired boy. Aoi followed beside him, her heart still pounding, her eyes fixed on the pale boy.
She didn't know his name. She only knew that, out of a moment of kindness and a memory of her brother, she had saved a young man who might have been her enemy. On that spring day by the stream, the gears of fate quietly shifted, a tiny, yet profound, shift.
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