When the news of Hashirama slaying Uchiha Madara spread throughout Konoha, Kagura was still undergoing a full-body examination at the Konoha Hospital. She had been there since morning, dragging her feet until evening, accompanied by a woman named Biwako. This woman had a serious demeanor, though she was quite attractive.
Kagura vaguely remembered that Biwako is the wife of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. In the anime, she appeared for only a few minutes, making a brief entrance before quickly meeting her end. Her only notable moment was delivering the protagonist, Naruto.
If she could deliver babies, shouldn't she be a midwife? What's she doing following me around?
Just thinking about this made Kagura face turn green.
"The examination is complete. Everything is normal, and there are no signs of injury," said the woman who appeared to be the medical staff, addressing Biwako.
Biwako simply nodded, her expression still unreadable.
This must be the legendary ice queen that straight men adore. Though she seems hard to approach, there's no denying that her aloofness makes people want to conquer her.
Even if she's a woman, it's no exception.
Kagura recalled how, in the anime, Hiruzen Sarutobi was repeatedly tempted by Naruto Sexy Jutsu, leading to nosebleeds.
Men are all the same, aren't they? Even if they have a beautiful wife, they can't resist the allure of other women. Ugh!
After mocking Hiruzen, Kagura felt a bit guilty. Is it the same for men who like to look at beautiful women as it is for women who like to look at handsome men? She had never been in love, so she didn't know how other women felt. But for her, if love meant covering her eyes and not being able to look at handsome men, then that didn't sound very appealing.
"What's your name?" Kagura was still lost in her thoughts when she heard Biwako speak to her.
"Kagura."
"Kagura?"
"Yes," Kagura nodded vigorously.
"Uh, I can't remember. Maybe I was hit on the head by the First Hokage. I can't recall anything from before."
Biwako looked at Kagura, then at the medical report in her hand, and then back at Kagura. She seemed puzzled, muttering.
"The examination didn't show any issues. Strange."
"Are you a doctor?"
"Yes," Biwako replied indifferently.
"Do I need to be hospitalized?"
"Well..."
The report didn't indicate a need for hospitalization.
Kagura had to stay in the hospital for the night. She was new here and had nowhere to go. Sleeping on the streets was out of the question for a woman like her—it wasn't safe.
"I don't remember where I live, and I can't recall anything from the past. Didn't Tobirama tell you to take good care of me? Now that I've lost my memory, you can't just kick me out."
Biwako had been hesitating, but upon hearing Tobirama name, she immediately straightened up. Tobirama was Hiruzen Sarutobi teacher, and Biwako held him in high regard. Naturally, she would ensure that his instructions were carried out properly.
And so, Kagura spent a pleasant night at the Konoha Hospital. Aside from the narrow and somewhat hard single bed and the pervasive smell of disinfectant in the ward, it wasn't too bad. Of course, she had to ignore the occasional wailing cries of injured ninja being treated that reached her ears.
The next day, the ever-busy Tobirama even personally visited the hospital to check on Kagura, which left her feeling incredibly honored.
In the real world, Kagura worked as an illustrator for anime and games. Apart from drawing, her life revolved around... well, more drawing. Her colleagues were either otaku girls or otaku guys, leaving her with no opportunities to meet handsome men. Moreover, she had always believed that real people could never compare to the charm of 2D characters, so naturally, no man ever showed her any special attention.
But after transmigrating to this world, things were different...
On the second day of her transmigration, she felt that even if she died on the spot, it would be worth it, given that the future Second Hokage was showing concern for her. Of course, she was just thinking about it; she wouldn't actually die now. After all, she possessed an immortal body, and it would be a waste not to make the most of this ability.
Tobirama wasn't wearing his usual fur-collared outfit but was dressed in a gray kimono. His face was as cold as ever, but his overall demeanor seemed much softer.
Yes, it was a different kind of handsomeness.
"Her body seems fine, but..." The nurse hesitated, glancing at Kagura. She felt it would be cruel to say in front of Kagura that her brain might be damaged.
"But what?" Tobirama's deep, resonant voice made Kagura feel like she was ascending to heaven. As someone who loved listening to voice actor dramas while drawing, hearing a voice like Horiuchi Ken'yu's paired with Tobirama's face was simply perfection!
"She's lost her memory."
Tobirama seemed unprepared for this answer. He froze for a full three seconds before shifting his gaze to Kagura's face, only to find her staring at him with a lovesick expression. Her gaze made him so uncomfortable that he coughed to break the awkward silence.
"I was hoping to ask her about her identity, but if she's lost her memory, what should we do? Maybe..."
"Hmm?"
"Send her to the interrogation room. Let Shikatsu question her."
Wait, did she hear that correctly?
"The interrogation room?" Images of the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but shiver.
She often fast-forwarded through scenes in the anime and had never seen how the Leaf Village's interrogation room handled prisoners. With her delicate skin, if she were to be beaten up, it would be disastrous.
"Yes, there are members of the Yamanaka clan there. Don't worry, even if you've forgotten, they can delve into your mind to see who you really are. If you're a spy from another village, I can't just leave you wandering around Konoha."
The Yamanaka clan—the ones who could use the Mind Body Switch Technique and read minds, right?
Kagura swallowed hard. If she encountered someone from the Yamanaka clan, wouldn't that mean she was about to face a massive social death?
Two ninjas dragged her toward the interrogation room, one on each side. No matter how much Kagura struggled, Tobirama didn't even bat an eye. Of course, he had no idea that the woman was cursing him vehemently in her heart.
The interrogation room was quite far from the Konoha Hospital, located in a separate building. It took three streets to get there from the hospital. Along the way, Kagura couldn't help but think about all the embarrassing memories in her mind. She had always had a wide range of interests—did reading adult novels and comics count? Did her tendency to make inappropriate jokes count? Would her habit of casually sharing risqué stories with colleagues also be exposed?
And what else! Oh right, as an illustrator, she had drawn plenty of suggestive art of her favorite pairings...
The more she thought about it, the more Kagura wished she could just smash her head into a shop sign on the street. Who could have imagined that one day her little secrets would be so blatantly exposed?
She could already imagine the expression on Shikatsu guy face when he saw the contents of her mind. What would he think of her? Probably that she was some kind of licentious king.
But then it occurred to her—who here even knew her? Even if she were to suffer social death, it didn't seem so unbearable. At worst, she could just leave Konoha. There were plenty of villages out there; if this place didn't want her, she'd find another.
With that thought, her heart instantly felt lighter, and she even straightened her back a little more.
In the interrogation room, Kagura was placed inside a machine that resembled an upside-down cauldron, with only her head sticking out. The man named Shikatsu pressed a hand on top of her head and asked, "What's your name?"
"Kagura."
"Kagura?"
"Yeah, that's right, I'm Kagura!" Kagura smiled, thinking how convenient this pen name was—it felt perfectly natural, even after crossing worlds.
Shikatsu had never seen anything like it.
Whoever was about to have their mind read was laughing so happily that it made him suspicious. The ninja who had escorted Kagura over whispered into his ear. Although the voice was very low, the interrogation room was too quiet, and Kagura heard every word clearly.
"Lord Tobirama said this person brain is damaged, and it was Lord Hashirama who did it. How pitiful..."
Hey, whose brain is damaged?!
Kagura rolled her eyes. These past two days, the phrase "brain damaged" was the one she had heard the most. What she didn't know was that in the real world, her brain was indeed damaged—she was in a vegetative state. However, the two worlds were not connected, so being a vegetable in one world didn't affect her living a perfectly normal life in the other.
"Huh?" Shikatsu looked surprised. "Don't talk nonsense. How could the First Hokage hit a woman?"
"It's true, it's true! Lord Tobirama said so. Apparently, this woman appeared at the scene of the battle between Lord Hashirama and Madara Uchiha. Maybe she's Madara woman or accomplice."
"Huh?" Shikatsu was shocked again. This rumor was getting more and more outrageous.
Kagura eyes rolled so hard she almost got a spasm. She really wanted to file a complaint against this gossipy ninja. Don't ruin people's reputations, okay? Her relationship with Madara was as pure as tofu with scallions.
Noticing Kagura displeasure was practically overflowing, Shikatsu finally coughed and began the mind-reading technique.
Although she comforted herself by thinking there was no one here she cared about, so it didn't matter if she embarrassed herself, she still felt a bit nervous when Shikatsu actually started reading her mind.
What could he see? Would he see everything, even the most mundane things like eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom? Could he see her bathing or using the toilet?
The thought sent a chill down her spine. This was even more embarrassing than him seeing all the R-rated novels and manga in her mind.
After about ten minutes, Shikatsu let out a puzzled "Huh?" in front of her.
A few more minutes passed, and he suddenly removed his hand, staring at Kagura with a look of utter confusion.
"What are you looking at?" Kagura retorted.
"Ah..." Shikatsu was momentarily speechless. He called over his assistant and said, "Go get Hibiki."
The assistant didn't know what was going on, but he didn't dare question his superior's orders. He went to fetch Hibiki. Seeing him, Kagura pouted, feeling like she was looking at herself facing a demanding client. One word from the client, and she'd be up late revising designs. It seemed that being a miserable worker was the same everywhere.
Here, she was determined not to be as pitiful as she was in the real world. She would slack off completely. Let others hustle if they wanted to. Kagura would never hustle, not even if the heavens themselves demanded she work 9 to 5.
After waiting another ten minutes, just as Kagura was about to doze off, another man finally entered. He had yellow hair and looked a lot like Inoichi his name is haiichi. She wondered if they were related.
"I couldn't detect anything. The only thing I could sense was that she was eating sunflower seeds at the scene of the battle between Lord Hashirama and Madara Uchiha."
"Eating sunflower seeds?"
"Yeah," Shikatsu nodded. It sounded strange. Who in their right mind would eat sunflower seeds in a life-and-death situation? So, this person's brain really must be damaged.
"Perhaps my skills aren't sufficient. Please take a look yourself."
He spoke like this, and Haiichi glanced at Kagura with a mix of doubt and curiosity, placing his palm on the top of her head. Clearly, his skill was superior to Shikatsu, but after a few minutes, he withdrew his hand, his face as puzzled as Shikatsu had been earlier.
"How is it?"
Haiichi shook his head. "I can't read it. Just as you said, all I saw was her sitting on a mountain peak, cracking sunflower seeds. She truly has a carefree heart."
"Thank you," Kagura politely expressed her gratitude.
"What should we do then? Lord Tobirama is still waiting for news," the gossipy ninja beside them asked the two.
Haiichi clicked his tongue, his expression calm. "Just report the truth as it is."