After leaving the Konoha Hospital, Kagura found herself settling down in a cell beneath the interrogation room. She couldn't help but feel like she was the unluckiest person in the world. Fortunately, after some persistent pleading, the guard took pity on her and gave her a single bed.
Meals were free, and so was lodging. Aside from the lack of freedom and the somewhat dirty environment, staying here didn't seem too bad.
The only downside was that it was a bit boring.
The prison was enormous. Upon entering, there was a central passageway wide enough for three people to walk side by side. The corridor stretched deep into the prison, seemingly endless, with small cells lining both sides.
The cells, deprived of sunlight, were dim and reeked of unpleasant odors. Just as depicted on TV, the place could be summed up in three words—dirty, chaotic, and poor.
Bored out of her mind, Kagura sat by the door of her single cell, peering out. She could clearly see the neighboring cells, which housed a variety of people—men and women alike. Everyone seemed curious about the newcomer, their faces filled with intrigue.
Curiosity and the urge to join in on the excitement seemed to be a universal human trait. Even in this anime world, it was no different.
"Hey, newbie, what did you do to end up here?" A sallow-faced man from the cell diagonally across asked Kagura with a grin. Though he was smiling, there was a clear hint of Schadenfreude in his expression.
"What if I told you I got arrested for eating sunflower seeds while watching a fight? Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn't it?" Kagura replied nonchalantly.
Her words immediately sparked laughter among the prisoners. In an instant, the previously lifeless cell block was filled with a lively atmosphere.
Kagura laughed too, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She seemed like a natural-born comedian. Even in her previous world, she had been known for her humor and cheerful, carefree personality. Everyone loved her; perhaps because of the loving environment she grew up in. Her parents adored each other, and there was no favoritism toward sons over daughters. Growing up in such a nurturing environment had undoubtedly shaped her into a person with a great personality.
Even in this new world, Kagura remained unchanged—still the same person she had always been.
"Has the village really come to this? Getting arrested just for eating sunflower seeds at a fight scene?"
"Really?" someone asked with a laugh.
"I don't believe it. You must have spat the seed shells at them, didn't you?"
"Why did they fight? Was it over sunflower seeds?"
Kagura found it amusing. These people were supposed to be ninjas, yet their imaginations were so limited.
"Not at all. I was caught eating sunflower seeds at the scene of a fight between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha," Kagura said. As soon as her words fell, the noisy cell fell into such silence that you could hear a pin drop.
"What's wrong? Why is everyone so quiet?"
Kagura leaned against the iron bars of the cell door, craning her neck to look outside. She saw everyone in the cell staring straight at her, their eyes filled with a mix of doubt and belief.
After a long while, someone finally spoke up, timidly asking, "Is what you said true?"
Kagura smiled. "Why would I lie to you?"
Another long silence followed. Kagura held her breath, watching them. This sudden quiet was actually quite eerie. Just as she was about to run out of patience, the cell erupted into chatter again, everyone eagerly discussing the battle between the two.
"I knew it! That fight was bound to happen sooner or later," said a man who looked to be in his fifties, dressed in tattered clothes with hair mostly gray.
"Oh, you knew everything, didn't you?" a young man in his early twenties teased him.
"I really did know. Madara is stubborn, inflexible, and unwilling to compromise. As for the First Hokage, he's the type who appears simple but is actually wise. Madara could never gain the upper hand with him. Do you think someone with the First constitution could even kill himself with a kunai? His wounds would heal faster than they could be inflicted. On the contrary, the First always gave off the vibe of an honest man. Over time, Madara couldn't stand it anymore. A fight was inevitable."
An honest man isn't necessarily truly honest. It seems this principle holds true everywhere.
Everyone pondered the old man's words. After a couple of minutes, many began nodding in agreement. "That's right. It's exactly as you said. The First mind was relatively simple, but he had a shrewd younger brother who was always behind the scenes, making decisions. Madara didn't stand a chance."
"Exactly. Although the First was nominally the village leader, it was his younger brother, Tobirama, who made all the decisions, from major diplomatic policies to the smallest village affairs. And Tobirama didn't like Madara Uchiha at all."
"The whole village knows about it. Do you think they might secretly target Madara?"
"Who knows? But on the surface, the Uchiha clan seems to be doing well. There doesn't appear to be any policy targeting them. However, Madara might not share the same views as his clan. In the end, he left the village alone."
"Exactly! When Madara left the village a few years ago, I knew he'd come back eventually."
"Hey, little girl, who won the fight between them?"
Before Kagura could answer, someone chimed in, "Obviously, it was the First Hokage. They've been fighting since the Warring States period, and the First always won. Madara was no match for him."
"Not necessarily," someone else retorted. "I heard Madara had the Nine-Tails. That's the Nine-Tails we're talking about!"
"Now that you mention it, that does make sense."
Kagura looked at these gossipers, feeling utterly bewildered. Perhaps she had seen too many of Orochimaru experimental subjects locked up in cells. Compared to them, the people here in Konoha's prison felt like they were from a completely different world.
"Hey, little girl, did Madara bring the Nine-Tails this time?"
Kagura nodded. "He actually did."
The cell was filled with sighs.
"The First Hokage was such a good man. It's a shame he lost."
"Don't say that! He just lost; it's not like he died!"
"Exactly, exactly."
"Well," Kagura cleared her throat, "someone did die."
"Huh?"
"The First Hokage died?"
"No, it was Uchiha Madara," Kagura said, idly picking up a straw from the floor and playing with it. "But no one believes me when I say he didn't stay dead."
The news of Madara death seemed easier for them to accept than the First Hokage. After a few minutes of silence, they resumed their own conversations, without the grief they had shown when they thought the First Hokage had died.
Kagura watched them, feeling an indescribable sense of desolation. It was clear that being a leader truly required the support of the people. With Madara lack of popularity, becoming Hokage would have been a tough challenge.
The guard, who had been silently eating on the gossip along with the prisoners, finally regained his authoritative demeanor after finishing his "chicken drumstick." He banged his stick on the table, making loud "thud" sounds.
"Keep it down, keep it down. It's too noisy."
Kagura gave him a mocking glance, ignoring his wide-eyed glare, and turned to lie down on the straw bedding to sleep.