Taking a few deep breaths, Touye began to form hand seals. After two years of practice, her speed, while not on par with the prodigies from the original story, had reached a respectable two to three seals per second. Thus, even for a B-rank jutsu, it didn't take long to complete.
"Ice Release: Glacial River Burial!"
With a tremendous roar, a two-meter-high wave of ice surged from behind the cottage, flattening it and everything inside with destructive force.
When the dust of powdered snow settled, the cottage was nothing but a pile of ruins.
Haku was truly exhausted. Even a noise that loud only made her frown and pull Touye's jacket tighter around herself as she slept on. Touye sighed in relief, carefully picked up Haku and Lian's body, and ran toward her cabin.
She didn't want to bury Lian here.
***
Touye sat beside the newly erected gravestone, wiping sweat from her brow. The headstone was just a wooden plank; she had been busy for a while and didn't have the strength to find a stone. She could only hope Lian's spirit wouldn't mind the simple arrangement.
After a moment of silence, Touye spoke to the empty forest. "Can you hear me, Xiyuan?"
A voice immediately sounded in her mind. "I'm always here. What is it? Have you decided on your second condition?"
That was right. Touye had only made two requests back then, with the third to be made once she was in the Naruto world. Now, she was ready to make that wish.
Touye hesitated for a moment before speaking softly. "Xiyuan, can gods forget memories?"
"Yes," Xiyuan replied affirmatively. "Even gods, after the passage of countless ages, will forget certain things."
"Then, how do you handle memories you don't want to forget?"
After a brief silence, Xiyuan answered, "Data conversion of memories."
"Data... conversion of memories?" Touye repeated subconsciously.
"Correct," Xiyuan replied quickly this time. "It involves converting your memories into data and storing them in a computer. Human memory can become fuzzy and be lost, but a computer's won't. As long as your hardware—your brain—isn't damaged, no data will be lost."
Touye was silent for a moment. "Alright," she said. "I'm making my third request. Please convert my memories to data."
Xiyuan fell silent as well before continuing, "You need to be sure. There are side effects. Are you really prepared to cast aside your past?"
This time, Touye was silent for a long while. She had a rough idea of what it meant. Most likely, all the emotions from her past life would become irrelevant to her...
Once converted to data, her former memories would be like files, like a movie she had just watched. Every detail would be etched in her mind, but the visceral feelings of being there would be gone. They would be data, not memories.
A bitter smile touched her lips. She lowered her head and said, "Of course. I've never been one to live in the past. This kind of pain... once is enough..."
She looked up, her eyes filled with an unshakable resolve. "I won't let something like this happen again. So I must remember. I must, absolutely, change our fate!"
"Is that so... I understand... Well, with all three conditions met, we won't have another chance to meet. Farewell..."
"...Yeah. I know. Thank you for everything..." she said.
Then, she felt a wave of dizziness, which was quickly replaced by an incredible clarity. When she tried to recall her past, she found she could remember things long forgotten, every detail crystal clear.
The scenes in her memory were still vivid, and some of them still moved her, but it wasn't the same emotion she had personally experienced. It was more like watching a movie, where you feel moved, happy, sad, or angry at the protagonist's trials, but you are... an outsider.
An outsider. How ridiculous. It was her own life, yet now she watched the people in her memories laugh and rage as if she were a spectator.
*Do I regret it?* she asked herself.
*No,* she answered.
She walked resolutely toward the small girl behind her, casting aside the confusion in her heart.
*For Haku's sake... I have no regrets! And now, it's time for my journey to begin...*
***
Three months had passed. The two girls had been wandering ever since. Fortunately, Kirigakure was in the midst of a political upheaval and had no time to deal with them. Otherwise, had the village discovered that remnants of the Yuki clan still lived, they likely wouldn't have hesitated to spend a little time erasing them.
During this period, Touye had been extremely cautious, not only to avoid Kirigakure ninja, but also for...
Zabuza!
She knew all too well that if they ran into Momochi Zabuza, the events of the original story would likely repeat themselves—Haku would die in the Land of Waves.
That was something she absolutely could not allow to happen.
So for months, she had never stopped moving. In the original story, Zabuza found Haku in a small town when she was at her lowest, and with the simple justification of "needing a tool," he set her on a path of no return.
Therefore, Touye avoided populated areas as much as possible, only venturing near when she needed to restock essentials.
As for money... it wasn't too difficult for someone with her skills to hunt a few wild birds and beasts to sell. Life wasn't luxurious, but they weren't starving, though they did miss a meal or two on occasion.
She glanced at the little girl behind her. After that incident, Haku had become much quieter. Thankfully, with Touye's companionship, she hadn't become like her original self, who couldn't even find a reason to live.
Sighing softly, Touye squeezed the girl's hand. "Haku, you rest here for a bit. We're running low on food, so I'm going to the town ahead to buy some. Be good while I'm gone... Don't wander off!"
Though Haku didn't understand why Touye kept her away from towns, she had always been an obedient child. She simply nodded without question, which saved Touye a lot of trouble.