Chapter 1

In the 33rd year of Konoha, winter.

The entire Hidden Leaf Village was covered in snow, and warm yellow lights flickered in the delivery room of the Uchiha Territory Hospital.

"Family members, please come over."

"I...I am!"

The man looked nervous yet slightly delighted as he carefully took the newborn baby from the nurse's hands.

After being briefly cared for by the nurses after birth, the infant let out a few clear cries, then opened its large, clear, and bright eyes, like obsidian, and seemed to be looking around.

"Bai Lu, hurry up and name this child," the woman resting against the hospital bed in the delivery room said.

Her lips were slightly pale from childbirth, but she still looked very energetic.

Uchiha Hakuro's hands trembled slightly as she held the child, her nervousness at becoming a father masking his still-naive expression.

“Frost's Descent…” He looked at the woman on the bed, his eyes filled with affection and tenderness. His gaze then fell on the baby in swaddling clothes and the heavy snow outside the window. After a moment of thought, he said, “Let’s name her Snow, Uchiha Snow.”

The man gently placed the child beside the woman's head. Uchiha Shimoko gazed at her daughter, a loving smile on her face, and tenderly replied, "Uchiha Yuki, what a beautiful name. I hope she can be like snow, remaining pure and flawless no matter what she encounters. We will protect her well, right, Shimoko?"

The man laughed and said, "Of course, the Uchiha clan members will protect her."

Outside the window, the snow continued to fall heavily, as if cheering and blessing the arrival of this new life.

-

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yuki turned four years old.

Uchiha Yuki, also known as Lin Yuki, was called Lin Yuki before she was four years old.

She was a high school girl who was hit by a car while crossing the street one day, and that's how she ended up here.

There's a saying that goes something like this: "Since you're here, make the best of it."

Lin Xue accepted her parents' love and acceptance of her time travel quite naturally.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she was an orphan in her own world?

Despite feeling pressured by the unfamiliar terms like chakra, eye techniques, and ninjas, the thought of facing the same career struggles as her parents in this world made her grit her teeth and force herself to read "A General History of the Ninja World" and "The Origin of Chakra." These were essentially general history books about this world and the origins of chakra, a substance beyond human comprehension.

However, Uchiha Yuki always had a strange sense of familiarity with the concepts of ninja and Hokage, as if she had seen them somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. She always felt a very strong sense of déjà vu.

Until one day, she went with the kind older sister next door to experience a day of trial study at the ninja academy.

In the bustling crowd, a dazzling golden head instantly caught her attention. Her gaze met that of the golden retriever's owner.

In an instant, as if a lightning bolt had struck my mind, fragmented memories of the anime "Naruto" from my past life quickly came together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Uchiha Yuki's gaze froze, while Namikaze Minato looked at the black-haired little dumpling behind Mikoto, who was staring blankly at him.

He gave a gentle smile, and Yuki, realizing what was happening, blushed and hid behind Mikoto.

At this moment, Uchiha Yuki deeply regretted not having memorized the plot of this anime thoroughly when she was Lin Yuki.

So much so that now, apart from the classic trio of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, she can hardly recognize anyone else. Because of this anime, she only watched the Chunin Exams part; the later plot is completely blank for her.

On her way home, she turned to look at Uchiha Mikoto beside her with a complicated expression, thinking to herself: Mikoto-nee... could she be the mother who gave birth to Sasuke? Thinking of this, Uchiha Yuki's heart was in turmoil.

"What's wrong with Xiaoxue? She's been sullen ever since she came back from the Ninja Academy."

Mikoto's face was full of worry, her gaze fixed on Uchiha Yuki.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yuki quickly shook her head and forced a smile, saying, "Mikoto-nee, I'm really fine." She even waved her hand, trying to reassure Mikoto. Mikoto, however, couldn't truly relax. She gently patted Uchiha Yuki's head, her tender gesture filled with concern.

A short while later, Mikoto and Yuki said goodbye at her doorstep. After Mikoto went inside, she still peeked out, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Yuki had returned to normal.

When Uchiha Yuki was still an infant, Uchiha Mikoto, who was visiting the neighbor's house with her parents, first saw her and was touched by her cute and adorable appearance. She secretly made up her mind to protect this little sister.

From then on, Mikoto watched Yuki grow up little by little. Watching her go from taking her first steps to crawling and walking unsteadily on the ground, Mikoto spent almost all of those four years by Yuki's side, except when she was at the Ninja Academy.

Compared to Yuki's parents, who were always busy with missions, Mikoto spent much more time with Yuki.

When Uchiha Yuki finally adapted to her childlike body and uttered her first word, her clear "Sister" instantly melted Mikoto's heart. Even though Mikoto herself wasn't much older than Yuki, she acted like a little adult, taking on the responsibility of protecting this cute yet fragile child who was like a snowball.

Mikoto sometimes felt guilty, thinking that Yuki, despite her young age, always seemed burdened with worries, which she felt was due to her inadequate protection, causing Yuki to experience the pressure of the Uchiha clan too early. Therefore, she always tried her best to fulfill Yuki's requests. However, Yuki was exceptionally sensible and never asked for anything on her own initiative.

"Misaka-nee, what's school like?"

One day, Yuki suddenly suggested that she wanted to visit her school, which surprised and excited Mikoto.

But now, seeing Yuki's sullen expression after returning from the ninja academy, Mikoto felt a pang of regret. Should she have avoided letting Yuki experience the ninja academy so early? What if it had a negative impact on her?

Sitting in her yard, Uchiha Mikoto looked up at the square sky, her thoughts drifting far away. She had heard that due to the increasingly tense war situation this year, the age for enrolling children in the Ninja Academy had been lowered again. At this rate, Yuki… should receive her Ninja Academy acceptance letter in a few days. Thinking of this, Mikoto felt a vague unease, as if a dark cloud was slowly gathering over her heart.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yuki, alone at home, sat at her desk.

She opened her notebook, thought for a moment, then picked up her pen and wrote down the three characters: Uchiha.

So far, she has pieced together the known parts of the plot from those fragmented and blurry memories. One day, Sasuke's brother will massacre his clan. The exact date is unknown. Uchiha Yuki frowned, her small hand unconsciously touching her chin, her mind churning. Given that it is currently Konoha Year 37, in which year was Uchiha Sasuke born?

The answer is unclear!

Uchiha Yuki scratched her head in frustration, then suddenly thought of Namikaze Minato. Looking at him now, Minato was only about ten years old, his appearance still very youthful. She calculated in her mind that, based on the timeline, it would probably be another ten years or so before Uchiha Sasuke was born.

Uchiha Yuki looked at the four characters she had written—Namikaze Minato—and the image of Uzumaki Naruto resurfaced in her mind. She remembered that Naruto, from the moment he appeared, carried the heavy burden of losing both his parents. The Nine-Tails' attack forced his parents to sacrifice themselves to protect Konoha. However, that time was still far off. After all, the Kage Rock in Konoha only had inscriptions up to the Third Hokage.

Uchiha Yuki sighed softly, thinking: Instead of worrying about the massacre of her clan that might happen in who knows when, I should focus on my current life trajectory.

After all, in the original work, she was just a minor character who didn't even appear, right?

That's about it.

Thinking of this, she tore off the piece of paper covered in writing, then concentrated her mind and gathered the chakra within her body. She touched her thumb and forefinger together, skillfully forming a hand seal. Although her movements were still somewhat clumsy, a cluster of flames quickly emerged from her fingertips. The flames, like nimble little snakes, swiftly devoured the paper. In no time, the paper was completely burned away, leaving only a wisp of faint blue smoke.

Xue looked down at the ninja academy admission notice on the table. The thin paper felt incredibly heavy. She knew that once she stepped into the ninja academy, it meant she would become a ninja sooner or later. This thought filled her with melancholy. In her previous life, at sixteen, she had never even killed a chicken. In this world, killing on missions was commonplace for every ninja.

-

When the cherry blossoms are in bloom, the morning sunlight gently shines down.

Today is the start of the new semester for the Ninja Academy. Due to her parents' constant missions, the only person accompanying Uchiha Yuki at this moment is Uchiha Mikoto, who is still studying at the Ninja Academy and has not yet graduated.

"Mikoto, is it okay if you don't go to class?" Xue tugged at Mikoto's sleeve.

"It's okay, I asked the teacher for leave." Mikoto gently patted Yuki's head, squatted down and gently straightened her clothes, then gently pushed her. Uchiha Yuki took two steps forward, turned around, and saw Mikoto's gentle smile.

She gripped the strap of her crossbody bag tighter and quickened her pace slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.

The school playground was already filled with children who had come to register. They were like a flock of cheerful little birds, chirping incessantly. Some children, out of curiosity, looked around with wide eyes, full of wonder at everything around them; others, out of timidity, huddled tightly behind their relatives, only showing half their faces, cautiously observing this unfamiliar environment; still others displayed a maturity beyond their years, standing there quietly.

Uchiha Yuki saw several Uchiha clansmen of similar age to herself, and the group naturally gathered together after exchanging glances.

"I wonder if we'll be in the same class later!" The girl with freckles on her cheeks and her hair tied in a single ponytail excitedly grabbed Xue's hands. Her eyes sparkled as if they held countless stars, and her face was filled with a bright smile.

Her name is Uchiha Aki. Her parents said it was because she was born in autumn in Konoha, so her name contains the character "Aki".

Beside him, a boy with his arms crossed looked arrogant. He slightly raised his chin, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain: "I heard from my brother that Uchiha clan members are generally not grouped together in the same class at the Ninja Academy." His voice was somewhat indifferent, as if he was already used to it.

The boy's name was Uchiha Ritsufumi. Uchiha Yuki had seen him several times at the clan's training ground.

He is a very hardworking boy, about ten days older than me.

He has now mastered basic ninjutsu, and he and Yuki often compete in the power of their fire-style techniques.

A few people gathered together to chat, while the surrounding students secretly cast glances their way.

The three of them had such a harmonious aura that no one dared to interrupt.

Then came a simple entrance ceremony. The Third Hokage took some time to visit the Ninja Academy, gave some encouraging words to the new students, and then left in a hurry. The current Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't as old as he appeared in the original story. Afterwards, just as Ritsufumi had predicted, the Uchiha clan members were all separated into different classes.

The first day of the entrance ceremony ended hastily amidst the hustle and bustle. Uchiha Yuki, carrying her file folder, walked side by side with Ritsu and Aki. Before they even reached the school gate, Yuki spotted a golden head as dazzling as the sun in the distance, with two jet-black heads standing next to it.

Uchiha Yuki had excellent eyesight and quickly locked onto one of the heads with smooth black hair—Uchiha Mikoto. She didn't have time to say goodbye to Ritsu and Akatsuki, only waving hurriedly at the school gate before running forward with her file folder in her arms, throwing herself into Uchiha Mikoto's warm and soft embrace.

"What's wrong, Xiaoxue? Is someone bullying you in class?" Uchiha Mikoto asked with concern, gently stroking the top of the girl's head.

The girl gently shook her head in Mikoto's arms; she simply missed Mikoto a little.

After all, in Konoha Village, who would dare to bully a member of the Uchiha clan?

"Could it be that he missed Mikoto so much at school that he cried?" Fugaku Uchiha stood to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said with a hint of teasing.

Uchiha Yuki lifted her head from Uchiha Mikoto's embrace, a flash of annoyance in her large eyes. She glared fiercely at Uchiha Fugaku, revealing a very menacing look. However, in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, this look was utterly harmless; instead, it resembled a soft, cuddly little black cat trying to bare its harmless little fangs, attempting to display its power.

"No way!" Uchiha Yuki pouted angrily. She took Mikoto's hand and walked beside her.

On Mikoto's other side stood Minato Namikaze, with his dazzling golden hair. Uchiha Yuki slightly raised her eyes, secretly observing him. His hair shimmered with golden light in the sunlight, as if surrounded by a dazzling halo. The boy seemed to sense her gaze; his azure eyes, like deep lake water, met hers with a clear smile. His eyebrows curved, and the corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a set of clean, even teeth.

Uchiha Yuki felt her face flush instantly, her cheeks burning hot as if they had been roasted by fire. She pursed her lips tightly, remaining silent, her heart pounding in her chest.

That's so unfair!!!

She has absolutely no resistance to handsome blond, blue-eyed boys!!!

Watching Uchiha Yuki visibly heat up from her original fair and tender little dumpling to become a bright red little dumpling, Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help but secretly cover her mouth and laugh, her laughter as clear and melodious as silver bells.

The setting sun cast long, slanted shadows of the four people.