Chapter 20

Yuki learned about Kushina's kidnapping from Kakashi, a fellow Chunin who was on a mission with her.

She paused for a moment, then, realizing what was happening, a bitter smile appeared on her face as Kakashi mentioned how Minato-senpai had saved Kushina.

That's enough.

Xue realized after speaking that she might have gone too far with her words and actions.

She tried to say something to salvage the awkward situation.

"I mean... I understand, Kakashi, you don't need to say anything more."

Under the moonlight, the earth was covered with snow.

They are on a Class B mission to escort politicians back to the Land of Fire, and are wary of the identity of their target.

The Jonin leading the three-person team chose a convenient shortcut.

Naturally, they had no choice but to live outdoors, with politicians sleeping in sleeping bags inside caves.

It was Snow's turn to keep watch. Kakashi, unable to sleep, sat with Snow on the top of the cave, observing their surroundings.

The two had just finished their conversation, and the atmosphere was very quiet.

Kakashi's gaze fell on Yuki's profile, bathed in the cool moonlight. The girl's lips were a pale color, as if her gentle breath would blend into the snowy night. Her eyelashes cast butterfly-like shadows beneath her eyes, trembling slightly with each breath. It seemed that the previous topic hadn't been something Yuki had enjoyed.

Does she like Minato-senpai? Kakashi wondered.

But that's normal. Minato-senpai is very popular. He suddenly remembered the female ninjas who were secretly eyeing Minato-sensei by the training ground—when that blonde hair turned around with a smile like morning dew, it seemed that even the air rippled.

However, given Obito's personality...

Will you allow Yuki to be with Minato-senpai?

Sometimes, Xue wasn't even allowed to talk to other men in his presence.

Kakashi sat next to Yuki, his arms wrapped around her calves.

A mountain breeze swept by, carrying fine snowflakes. Kakashi reached out to catch the falling snowflakes.

"Yuki, do you like Minato-senpai?"

He kept his voice at a level that only the two people could hear.

Xue heard it, but did not respond.

What she likes or dislikes is...

It's meaningless; no one can escape their predetermined fate.

-

By the beginning of the following spring, Uchiha Mikoto and Fugaku had been married for almost a year. After returning to the village from her mission, Yuki learned from others that Mikoto hadn't even realized she was pregnant—female ninjas, due to the heavy workload, often have irregular menstrual cycles, making it difficult to detect pregnancy immediately.

It wasn't until early spring, when Mikoto went to the clan hospital for a checkup, that she confirmed the good news. At that time, Fugaku Uchiha had just taken over as clan head and was extremely busy with affairs. Yuki accompanied Mikoto to the Hokage Building to apply for extended maternity leave from the Third Hokage. As a Jonin of the village, Mikoto's maternity leave application was quickly approved.

"If that's the case, the baby will be born in less than three months?" Xue sat in the Uchiha clan head's mansion, looking at Mikoto, who was wearing loose casual clothes and whose belly was already noticeably slightly protruding, and couldn't help but ask.

“Yes,” Mikoto gently stroked her belly, a tender smile spreading across her face. “This child has been with me on quite a few missions.”

Upon hearing this, Xue's lips twitched slightly, her gaze falling on Mikoto's stomach, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Sister Mikoto, this child has such a strong will to live..." Xue's words had a hidden meaning, and Mikoto couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

However, Yuki quickly showed a curious expression, her gaze fixed on Mikoto's lower abdomen: "It feels so strange, I'm actually going to be an aunt?"

The Uchiha clan had not had a new life for a long time, so the news of Mikoto's pregnancy naturally made Fugaku put aside the trivial matters within the clan and rush home.

Fugaku removed his dark green vest and noticed the black-haired girl bending over, her ear gently pressed against Mikoto's lower abdomen. She was intently listening to the sounds coming from inside. Fugaku couldn't help but find it amusing; he reached out and stroked her slightly curled head, just like they used to do when they were children.

He always liked to ruffle her hair and watch her look resentful.

It was much more lively than when she always stared at him expressionlessly.

Suddenly, she looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"Mikoto-nee, Fugaku-nii! He seems to have moved!" The girl had her hair tied in a low ponytail, and her delicate features were particularly captivating in the sunlight, her obsidian-like eyes sparkling.

Fugaku couldn't help but pause for a moment, then a long-lost smile appeared on his serious face.

"You've already become a Chunin, yet you're still so immature."

Yuki noticed her hair had been ruffled by the other person, and looked up with some displeasure: "Isn't Fugaku-nii the same..."

"It seems this child really likes snow!" Mikoto said with a smile. "Fugaku, you've arrived."

“Well, now that you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be on missions anymore. Just stay home and rest.” Fugaku seemed to realize that his tone was a bit harsh, so he added a few more words, “As the eldest son of the Uchiha clan, he carries our hopes. We must let him grow up well, Mikoto.”

Upon hearing this, Yuki frowned. Looking at Mikoto's docile appearance and then at Fugaku's serious expression, she revealed a childlike expression reserved only for those close to her: "Fugaku-nii, what's with all this talk about being the eldest son? The child isn't even born yet, Fugaku-nii, don't put too much pressure on him."

"I can let Li Dong and I be, but why are they even targeting the unborn child?" Xue muttered softly, her fingertips running through her hair that had just been ruffled.

Fugaku couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and pressed the pads of his index and ring fingers against Xue Guangjie's forehead.

"As an outstanding ninja of the Uchiha clan, regarding your future promotion to Special Jonin, whether you want to serve in the Uchiha Guard or work for the village, Mikoto and I will not allow you to bluff your way out of this question."

Yuki glanced at Mikoto, who was smiling, to help, but Yuki didn't understand. The force wasn't strong at all, so why couldn't she dodge?

"But he hasn't been promoted yet..."

Yuki's voice was faint, and Fugaku and Mikoto couldn't bear to see her troubled by the choice between the village and the clan.

Fugaku released his grip and looked at Mikoto, who gently shook her head. Seeing this, Fugaku had no choice but to remain silent.

After all, he and Mikoto had made a promise.

We must protect her, protect Uchiha Yuki.

To prevent her from feeling pressured by the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan.

-

On June 9th, I received a letter from Uchiha Ritsufumi.

The letter simply read: "[The Uchiha clan chief's wife has given birth to her eldest son]."

At that time, Yuki was in a team with other ninjas, carrying out a mission to escort intelligence.

So when the Uchiha girl, who had always been expressionless in front of her teammates, smiled, the other two exchanged a glance and were both stunned for a moment.

"What's wrong, Uchiha-san?" the two asked at the same time.

Xue felt a little embarrassed in front of her teammates, whom she didn't know very well yet.

She had inadvertently revealed her true nature, and scratched her head.

"It's because a close sister in the clan has good news."

"Hmm, that's a very tactful answer." The two thought to themselves that while commoners might not know much about the Uchiha clan, they were both members of the Konoha clan and knew a little about the new Uchiha clan leader and his wife.

It seems that Uchiha Yuki and the Uchiha clan head and his wife do indeed have an unusual relationship.

I heard that they had been very close since childhood, and the Uchiha clan head often gave guidance to Uchiha Yuki in her studies.

Along the way, she endured wind and rain, shortening what should have been a four- or five-day journey to just two days, much to the dismay of her two teammates. After a quick shower at home, she changed into a dark purple turtleneck t-shirt with the Uchiha clan crest embroidered on the back of the collar. Her waist-length hair, still damp from the shower, cascaded over her shoulders as she hurried towards the hospital in the Uchiha Autonomous Territory.

When I finally saw Mikoto, her face in the hospital room was filled with maternal love.

"Mikoto, how are you feeling? I brought back some local specialties from the Land of Tea. You should get some rest!" Yuki said with concern. She was usually a little aloof to others, but she was very caring towards those close to her.

Mikoto smiled and asked, "Was the journey alright, Xiaoxue?"

As she spoke, she beckoned to Xue: "Come and see the child, Xue."

Yuki approached nervously, though she had never been this nervous before, even though she had seen Obito when he was that young. She looked at the baby in Mikoto's arms, fair and tender, very cute, sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms with his eyes closed.

I have a feeling that this child will do something extraordinary in the future.

"This child's hair is like Mikoto's. It's neither like most of the clansmen's hair sticking up in the air, nor is it curly like mine and Shisui's," Yuki said softly.

She reached out and gently touched the child's little face.

The next second, the baby in the swaddling clothes instinctively reacted and grabbed her index finger with his tiny hand.

Seeing this, Mikoto laughed out loud: "Indeed, this child and snow are very destined for each other."

Xue was a little embarrassed and didn't dare to pull her finger back, so she lowered her voice and asked, "Haven't you chosen a name yet?"

Mikoto nodded: "Fugaku said he wants you to name it."

"Then let's call him Itachi." For some reason, the moment Xue saw the child, she felt that he absolutely had to be called that.

In the culture of the Land of Fire, the weasel is a mysterious animal that brings good luck and is full of spiritual energy.

Just then, Fugaku pushed open the door and entered, and he heard what Yuki said.

He smiled, a new father's smile spreading across his face, and picked up the baby, saying, "Itachi, Uchiha Itachi. That's a very fitting name for the Uchiha clan!"

The atmosphere in the ward was cheerful, and even Xue didn't realize that she seemed to have quietly forgotten something.

-

With the birth of Itachi Uchiha, Obito and Rin also successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Yuki was somewhat surprised that Obito, Rin, and Kakashi had formed Team 7. Aside from Kakashi's poor relationship with the other Chunin, Yuki didn't think Obito and Rin were on the same level as Kakashi. However, what surprised her even more was that the Third Hokage had specifically chosen Minato Namikaze, who had recently been promoted to an elite Jonin, as Team 7's instructor.

No matter what... Obito didn't have that qualification, except for the fact that his relationship with Kakashi was rather unusual.

"I'm back!"

When Obito returned home, he saw three dishes and a soup laid out on the dining table, along with his favorite moon-viewing dumplings.

Xue poked her head out from the kitchen: "Hurry up and sit down to eat."

"Snow, do you know? Our teacher is Minato-sensei!" Obito said tentatively, his eyes fixed on Snow's expression as he ate. "Snow, weren't you and Minato-sensei very close before? Could you ask him to secretly teach me some ninjutsu that Kakashi doesn't know? That way I can defeat Kakashi!"

Yuki took off her apron, stepped forward, and gently flicked Obito's forehead with her index finger and thumb: "What are you thinking? My sister and Minato-senpai are just ordinary senior and junior colleagues."

Yuki propped herself up on her hands, watching Obito with great interest.

Obito looked puzzled, not understanding why Yuki kept staring at him.

"After dinner, how about we have a sparring session with your sister?" Xue suggested.

Obito exclaimed "Ah!" but quickly realized what he meant and his expression became eager to try.

He also wanted to see just how strong Xue, who was three years older than him, really was.

After all, he had heard Kakashi mention that Kakashi had lost to Yuki during the Chunin Exams.

If he can beat Yuki, wouldn't that mean he's even stronger than Kakashi?

However, Obito soon realized that his idea was completely wrong.

He lay on a wide meadow on Uchiha clan land, having lost ten times in a row.

"This isn't fair!" Obito shouted in protest.

She has awakened the double-tomoe Sharingan, while he hasn't!

Obito wanted to say something more, but Yuki stood quietly beside him.

The girl's soft, black hair, falling gently against his cheek, tickled his eyes. Her eyes were calm and still, like a deep, still lake. Obito reached out, touching the corner of her eye before lightly stroking her cheek.

"Bad sister..."

Xue couldn't help but chuckle, then said earnestly, "On the battlefield, the enemy won't care whether you've activated your Sharingan or not, Obito."

"Hmph!" Obito turned his face away, looking unhappy. "One day, I will defeat Yuki and defeat Kakashi!"

Xue frowned slightly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

“If you don’t want to call me ‘older sister,’ you should call me ‘senpai.’ Even if Obito doesn’t become a ninja, I can still protect you,” Yuki said gently.

"What are you saying, Yuki! How could I not become a ninja!" Obito hated it when Yuki said these things, as if she always treated him like a child who couldn't fight. He suddenly grabbed Yuki's wrist, and Yuki, caught off guard, fell to the ground on the grass.

At this point, the two were almost the same height, and Obito looked directly into her eyes.

“Then let’s say I wait until I’m stronger.” Obito frowned, his eyes fixed on her with determination. “Yuki, you can stop being a ninja. I’ll protect you. Anyway, I can earn mission fees to take care of you, just like Yuki did when she took care of me during missions. That way you won’t have to go on missions all the time. I’m always alone at home!”

"I don't like Xue always saying these things, so please don't say them again."

"Besides, I've noticed that your contemporaries in Nara don't go on missions as frequently as Yuki!"

Xue paused for a moment, then said softly, "I'm sorry."

She just felt that... in case she really died during a mission, at least Obito could live a life of comfort.

Even if... he didn't become a ninja, I hope Obito can live a good life.

Obito felt inexplicably angry. After graduating from the Ninja Academy, he gradually matured. He stopped pestering Yuki with childish remarks and stopped taking advantage of her doting affection to say whatever he wanted to her. But that didn't mean he disliked it. He just thought that perhaps... he could become a ninja like Minato, strong enough for Yuki to rely on.

So, even though it's lonely to be alone at home.

He would also be patient, even when the snow was not there.

Lying on her bed, Xue's bed was always filled with the scent of lilacs from her body, dispelling his loneliness.

Endure, endure, endure until he becomes strong enough for Xue to rely on.

However, he always manages to reach his limit...

How can one understand snow?