Chapter 26

When she was about to return home, Kakashi handed her the scroll: "I found it on the other side of the mountain when the rain stopped."

Xue was somewhat surprised; when she went out to gather herbs in the rain that day, she only found one double-flowered plant. She had already ground the other flower into a paste and given it to Obito as medicine because of his high fever. She nodded and accepted it, thus completing her task.

Kakashi was a little curious, and his gaze fell on the strands of hair on Xue's shoulder in front of him.

"While we were in the cave..."

"Hey, Kakashi! Aren't we leaving yet?" After a short rest, Obito was full of energy.

The boy wearing orange goggles wrapped his arms around Yuki's slender waist from behind and peeked out to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi... noticed a strange, indescribable feeling in Obito's expression.

It's as if it's saying: Don't even think about it, Uchiha Yuki is mine.

No one can take it away from me, and even if they do, I will take it back.

Yuki looked at Kakashi: "What's wrong?"

Kakashi glanced sideways at Obito, who was chatting with Rin after letting go of Yuki, but he could feel Obito's gaze fixed on them.

"No, it's nothing."

He couldn't beat Obito.

Since yesterday, Yuki and Obito seem to have grown even closer. Yuki never rejected Obito's physical contact before, but now Obito has gone even further. Occasionally, Kakashi and Rin would pull Obito away from Yuki, reminding him to be mindful of his behavior.

Obito usually just clicked his tongue and then remained silent.

The journey back to the village took only about a day, and they were back in Konoha Village.

After handing the herbs over to the client at the Hokage Tower, you'll receive a generous reward for completing the mission.

"Are we going back, Obito?"

Yuki was standing in front of the Hokage Building; Kakashi and Rin had already left.

Obito always had to tilt his head up slightly to see Yuki's face clearly.

Because Xue is a bit taller than him, but he will surpass Xue sooner or later! Whether it's height or strength!

Just you wait and see!

"casual."

Obito followed Yuki, getting used to the envious glances he occasionally received. After all, among the current young members of the Uchiha clan, besides a naturally gifted genius like Shisui, Yuki was one of the more famous ones. His gaze fell on the shoulder blades of Yuki's black, tight-fitting, high-necked ninja dress, admiring her slender figure, even more so than most girls, and her long, black, curly hair that had unknowingly reached her waist...

Obito felt a surge of pride when he thought about this. However, he quickly became unhappy again...

Because he felt that too many people coveted this kind of snow... he didn't like it.

He stepped forward and took Xue's hand; her hand was soft. Obito had witnessed her in battle; no matter the ninjutsu, her hands formed hand seals with incredible speed and precision. In his deepest childhood memories, she would always lift him high into the air.

Then she smiled beautifully and said she liked him.

I like it, I really like it... but there are just too many people who like snow.

Whether it's Itachi, Shisui, or Aunt Mikoto, Clan Chief Fugaku...

Obito slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on Yuki's profile.

When will those eyes be able to look only at him, or only at him?

The Uchiha clan's territory was not far from the Hokage's residence, and the two arrived there quickly.

Before Obito could say anything to Yuki, he saw Uchiha Shinobu and Uchiha Aki standing at the entrance of the clan compound from afar.

Obito frowned; he remembered that these two were Yuki's classmates.

"You should go back first." Yuki patted Obito on the shoulder.

"Is there another meeting?" Obito didn't follow up on Yuki's question, but instead asked, "I can go with you too."

Xue extended her index finger and gently tapped Obito's forehead: "It's just a reunion between classmates, Obito, are you sure you want to go?"

"Next time."

Obito disliked this behavior, and since they treated him like a child, he turned his face away, his little face almost scrunched up.

He said in a muffled voice, "If you don't like me going, then forget it!"

Then he took two steps back and ran away, while Ren Dong and Xiao Qiu stepped forward and walked beside Xue.

Yuki could only stare at Obito's back for a moment before chatting with Ren Dong and Xiao Qiu about their recent situations.

-

As Xue gazed at the calm surface of the river, she vaguely sensed that, ever since the news of the Third Kazekage's disappearance reached Konoha, a calm before the storm was brewing beneath the delicate balance between the nations.

Even Jiraiya, who usually travels far and wide, has recently been urgently recalled to Konoha to prepare for a possible war.

Xue bent down, picked up a pebble, and with a deft flick of her wrist, tossed it into the lake. After creating a few ripples on the surface, the pebble easily floated to the other side.

When she was a child, she always thought the riverbank was very wide, but now she sees it as just a shallow stream.

Xue stood quietly for a while, staring blankly at the calm river surface, then turned around, only to bump headfirst into a hard chest.

She looked up and unconsciously clicked her tongue.

This small river was the only way for Minato Namikaze to return home. From afar, he spotted the girl's figure. Since becoming an elite Jonin, he had rarely seen Yuki. He learned from the Third Hokage that Yuki carried out missions more frequently than the average ninja.

The black-haired girl turned her face away, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. Minato Namikaze was actually a little happy; he felt that Yuki's reaction showed she cared about his performance.

"Was Xue jealous that day...?"

Xue wondered where this strange operation came from.

Before she could speak, Minato Namikaze continued talking to himself.

"Kushina and I really have nothing going on, Yuki, please don't misunderstand."

Xue was a little unhappy, and she lowered her eyes without saying a word.

"Kushina is a very strong girl... I just admire her."

"It was during that crisis with the ninjas from Kumogakure that I became acquainted with Kushina."

"I will always remember our promise."

Minato Namikaze's gaze was sincere.

Yuki didn't know how to respond to Minato-senpai's words. Why... did she keep mentioning Kushina?

She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on the hand that the other person had taken hers.

"Please trust me, Xue."

The golden figure in my field of vision, with a gentle yet firm voice, always exudes a sense of conviction and reassurance.

"I believe... I've always believed in Minato-senpai," Yuki said softly.

Because Minato-senpai is the future Fourth Hokage, I don't believe what Minato-senpai said.

Who can we trust anymore?

Yuki tried to pull her hand away from his, but when she realized she couldn't, she gave up struggling. Because the atmosphere was too quiet, she looked up and vaguely saw a wild joy flickering in Minato Namikaze's eyes beneath his radiant smile.

"Minato...senpai?"

Minato Namikaze snapped out of his daze, his smile undiminished. He leaned down slightly and gently kissed Yuki's cheek.

Xue was startled. Before she could react, Minato Namikaze said with a smile, "Just call me Minato."

The boy's smile was like that of a large golden dog, utterly irresistible.

Xue was still trying to salvage the situation: "This... doesn't fit..."

However, before she could utter the name, Minato had already swiftly kissed her other cheek. His gaze lingered on Yuki's lips, as if anticipating something. Yuki finally relented.

“Minato-kun…” she said softly.

"Hmm!" Minato Namikaze responded with satisfaction, his smile growing even brighter.

Xue lowered her eyes; her intuition told her otherwise.

This relationship seemed a bit abnormal, and she looked down at Minato's handsome profile.

Is this sticky, lingering feeling just an illusion?

-

Due to the Third Hokage's temporary assignment, today is Yuki's first day in the Anbu.

"Senior Xue?"

Xue looked down and saw Shisui, who was almost a head shorter than her and four or five years younger, standing in front of her. Shisui was now wearing the uniform of the Anbu. Both of them had slightly curly hair, but the lengths were different; at first glance, they looked like siblings.

"I joined the Anbu before Senior Yuki," Shisui explained with a smile, noticing the confusion in Yuki's eyes.

Xue nodded and reached out to pat the other's head. Shisui was slightly taken aback, a cute, cat-like expression of surprise appearing on his face, before obediently accepting it.

"Uchiha Yuki".

The sound came from not far away. Xue looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man a head taller than her standing there, wearing an Anbu uniform. He wore the Anbu's distinctive black bodysuit, with a white vest over it, and ordinary black joggers on his lower body. He wore a leopard-shaped mask on his face, and Xue instantly recognized him as a member of the Hyuga clan based on her chakra senses.

"Yes, senior," Xue replied, and then walked towards the other person.

"Alright, I won't bother you any longer." Shisui put on a mask resembling a crow, quickly formed hand seals, and then vanished in an instant.

Hyuga Hizashi looked down through his mask at the Uchiha girl before him, known as "Konoha's Snow Princess" or "Sharingan Snow Princess." In his eyes, Snow's strength was not weak, but it was far from reaching the average level of a special assassination unit.

However, perhaps her illusion magic, which she is so proud of, is extremely powerful?

"In the shadows, teammates are usually addressed by code names rather than their real names."

Xue took the mask from the other person and examined it carefully. It was a snow-white mask with pointed ears like a white cat, and three cat whiskers painted on its cheeks. Interestingly, a single ice crystal in the shape of a snowflake adorned its right ear.

"When carrying out a mission, even if it is a teammate you know well, do not easily reveal their identity."

The man's words were cold, and Xue lowered her eyes and put on her mask.

According to the Third Hokage, her time in the Anbu was only temporary.

"Yes, senior," Xue replied respectfully.

Although the other party's identity was almost obvious, Xue still had a clue. Within the Hyuga clan, besides Hiashi Hyuga, only his twin brother Hizashi Hyuga possessed the strength to enter the Anbu. These two brothers, hailed as geniuses of the Hyuga clan, were born only fifteen minutes apart. Hizashi, the younger brother, was branded the "Caged Bird" and became a member of the Hyuga branch family. After all, the Hyuga clan wouldn't allow a main family member like Hiashi Hyuga to do such grueling and tedious cleaning work.

During missions, the two worked together seamlessly. Through her Sharingan, Yuki could always accurately detect the enemy's movements. The coldness in Hyuga Hizashi's eyes beneath his mask was palpable. Occasionally, his gaze would sweep over Yuki, linger briefly, before he returned to the battle. Then, with a surge of white chakra, he would unleash a powerful strike, instantly blasting away oncoming enemies. Yuki could even clearly hear the crisp sound of enemy ninjas' ribs breaking.

Xue sighed, "As expected of the Dark Division."

However, she herself was equally skilled, and the enemy ninja had already fallen into the Infinite Cold Illusion Technique she had cast, lying on the ground unconscious.

The mission was successfully completed. The two men, carrying the unconscious Sunagakure ninja who had attempted to infiltrate Konoha as a spy, threw the two into the Anbu interrogation dungeon. Yuki breathed a sigh of relief, and Hyuga Hizashi glanced at her. Yuki's relief faltered, and she frowned slightly. She thought to herself, "This guy is practically on par with Fugaku..."