Chapter 4

Spring is in full bloom at the Konoha Ninja Academy training grounds.

At the Ninja Academy, the most common training method is for students to be paired up and engage in sparring to improve their combat skills. Yuki's class naturally followed this model, and because her overall grades were in the middle of the class, she was naturally paired with Nara Shikara, whose grades were similar.

Every time Yuki saw Shikamaru, she couldn't help but think of him—after all, the two looked so alike, both with neat high ponytails and the iconic Nara clan crest embroidered on their clothes. "Does the Nara clan all use the same character model?" Yuki couldn't help but think to herself.

She broke the silence first, extending her hand: "Nice to meet you, I am Uchiha Yuki."

Nara Shikara, hands in his pockets, glanced at her casually, muttering to himself, "What a nuisance..."

Uchiha Yuki was slightly taken aback: "?"

She pretended not to hear and tilted her head to ask, "What did Nara-kun just say?"

Nara Shikara paused slightly, then took Yuki's outstretched hand and said calmly, "It's nothing. Nara Shikara, nice to meet you."

He watched as Xue opened the "Complete Guide to Ninjutsu Hand Seals" on her own, and his lips twitched involuntarily—are all the Uchiha clan members so unconventional?

"Hey," Nara Shikara called out.

Hearing the voice, Xue looked up and followed the direction he indicated. There stood their opponents on the other side of the field—a member of the Hyuga clan and a brown-haired boy with a thin twig in his mouth. The Hyuga clan… they use the Byakugan and Gentle Fist bloodline limits in battle; Xue hadn't paid much attention to the other student before.

"That's Hyuga Tokuma, and Shiranui Genma..." Nara Shikara Miyuki looked blank, then gave her a "I knew it" look and resignedly introduced them to her.

Xue nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Nara Shikara lamented: "...Sensei, can I get a different partner? He can't get along with girls who are too pretty..."

He sighed silently and helplessly, then took the book from Xue's hands.

“I’m telling you… why don’t you just use Fire Release? Isn’t that the Uchiha’s forte…” Nara Shikara explained the upcoming battle strategy in detail. “I’ll be responsible for holding off Hyuga Tokuma, and you can take the opportunity to step forward and use Fire Release to seize the initiative and defeat Shiranui Genma. However, Shiranui Genma is more skilled in taijutsu. Hyuga Tokuma is similar to him, but he has a Byakugan that can sense chakra, so he needs to be dealt with first… Also, the Hyuga clan’s Gentle Fist is quite troublesome.”

Xue's eyes lit up instantly: "!"

Is this the tactical mind of the Nara clan?! Amazing!

Nara Shikara felt his ears burning under her bright, sparkling gaze and hurriedly looked away, but couldn't help stealing glances at her fair, round face. This girl is clearly from the Uchiha clan, yet she has absolutely no airs?

He had just been inexplicably annoyed—why did someone who was clearly skilled in Fire Release always have to use those unfamiliar ninjutsu? Now it didn't seem like they were deliberately looking down on him…

Actually, it wasn't that Xue disliked using Fire Release techniques; it was just that she felt that mastering more ninjutsu gave her more confidence. After all, in her original world, there was a saying: "It's never a bad thing to have more skills."

"Ready, set, go!" the teacher blew the whistle.

Nara Shikara swiftly formed hand seals and uttered a low shout, instantly activating the Shadow Binding Technique, which wrapped around Hyuga Tokuma like black tentacles, successfully restricting his movements.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

At the same time, Uchiha Yuki, who was in the lead position, seized the opportunity, took a deep breath, and spewed out a blazing fire dragon. The raging flames, carrying intense heat, surged towards Shiranui Genma, who was trying to advance. Shiranui Genma was unable to dodge in time and was forced to retreat repeatedly by the fire release, with several hems of his clothes being scorched, leaving him in a sorry state.

As the flames finally subsided, Uchiha Yuki didn't pause for a moment. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and charged towards Shiranui Genma like an arrow released from a bow. Immediately following, she delivered a fierce uppercut aimed at his chin. Shiranui Genma hurriedly raised his hands to block, but Uchiha Yuki precisely seized his hands. With a swift movement, she used a skillful joint lock to twist Shiranui Genma's hands behind his back, then forcefully pinned him to the ground.

"Still not admitting defeat?" Her tone was calm, but it made Genma Shiranui feel a sense of unease.

Genma Shiranui instinctively conceded defeat, and Tokuma Hyuga, who was bound, turned ashen-faced.

Seeing that the outcome was decided, Nara Shikara formed hand seals again, released the shadow binding technique, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Ultimately, the battle ended without any suspense, with Nara Shikara and Uchiha Yuki emerging victorious.

The whistle signaling the end of the battle blew, and both sides ceased their stances. At that moment, Nara Shikara suddenly called out to Yuki, who was about to leave.

"Why did you always use ninjutsu that you were clearly not very familiar with during our previous duels?" Nara Shikara had originally thought that if Uchiha Yuki acted particularly arrogantly, he would rather avoid trouble and not bother asking. However, Yuki's behavior during the conversation piqued his strong curiosity.

Snow stopped and turned around, her obsidian-like clear and bright eyes blinking gently.

"I just feel that as a ninja, the more types of ninjutsu you master, the more adept you are at dealing with various situations, right?"

“Idiot…” Nara Shikara sighed and rubbed his forehead. “The value of ninjutsu lies in its depth, not its quantity. You’ve learned so many, but you’re not proficient enough in any of them. You might as well focus on fire-style ninjutsu; its power will definitely be astonishing.”

"Ah, I see. Thank you for reminding me, Lu Liang," Xue said sincerely.

Deer... Luliang? !

Upon hearing this affectionate address, Nara Shikara's eyes widened instantly, his face flushed bright red, and he involuntarily took a few steps back.

"But speaking of which, Shirai's Shadow Imitation Technique was really amazing. This must be a family secret technique unique to your Nara clan, right?" Yuki's lips curled up, her smile was particularly eye-catching, and her eyes were full of admiration.

This girl can actually laugh... Usually, aside from those two Uchiha guys coming to class to chat and laugh with her, she's as quiet as a ghost in class every day. And yet, she's so beautiful, attracting so much attention without her even realizing it.

Nara feigned impatience, gently touching his forehead with his left hand, but his eyes remained fixed on Yuki's smiling face.

“Idiot…” Nara frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “I can only maintain that Shadow Imitation Technique for three minutes…”

“That’s still amazing!” Yuki chimed in, “Idiot…is that Nara’s catchphrase?”

"ah?"

Nara was taken aback by the sudden question, his mind seemingly blank.

"Because Nara called me an idiot several times today," Yuki explained with a smile, tilting her head.

Nara's face instantly turned even redder, like a ripe tomato. Growing up, aside from his mother, he hadn't really dealt with many other women. Now, faced with Yuki's question, he stammered, unsure what to say.

"Shikara, you can call me Yuki too, right? After all, the surname Uchiha is too common in the Ninja Academy, how about it?" Yuki blinked and looked at Nara expectantly.

Absolutely not! Nara's mind went on high alert. He didn't want to be targeted by Uchiha Yuki's suitors, or his future would be anything but peaceful! And why did the topic suddenly change?

He tried to appear calm, merely turning his face away slightly and nodding, attempting to conceal his inner turmoil.

“Normally… you can just call me Nara…” Shiro subconsciously touched his nose, his voice a little muffled, revealing a hint of embarrassment.

Yuki tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded gently: "Sure, Nara-kun."

Ah, why did you agree so quickly this time... Nara Shikara was completely dumbfounded, and a sense of loss inexplicably welled up in his heart, as if he had been looking forward to something, but it had not come to fruition.

"By the way, Nara-kun, what's your relationship with Nara Shikaku, who's a senior?" Yuki was having trouble finding a suitable excuse to approach Senju Nawaki, so she asked casually.

“He’s my brother…” Lu Liang frowned slightly, looking at Xue with some confusion, “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

"Nara-kun, could you come with me to the upperclassmen's classroom? I want to talk to Mikoto-nee about something, but I feel a little embarrassed to go alone..." Yuki clasped her hands together, looking pitiful, her eyes full of expectation.

"That's not a problem, but why don't you ask your Uchiha friend to go with you?" Nara raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

Xue paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Xiao Qiu and Li Dong are in the next class... and they don't seem to be very familiar with Sister Meiqin."

After hearing this, Nara scratched his head and said somewhat helplessly, "Fine, then come find me after class."

At this moment, he could already foresee the scene where his older brother would see him going to the upperclassmen's classroom with Uchiha Yuki and make fun of him mercilessly.

During class, Nara secretly glanced at Uchiha Yuki in the row in front of him, a strange thought suddenly popping into his head: But... the Uchiha clan seems to have never had a precedent of marrying out. Oh dear, what is he thinking! He's not the kind of otaku who, upon seeing someone he likes, fantasizes about spending his entire life with them!

He hadn't even considered whether his future child with Uchiha Yuki would bear the Nara or Uchiha surname! If it was Uchiha... should he be taught the Nara clan's secret techniques? A child possessing Nara clan ninjutsu and the Uchiha Sharingan would be more than qualified to be Hokage...

Nara was jolted back to reality by the ringing of the bell, his back drenched in sweat...

Nara Shikara sat in the back row of the lecture hall, his eyes fixed on Uchiha Yuki, who was tidying up her notes in the front row.

"Hey, look, isn't Uchiha Yuki here to see you?" Yamanaka nudged Nara's arm with his elbow, but Nara just pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

"Wow, a goddess! Why is she walking this way?" another classmate exclaimed excitedly in a low voice.

“How dare you! The goddess must be here to see me!” another classmate confidently chimed in.

Nara Shikara suddenly felt his heart beat faster for no reason, and he was extremely nervous, but he still tried his best to appear calm and composed.

At this moment, Uchiha Yuki had already walked to Nara Shikara's seat. She smiled and said, "Let's go, Nara-kun."

Nara Shikara suppressed the secret pleasure welling up inside him, deliberately getting up slowly and responding with a faint "Mm".

Then, amidst the astonished gazes of a group of male classmates, he left the classroom with Uchiha Yuki.