Chapter 5

During recess, Nara Shikaku lay on his desk, annoyed by the whispers of his classmates. He slowly stretched, and just then, a classmate next to him nudged his shoulder, lowered his voice, and looked at him with a hint of gossipy excitement.

"Shikaku, isn't that your younger brother? Why is he bringing the Uchiha clan's little princess to the upper grades?"

The Uchiha clan's little princess? What kind of title is that? Nara Shikaku thought to himself.

Besides, his younger brother is a trouble-averse guy; how could he possibly get entangled with a pretty girl...

His younger brother was holding the hand of the beautiful girl from the Uchiha clan. The girl's long, jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, and her delicate features were like a meticulously sculpted work of art. The two, who were of similar height, looked around the classroom doorway, occasionally talking to each other, seemingly searching for something.

My great-great-great-great-grandfather... Good heavens, is the most womanizing guy in the Nara family actually his brother?

The two brothers' eyes met unexpectedly, and in that instant, it was as if an invisible current flowed through the air. Nara Shikara felt a buzzing in his head as a strange telepathic connection surged through him; he inexplicably and completely understood his brother's thoughts!

Nara Shikaro's face flushed red instantly, and he scratched his head awkwardly.

"Mikoto-nee, isn't she in class?"

Yuki tugged at Nara Shikara's sleeve, and Nara Shikara patted her hand somewhat embarrassedly.

"Ask my brother, I've never been to the upper grades. I don't know which class your sister is in..."

"Hey, isn't this Shikara? What are you doing with that Uchiha girl? Have you already decided to marry into the Uchiha family?" Nara Shikaku got up and walked towards the two of them. He first pretended to look Shikara up and down, whose ears were red, and then looked at Yuki beside him. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

Lu Liang knew his brother was like this. He put his hands on his head, his ears were so red they could bleed, but he still put on a calm and collected look: "Stupid brother, Uchiha just came to see her sister, and I just happened to run into her."

"Shikaku, eh... Yuki!"

When Senju Nawaki returned to the classroom from the teacher's office, he was surprised to find two lower-grade students standing at the classroom door. He went up to them and found that it was Uchiha Yuki, which surprised him.

"Why are you in an older class? Are you looking for Mikoto?"

"Brother Rope Tree, I want to find Sister Mikoto. Isn't Sister Mikoto in class?" Xue replied.

Senju Nawaki smiled and explained, "As for Mikoto, she's in the same class as Minato and Kushina."

He scratched his head: "I'll take you guys there, Xiaoxue, Luliang. Does Lujiu want to come along?"

Before Lu Liang could react, Xue immediately said, "Okay."

Nara paused for a moment, then bowed slightly to greet Senju Nawaki.

Senju Nawaki patted his head, just like he would a junior.

Nara Shikaku waved his hand: "You can take it, thanks."

His teasing gaze then made Nara Shikara's forehead twitch with a tic-tac-toe sign.

Nara Shikara cursed under his breath: "Idiot brother..."

The two little ones followed behind Senju Rope Tree; Class A was not far from Class B.

"When will you graduate, Nawaki-kun?" Uchiha Yuki asked, seemingly trying to make conversation, which made Nara Shikara raise an eyebrow slightly.

"It should be... soon, right?" Senju Nawaki looked troubled as he ruffled Yuki's hair.

But he quickly cheered up and grinned foolishly: "Xiaoxue, you have to work hard at the Ninja Academy too! After all, my dream is to become Hokage! I will definitely become the Hokage who protects Konoha!"

Thus, the bright yet warm midday sun of late winter shone through the corridor onto the face of the rope tree, forming patches of golden light.

It was dazzling, yet people could look directly at it. Xue was stunned for a moment.

As they stopped walking, they arrived at Mikoto's class.

Before leaving, Senju Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto were talking. Mikoto frowned slightly, and Nawaki winked at Yuki.

Uchiha Yuki was a little confused. Uchiha Mikoto sighed and quietly bent down to talk to Yuki.

"You can only take a look, because Mikoto-nee and Uzumaki-san aren't very familiar with each other."

Uchiha Yuki's face turned completely red. What on earth did Senju Nawaki say?!

She didn't come to see Mikoto because she wanted to see Kushina Uzumaki!

Xiaoxue is shorter than average among a group of nine- or ten-year-old children, but fortunately, she doesn't need to stand on tiptoe to find her.

That striking fiery red hair always draws attention wherever he goes.

Red hair and a round face.

It looks like a cute tomato, but it's still slightly inferior to Mikoto-nee.

It's definitely not because she's a fan of Misaka!

"Doesn't Whirlpool Girl have any friends?"

Uchiha Yuki saw her sitting alone. Since most classes at the Ninja Academy were in lecture halls with tiered seating, familiar classmates usually sat together, but that red-haired girl was all alone.

Mikoto Uchiha shook her head: "I'm not too sure either, but Uzumaki-san usually keeps to herself."

Yuki only knew that Naruto Uzumaki was the child of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, but she didn't know how they met and fell in love.

Her gaze slid down to Minato Namikaze, who was chatting and laughing with several other boys. As if sensing something, Minato turned around and saw that it was Yuki Uchiha. He gave her a bright smile, and Yuki nodded in response with her ears turning slightly red.

On the way back, Nara Shikaro walked with his hands in his pockets, yawning as he went.

He was feeling a bit sleepy, and he vaguely sensed that Yuki's attitude towards Senju Nawaki was different from how she treated others, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

It wasn't admiration, nor did it seem like love...

"What's wrong, Nara-kun?" Yuki noticed Nara Shikara's thoughtful expression and asked.

"It's nothing..." Nara Shikara initially tried to brush it off, but then changed his mind. "I just felt that your attitude towards Nawaki-nii... well, it's nothing. But then again, Nawaki-nii is, after all, the grandson of the First Hokage and Tsunade-sama's brother." He silently grumbled to himself, after all, the Ino-Shika-Cho clan had been a steadfast pillar of Konoha for generations. If they didn't even recognize this "crown prince," they would truly be laughed at.

Uchiha Yuki seemed to suddenly understand something, her eyebrows curving into a smile.

"Nara-kun is really precocious."

Nara Shikaro, who had been misunderstood, blushed deeply. He pursed his lips, turned his head away, and offered no explanation.

-

Life at the Ninja Academy was uneventful; the flames of war raged outside, but they seemed unable to reach the peaceful land of Konoha.

It's just unknown how long this fragile calm can last.

Uchiha Yuki has grown another year older, and her daily life consists of shuttling between the Ninja Academy, the Uchiha territory, and the village.

Occasionally, Yuki would take some time to visit Obito. To her great surprise, Obito had already learned to speak.

Obito was incredibly cute, just like the plump, white dango dumplings made by the couple who run the dango shop in Konoha's shopping district. Whenever he saw snow, his little body would struggle to stand up, wobbling, with a soft, innocent smile on his face.

He babbled, "Jie, Jie Jie!"

Uchiha Yuki was completely charmed and smiled with her lips pursed.

Obito's parents were both exceptionally gentle, perhaps because they were both under the command of the Third Hokage. Their relationship with the other clansmen in their territory was rather lukewarm, but Yuki's parents had a fairly good relationship with them.

It happened to be a school holiday, early in the morning.

Because Obito's parents had to go on a mission, they asked Yuki to help look after Obito.

"Uncle, isn't it said that ninja families get parental leave after having a child?" Xue asked with a puzzled look.

Obito's father looked apologetic, put his hands together, and said, "I'm really sorry, Xiaoxue, this mission is extremely urgent, and we really can't spare the time."

At this moment, Xue Xiaoxiao was holding Obito, and the two adults were standing in front of her. This scene gave her a feeling of "reversing the heavens and earth," and she couldn't help but wonder: Am I an adult or a child?

"Xiaoxue, Obito is a very stubborn child. If he makes a fuss, just spank him." Obito's mother was quite decisive, speaking frankly but with a look of reluctance in her eyes.

Uchiha Yuki: ......

"Then you must come back as soon as possible, Uncle and Auntie," Yuki said earnestly, hugging Obito.

Obito's father looked troubled and said, "I heard from the Third Hokage that before the intelligence gathering, there were vague signs of war brewing. Who knows how long it will take for us to return..."

"Xiaoxue, don't worry! We'll definitely be back as soon as possible!" Obito's mother frowned, immediately interrupting him, and even nudged her husband hard with her elbow. Then she turned her head and whispered to the man, "Why are you saying these things in front of the child?"

“Xiaoxue has already entered the Ninja Academy, she will find out about these things sooner or later…” Obito’s father whispered in defense.

"Whether we know it or not is one thing, but it's quite another when we say it..."

"I thought it was Frost's Descent and White Dew..."

"Shut up!"

Although the two tried their best to keep their voices down, Xue felt that they were neglecting their hearing.

However, Yuki secretly thought to herself, "Obito's father really loves his wife." After all, the situation in the Uchiha clan is somewhat special; most Uchiha families are a combination of a kind mother and a strict father, with Obito's parents and Yuki's parents being exceptions.

Obito, who was in his arms, seemed to have just finished nursing. His two little hands were clenched into fists, and he was sleeping soundly.

"Uncle, Aunt, you can go without worry." Xue raised her head and said firmly, "I will take good care of Obito."

Anyway, this wasn't the first time the couple had asked her to take care of Obito, so Yuki sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

Upon hearing Xue's agreement, the couple vanished outside the door in an instant.

Perhaps for ninjas... the companionship of their parents is a great luxury...

After all, as members of the Uchiha clan of Konoha Village, they were destined to dedicate themselves to the village.

She frowned slightly. Just then, Obito, as if sensing her low spirits, slowly opened his eyes and gently touched Yuki's face with his little hand. This action startled Yuki. This little guy seemed... to be comforting her.

"Obito... I'll protect you."

For some inexplicable reason, before Xue could even react, those words slipped out.

These words stunned Xue again. Did she really have so many people she wanted to protect?