Chapter 82

When she woke up and opened her eyes, she was greeted by Naruto, whose eyes crinkled into a sly smile like a fox. Yuki was lying in his arms, unable to resist the warm, bright chakra of the Uzumaki clan. A faint blush rose on the girl's fair skin, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with shame and indignation. She gently bit her lower lip, her brows furrowing slightly.

"We shouldn't have done this..."

Her tone was clearly one of annoyance, but to Naruto it sounded like a seductive, coquettish complaint. He ignored Yuki's words, wrapped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled his face against her smooth neck. Her body, which had been cool, gradually warmed to a feverish temperature, and bright, warm chakra surged through his veins.

The Nine-Tails within him cursed inwardly, "Uzumaki clan descendant, so worthless, bewitched by this evil Uchiha brat."

Snow had no choice but to accept Naruto's burning love, a suffocating love that enveloped her tightly.

Despite being the most lively and cheerful child, she had a feeling that she couldn't escape.

Is it because... he's Minato's child?

Xue thought to herself.

"I'll help Yuki kill Grandpa Mito and Granny Utatane."

Startled by Naruto's blunt and direct words, Xue was slightly taken aback. Then, she frowned deeply, her lips parted slightly, and she met Naruto's gaze. Her clear, bright, and deep blue eyes conveyed the unmistakable meaning, "I'm not joking."

Did he truly understand the meaning of killing Konoha's high-ranking officials? It wasn't like casually killing an enemy ninja in a mission. A swift, decisive strike wasn't enough; it involved the interests of many parties. Xue lowered her voice: "No…at least not for you…Naruto, you shouldn't have gotten involved in the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha…you should be like this now…being adored by everyone, becoming a hero…Naruto…"

Like the sun, surrounded by people.

Like the Fourth Hokage.

"Do your parents both love snow?"

Naruto's abrupt words left Yuki somewhat at a loss, unsure how to respond.

That chaotic relationship has now deteriorated to the point where they are lying naked in the same bed with their child.

Xue pursed her lips and looked away.

As Naruto watched the girl's obvious change in expression, even his golden hair seemed to dim slightly.

Did he make Xue angry?

“To me, Sasuke is like a brother. No matter what, I will never abandon him.” Xue showed a slight reaction at the mention of Sasuke's name. Naruto noticed her slightly reddened eyes and unconsciously his tone became pleading: “Please accept me, Xue? If Sasuke is like a brother to me, then we are family, connected by blood…”

"Don't... abandon me again... If Yuki is leaving, please take me with you."

Naruto was that kind of child, always appearing boisterous and impulsive on the surface. Yet, he was incredibly perceptive, able to sense and care about even the slightest changes in others. On the day before Itachi massacred the Uchiha clan, to reduce the Uchiha clan's contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and also to prevent Fugaku from controlling the Nine-Tails, Yuki stopped seeing Naruto. The boy ran into the Uchiha compound. He went to the Uchiha clan's guard unit office to find her, somehow shaking off the ANBU members monitoring him, the child who had just reached her waist. Tears welled in his eyes as he questioned her.

"Why! Why! Why did you abandon me!"

"Just because I'm the Fox Spirit Boy!?"

She had nothing to say at that time, as for what she actually said.

She didn't remember much, but what impressed her most was Naruto's eyes, which were exactly the same as Minato's.

Their unwillingness to accept defeat and their stubbornness—are these traits due to being father and son? They are so alike.

Whether it was Naruto's unwavering pursuit of Sasuke, or Minato's request to elope back then...

Naruto was born without parents and knew nothing.

Her brief companionship, even less than Iruka's, still caused Naruto such sadness and heartbreak.

Perhaps Naruto's obsessive pursuit of Sasuke is also a way of protecting himself.

"For Xue, are your parents like family?"

Xue nodded gently, her thoughts on love and romance occupying most of her life.

Naruto asked cautiously, "Does Yuki still like me, her parents' child?"

"How could I... not like it... You are Minato and Kushina's child, how could I not like it?" Her eyes met hers, which were as bright as obsidian, and her tone was firm at the end.

"So, let me help Sasuke and Yuki?"

"Believe me, I will vindicate the Uchiha clan."

"Together with Sasuke, return to Konoha, return to my side."

Because amidst the comings and goings of people, all he ever wanted was for you to be by his side.

Just like how he always cared about Sasuke's eyes, which were similar to yours, and stubbornly believed that you hadn't died on the night of the massacre and would definitely return to Sasuke's side.

-

After seeing Naruto off, who had been sent away by a reverse summoning from Mount Myōboku, two uninvited guests arrived.

"Are all the ninjas of Konoha this idle? Instead of preparing for war, you're all here in the prison holding rogue ninjas. I have no information to share about Sasuke. If you want to reminisce, forget it. When are you going to release me from here?"

Lu Liang's gaze fell on the girl who had spoken. She was leaning back on the bed, a book in her hand, seemingly passing the time. Then, his gaze swept over her slender eyebrows, smooth forehead, beautiful almond-shaped eyes, delicate nose, and those pale lips that always seemed to purse slightly when she was annoyed, and which were now uttering harsh words…

"Tsk... If Dad hadn't told me to keep an eye on Uncle, I wouldn't have wanted to come." Shikamaru sighed, looking at his uncle's dejected expression. He took out a thick document, staring intently at her, his focused expression mirroring that of Shikara in his youth: "Senior Yuki, given the current special circumstances, we're taking special measures. At the strong request of the Fifth Hokage, the Acting Sixth Hokage... and Naruto, Konoha Village has made an exception and created a special treaty for you, a rogue ninja."

"As long as you're willing to fight for Konoha..." Shikamaru saw that Yuki's expression was somewhat awkward when she heard this, so he changed his words, "For the future of the ninja world, and also to save the fallen Sasuke."

"As long as you sign this treaty, Senior Xue, you will have temporary freedom during the war."

Yuki took the document from Shikamaru. In the face of war, even the decision to employ rogue ninja seemed unsurprising. The document stated that if she agreed to this mission, she would be incorporated into the Allied Shinobi Forces, deployed to the front lines as an independent squad, and become a key member in the fight against Madara Uchiha.

Even now, they still believe the masked man is Uchiha Madara. As an elite member of the Uchiha clan, she's perfectly suited to deal with Madara and Sasuke. She closed the file, surprised that former enemy nations could now form a temporary alliance for Obito, who claims to be Madara. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but speak with a hint of sarcasm: "Aren't the Daimyo afraid I'll defect and return to Madara's side to fight the Allied Shinobi Forces?"

"If Yuki-senpai were that kind of person, my uncle wouldn't be so worried about her day and night." Shikamaru scratched his head. To be honest, he wasn't interested in a beautiful ninja like Uchiha Yuki at all; she was just too troublesome, not to mention her complicated emotional relationships. The only person he couldn't let go of was probably his childhood friend, like his uncle.

Lu Liang, who had been silent all along, blushed slightly at the tips of his ears. He stared intently at Xue, as if expecting her to say something.

Xue changed the subject, saying, "They call themselves members of the team, but they're really just people used to monitor me."

"Yes, this is also for the sake of the ninja world," Shikamaru stated frankly without any hesitation. The Fifth Hokage and Kakashi had already decided on the personnel to be transferred to the front lines after discussing it. Yuki lifted her gaze from the documents, finally fixing it on the two people before her.

The two men look quite alike, probably because they are uncle and nephew.

She made a promise with Naruto after the war ended.

Xue narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Okay."

-

Before being transferred to the front lines, Yuki made a special trip to see Karin. Karin's injuries had healed very well, perhaps because her combat strength wasn't as outstanding as Yuki's. The cell she was in was just an ordinary prison, with no one guarding her closely, and no strange, overlapping seals placed upon her.

"Snow, could you like me a little more? I don't expect you to care about me like you care about Sasuke, but at least, at least a little more than you care about someone like Suigetsu, is that too much to ask?" Karin took Snow's hand. It was in the nature of the Uzumaki clan; they couldn't resist being captivated by the chakra they liked. Her beautiful face brushed against Snow's palm, her fiery red eyes gazing at Snow with tender affection.

"Just like my heart, half of it was filled with snow, and the other half with Sasuke. Now, it seems that the part that was filled with snow has exceeded half..."

Karin is a stubborn but soft-hearted child; she prefers to express things awkwardly rather than directly. But for some reason, she confides in Yuki without reservation. She loves Yuki, everything about her—her voice, personality, appearance, and even her chakra…

Shikamaru, who was officially assigned to Yuki's team, fell into a brief silence as he watched this scene unfold.

Shikamaru: ?

Shikamaru: Yuki-senpai... Do you appeal to men, women, young and old alike?

Yuki moved slightly closer to Karin and whispered some comforting words to her.

Karin widened her eyes slightly, then nodded.

"Let's go, Shikamaru-kun?" After a long absence, Yuki once again donned the green vest of Konoha. For a moment, Shikamaru felt a little dazed, as if he had seen this scene in front of his house when he was a child. It was still that familiar face, still that person.

Shikamaru followed in Yuki's footsteps.

Just like when he was a child, watching his uncle and her walk side by side, he walked alongside her.

Besides Shikamaru, who was traveling in parallel, there was another member in the team.

"You're Hizashi-senpai's child, right? How is Hizashi-senpai?" Yuki's gaze fell on the boy in front of her. He seemed more mature than Shikamaru beside her. He was completely different from the boy she remembered, standing under the eaves, looking up at her. His brows were always furrowed, and a slight look of surprise flashed in his eyes when he looked at Yuki, but he quickly concealed it.

The boy had broad shoulders, a slender waist, and fair skin, and was dressed in the uniform of the Allied Ninja Army.

Her black hair reached her waist and was loosely tied behind her head with a hairband.

The leaf-patterned forehead guard concealed the curse mark on the caged bird.

"Yes, Senior Yuki. Thanks to you, my father is still alive." Neji preferred to believe what he saw with his own eyes rather than hearsay. The Hyuga clan had also played a significant role in making Uchiha Yuki a force to be reckoned with in Konoha, especially his father…

"How is Hana's health?" The image of Hyuga Hana, who looked similar to the boy in front of her, appeared in Xue's mind.

Neji hesitated for a moment, then turned his head slightly to avoid her gaze: "My mother... passed away ten years ago."

Wasn't that not long after the Uchiha clan was wiped out? Xue fell silent.

Whether they are her age or older, they seem to be irrelevant to the world.

The atmosphere was eerily heavy when Neji spoke up: "After the war ends, Mother very much hopes you can go and pay your respects..."

"Just as I expected, that's Xiaohua's personality." Xue couldn't help but chuckle.

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