Chapter Eight

Time flies like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Yuki turned eight. Her long, slightly wavy black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. Usually, she always tied her hair neatly into a low ponytail, letting it fall behind her. Only occasionally would she cover the Uchiha clan crest on the back of her clothes, which would appear and disappear as she moved.

Even her eyebrows and eyes gradually matured, becoming more and more delicate and beautiful. Her black hair was as black as ink, and her black eyes were like stars. Although her limbs were slender and her body seemed weak, the chakra contained within her body was not to be underestimated, giving her a unique tenacity and strength.

Perhaps because of her outstanding looks and unique temperament, Uchiha Yuki would occasionally receive love letters from her seniors. Whenever this happened, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed, secretly thinking to herself: I'm only eight years old! One day, facing a love letter from a senior who was a head taller than her, she frowned, her eyes filled with indifference and aloofness, and politely refused, "Senior... I'm not interested in romance yet, sorry."

The girl with her hair tied in a low ponytail had a cold expression, and her slightly furrowed brows revealed her dissatisfaction and dislike without any attempt to hide it.

The rejected boy's eyes instantly welled up with tears, as if he had suffered a great injustice. He murmured in a tearful voice, "The Uchiha hate me... Waaah." Then, he turned and left dejectedly.

Having just returned to the village after completing his mission, Minato Namikaze stood on a high place, resting his chin on his hand, watching this little campus incident with great interest. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and his smile gradually deepened.

Uchiha Yuki felt as if a gaze was following her, as if someone was secretly watching her. She subconsciously looked up in the direction of the gaze, but saw only emptiness; there was no one there.

...Is it just my imagination?

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze was hiding behind a wall, holding Uchiha Yuki's file in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the file, a faint smile playing on his lips.

[Ninja Registration Number: 001216]

Name: Uchiha Yuki

[Uchiha clan member (Note: Sharingan not yet awakened)]

Age: 8 years old

[Interests: Reading, taking walks.]

[Summary: Proficient in Fire Release ninjutsu, excellent theoretical knowledge, relatively weak in genjutsu, and above-average in taijutsu.]

[Note: He stated that he had difficulty understanding the principles behind illusion magic (?)]

Minato Namikaze looked thoughtfully at the documents in his hand, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Uchiha Yuki, who had just returned to the classroom and was sitting down reading. A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. Yuki, she's really popular. As soon as she returned to the classroom, she attracted the attention of the Nara and Hyuga children.

However, if she doesn't actively pursue it, Yuki might end up like Fugaku and Mikoto, getting engaged to a fellow Uchiha clan member her own age at a young age. Take, for example, Uchiha Ritsufuyu, who graduated early this year; that kid has a very proud personality…

At this moment, Uchiha Yuki was looking at the hand seals in the book that she already knew by heart, but she felt inexplicably annoyed. She was the last to know about Fugaku and Mikoto's engagement! It wasn't until this summer when Mikoto graduated and became a genin that she was somewhat embarrassed to tell her that it was an arrangement by their families.

Since graduating from the Ninja Academy, Fugaku's promotion to Chunin has been incredibly fast; he's only twelve years old now. Yukino could clearly sense that after attending the clan gathering, he became increasingly taciturn, his smiles becoming rare, and he increasingly resembled the clan leader. It's said that during a mission, he encountered a Jonin from a rival village, and in a critical situation where his teammates were about to be killed, he awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan.

As for Minato Namikaze, Yuki Uchiha hadn't seen him for quite some time. The last time she saw him was when he returned to the village as an outstanding graduate to give a speech. It coincided with the outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War, and even the village's dango shop had shortened its opening hours. Yuki heard from Shikara Nara that he had been active on the battlefield as Jiraiya's disciple and had already been promoted to Chunin; becoming a Jonin was only a matter of time for them.

When Mikoto arrived at school to pick up Yuki after completing a novice genin mission, she immediately noticed Yuki's gloomy expression and asked her with concern. Yuki, holding Mikoto's hand, gazed at the long, slanted shadow cast on the ground. After a moment of silence, she mustered her courage and asked, "Mikoto-neechan, do you like Fugaku-nii?"

Mikoto turned her head, looked at her gently, and replied with a smile, "I like her, but I like Yuki the most."

Xue pouted and said somewhat anxiously, "I didn't mean this kind of liking, Mikoto-nee is just pretending not to understand..."

Mikoto's lips curled up, her eyes full of laughter, and she asked in return, "Xiaoxue, do you have someone you like?"

Xue's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly shook her head in denial: "No! I'm just worried that Meiqin will be wronged... If you're with someone you don't like, even if you treat each other with respect, it will be very painful. It's like strangers living in the same house without love. If you have children, you'll only talk about the children's problems." She raised her head, her big, wet eyes full of worry, looking like a wronged little black cat.

Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle, gently ruffling Yuki's hair as she comforted her, "Although it's a family decision, Fugaku is very strong. If I'm with Fugaku, won't I be able to protect Yuki better? Yuki, don't worry." She then cupped Yuki's face, placing a kiss on her forehead, and said tenderly, "Yuki, just grow up happily, even if you don't become a ninja. Mikoto-nee and Fugaku-nii will protect you, okay?" Mikoto's smile was incredibly gentle and tender, as if it could intoxicate anyone with its boundless gentleness.

Yuki's face flushed slightly. She glanced at the ground, then looked up at Mikoto who was smiling. Turning her face away, she said softly but firmly, "If Mikoto is wronged, you must tell me. I'm always here for Mikoto. I will never let Fugaku bully you!"

“Okay!” Mikoto replied with a smile.

-

Autumn has passed, and winter is approaching.

Despite it being daytime, the village was eerily quiet.

The usually bustling and vibrant commercial street was now desolate, with only a few shops still open, scattered sparsely along both sides of the street. This was the scene that greeted Uchiha Yuki's eyes as she emerged from her clan. The war on the front lines was nearing its end, but bad news continued to arrive intermittently. Although Konoha Village claimed in its newspapers that its losses were not heavy, white banners were still occasionally hung in the streets and within the clan to express their condolences. Villagers dressed entirely in black could also be seen frequently on the streets, and the atmosphere throughout the village was as tense as a taut string.

"Minor Snow!"

Nawaki's voice was like a ray of warm sunshine piercing through the winter chill. The boy wore a headband, his expression as vibrant as ever, showing no trace of the cruelty of the battlefield. Yuki noticed the necklace around his neck and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully—wasn't that Lady Tsunade's necklace?

"Xiaoxue, what's wrong?"

After realizing what was happening, Yuki continued, "Nawaki-nii, you've become a Chunin now. Your personality is still the same as it was in school."

Only then did she notice the man behind Nawaki. The man had long, flowing black hair that cascaded over his shoulders, and long, narrow, golden pupils. Purple eyeshadow accentuated his eyes, giving him a sinister, serpentine appearance. He wore the standard dark green vest of a Konoha Jonin, paired with black jonin-style leggings for ease of movement, and a Konoha headband, which somewhat softened his sinister aura.

However, his gaze seemed to be secretly assessing the value of his prey, causing Xue to subconsciously frown and feel a sense of unease.

"Orochimaru-sensei, this is my little sister! Her name is Uchiha Yuki! Isn't she incredibly cute!" Nawaki introduced excitedly.

Orochimaru was embarrassed as he watched his disciple talk endlessly about the girl behind him as if she were an idol.

He subtly observed the girl with his eyes, thinking to himself: A brat from the Uchiha clan…

He seems to be exceptionally intelligent; he truly lives up to his reputation as a descendant of the Uchiha clan.

"Lord Orochimaru, hello." Xue greeted him politely.

Senju Nawaki patted Yuki on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Yuki, just call me 'Teacher' like I do! Right, Orochimaru-sensei?"

Orochimaru carefully considered his tone, trying to put on what he considered a kind smile: "Just call me teacher, like Nawaki does."

Looking at Orochimaru's smile, Xue thought to herself: Even more... even more terrifying!

Senju Nawaki looked at the trembling Yuki, then at Orochimaru-sensei who thought he was smiling very kindly, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

So, through Nawaki's connection, Yuki had the opportunity to briefly meet Orochimaru. She discovered that the Orochimaru before her was completely different from the villainous figure in the original story... utterly unrecognizable!

The Orochimaru who could bite, transform into a woman, and use cursed seals to seize other people's bodies, and the Orochimaru before me who was devoted to his disciple, had absolutely no resemblance to each other except for their appearances...

Moreover, Orochimaru is very skilled in teaching and even knows how to teach according to individual aptitude.

Orochimaru looked at the girl, who was half a head shorter than his disciple, staring at him with bright eyes, and couldn't help but sigh: She really is a studious child, but her talent is far inferior to that of the older Uchiha Fugaku.

Fragments of memories flashed through Xue's mind, allowing her to grasp a possible reason. She thought to herself: Could it be that Orochimaru turned evil and defected because of the death of his disciple?

Thinking about it that way, it seems entirely possible.

After completing her taijutsu training under Orochimaru's guidance, the sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the land of Konoha. Uchiha Yuki slowly returned to her clan's territory, her footsteps dappled with sunlight.

She found a quiet, secluded forest, took out Minato Namikaze's trident kunai from her bosom, and channeled her chakra into it. The kunai seemed to respond, emitting a faint blue light.

Before Xue could react, a pair of well-defined hands suddenly appeared before her, steadily taking the kunai from her hands.

"Huh, am I dreaming?" Minato Namikaze murmured softly.

He seemed to be catching up on sleep, rubbing his sleepy eyes, yawning, and with tears still glistening in the corners of his eyes. He first carefully surveyed his surroundings; lush trees surrounded him, and using his chakra to scan, he confirmed that there was no one else around.

The blond, blue-eyed boy, dressed in dark blue trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, still had a hint of sleepiness in his eyes. Before Xue could say anything, he gently pulled her into his arms. He bent down slightly, nuzzling Xue's cheek with his fluffy golden head, and uttered a soft, comforting sound: "I've wanted to do this for a long time. Xue's cheeks are so soft."

Xiaoxue's face flushed bright red instantly, and she stammered, "Senior Minato, I...I have something to ask of you!"

Minato Namikaze seemed quite surprised, letting out a soft "Eh?": "Oh, so it's reality?"

It took some effort for Yuki to push away Minato Namikaze's embrace. She stared straight at him with a very serious expression: "Senpai, I have something very important to ask you!"

Minato Namikaze tilted his head, his azure eyes fixed on her, a slight smile playing on his lips. He seemed to have no intention of explaining his drowsy state, which only made Yuki's face flush even more, turning it as red as a ripe apple.

His voice was gentle: "I'm listening."