Chapter 24
Xue got up early in the morning. However, she usually slept until she naturally woke up when she rested.
Since Obito became a Chunin, it was often either her or Obito who was on a mission.
Even though they lived under the same roof, they rarely saw each other.
However, occasionally, Yuki would notice that when she woke up, the bedsheets still retained a trace of warmth, along with the soil...
Shouldn't we make it clear to Obito that now that we're older, we can no longer sneak into our sister's bed to sleep together?
Xue wasn't sure either, whether it was because Obito had grown up.
He no longer pestered her like he used to.
He stopped asking her where she was going on her mission, how many days she would be gone, and when she would return.
For some reason, Xue felt a little lonely.
After quickly washing and dressing, Xue went to the residence of the former Uchiha clan heads and rang the doorbell.
The person who opened the door was a small figure with a bob haircut.
The child has big, black eyes and bears a resemblance to Mikoto, making her very pretty and adorable.
Who is it?
He looked up at the figure before him, a figure that seemed rather tall to him. The familiar scent of lilacs wafted over. The tall woman crouched down, and Itachi finally saw her face clearly; her features resembled his mother's. He searched his memory for similar clansmen, and finally, with some uncertainty, asked:
"Is that your aunt?"
The girl smiled with surprise, not expecting that the child would still remember her.
"Yes, Itachi!"
Xue was overjoyed. She reached out and gently ruffled Itachi's hair.
Hmm, this hair is very smooth.
It feels just like I used Pantene... Hmm? Pantene... is a name for a similar shampoo and body product.
Two blushes rose on Itachi's small face, and he became somewhat embarrassed and shy.
"Xiaoxue is back."
Having become a mother, Mikoto seemed even more gentle, radiating maternal warmth. Yuki learned from Akatsuki that Mikoto had retired from her position in the village and become a housewife. Her daily life consisted of caring for Itachi and Fugaku, and occasionally helping with clan affairs. Perhaps because Fugaku was a more conservative figure after becoming clan leader, and because Shisui and Yuki both held the position of Special Jonin in the village, the relationship between the village and the clan maintained a delicate balance.
"Long time no see, Mikoto-nee!"
Yuki buried her face in Mikoto's arms, and Mikoto laughed and said that Yuki still looked like a little child.
Itachi, holding Mikoto's hand, looked up and saw his much older sister making the same face he had when he ran into his mother's arms. Itachi thought to himself: Adults aren't all that different after all. At least the sister his mother always talked about, who was always so resilient, was no different from him.
She's not as unapproachable as Brother Lidong said.
As Itachi snuggled against Mikoto and acted affectionately, he stepped forward and curiously grasped the long, slightly wavy black hair that was loose around her waist.
The girl seemed a little confused, and looked on with a blank, puzzled expression as she peeked out from Mikoto's arms.
"What's wrong, Itachi?"
"Such long hair..."
Xue stared intently at the little bundle of joy that wasn't even as tall as her knees. She crouched down, squinted slightly, and then curved her eyebrows into a smile: "Itachi would look so good with long hair."
Itachi slightly furrowed his delicate brows and made a soft "hmm".
The older sister in front of him smiled...so beautiful. He bent his head, and steam rose from the top of his head.
Mikoto watched with a smile as Yuki interacted with her son. As Yuki left, Itachi still tugged at her sleeve, reluctant to let her go.
"I'll come again tomorrow, Itachi."
"Really?"
Itachi's eyes held a hint of expectation. Yuki bent down and leaned close to him, giving him a helpless yet affectionate kiss on the tip of his ear, and said with a smile, "Really?"
Itachi looked up at his mother's departing figure as she gazed at Yuki. Itachi thought to himself, "That look in her eyes is completely different from the look she gives my father."
"When Itachi grows up, you must protect your aunt well."
Itachi frowned: "But my aunt is a ninja, and she's very strong, just as strong as Shisui."
Mikoto shook her head, squatted down to be at Itachi's eye level: "But Yuki is all alone now. Itachi's name was given by Yuki. You two are very important family members to each other."
"My name was given to me by her..." Itachi paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Mother, I will."
-
Yuki arrived at Orochimaru's residence. Since Jiraiya-sama traveled far and wide and Tsunade-sama developed hemophobia, of the once renowned "Sannin," only Orochimaru remained serving Konoha. However, Yuki also vaguely learned from the Third Hokage that Orochimaru was conducting experiments forbidden by Konoha's regular army, and the subjects were mostly defeated prisoners of war, or... those who had already died.
Yuki would occasionally bump into Orochimaru and Danzo, the leader of Root, getting very close...
"Contracted beast?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Xue.
Every time Xue comes here, she will bring him a bouquet of magnolia flowers and some popular local foods.
"My contracted beast is Manda from Ryuchi Cave," Orochimaru explained to Yuki.
"Snakes... I feel like they'd be a good match for Orochimaru-sensei."
"You also want a contracted beast from Ryuchi Cave?"
Xue quickly shook her head: "I...I'm a little afraid of snakes."
Orochimaru's lips twitched as he sized up the black-haired girl before him. She was gradually gaining some fame in the ninja world, and was even sometimes called "Konoha's Snow Princess" by her enemies. For such a ruthless killer to say that she was afraid of a certain creature sounded utterly absurd.
After Yuki mastered a fighting style that suited her, Orochimaru stopped teaching her in his own way and instead had her gradually use her Sharingan to assist in battle during missions. Now, Yuki can skillfully and freely use genjutsu, and in Konoha Village, her genjutsu level is among the best.
"Why are you looking at me like that, teacher? Isn't it normal for girls to be afraid of snakes?" Xue said, somewhat annoyed.
Orochimaru let out a strange laugh: "Hehehe—"
Thus, this so-called "friendly" (?) exchange between teacher and student about contracted beasts came to an end.
As usual, Yuki went to the Cat Oasis to buy ninja tools from Granny Cat.
Grandma Cat asked her if she was troubled by the matter of her contracted beast.
Xue paused for a moment, then nodded.
How did Grandma Cat know?
Surrounded by cats, the old woman tapped her head with her pipe: "Don't underestimate the intelligence-gathering abilities of ninja cats, especially since you're a child of the Uchiha clan!"
Xue covered the spot where she had been hit and took the scroll that Granny Cat handed her.
"As for which child you can summon, that depends on your skill."
Xue bowed politely in thanks: "Thank you, Grandma Cat."
The moonlight, like a veil, enveloped the Uchiha training ground.
Xue raised her head, gazing at the enormous, pure white creature before her. This creature was as tall as a two-story building, incredibly imposing, and Xue had to crane her neck to see its entirety. Suddenly summoned, the creature seemed somewhat bewildered, its pair of azure beastly eyes blinking.
After a long while, it finally heard a sound coming from beneath it.
"Hey..."
It squinted, bent down, and looked down at the human girl who was smaller than its palm.
"So it was you who summoned me, human?"
"My name is Uchiha Yuki, not Human."
Xue raised her head and stared intently at the feline that looked very much like a lion.
Snow Lion: ...What should I do if my new owner seems a bit dull?
However, this child... looks quite pleasing to the eye, and seems to be quite strong as well.
"So, do you want to sign a contract with me, Uchiha clan girl?"
The large feline raised its furry paw, and Yuki, gazing at the pink paw pads, smiled slyly in the moonlight. She reached out, pricked her fingertip with a kunai, and dripped blood into the scroll. Thus, the summoning beast contract was officially formed.
To Snow Lion's great displeasure, its new name was Little White!
"This name has absolutely no dignity!!!"
At this moment, because Xue thought it was too big, Little White had shrunk to the size of a normal cat. It brandished its sharp claws, but Xue pinched its paw pads and said with a smile, "Little White~"
Little White, who quickly withdrew its claws, asked irritably, "What?"
Realizing what was happening, it looked at Yuki, its pointed cat ears perking up, and shouted, "Uchiha Yuki!!!"
-
"So why did you choose Yuki to lead this mission as a Jonin? It's just a mere B-rank mission!" Obito frowned, his expression furious. He turned to the boy with the black mask and silver hair beside him and shouted, "Say something, Kakashi!"
Kakashi, who was mentioned, shrugged, looking indifferent, and said casually, "I have no objection."
"Alright, alright, Obito, don't be angry. Minato-sensei had a last-minute mission and couldn't come. Wouldn't it be better if it were Yuki-nee?" The beautiful girl quickly stepped forward to comfort Obito. She had just reached out her hand, but before she could touch him, Obito instinctively pushed it away. This sudden action startled Rin.
"Lin, you understand—"
Obito was about to explain when Yuki suddenly appeared and elbowed him, silencing him completely. Yuki bent down, giving her angry younger brother a cold, deadpan look.
"You were so rude to Rin, do you have a death wish? Obito, apologize."
The appearance of Yuki made Obito swallow back the words he was about to say. Clutching his throbbing head, his eyes brimming with tears, he quickly apologized to Rin. Then, he muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed, "It's just a herb-gathering task. For someone like me, the future Hokage, this is a piece of cake. Even if Minato-sensei wasn't here, it wouldn't be a problem. Why did they have to send Yuki specifically..."
Xue took out a scroll from her vest pocket, barely suppressing the urge to punch Obito twice more.
Such a worry... family member.
Yuki infused the scroll with a little chakra, then slowly opened it and read aloud from its contents: "This mission is commissioned by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. We are to travel to the Land of Waterfall to find a herb called Evening Primrose. Information indicates that this herb only blooms in the Tsukimi Village of the Land of Waterfall in autumn. There is no further information. Therefore, we must first gather information in the designated village of the Land of Waterfall before proceeding with the collection. Entrusted by Senior Mizuki Namikaze, I will serve as the Jonin guiding this mission."
After speaking, Xue raised her head slightly, looked at everyone, and said earnestly, "Nice to meet you, Nohara Rin, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito."
Lin clapped her hands: "Yes! Senior Xue."
Kakashi glanced sideways: "Senpai."
Obito glanced up at the black-haired girl, who was taller than the three of them and wore a Jonin vest with a low ponytail, and clicked his tongue: "But... she's just a special Jonin..."
To be honest, Yuki had absolutely no way to deal with Obito. Yuki wasn't sure why, but Obito seemed to be getting a little rebellious as he grew older... Was it because of puberty? What was he doing when he was twelve? Yuki and the group hurried along, lost in thought, as if they were just going through the motions day after day, perhaps to numb themselves to something?
The reason why Yuki accepted the role of Jonin to guide this mission was not only because Minato Namikaze was sent by the Third Hokage to carry out other missions, but also because the Land of Waterfall is located at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, and the situation in the Land of Wind is becoming increasingly serious. To be on the safe side, she specifically applied to the Third Hokage.
In addition, the commission fee given by the daimyo was indeed generous. However, since very few people had ever seen the moon primrose, this task had been hanging on the Hokage Building's task interface for a long time, but no one was willing to accept it.
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