Chapter 22 C22
After accepting the harsh reality that she couldn't just feed him and ensure his survival, the first thing Kana did was take Neji for a stroll outside the clan's territory.
"He's my little brother, so please take care of him if you ever run into him," Kana introduced Neji to Itachi.
Kana originally meant a simple relationship between "older brother and younger brother", but Neji seemed to only hear the word "younger brother". His eyes and eyebrows were raised high, showing his "happiness", and he even learned to repeat, "I am my sister's younger brother, my name is Hyuga Neji".
Compared to Sasuke Uchiha, who is easily jealous and likes to stick to his older brother all the time, Neji is relatively easy to manage. However, he has a problem: he especially likes to call her "older sister," especially when there are outsiders around, like a puppy eagerly declaring ownership.
By the way, Sasuke no longer gets close to people based on first impressions—yes, the four-year-old kitten has already started to analyze the closeness of blood relations and has begun to show possessiveness towards his older brother, so he no longer bothers her, which Kana is quite pleased about.
Kana came out to train today and didn't originally plan to have Neji come along. After all, neither her Lightning Release nor Water Release, nor Itachi's Fire Release nor Earth Release, are suitable for a child to watch.
But before leaving, he suddenly changed his mind and picked up the pitiful cub lying in the entryway.
Kana stood under the tree, watching Neji struggling to throw a shuriken at the bullseye, and asked the person standing next to her, "Sasuke needs playmates his own age, right?"
“Children are often too clingy because they lack playmates. They’ll be fine once they have their own social circles.” She patted Itachi on the shoulder, her eyes gleaming with a restless light.
"They are still too young, and even if they play together, they need someone to look after them."
It seems her younger brother, like his own, has already started training. Things that one person wouldn't dare to try alone become incredibly daring when there's someone else involved.
Given the current situation of the Uchiha clan, it's impossible to bring Neji home.
Kana clearly realized something too, and the light in her eyes instantly went out.
She withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened. One cub was enough; having two was unbearable.
"I can't practice today." With a child in my arms, it's impossible to concentrate. If I lose focus while sparring with a genius, I'll be beaten to a pulp and taught a lesson in the next second.
Kana called out to Neji, waved goodbye to him, and said, "See you next time."
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, they each had their own genin classes. In Konoha, where even minors were exploited, going out on missions greatly reduced their chances of meeting.
Like most friends who go their separate ways after graduation, we'll find ourselves interacting less and less.
Kana used to be idle and would voluntarily accommodate the time of those who needed to take care of their younger brother, but in the future, she will probably be busier than him—at least he still has his parents.
Real combat is an opportunity to improve one's skills. Every mission they undertake is a real combat exercise, so sparring is not the fastest way.
Their current sparring is less about improving their skills and more about using each other as test subjects to master new ninjutsu—because they know very well that neither of them will go all out.
Looking back, it seems that getting the communication scroll wasn't so bad luck.
Like someone with OCD trying to turn the handle of every cup in the same direction, after separating from Itachi, Kana, thinking "since we're already out here," took Neji to meet Akimichi Kita and Nara Shikatori.
Because it was the first time she had taken the initiative to use carrier pigeons to arrange a meeting, Ji Tai thought something major had happened. He ran at the fastest pace in his thirteen years of life, half-bent over with his hands on his knees, his lower abdomen rumbling and contracting, and he couldn't catch his breath for a long time.
Shikatori, a brainy type who usually neglects physical skills among all abilities, is no better.
Kana looked completely bewildered, but her hand instinctively went to the short sword at her waist. "Someone's chasing you? Do you need help?"
Shikatori finally caught his breath, his face very serious. "What trouble have you run into?"
The two stared at each other for ten seconds, their eyes locked in a silent, intense gaze, deciphering the truth from each other's expressions.
In response to Kita's protest, "Don't exclude your teammates and make unauthorized encrypted mental conversations, just say it out loud," Kana simply explained, "Hyuga Neji, someone from the same family, I introduced him to you. I didn't expect such a strong reaction from you, so I won't invite you again in the future."
"Hey, if you had just contacted us more often, this whole mess wouldn't have happened," Shikato said irritably.
“Wow…” Kana said, mimicking the infuriating tone of the system’s inorganic nature, “Isn’t this called turning the tables on someone else?”
"Alright, alright," Ji Tai quickly smoothed things over, stopping Shikatori, who was about to retaliate with his eyebrows raised high. "No matter what, this is a good thing, isn't it, Shikatori?"
She would proactively introduce her family to them and would seek them out outside of her missions; these were all signs that Kana was lowering her guard and was willing to have further contact with them.
Shikatori is the same. He's usually a calm and rational person, but when he's with Kana, he always seems to lose his mind. He likes to argue with her, and then he regrets it afterward, but he still does it again next time.
—She was clearly very happy inside.
Why bother?
Ji Tai used to admire his childhood friend Lu Qu immensely because of his prophetic ability to "guess whatever he wants and get it right," but now, he feels that he can sometimes even describe him as "naive" from a mature and reliable perspective.
Kana said that bringing him out to meet her was really just to get acquainted with him. After the introduction, she waved, said goodbye, and turned around in one smooth motion without any hesitation.
The reason I ultimately chose to stay and have lunch with Neji and the other two was because it was lunchtime, the groceries in the fridge were all gone and I hadn't bought any more, and it suddenly started to rain eerily outside. In short, I was just too lazy.
It has to be said that Neji is a very capable youngster.
At least his table manners were impeccable, and there was nothing he wouldn't eat.
So, feeling quite accomplished, Ji Tai was overwhelmed by the repeated "Thank you, Brother Ji" and kept serving him food.
I can't help but sigh. Compared to Choji Akimichi, who only eats meat and doesn't like vegetables, and Shikamaru Nara, who has a pair of dead fish eyes even at a young age, "Kana, your little brother is really well-behaved."
This misconception was deeply ingrained in Kita's mind for many years due to the anchoring effect, to the point that Choji and Shikamaru, who later met Neji, both thought he was a big liar.
Kana glanced under the table, then reached out and grabbed Neji's bowl, blocking Kita's chopsticks from taking a bite of pork belly.
"Are you full?" I just saw him secretly rubbing his bulging little belly.
Neji subconsciously shook his head, but seeing her calm eyes, he hesitated and nodded.
"If you're full, don't eat anymore."
It was still raining when they finished eating and returned home.
White lightning ripped through the dark, inky blue sky, and two figures appeared and disappeared in the corridor.
"If you don't like something, you should say it. If you feel uncomfortable, you should also say it. I can't keep trying to guess what you're thinking."
The human heart is the most unpredictable thing. Life is already tiring enough, and Kana doesn't want to waste any more energy.
Considering that Neji is still recovering from the loss of his parents, and his anxiety and dependence on her are still at a high level, she said something unusually soft, which was also true: "You are more important than them."
She had already said that she didn't believe in love at first sight or instant connection, so the time spent together and the effort invested were important indicators for her to judge the closeness of the relationship.
Strictly speaking, among the people in this world, Hyuga Neji could be ranked in her top two positions.
Therefore, there is no need to try to win their favor to please her.
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