"Here's to a good partnership."
"I hope you can do what you said."
Rin took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
Even if it sounded impossible, even treasonous, she still wanted to try.
She desperately clung to what felt like her last straw—though it was not even that, just a hope.
It was the struggle of a caged bird.
After Yayoi left, Rin quietly finished her lunch, stood up, and headed into the classroom.
Dark clouds crowded the sky, pressing down so heavily that it felt hard to breathe. A thunderstorm seemed to be brewing.
Most of the students were in class. Those sitting by the windows pressed their faces to the glass, watching the gloomy sky with interest.
"It's going to rain!"
"Yay, rain!"
"But how are we getting home?"
Some were excited and others worried, but the teacher soon quieted them down.
"It's raining, Miyoshi-kun," Yan murmured as she looked outside.
"Yeah. It's raining, and I didn't bring an umbrella. We'll have to walk home in it."
Yayoi smiled faintly.
To them, it was only rain. Their clothes might get soaked, but the strong constitutions passed down through ninja clans far surpassed those of ordinary people. They would not get sick from it.
During his time interning at the hospital, he had never once met a ninja with a cold.
"The weather's been so unpredictable lately. I really don't want to get drenched."
Yan puffed out her cheeks, looking a little annoyed. She clearly did not like getting rained on.
"Then I'll walk you home."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Mm-hmm!"
Yan nodded quickly, as if afraid Yayoi might change his mind.
"It's a promise. No taking it back."
"I won't."
First came a tiny drop. Then dense beads of rain began tapping against the windows.
The patter of rain rose like a rapid drumbeat, and the children in the classroom erupted with excitement.
Rin sat silently at her desk, watching the rain streak across the window.
Reflected in the glass were Yayoi and Yan, chatting and laughing like the best of friends.
"Is this Wind Release Ninjutsu?" Yan asked curiously, pointing at the many little currents swirling around Yayoi.
"That's amazing. Can I learn it?"
Whenever rain reached them, the currents around Yayoi swept it away. It was as though they stood inside an enormous glass dome.
The strange experience fascinated Yan.
"Of course. It's just a small application of Wind Release, though it takes enough chakra and control."
It was Chakra Nature Transformation. Turning chakra into wind without Hand Seals already required an exceptionally high level of mastery.
That mastery was the result of a year's work. Yayoi had spent the year honing his chakra control and transformation.
His experience controlling the Wind King Eye also helped. By activating the Mirror Eye and drawing on the experience he had copied, he found it much easier to control Wind Release Chakra.
Chakra Nature Transformation was notoriously difficult. This alone could count as a Jonin's signature skill.
The one drawback was that he still needed the Mirror Eye's help.
He could now keep the Mirror Eye active for ten minutes.
That was thanks to his exceptional physique. Over the past two years, it had grown to the level of an average adult Senju.
Tsunade had told him so, though he still had a long way to go before he caught up with her.
Even if he still needed the Mirror Eye's help now, Yayoi believed that as his control improved, he would eventually command Wind Release on his own—and even Fire Release, though his progress there lagged behind.
With the nature of Word Spirit and chakra, he might even use Fire Release to feed the Wind King Eye's winds and turn them into a Fire Tornado.
On a battlefield, that would be a formidable way to cut down enemies, greatly improving his chances of survival.
"Chakra, huh? Then never mind. I don't have much, so I need to save it."
Yan's voice broke into Yayoi's thoughts. Thinking of the meager chakra inside her, she shook her head.
Yan said she did not have much chakra, but that depended on whom she was comparing herself to.
She spent so much time with Yayoi that he was naturally her point of comparison.
But Yayoi was a Senju, and Dragon Blood strengthened him further. Chakra was a blend of physical and spiritual energy, so he should have had even more than an ordinary Senju.
The Uchiha Clan's chakra reserves were nothing to dismiss, either. Compared with ordinary civilians, they were enormous.
"If it rains again, you'll keep the rain off me, won't you, Miyoshi-kun?" Yan suddenly asked, brushing her purple hair back from her ear.
"Of course. We're friends."
Yayoi answered without a second thought.
It would only take a little chakra, and he could practice his control at the same time. It was no trouble.
Yan seemed delighted. She skipped along the road.
Her soft purple hair bounced with her movements, making her look like a lively little sprite.
The Uchiha Clan Territory was not far from the school, and they soon arrived.
Tall buildings rose at its center, with the Security Force stationed by the entrance. A small cat, wet from the rain, lounged inside the guardhouse.
The rain had driven everyone indoors, but with its complete rows of buildings, the territory looked like a village within the village.
Two Uchiha who had been patrolling had taken shelter in the guardhouse. The cat lay in there with them.
One looked up as someone passed. Seeing a member of his own clan, he called out a quick reminder.
"It's raining. Hurry home."
The other ninja noticed something more.
"Eita, look. That's some powerful Wind Release."
"Mm. Jonin-level Wind Release. A prodigy. Nothing to do with us, though."
Uchiha Eita raised his head again, took a look, then quietly lowered it.
So what if it was Jonin-level Wind Release? It was rare, sure, but not unheard of. No need to make a fuss.
"Besides, stay out of it. That girl is Elder Hyuga's granddaughter. What could happen to her?"
"And you, you lazy cat. You do nothing all day. Look how fat you've gotten. Tomorrow, you're exercising."
He picked up the cat, which had been lying there watching the rain, and spoke fiercely.
The cat gave him an indignant sidelong glance, then moved elsewhere and lay back down.
"Uchiha ninja are pretty interesting," Yayoi said with a smile. He had seen the exchange too.
"That's Uncle Eita. He's been with the Uchiha Clan forever. He's been in that guardhouse since I first learned to walk.
"That cat is his summoning beast. It's gotten fat from going so long without a fight."
Yan explained.
These little stories about the Uchiha Clan were interesting, especially when outsiders generally called them arrogant. Knowing this side of them gave her a private thrill.
"Well, I'm off. See you."
"See you."
Yan waved goodbye to Yayoi reluctantly.
Once Yayoi had walked away, Yan got ready to head home.
"Yan, was that your friend?"
Uchiha Eita had just come out of the guardhouse with an umbrella after Yayoi left.
"Mm. A very good friend."
"Get home soon, or Elder Hyuga will worry."
"Mm."
"Thanks, Uncle Eita."
"It's good to be young."
Eita watched Yan leave and sighed.
When Yan reached home, she entered a large courtyard. She opened the door and saw that the lights were on.
She was not surprised. Second Grandfather had probably come to see her again.
He made time to visit every month, chatting with her and teaching her some Taijutsu or Ninjutsu.
She changed into slippers and slid open the door.
"I'm home."
"Little Yan, you're back."
Sure enough, an old man was inside. His weathered, stern face softened the moment he saw Yan.
Before you continue