Little Miss, Grind Ink and Lay Out the Paper for Me

Twelve was a magical age.

When Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto were twelve, they had just graduated from the Ninja Academy as Genin. When Madara and Hashirama were twelve, they were still competing to see who could pee farther.

When Uchiha's greatest prodigy, Itachi, was twelve, he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and joined forces with Obito to have Root slaughter his entire clan.

Uchiha Mai was ashamed to say that, with the system, a little help from the course of history, and his own efforts, he had finally attained strength no less than Itachi's at the same age.

"What are you looking at?" Tsunade suddenly asked.

In the season of heavy snowfall, there was nothing more comfortable than sitting indoors, wrapped in a blanket and warming oneself by the fire. Unless, of course, one also had a cup of milk tea in hand.

The firewood burning in the hearth gave off heat, its crimson glow falling across Tsunade's face like a layer of sunset draped over white jade, bright and captivating.

"I'm watching the snow," Uchiha Mai replied.

"Is it pretty?"

"Pretty."

"How pretty?"

"About one-tenth as pretty as you." Uchiha Mai raised his hand and made the gesture that enraged Korean men.

"Since I'm prettier, why are you looking at the snow instead of me?" Tsunade tilted her head.

"Because my heart is looking at you." Uchiha Mai did not panic in the slightest.

Tsunade feigned annoyance, a rosy blush spreading across her cheeks as she lightly scolded, "Smooth talker."

This was an expression Tsunade had never shown when interacting with Uchiha Mai in the past. Ultimately, it was because Uchiha Mai had been too young before.

Things were different now. Having passed his twelfth birthday, Uchiha Mai had grown past 1.6 meters tall, putting him roughly at