Side Quest

"That's right, Obito, that's how it is."

Shinji spread his hands and winked at Rin, the meaning clear: this was a secret between the two of them.

Nohara Rin felt a warmth in her heart. Having received Shinji's signal, a strange feeling welled up within her once again.

She couldn't help but feel that Shinji was different today; he was being exceptionally proactive toward her.

If Shinji knew what she was thinking, he would likely chuckle.

He hadn't had any intentions toward Nohara Rin before, not because he didn't want to, but simply because he was plagued by internal and external troubles.

His own strength wasn't strong enough, he was trapped in the Uchiha clan—a family entangled in karma—and now, he had even been sent to the front lines by the clan head.

But now that he had the System, he believed his strength would improve rapidly, and he also needed to actively manage his interpersonal relationships.

He was a kind-hearted person at his core. Since everything was moving in a positive direction, he could sincerely provide Nohara Rin with a warm and stable home.

"So that's how it is?" Obito muttered to himself for a moment before quickly apologizing to Rin. "Sorry, Rin! I... I was just afraid you were being bullied by Shinji!"

Nohara Rin slowly let out a sigh of relief and said, "Obito, next time, you need to listen to our explanation properly."

Her cheeks flushed slightly. Although she felt there was no need to deliberately hide anything, this secretive feeling still made her feel a bit guilty.

Obito patted his chest and said indignantly, "Damn that pit, I'm going to fill it in right now!"

With that, he immediately prepared to run into the house to find a shovel to bury the hole.

Nohara Rin quickly reached out to stop him.

She had come here on a mission, and Teacher Minato was still waiting for her and Obito!

"Wait, Obito, Teacher Minato told us to assemble." She glanced at Shinji again and pursed her lips. "Let's fill that pit next time! We need to assemble immediately!"

"Teacher Minato is looking for us?" Obito paused. "In that case, let's hurry and assemble!"

Obito urged Rin to set off quickly. He shot a wary glance at Shinji and said quite triumphantly:

"We're leaving now, Shinji, you should head back!"

Obito deliberately emphasized the word "we," hinting that he and Rin were on the same team!

Nohara Rin also lowered her eyes and said softly, "Then... then we'll go assemble first."

"Shinji, see you next time."

Shinji ignored the provocation from Obito beside him and just smiled, waving at her. "Rin, see you next time!"

Rin and Obito turned around immediately and began walking toward the exit of the Uchiha compound.

On the way, Rin's pace slowed slightly. A sense of reluctance unexpectedly welled up in her heart; she just wanted to stay with Shinji a little longer.

Next time we meet... will I still be able to hold Shinji's hand?

No, how could I think like that? Calm down, calm down.

She gently patted her burning cheeks, trying to suppress the fluttering in her heart.

Obito felt it was strange and tilted his head to ask, "What's wrong, Rin?"

Rin looked away, feigning composure. "It's, it's nothing! Really, it's nothing!"

Obito scratched his head, not thinking much more of it, and soon suggested with great enthusiasm, "Oh right, Rin, let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen later!"

Rin was silent for a moment, her tone tinged with a hint of hesitation. "Sorry, Obito, I have some things to take care of later."

Obito: "..."

Watching Rin's figure disappear around the street corner, Shinji also turned around and began walking slowly toward his home.

As he walked, he recited silently in his heart, attempting to open the System Panel with his thoughts.

He had intended to check the shop first to see if there was anything worth redeeming, but as his gaze swept over the Task Bar, a new message popped up.

"Side Quest Name: Encouragement"

"After Nohara Rin left, she felt a sense of reluctance toward the host. Her budding emotions have left her at a loss; proper guidance and companionship are the keys."

"Task Content: Within seven days, hold hands with Nohara Rin again for no less than thirty minutes!"

"Task Reward: 100,000 Points, A-Rank Gift Box x1"

After reading the task details, a smile curled onto Shinji's lips involuntarily.

It seemed that Rin's heart was already beginning to waver.

However, he soon remembered that he would be heading to the front lines soon.

"Seven days. If I really go to the front lines, this side quest won't be doable. Fortunately, the task isn't mandatory."

Shinji pondered how he might complete the task.

"Is that Shinji?"

A familiar voice reached his ears. Shinji was stunned for a moment, then quickly looked toward the source of the sound, temporarily putting the matter of the side quest aside.

"Is that Uncle Jukai? You're back?"

He saw Uchiha Jukai pushing a small cart, heading in the direction of home.

"Perfect timing, I brought you some fruit. Take it!" Without waiting for an answer, Jukai shoved a bag of fruit toward him.

"This, this is too much."

"Just take it, don't be so polite!"

"Alright then, thank you, Uncle Jukai."

Shinji stopped refusing and took it.

"Shinji, you've grown quite a bit." Jukai looked him over and said with a smile.

"Haha, thank you for the compliment!"

The two chatted as they walked side by side toward home.

A rare, gentle smile appeared on Shinji's face.

Although Uchiha Jukai was from the Uchiha Clan, he was not a ninja; he simply ran a small business and lived the life of an ordinary villager.

He lived near Shinji's home, and Uncle Jukai had helped him out quite a bit when he was a child.

And there were many, many more Uchihas like him.

Thinking of this, Shinji couldn't help but think of Obito and Itachi.

The two great super-traitors of the Uchiha.

First was Obito.

Although Shinji sympathized with the pain of him losing Rin, he also clearly knew that deep down, this guy was an extremely selfish person.

Because Rin died, he wanted to drag the whole world down with him, just to create a fake world where Rin existed.

And the first people he betrayed were Namikaze Minato and his wife, who had trusted him implicitly and treated him like their own son.

He didn't even figure out that the true mastermind who caused Rin's death and manipulated everything was actually Madara Uchiha, the one who saved him.

Although this tragedy had not yet occurred, Shinji could not bring himself to approve of Obito once he thought about his future actions.

Therefore, his relationship with Obito could only ever remain superficial; they could never be close.

As for Uchiha Itachi, he was even more extreme than the extreme.

The clansmen wanted to stage a coup, and the conflict with the village had intensified.

His way of solving problems was simple and brutal: since the conflict could not be reconciled, he would simply kill everyone who created the conflict.

I killed the entire clan, so the conflict between the Uchiha and the village naturally disappeared.

This was Itachi's logic.

"But innocent clan members like Uncle Tree-suke, how could they deserve this?"

Shinji sighed inwardly.

"I'm afraid he has long been brainwashed by his own 'greater cause,' believing that everything he did was right. He wouldn't listen to a word anyone else said."

"Couldn't you have just taken out Fugaku and the hardliners? Wouldn't that have been the end of it!"

After parting ways with Uncle Tree-suke, Shinji headed straight home. After taking a shower, he lay back on his bed, focused his mind to summon the System Shop interface, and stared at the remaining six items, lost in thought.