Side Quest

"That's right, Obito. That's exactly what happened."

Shinji shrugged, then winked at Rin, clearly signaling that it was a secret between the two of them.

Nohara Rin felt a warmth in her heart. She caught Shinji's hint, and that strange feeling welled up inside her again.

She couldn't help feeling that Shinji was different today, and much more forward with her than usual.

If Shinji had known what she was thinking, he probably would have smiled.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to pursue Nohara Rin before. It was simply that he had been beset by troubles from within and without.

His own strength was lacking, he was trapped in the Uchiha Clan, a family mired in complications, and now the clan leader had sent him to the front lines.

But now that he had the system, he believed his strength would grow rapidly. He also needed to take the initiative in building relationships.

He was a kind person, and since everything was moving in a good direction, he could sincerely give Nohara Rin a warm, stable home.

"So that's what happened?" Obito muttered to himself for a while, then hurriedly apologized to Rin. "Sorry, Rin! I—I was afraid Shinji was bullying you!"

Nohara Rin slowly relaxed and said, "Obito, next time, listen while we explain properly."

Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Though she didn't think there was any need to hide it, the furtive feeling still made her a little uneasy.

Obito slapped his chest and said angrily, "Damn that hole! I'll fill it in right away!"

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

Nohara Rin hurriedly reached out to stop him.

She had come with a mission, after all, and Teacher Minato was waiting for her and Obito!

"Wait, Obito. Teacher Minato wants us to meet up." She glanced at Shinji again and pressed her lips together. "We can fill in the hole next time! We need to meet up right away!"

"Teacher Minato wants to see us?" Obito paused. "In that case, let's hurry and meet up!"

Obito urged Rin to get going, then glanced at Shinji with a hint of wariness and said rather smugly:

"Then we're off, Shinji. You can go back!"

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

Nohara Rin lowered her eyes and said softly, "W-we should go meet up now."

"See you next time, Shinji."

Shinji ignored Obito's provocation. He just smiled and waved to her. "See you next time, Rin!"

Rin and Obito turned and headed out of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

On the way, Rin walked a little slowly. A trace of reluctance unexpectedly stirred in her heart; she just wanted to spend a little more time with Shinji.

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

"No, how can I think something like that? Calm down, calm down."

She gently patted her burning cheeks, trying to quell the flutter in her heart.

Obito found it strange and turned to ask, "What's wrong, Rin?"

Rin looked away and forced herself to stay composed. "N-nothing! I'm really fine!"

Obito scratched his head and didn't think much of it. Soon, he cheerfully suggested, "By the way, Rin, how about we go eat Ichiraku Ramen together later?"

Rin fell silent for a moment, then replied with a hint of difficulty, "Sorry, Obito. I've got something to do later."

Obito: "..."

After watching Rin disappear around the corner, Shinji turned and slowly headed home.

As he walked, he silently tried to open the System Panel with a thought.

He had planned to check the shop first to see if there was anything worth redeeming, but the moment his gaze swept over the Task Bar, a new message appeared.

Side Quest: Encouragement

After Nohara Rin left, she felt reluctant to part with the host. Her budding feelings left her at a loss, and gentle guidance and companionship were the key.

Quest: Hold hands with Nohara Rin again within seven days, for at least thirty minutes!

Reward: 100,000 Points, 1 A-Rank Gift Box

After reading the quest details, Shinji couldn't help smiling.

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

But then he remembered that he would be heading to the front lines soon.

"Seven days. If I really do go to the front lines, I won't be able to finish this Side Quest. Fortunately, completing it isn't mandatory."

Shinji considered how he might complete the quest.

"Is that Shinji?"

A familiar voice reached his ears. Shinji froze for a moment, then hurriedly looked over, setting aside thoughts of the Side Quest for now.

"It's Uncle Treetree. Are you back?"

He saw Uchiha Treetree pushing a cart in the direction of home.

"Good timing. I brought you some fruit. Here!" Without giving him a chance to refuse, Treetree handed him a bag of fruit.

"Th-this is too much trouble."

"Go on, take it. No need to be polite!"

"All right, then. Thank you, Uncle Treetree."

Shinji stopped refusing and accepted it.

"You've grown quite a bit, Shinji," Treetree said with a smile as he looked him over.

"Haha, thank you for the compliment!"

They chatted as they walked home side by side.

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

Although Uchiha Treetree came from the Uchiha Clan, he wasn't a ninja. He just ran a small business and lived the ordinary life of a villager.

He lived near Shinji's home, and Uncle Treetree had helped him out a lot when he was little.

There were many, many Uchihas like him.

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

The Uchiha Clan's two biggest traitors.

First, there was Obito.

Though Shinji sympathized with the pain Obito suffered after losing Rin, he also knew perfectly well that Obito was deeply selfish at heart.

When Rin died, he wanted to drag the whole world down with him, all to create a false world where Rin was still alive.

The first people he betrayed were Namikaze Minato and his wife, who had trusted him completely and treated him like their own child.

He hadn't even figured out that the one who had truly caused Rin's death and manipulated everything from behind the scenes was Madara Uchiha, the man who had saved him.

Although the tragedy hadn't happened yet, Shinji still couldn't accept what Obito would do in the future.

So his relationship with Obito could only remain superficial. They weren't close.

As for Uchiha Itachi, he was even more extreme.

The clan planned a coup, and tensions with the village escalated.

His way of solving the problem was simple and brutal: since the conflict couldn't be reconciled, he would kill everyone who had caused it.

If I kill the whole clan, the conflict between the Uchiha and the village will naturally disappear.

That was Itachi's logic.

"But ordinary clan members like Uncle Treetree were so innocent."

Shinji sighed inwardly.

"I'm afraid he's already brainwashed himself with his so-called 'greater good.' He thinks everything he does is right and won't listen to anything anyone else says."

"Why not just kill Fugaku and the hardliners? Problem solved!"

After parting ways with Uncle Treetree, Shinji went straight home. After taking a shower, he lay back on his bed and brought up the System Shop with a thought. As he stared at the six remaining items, he fell into deep thought.