Wait a Little Longer

Actually... aside from Shuji's own wishes, there was another enormous obstacle standing before Mikoto.

That was her clan...

Born into a family possessing a powerful bloodline limit.

While she had been ahead of the vast majority of her peers from birth, she was also subject to many restrictions.

Especially when it came to marriage. Men had it easier; whether they married a woman from their own clan or took a wife from another clan, the family could accept it.

But women did not have that kind of freedom. Unless the man married into the family, they could never be married off.

Because to the clan, that meant the loss of its bloodline limit. It was not just the Uchiha; no clan could tolerate such a thing happening.

As for having Shuji marry into the clan...

If Shuji had been a civilian, there might have been room to work something out.

But the Hyuga Clan was also one of Konoha's foremost noble families.

Just as the Uchiha would never tolerate the Sharingan being passed outside the clan, how could the Hyuga Clan tolerate the Byakugan being passed on?

After all, Shuji was a member of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family...

Therefore, Mikoto had to continue growing stronger—far stronger. Not only did she have to surpass Shuji in every respect, she also had to become the strongest person in the Uchiha.

Then, she would become the head of the Uchiha Clan, unite the clan's strength, and directly snatch Hyuga Shuji away from the Hyuga Clan.

At that thought, Mikoto could not hold back her laughter.

Coming back to her senses, Mikoto raised her head and looked around. She found that Hiashi and Nawaki were still sparring, while Hizashi and Hinagiku were studying with rapt attention.

Her heart stirring, Mikoto moved with lightning speed and planted a fleeting kiss on Shuji's lips.

As soon as she pulled away, Mikoto saw Shuji's brow furrow slightly and instinctively held her breath.

Only after Shuji sank back into deep sleep did Mikoto finally let out a slow breath of relief.

Looking at Shuji's lips, now slightly damp because of her, the smile in Mikoto's eyes could not be hidden.

Wait a little longer. Just a little longer. You will definitely be mine.

Looking at Shuji in her arms, Mikoto silently said in her heart.

"Isn't it almost time for class?"

After waking from his nap, Shuji sat up and rubbed his eyes as he asked Mikoto.

Ever since he had begun ninja training, Shuji had rarely slept until he woke naturally like this.

"Mm... judging by the time, class should be almost over now."

Mikoto forced a faint smile at Shuji's words and pressed a hand against her leg.

It was numb...

"Huh?"

Shuji froze, only then noticing that Nawaki and the others had already left.

"But don't worry. I already used a Shadow Clone Technique to attend the taijutsu class in your place."

Before Shuji could think too much about it, Mikoto explained.

The Ninja Academy's taijutsu classes were not always conducted through sparring.

More often, taijutsu class was basically just physical training.

After all, regardless of what level a ninja was at, physical training was of utmost importance.

So, a Shadow Clone Technique could handle it perfectly well. It was just that under normal circumstances, no one did that.

"You just woke up. Have something to drink."

With that, Mikoto handed Shuji a bottle of fruit juice.

"Thanks."

Shuji blinked somewhat blankly and accepted the juice Mikoto offered him.

For some reason, Shuji felt that Mikoto's attitude toward him seemed much better than before.

Was it because he had helped her yesterday?

"Thanks to you."

After thinking for a moment, Shuji continued.

Using a Shadow Clone Technique to attend class and simply skipping class were two completely different things.

If Chinatsu found out that he had skipped class, she would definitely give him another unforgettable night.

"It's what I should do. This happened because of me in the first place."

Mikoto pursed her lips and spoke to Shuji with some guilt.

Only after truly seeing how exhausted Shuji had become because of her did Mikoto sincerely begin to regret it.

This was the first time, and it would absolutely be the last.

Looking at Shuji before her, Mikoto silently told herself.

"We're friends. You don't need to be so polite."

Shuji chuckled and shook his head. Mikoto was good in every way, except that she was too polite.

That sort of politeness often created a sense of distance without anyone noticing.

With that said, Shuji looked at Mikoto, who was still kneeling where she was.

"Why don't you get up and walk around? Your legs must be numb after sitting so long, right?"

"They're already numb..."

Mikoto smiled a little embarrassedly at Shuji's words.

"Then, want me to massage them for you?"

Shuji chuckled, stepped forward, and held out a hand to Mikoto, casually making a joke.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shuji had practically already guessed Mikoto's answer.

Surely it would be no—

"Sure, then I'll have to trouble you, Shuji~"

Mikoto immediately nodded, reaching out to grasp the hand Shuji had extended to her.

"Hm?"

Shuji froze and stared at Mikoto in surprise.

This girl really had no guard up around the opposite sex at all...

But the words had already been spoken, so Shuji could not exactly take them back.

Helping Mikoto sit down on the ground, Shuji formed hand seals. The next moment, a faint green glow lit up around his hands.

Mystical Palm Technique!

His hands covered Mikoto's legs, wrapped in black thigh-high socks. Within the limits of his control, a faint trickle of Chakra seeped slowly into her body at the lowest possible output, assisting her blood circulation.

"Ah..."

The intense comfort flowing from her legs struck Mikoto's nerves. The moment an involuntary sound escaped her mouth, she clenched her teeth and forced it back down.

Her hands instinctively curled into fists.

She might like it, but Mikoto absolutely did not want to make that kind of sound in front of Shuji.

Absolutely not!

"Feels good, right? That's how the Mystical Palm Technique works. It can affect the body's normal circulatory system too, but at this level, it should be fine."

Sensing Mikoto's unusual reaction, Shuji chuckled. Worried that she might be embarrassed, he did not look at her expression.

"Mm..."

Mikoto nodded, squeezing a single word through her teeth.

Hearing the obvious trace of unusual emotion in Mikoto's voice, Shuji immediately found it amusing.

After thinking about it, he ultimately decided not to lecture Mikoto about things like keeping proper boundaries between men and women.

After all, Mikoto was still young. It was understandable that she lacked that sort of awareness.

As time passed, even if he said nothing, Mikoto would slowly come to understand it herself.

If he brought it up now, it would serve no purpose besides making things awkward.

"Shuji, have you already started conducting experiments on the human body?"

At that moment, Nawaki's voice suddenly rang out.