The night had fallen.
Arata walked alone through the streets of the clan grounds. Lights shone all around him, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.
"Training until now again? You need to balance work and rest, Arata."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you, Arata? Come have a bite at your auntie's house."
"Look at you. If only you were even half as hardworking as Arata."
Warm greetings reached his ears from time to time.
The same warmth, day after day, for five years.
"All right, I'll be careful."
"No, thanks. Sister Izumi said she'd wait for me."
"Haru's still young. She'll understand."
Arata responded to each of them, a faint smile on his face.
His healthy growth up to this point had been inseparable from every household in the clan. After all, having Elder Yashiro teach him ninjutsu was one thing, but looking after a child was another matter entirely.
"Mm, hurry up, Arata. I'm starving."
Izumi Uchiha stood by the door and waved to him from afar. She had taken off the Konoha Headband she wore across her forehead, but the simple four-leaf-clover hair clip was still fastened in her long hair.
She seemed to have been waiting for quite a while.
"Okay."
After answering, Arata immediately broke into a jog. Behind him were the lights of the Uchiha Clan—the lights he wanted to protect.
Itachi wanted to destroy them.
Then he would have to step over Arata's corpse first!
After dinner, Arata helped Aunt Hazuki clear away the dishes, then returned to his little home.
The clan had provided him with a place to live right next to Sister Izumi's house. It was a single-story, one-room home with all the necessary furnishings and a small courtyard—just right for him.
After locking the doors and windows, Arata began sorting through the things he had bought that afternoon. The Three-Color Dango wrapped in candy wrappers showed signs of melting, though they were still mostly fine. The bright-red apples gave off a distinctive fragrance, while the palm-sized little watermelon seemed suspiciously early to ripen.
Besides those, a light gift bag sat on the table. When his gaze passed over it, Arata hesitated for once, as if considering whether he should put it there with the rest.
In the end, though, he left it where it was.
"Spirit who protects me, appear before me. Your name is Yuki-onna."
After putting everything away, Arata chanted softly. The Hundred Ghost Scroll in his mind's eye unfurled at once.
As the surrounding air abruptly grew colder, a silver-haired girl appeared silently in the room.
Their eyes met, but neither spoke.
In the three years since, Arata had been unable to grow closer to Yuki-onna. In his day-to-day life, he had only ever forcibly borrowed her power through Demon Bind.
That was also the main reason he had put off summoning a new Shikigami. He had no idea how to get along with yokai. Perhaps the problem would resolve itself once he grew stronger.
"The things on the table are sweets from the human world."
"If there's anything else you're interested in, you can tell me. I'll do my best to get it for you."
After a brief silence, Arata was once again the one to break it, but all he got in return was silence.
As he remembered it, the yokai girl before him had only spoken to him once, when she first appeared: "Human." She had never spoken to him again.
Arata had grown used to it.
Then he stood up and moved farther away, sitting by the wall a little distance from Yuki-onna.
Meditation was his daily requirement, as well as the most direct and easiest way to earn skill point fragments.
But first: "Quest Panel."
He silently called it up in his mind.
That evening, while talking with Uncle Yashiro, a new quest had appeared.
[Immediate Quest · Break Through Your Limits] Quest Description: Whether you are a ninja, a samurai, or an onmyoji, only adversity can bring out your potential and help you break free of the shackles holding you back! Requirements: Defeat Itachi Uchiha. Quest Reward: Advanced Contract Talisman *1, Random Skill *3 Quest Status: Incomplete Time Remaining: 9 days, 20 hours
The reward was incredibly tempting!
An Advanced Contract Talisman meant he might be able to form a pact with a yokai even more powerful than Yuki-onna!
A single Ice Release Kekkei Genkai would be enough to shock the entire clan. If he gained a powerful spirit-type yokai as well, might he have a chance of standing against the Mangekyō?
And the random skills would undoubtedly be the greatest boost to his strength at this stage.
After all, it had taken Arata five years to learn only three skills from the Yin-Yang Record! The abilities recorded in it all came from powerful onmyoji or peerless yokai. There were no useless skills in there!
At the thought, his composure began to waver, and he unconsciously licked his dry lips.
Still, Arata knew that such a high reward meant great difficulty and great risk. The quest's reward seemed to be telling him that his odds of winning were less than one in ten.
A moment later, after suppressing his restless excitement, he moved his gaze down from the quest reward.
[Stage Quest · Swordsmanship Mastery] Quest Description: Learn the swordsmanship of a hundred schools and forge the ultimate blade. Requirements: Master the swordsmanship of two schools. Quest Reward: Random Sword Technique *1 Quest Status: Uchiha Style Kenjutsu (Mastered)
Fire Release Ninjutsu and the Sharingan—two abilities that should have been the Uchiha's signature strengths—were not among Arata's strong suits.
The former was because he had only average compatibility with Fire Style chakra. The latter was because he was simply incapable of truly feeling the grief of losing someone he loved, leaving his Sharingan stuck at One-Tomoe.
But when one door closed, another opened. Arata had a knack for swordsmanship.
The Uchiha Style Kenjutsu, which the clan had relegated to the bottom of its training priorities, was a treasure to him. He trained every day without fail.
He had mastered several powerful techniques early on, including "Flame Leap Sword," "Gale Sword," and "Sun Halo Dance."
At present, the only person in the clan who could guide him in swordsmanship was probably Shisui.
So when Yashiro Uchiha asked what he wanted as a graduation gift, Arata had thought for a moment before choosing Konoha-Style Kenjutsu.
The bizarre Dance of the Crescent Moon, combined with Nurarihyon's footwork, would surely increase his chances of a successful assassination.
Although Lord Yashiro had already rejected his earlier assassination plan, Arata had not abandoned the idea entirely.
Shimura Danzō, one of his designated targets, was especially fond of assassination and framing others—and excelled at both.
So whether Arata chose to assassinate him or defend against Root, he had to be stronger than his opponent!
Yashiro Uchiha had thought the gift Arata chose was somewhat pointless.
After all, to Uchiha with the Sharingan, the flashy Konoha Style sword techniques were full of openings.
Because nothing and no ninjutsu could fool their eyes!
But in the end, he had still agreed. He knew his student liked swordsmanship.
And so, by a stroke of coincidence, this stage quest had been triggered.
"What is this?"
Just as Arata was examining the new quest, a cool voice suddenly sounded in the room.
The abrupt voice made him instantly wary.
He had long since grown used to the quiet.
But then Arata immediately realized something, and his heart began beating a little faster.
He looked toward the voice. The yokai girl from the Snow Domain was holding an object shaped like a snowflake, her eyes full of confusion.
"It's a hair clip. You use it to tie your hair back."
Arata tried to suppress his excitement and answered evenly.
Before you continue