The Twelve Divine Maidens

At night, in Shin's room, the maid knelt in front of him, head bowed cautiously. She didn't understand why her master had suddenly called her in. It wasn't like he wanted her to give him a massage, as usual.

"Xiaoying, raise your head."

"Huh?" At the sound of Shin's voice, Chiyo Hotaru looked up instinctively. Her whole body shuddered as blood-red eyes appeared before her, their Three Tomoe slowly turning, bewitching and eerie. The moment her gaze touched them, she couldn't look away. Her mind gradually grew hazy until it sank into chaos.

Seeing the maid's blank expression and the Three Tomoe reflected in her eyes, Shin knew his hypnosis had succeeded. The Sharingan's ability to hypnotize was only an added benefit, but it could be remarkably useful against people weaker than him—such as when he wanted to ask them about private matters.

"What's your name?" Shin asked gently.

"Chiyo Hotaru."

"Who am I?"

"You're Uchiha Shin, my master."

"Good." Shin nodded in satisfaction and moved on to the next question.

"Why did Uchiha Tajima send you here?"

"The clan head sent me to serve you, to be your maid."

"Is there any other reason?"

The maid didn't answer. In her hypnotized state, she couldn't respond to such an unclear question.

Her reaction confirmed that she hadn't been sent by Uchiha Tajima to spy on him. That made sense. Only an idiot would send an ordinary maid to keep watch on a clan member who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

After a moment's thought, Shin didn't break the hypnosis. Instead, he asked, "Are you a maid of the Uchiha Clan, or my maid?"

"I'm a maid sent by the Uchiha Clan to serve you," the maid answered blankly.

Shin frowned. That answer wasn't good enough.

"If one day your master came into conflict with the Uchiha Clan, what would you do?"

The maid trembled faintly, her hands clenching involuntarily. Her subconscious was clearly torn. Perhaps she had never considered the question before.

"My master is a genius of the Uchiha Clan. He wouldn't come into conflict with the Uchiha Clan." After a long pause, the maid gave that answer.

Shin lightly tapped the floor with his fingers. It seemed the Uchiha Clan held a very high place in the maid's heart. That wasn't good.

Still, it was understandable. The people who had adopted her abandoned her when she was young, and the Uchiha Clan had saved her life, then raised and taught her. It was only natural that she felt grateful to them.

"If one day your master told you to betray the Uchiha Clan, what would you do?" Shin's Sharingan turned slowly, its power intensifying. The Three Tomoe reflected more clearly in the maid's eyes. Her hands clenched until her knuckles turned white, anguish appearing on her face as her whole body trembled faintly.

Shin wasn't asking because he wanted to rebel against the Uchiha. This was the Warring States Period. Unless you reached God-level strength, even a Kage-level Expert might not get far on their own. He wasn't ready to give up the Uchiha name—not yet.

He only wanted the maid to make a choice: would she become his maid, belonging wholly to him, or remain a maid who obeyed the Uchiha Clan's orders? That mattered.

One minute, two minutes, three...

Ten full minutes passed, and the maid still hadn't spoken. Her face was pale as she struggled with something deep in her subconscious.

Sigh...

Shin sighed. He had underestimated how much the Uchiha Clan meant to her. He shook his head and stood. It seemed the maid would have to remain just a maid from now on.

He had just lifted his foot to step away when a cold little hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.

"I'll listen to you, master. I'll betray the Uchiha Clan. Please don't leave me behind. I don't want to be abandoned a second time." Her voice was fragile, yet carried a note of resolve.

Shin looked down. Chiyo Hotaru had tears streaming down her face, her small hand gripping him tightly. Her face was deathly pale, and the Three Tomoe in her eyes had vanished.

Shin silently crouched and held her, speaking softly. "There, there. As long as you listen to me, I won't abandon you."

The maid sobbed in his arms, shaking her head without a word. Her tears and snot smeared across his nightclothes, soaking a large patch.

When her sobs began to quiet, Shin said, "How about I teach you how to mold chakra?"

The maid abruptly looked up at him in surprise. She had even forgotten to wipe the tears from her face, staring at him in stunned silence.

"Do you want to learn?" Shin smiled softly.

Only then did the maid come to her senses. She nodded like a chick pecking at grain, as if she might miss her chance if she didn't nod fast enough.

Shin said no more and began explaining how to mold chakra. The maid listened attentively, asking whenever she didn't understand something. Shin patiently explained, telling her which parts of chakra circulation she needed to be careful with.

To Shin's surprise, the maid was quite talented. She wasn't as gifted as he or Madara, but she was still better than most Uchiha. After two hours of instruction, she had memorized the basic chakra circulation route and how to mold it.

Having a clever student always made a teacher's life easier. Shin took a scroll from the room and handed it to the maid. "This is the Blood Secret Technique I found after killing the Blood Ninja. I've looked it over, and it's pretty good. Take it for now. Remember, be careful when you train your chakra. Don't let anyone in the clan find out. Secretly teaching ninjutsu to someone who isn't part of the Uchiha Clan is a serious offense."

The maid nodded earnestly. "Master, I'll be very careful. Once I become a ninja, I'll be able to help you."

Shin laughed silently at that.

"Ding! Side quest activated: The Twelve Divine Maidens.

Quest introduction: As a BOSS who will unite the world, how can you go without a powerful force at your side? The system has specially unlocked this side quest and bestowed the Twelve Divine Maidens Contract. Keep up the good work, host. Build your own powerful army and unite the world as soon as possible.

Quest time limit: Same as the main quest.

Quest failure: Execution."

Shin suddenly froze. Why would the system issue a quest now? After thinking it over, he told the maid to step outside. He needed to examine this unexpected quest carefully.

The maid glanced at the patch of his clothes she had soaked with her tears and said sheepishly, "Master, let me wash your clothes for you."