The Uchiha Clan Compound, in one of the public housing units on the outskirts.
An old man was sitting under a big tree to keep cool when he suddenly looked up and spotted a familiar young man.
"Baiyu, you're back!"
"Yeah, I'm back."
Baiyu smiled and nodded.
The people living near the public housing units were all on the fringes of the clan. Their lives were bound to the clan from beginning to end.
Baiyu was one of them.
The clan's glory had nothing to do with them, but when it fell, they were the ones expected to sacrifice their lives.
"Keep working hard at your training!"
Old Kuma encouraged him.
Baiyu smiled in reply. "I will."
The people the clan had forgotten had gathered together, and they all got along well.
When Baiyu was little, he'd received plenty of help from the neighbors.
"Baiyu, did you have a falling-out with little Hitomi? I haven't seen you two together in ages. You used to go to school together all the time. Did you have a fight?"
"Old Kuma, I graduated two years ago! Hitomi's still in school."
Baiyu pointed at his forehead helplessly.
Uchiha Madara had died long ago.
Old Kuma was probably the oldest Uchiha alive. He was eighty-five this year.
He'd have to live for several more decades just to catch up to Uchiha Madara.
When Baiyu had first arrived in this world, he'd thought Old Kuma was a hidden Uchiha master and had tried to curry favor with him.
In reality, he was just an ordinary old man, and a little forgetful.
"Ah, right! Well, keep working hard anyway!"
Kuma awkwardly rubbed his bald head and gave him an apologetic look.
The old man often complained that he was forgetful. Whenever he realized he'd gotten something wrong again, he immediately started reflecting on it.
Baiyu waited a while. When he saw that Kuma had nothing more to say, he took the ingredients home.
More than half a month had passed, and a thin layer of dust had settled over the house. Baiyu carefully cleaned the entire place first.
After washing his hands and face, he set out hot water and started preparing the ingredients.
As usual, he prepared the meat first, then went to take a bath.
He knew how to manage his time.
When he bought the meat, Baiyu had already decided what he would cook that day.
He didn't feel like eating anything too greasy, so he chose to make garlic pork, also known as Lizhuang Boiled Pork.
He'd chosen the best pork belly for all five pounds of meat, about half lean and half fatty. He used four pounds for Lizhuang Boiled Pork and cooked the rest with the onions and green peppers he'd bought to make Twice-Cooked Pork.
He added the complimentary ribs, corn, and potatoes to a pot and simmered them into rib soup.
Rib soup was usually made with ingredients like shiitake mushrooms and kelp to add fragrance and flavor, but Baiyu didn't like eating those, so he used potatoes instead.
Potatoes might be cheap, but they were delicious!
After finishing all the dishes and keeping them warm, Baiyu opened the door and went outside.
He hadn't invited the old neighbor over for a meal in a long time. This was the perfect chance.
He went downstairs and turned right. Seeing Old Kuma still lost in thought, Baiyu smiled knowingly.
"Grandpa Kuma, have you eaten yet?"
"Huh? No."
Old Kuma looked up in surprise and answered automatically.
They were all on the fringes of the clan. The younger generation could still change their lives by learning ninjutsu.
But the elderly clan members who'd retired after losing their ability to fight had no one to rely on after their children and parents died in battle. They could only scrape by on the small allowance the clan gave them.
There weren't many old people around the public housing units. Children made up a large part of the population.
With the old folks' help and support, the children gradually grew up. Once they became ninjas, they began shouldering the clan's responsibilities.
The older generation waited quietly to die, then was sent to the cemetery. After becoming ninjas, the young people moved away to the heart of the clan.
Baiyu hadn't done that. He'd kept living here.
It was out of the way, and the rent was cheap.
Everyone around him was familiar.
"I've finished cooking at home. Come eat with me!"
Baiyu asked with a smile.
Neighbors looked out for each other.
"Then I'll have to trouble you. A boy who cooks as well as you would make a perfect match for the prettiest girl in the Uchiha. Don't let anyone else snatch Hitomi away!"
Old Kuma readily agreed, then began giving Baiyu advice again.
Baiyu looked embarrassed. All the neighbors knew how close he and Hitomi were.
Old Kuma had been saying things like that ever since Hitomi was seven or eight.
Who knew how he'd figured out that Hitomi would become the prettiest girl in the Uchiha?
"Okay, okay. Grandpa, let me help you back to your place first. Then I'll go see her!"
Baiyu played along, carefully helping the old man up and picking up the cane beside the wooden chair.
He wondered how he should bring it up with that girl.
It had been almost a year since he'd last seen Hitomi Uchiha.
The old man was practically senile, and he still hadn't forgotten to play matchmaker for them.
When Baiyu had first arrived in this world, he'd thought having a cute little childhood friend would be pretty nice.
But Hitomi Uchiha seemed to stick to him like glue, running over whenever she had free time.
She was always at his side, like she'd been caught in Baiyu's Shadow Imitation Technique.
Over time, anyone would get scared.
Especially after Baiyu awakened his Sharingan. She'd gotten even more clingy.
Who would want to open the door after using the bathroom and find a little girl waiting outside, asking in a childish voice,
"Big brother, how do you awaken the Sharingan?"
What was Baiyu supposed to say?
The little girl was an orphan, and Baiyu was the person she was closest to.
Should he tell her to kill her brother to awaken it?
She followed him around all day. When they were at the Ninja Academy, she even used to come to class with him. As a result, with his peerless Uchiha good looks, he hadn't managed to pick up a single lovestruck girl in class.
How infuriating!!!
Baiyu thought back to his childhood. A small smile crept onto his lips.
He'd been angry back then, but looking back now, it didn't seem like such a big deal.
Before he knew it, he'd reached Hitomi Uchiha's door. He hesitated, then knocked softly.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Who is it?"
A soft, sweet voice came from inside.
After a moment, the door opened. A girl wearing a blue kimono that faded to white and was patterned with flowers appeared in the doorway. Her silky black hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her bangs partly covered her eyebrows. A single cowlick stuck up, spoiling her otherwise perfect hairstyle. Her cute, slightly round face and large eyes stared blankly at the person outside.
She'd grown taller, and she was even prettier now!
Baiyu thought to himself as he looked at the familiar face before him, feeling a little nostalgic.
"Long time no see, Hitomi."
"Big brother Baiyu!"
Hitomi suddenly threw herself at him.
The impact left him weak all over, and a sweet fragrance filled his nose!
"Why do you always do that? You're a grown girl now!"
Baiyu gently pushed Hitomi away, frowning as he spoke sternly.
Hitomi Uchiha clung to him like a koala.
It was terribly improper!!
"Big brother Baiyu, you haven't come to see me in ages. You can do whatever you want to me!"
Hitomi Uchiha stared at Baiyu with her dark eyes, asking expectantly.
"Grandpa Kuma invited you to my place for dinner. Go get ready."
Baiyu said helplessly, turning his head away. The girl had nearly pressed her head against that spot.
Baiyu hurriedly pulled Hitomi away and recited scripture to suppress the thoughts in his mind.
"Okay! I'll be right there!"
Hitomi's eyes lit up, and she bounced back into the house.
"Hurry up! You can just put your shoes on."
Baiyu urged her.
"Okay! I'll be right there! Go back and keep Grandpa company. I'll be there in a bit."
Hitomi's voice came from inside the room.
Baiyu shook his head. She was still the same as ever.
They'd known each other since childhood, and she was the person he'd spent the most time with in this world.
He could never erase that bond.
He complained about her, but after being away for so long, he'd actually started to miss her a little.
Without strength, there was no room for romance.
Was I really just afraid she'd kill her brother to awaken her Sharingan? Now that I've mastered swordsmanship, I don't seem to dislike her as much.
Inside the room, Hitomi Uchiha excitedly studied her reflection in the mirror. She put a Konoha Ninja Forehead Protector on her forehead, gathered her loose black hair high, and tied it with a white cord.
After changing into a fresh outfit, Hitomi Uchiha silently encouraged herself. "You can do it, Hitomi. You have to protect Big Brother Baiyu."
Their bond had grown from years of shared feelings into a deep attachment.
Before you continue