A Long Time No See, Orochimaru

Itachi brought Sasuke along, and while Sasuke had looked unhappy from the moment he saw Hui, Itachi stayed for quite a while today, which was unusual.

Under the resentful gaze of Sasuke, Hui gathered her chakra and successfully performed the Substitution Technique for the first time in her life. Sasuke's jaw dropped, and Itachi's lips curled into a faint smile as he watched his slightly foolish younger brother.

Hui looked at Sasuke with excitement. Was this guy a lucky charm? She had succeeded on the very first day he arrived. She instantly felt super friendly toward him, though she ignored the fact that Sasuke was looking at her with disdain.

"Alright, Sasuke, from now on you two will practice together. Don't think about slacking off; I will be checking your progress."

"Why do I have to practice with this guy? Brother, you clearly said you would teach me alone!" Sasuke complained with dissatisfaction.

"Hey, don't be such a brat. We can practice together and learn from each other. By the way, I'm Hui Youling, what about you?" Hui greeted Sasuke with a kind smile.

Sasuke pursed his lips, and finally, under Itachi's watchful gaze, he said awkwardly, "Uchiha Sasuke!"

For some reason, Hui suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia in her heart, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her lips. "I look forward to working with you!"

Sasuke stared blankly at the person in front of him, feeling like he had met a fool, yet he was inexplicably pleased. He quickly regained his composure, turned his head away, and pretended to ignore her.

Hui never imagined that she would end up sparring and bickering with Sasuke like this.

Even when Itachi wasn't around, she would go to the Uchiha territory to find Sasuke for training. Although he always looked at her with disdain, he was secretly looking forward to their spars.

Sasuke never admitted defeat, practicing the Three Body Technique desperately. Even though he was a genius, he still needed a long time to master it.

Sasuke never knew that Hui was a girl, and Itachi had never told him.

The two of them fought quite a bit during practice. It was supposed to be sparring, but it often turned into a real brawl because neither of them wanted to lose.

Although Sasuke would get angry, he didn't hold a real grudge. Every time, Hui would have to "coax" the stubborn tsundere, and she silently accepted her fate, truly acknowledging her role as a babysitter.

Naruto and Rock Lee were also making good progress. The two could spar proficiently, using actual taijutsu rather than the amateurish moves of children.

However, a few things happened that gave Hui a headache, namely that Naruto had started getting into fights with others—specifically, students from the Ninja Academy who were much older than him. Even with his basic taijutsu, he still ended up getting beaten up badly.

"Hiss..." Naruto winced, his face contorted in pain as he looked at Hui with a miserable expression.

Hui sighed helplessly. Where had the tough Naruto gone? Where was the Naruto who wouldn't make a sound even if he were beaten to death? Was he really okay like this?

The more she thought about it, the more bizarre it felt, and her movements became a bit less gentle.

"Hui, can you be a bit lighter? It really hurts..." Naruto said helplessly and innocently, gripping the cushion tightly to try and ease the pain.

With a weary sigh, Hui softened her touch. Realizing how many injuries were on his face, she finally asked, "Why did you get into a fight?"

"Hui, you really can't blame me for this. I saw them bullying a girl, so I just rushed in!" Naruto said righteously.

"Playing the hero?" Hui countered. "But could you at least look at your own strength..." Hui looked up at the sky, speechless.

"Ouch!" Naruto cried out again, and Hui realized she had accidentally pressed too hard, so she stopped.

"Naruto, why aren't you going home properly? Why are you wandering around?" Hui scolded. Usually, after Rock Lee finished practicing with him, they would go home, and Naruto would wait for Hui to come back and cook.

"I... I... it's not... that..." Naruto stammered, unable to say anything for a long time. Hui picked up the medicinal wine to treat his wounds. "Wait, I'll tell you. I wanted to see what you were doing!" Naruto covered his face with both hands and hurriedly answered her question.

Hui stared at Naruto in a daze. It seemed she hadn't checked on their progress in a long time, only asking about it occasionally...

"Sorry, I forgot to talk to you guys properly..." Hui said apologetically.

Naruto lowered his hands and stared at Hui with a funny expression. Hui sighed helplessly. "Alright, let's get these wounds treated."

Naruto whispered an "oh" and stopped looking at Hui, though he felt a little happy inside.

Hui went to practice the Three Body Technique with Sasuke every day, followed by sparring to improve their practical skills. Sasuke lived up to his reputation as a genius, taking even less time than her to master the techniques.

Hui had the advantage of starting earlier, so at first, Sasuke was no match for her, but later on, the outcomes became unpredictable.

Occasionally, Hui would go to practice taijutsu with Naruto and the others, and her own skills improved as well. Life became quite fulfilling.

Hui thought this life would continue, but the appearance of Orochimaru interrupted her plans.

It was just another ordinary day. Hui was planning to go find Sasuke when Orochimaru suddenly stood before her.

"Long time no see, Hui Youling." Orochimaru's signature low, husky voice reached her. She looked at him in surprise, but quickly regained her composure.

"It seems I have something to do," Hui said with a light laugh, feeling a faint sense of anticipation in her heart.

"You don't look surprised at all. Well, that makes sense; after all, you don't have the mindset of a child." Orochimaru looked at her with a teasing expression.

"I just want to be a useful person!" Hui didn't know why she felt so sad. A sense of helplessness spread through her entire body, and her head bowed involuntarily.

Hearing Hui's sudden outburst, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and watched her for a long time without speaking.

"You crave power that much?" Orochimaru's eyes were full of interest, as if he were looking at prey.

Hui didn't speak; she kept her head down, staring at the ground. Orochimaru didn't continue the topic, saying indifferently, "I am leaving the village tomorrow. Pack your things and meet me at the village gate at six."

"Yes, Master Orochimaru," Hui replied. She watched as Orochimaru walked away, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She didn't know if her choice was right, but for some reason, she felt compelled to do it. Perhaps she had a screw loose, but since she had chosen this path, she had no chance to regret it—after all, Orochimaru wouldn't let her go.

Now, she had to prepare what she needed to take and go say goodbye to them. "Sigh~"

Hui felt a headache coming on just thinking about explaining things to Naruto. She had spent so much time with them that she felt a bit reluctant to leave, and that tsundere Sasuke would be a hassle too.

Sasuke finished his training for the day and went home, looking forward to Mikoto's cooking. Suddenly, Fugaku walked in with his usual stern expression. Sasuke felt an involuntary fear, but then he heard Fugaku say calmly, "Sasuke, someone is looking for you outside."

Sasuke frowned in confusion but hurried out anyway. The only person he could think of was Hui!

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Hui standing not far away, wearing that same cheerful smile. "Hi, Sasuke!"

"You... didn't you just go back? Why are you here again? Even if you lost today, hmph!" Sasuke looked at Hui's helpless smile, snorted out of habit, and turned his head away, not wanting to pay her any mind.

Hui sighed helplessly, "Um, Sasuke, I'm leaving the village tomorrow for training."

Seeing Sasuke's expression shift to one of anger and resentment upon hearing this, Hui quickly added, "It's my teacher who wants to take me out to see the world. Besides, you're so strong now that I need to go hone my own skills; after all, I don't want to lose to you!"

"You finally admit it," Sasuke paused, then turned to look at Hui and asked seriously, "How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know about that, but I believe that when I return, I will definitely be stronger than you!" Hui raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, a blatant provocation.

"Don't dream about it! Brother will help me train too, and I'm the one who will be stronger!" Sasuke shouted, his hair bristling.

"Then let's see how much we each grow, shall we?" Hui set aside her teasing tone and said solemnly.

"Fine, let's make a bet: by the time you return to the village, we'll see who is better!" Sasuke didn't back down, staring at Hui as if sparks were burning in their eyes.

Hui turned her head away first, and Sasuke felt a small sense of triumph, only to hear her say in a rare, gentle tone, "Please thank Itachi for me. I'm very grateful for his guidance over these past few months; I won't forget it."

Sasuke froze for a moment, feeling inexplicably embarrassed, "Oh! Got it!" he replied hastily.

Hui chuckled softly and waved goodbye before Sasuke could get worked up again. Sasuke watched her walk away with such flair, feeling dissatisfied, before heading back to eat in a huff.