Long-Awaited Reunion with Orochimaru

Itachi brought Sasuke along, and Sasuke had looked unhappy ever since he first saw Hui. But unlike usual, Itachi stayed for quite a while today.

With Sasuke watching her resentfully, Hui gathered chakra and performed the Substitution Technique for the first time in her life. Sasuke's jaw dropped. Watching his somewhat foolish little brother, Itachi's lips curved up slightly.

Hui excitedly looked at Sasuke. Was this guy her lucky star? She'd succeeded on her very first day with him here. She instantly felt much friendlier toward Sasuke. His disdainful stare went unnoticed.

"All right, Sasuke. From now on, you two will practice together. Don't even think about slacking off. I'll check on your progress."

"Why do I have to practice with her? You said you'd teach me by yourself, Big Brother!" Sasuke complained.

"Come on, don't be such a baby. We can practice together and learn from each other. Oh, by the way, my name is Hui Youling. What's yours?" Hui greeted Sasuke with a warm smile.

Sasuke pressed his lips together, then finally answered awkwardly under Itachi's gaze. "Sasuke Uchiha!"

For some reason, Hui suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia. A lovely smile spread across her lips. "I hope we get along!"

Sasuke stared blankly at her. She seemed like an idiot, but for some reason, he was delighted. Then he came to his senses, turned away, and pretended to ignore Hui.

Hui never expected that she'd later spend so much time playfully bickering and training with Sasuke.

Even when Itachi wasn't around, she'd go to Uchiha territory to train with Sasuke. He always looked disdainful, but he still looked forward to sparring with her.

Sasuke refused to back down and practiced the Three Body Technique with all his might. He was a genius, but he still needed plenty of practice.

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

The two got into plenty of fights during their training. They called it sparring, but in truth, they were fighting. Neither of them was willing to lose, so their sparring always turned into a brawl.

Sasuke did get angry, but he never truly held a grudge. Every time, Hui had to "coax" the stubbornly tsundere Sasuke back into a good mood. Hui silently accepted her fate and truly embraced her role as his babysitter.

Naruto and Rock Lee were making good progress too. They could spar skillfully, using Taijutsu instead of the pathetic moves little kids threw around.

But a few things gave Hui a headache. Naruto had started getting into fights with other people too—kids from the Ninja Academy who were much older than him. He had some Taijutsu basics, but still got beaten up badly.

"Ugh..." Naruto shrank his head and grimaced in pain, looking pitifully at Hui.

Hui sighed helplessly. Where had the tough Naruto gone? Where was the Naruto who wouldn't make a peep even if someone beat him half to death? Was this really all right?

The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and her hands grew less gentle.

"Hui, could you be a little gentler? It really hurts..." Naruto said, looking helpless and innocent. He gripped the cushion tightly, hoping it would ease the pain.

With another weary sigh, Hui gentled her touch. Seeing all the cuts and bruises on his face, she asked, "Why did you get into a fight?"

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

"Playing the hero?" Hui asked. "Couldn't you at least consider how strong you are..." She rolled her eyes.

"Ow!" Naruto cried out again. Hui realized she'd accidentally pressed down on the injury, so she stopped.

"Naruto, why weren't you going straight home? What were you doing wandering around?" Hui scolded him. Usually, he and Rock Lee went home separately after training, and Naruto would wait at home for Hui to come back and cook.

"I... I... It's not... um..." Naruto stammered, unable to get the words out. Hui picked up the medicinal liquor and started to apply it to his wound.

"Wait, I'll tell you! I wanted to see what you were doing!" Naruto said quickly, covering his face with both hands.

Hui stared at Naruto. It had been a long time since she'd gone to watch them train. She'd only asked him how he was progressing...

"Sorry. I forgot to talk things through with you properly..." Hui apologized.

Naruto lowered his hands and stared at Hui with a comical expression. She sighed helplessly. "All right, let's get those wounds treated."

"Okay," Naruto murmured. He stopped looking at Hui, but he still felt a little happy.

Hui practiced the Three Body Technique with Sasuke every day, then sparred with him to improve her practical skills. Sasuke truly lived up to his reputation as a genius; he mastered the Three Body Technique in even less time than she had.

Hui had the advantage of having practiced first, so Sasuke wasn't her match at the beginning. But before long, the outcome of their matches became unpredictable.

Sometimes Hui went to practice Taijutsu with Naruto and Rock Lee. Her skills improved a little, and her life grew full and busy.

Hui thought her life would go on like this forever, but Orochimaru's arrival still disrupted her plans.

It was an ordinary day. Hui was on her way to find Sasuke when Orochimaru appeared right in front of her.

"Long time no see, Hui Youling." Orochimaru's distinctive, low, husky voice reached her. She looked at him in surprise, then quickly recovered.

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

"You don't look surprised at all. Then again, you're hardly a child at heart." Orochimaru looked at Hui with amusement.

"I just want to become someone useful!" Hui didn't know why, but a deep sadness welled up inside her. Helplessness spread through her, and her head lowered involuntarily.

At Hui's sudden shout, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and watched her in silence for a long while.

"Are you that eager for power?" Orochimaru asked with keen interest, as though he were looking at prey.

Hui said nothing. She stared at the ground. Orochimaru didn't pursue the subject and simply said, "I'm leaving the village tomorrow. Pack your things and meet me at the village gate at six."

"Yes, Teacher Orochimaru," Hui replied. She watched him walk away, her heart tangled with conflicting emotions. She didn't know if she'd made the right choice, but for some reason, she was determined to do this. Maybe she had a screw loose. But now that she'd made her choice, there was no turning back. Orochimaru wouldn't let her go anyway.

For now, all she could do was prepare the things she'd need to bring and say goodbye to everyone. "Sigh..."

Just thinking about explaining it all to Naruto gave Hui a headache. She'd spent so much time with them that she was reluctant to leave. And that tsundere Sasuke was a pain too.

After finishing his training for the day, Sasuke went home and waited eagerly for Mikoto to make dinner. Just then, Fugaku walked in, his expression as stern as ever. Sasuke instinctively shrank back, but Fugaku simply said, "Sasuke, someone's waiting for you outside."

Sasuke frowned in confusion, then hurried out. The only person he could think of was Hui.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Hui standing a short distance away, looking at him with her usual cheerful smile. "Hey, Sasuke!"

"You... didn't you just go home? Why are you back again? You only came back because you lost today, hmph!" Sasuke looked at Hui's helpless smile, gave his habitual snort, and turned away as if he didn't want to talk to her.

Hui sighed helplessly. "Um, Sasuke, I'm leaving the village tomorrow to train."

When she saw the anger and resentment cross Sasuke's face at her words, Hui hurriedly continued, "My teacher is taking me out to see the world. Besides, you're so strong now that I need to train myself. I don't want to lose to you, either!"

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

"I don't know. But when I come back, I'll definitely be stronger than you!" Hui said, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke in open provocation.

"Keep dreaming! Big Brother will help me train too. I'm the one who'll be stronger!" Sasuke shouted, bristling.

"Then let's see how much we both improve. What do you say?" Hui's teasing tone faded, and she spoke solemnly.

"Fine. Let's make a bet. When you come back to the village, we'll see which of us is stronger!" Sasuke looked at Hui without backing down. It was as if sparks were flying between them.

Hui looked away first. Sasuke felt a little smug, but then he heard Hui say, unusually softly, "Thank Big Brother Itachi for me. I'm grateful for all his guidance these past few months. I won't forget it."

Sasuke froze for a moment, feeling strangely awkward. "Oh! Got it!" he answered hastily.

Hui smiled softly and said goodbye before Sasuke could start bristling. Sasuke watched her leave with a casual stride, then went back inside in a huff to eat.