That night, Uchiha Hana lay on the tatami in her bedroom. In the light of the moon outside her window, she stared up at the broken ceiling of her house. Cold wind seeped through the cracks in the wooden walls, making her shiver.
Uchiha Hana instinctively pulled the threadbare blanket tighter around herself, but her heart was burning with excitement.
Thinking that tomorrow she would become Lord Shin's, and that tomorrow she would be able to eat and drink whatever she wanted...
With the blanket pulled over her head, Uchiha Hana let out a soft, Hee-hee.
Coming up with such an unconventional way to repay a favor and get rich made Uchiha Hana a real genius.
Wide awake, Uchiha Hana lay under the blanket with her head covered, dreaming about the happy life that awaited her.
Who knew how long she lay there? Perhaps she was simply exhausted, but Uchiha Hana eventually drifted off to sleep.
Of course, Uchiha Shin, sleeping in his own house, had no idea that when he'd set out to save someone, he would rescue such an unusual source of trouble.
Even though she'd gone to bed very late, Uchiha Hana still woke up early the next morning.
After washing up, Uchiha Hana diligently made breakfast for her family.
She hurriedly ate a little to put something in her stomach, then, without even bothering to clear away the dishes, she hurried back to her room in secret and began rehearsing in advance.
"Hana usually can't get enough to eat. Why did she eat so little today?"
"Dear, what's gotten into Hana?"
Uchiha Hana's mysterious behavior had left her mother puzzled and unsure what to make of it.
So Uchiha Hana's mother turned to her father and began to chatter about it.
"Children grow up and start having ideas of their own..."
"Besides, she's a ninja of the clan now, so she'll learn to handle things herself."
"All we have to do is make sure we don't cause her trouble."
Uchiha Hana's father took a sip of hot tea, then smiled as he spoke to her mother.
He was quite proud that his daughter had become a ninja. In this era, after all, ninjas held a higher social status than ordinary civilians.
Especially a ninja from the Uchiha Clan of the Land of Fire.
So Uchiha Hana's father, a civilian himself, took it all in stride.
"I'm going to become a powerful ninja like my big sister, too."
In Uchiha Hana's little brother's eyes, becoming a Genin of the Uchiha Clan probably meant you were a powerful ninja.
"Of course. You'll become a powerful ninja just like your sister."
Hearing his son's bold declaration, Uchiha Hana's father smiled and ruffled his hair in encouragement.
"Mom, Dad, don't worry. I'll make sure you can eat and drink whatever you want one day..."
Uchiha Hana had clearly heard the conversation between her parents and little brother.
Suddenly feeling as though the hopes of the whole village rested on her shoulders, Uchiha Hana rehearsed once more how she would talk to Lord Shin when she went to visit him later.
After running through it several times, Uchiha Hana felt completely confident that she could persuade Lord Shin to accept her unusual way of repaying him.
Full of energy, Uchiha Hana lifted her chin and puffed out her chest. Under the watchful eyes of her parents and little brother, she put on her shoes in the entryway and strode out of the house without a care in the world.
Where did Uchiha Shin live? How many people were in his household? What was his situation like?
Uchiha Hana had already asked the old doctor about all of that the day before.
"People say I'm stupid, but I'm not stupid at all. Most of the time, I'm freaking clever."
"Otherwise, how would an ordinary person ever come up with my way of repaying a favor?"
"Hee-hee!"
On her way there, Uchiha Hana even gave herself a little mental pat on the back for being so clever.
Uchiha Shin's house stood at the very center of the Uchiha Clan's compound, while Uchiha Hana's home was on its very edge.
The Uchiha Clan had only a few hundred people, fewer than a thousand, but its compound was enormous.
So it took Uchiha Hana nearly fifteen minutes to walk from her house to Uchiha Shin's front door.
"Sis, who are you looking for?"
But when Uchiha Hana finally reached Uchiha Shin's house, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
After all, this was the clan leader's residence. The vast difference in their status made Uchiha Hana fret nervously as she paced back and forth outside Uchiha Shin's gate.
But Izuna, who was playing in the courtyard, finally noticed Uchiha Hana hovering outside without daring to go in.
"You're Lord Shin's little brother, right?"
"I... I'm here today to repay Lord Shin for saving me..."
Uchiha Hana gave an awkward smile and sheepishly scratched her head as she stammered to the three-year-old Izuna.
"Repay him?"
"I'll go get my big brother!"
Three-year-old Izuna looked a little confused, but politely invited Uchiha Hana into the courtyard before turning and running into the house.
A moment later, led along by Izuna, Uchiha Shin finally came out of the room with a frown.
"You...?"
Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Hana, puzzled. Her figure seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was.
"Don't you remember, Lord Shin?"
"I'm Uchiha Hana, the one you saved from that bear ninja beast in the forest a few days ago!"
Seeing that Uchiha Shin didn't recognize her, Uchiha Hana hurriedly explained.
"Oh, you're the one who was attacked by the bear ninja beast!"
"Looks like the old man's medical ninjutsu is just as impressive as ever!"
"You recovered so quickly."
Uchiha Shin finally remembered who the girl in front of him was.
So this was that unlucky girl who'd been attacked by a bear ninja beast a few days ago. Heh.
"So, what brings you here today...?"
Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Hana, puzzled.
"Lord Shin, I came to repay you today..."
As the saying went, no one minded a little courtesy, so Uchiha Tachibana quickly dropped into a formal dogeza before Uchiha Shin.
"Uh..."
Seeing Uchiha Hana drop straight into a dogeza, Uchiha Shin was at a loss again.
"But there's really nothing good left at home..."
"But Dad said you should always repay people for their kindness."
"So I've decided to give my life to you in return, Lord Shin."
"From now on, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."
"If you tell me to catch rabbits, I definitely won't go chasing chickens."
"If you tell me to climb a mountain of blades, I definitely won't dive into a sea of fire."
Still holding the dogeza pose, Uchiha Hana raised her head and looked at Uchiha Shin with utter sincerity, pledging her loyalty in a jumble of mixed metaphors.
Hearing Uchiha Hana's heartfelt words, Uchiha Shin stood there, rubbing his chin as he thought it over.
As the saying went, every hero needed a few helping hands, and every fence needed a few supporting posts. He, Uchiha Shin, would surely become a big shot in the Ninja World one day. How could he manage without a few subordinates to help him get things done?
The Uchiha Hana who wanted to repay him seemed rather dim, but she'd probably be obedient. He might as well take her in. It wasn't as though he had anything to lose.
With that thought, Uchiha Shin smiled, reached down to help Uchiha Hana up from her dogeza, and brushed the dust from her clothes.
"Since you're so determined to repay me, I'll give you a chance."
"But don't get too excited. I'll be strict with you."
"After all, if you're too weak to keep up with me, that'll be a real problem. Do you understand?"
Uchiha Shin let the smile fade from his face and spoke sternly.
Uchiha Shin didn't know that Uchiha Hana had been waiting for him to say exactly that.
The moment she heard him, Uchiha Hana began hopping around with excitement, then loudly declared her loyalty to Uchiha Shin.
"I understand, Lord Shin. You can push me as hard as you want!"
"I'll definitely keep up with you, Lord Shin!"
"I'll go home now and bring my things over..."
"From this moment on, I'll make sure to do my best in front of you, Lord Shin!"
Before Uchiha Shin could say anything else, Uchiha Hana finished speaking, turned on her heel, and dashed off toward her house.
"What was she trying to say just now?"
"Does she mean she's moving in with me?"
"And I have to feed her, too?"
"Uh?"
"No wonder she ran off so fast. Was she afraid I'd refuse to her face?"
Once he understood, Uchiha Shin couldn't help laughing helplessly.
Did this count as "I'll never be a slave—unless room and board are included"?
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