The Flower's Repayment Routine (2)

At night, Uchiha Hana lay on the tatami in her bedroom, eyes open, staring at the dilapidated ceiling of her home by the moonlight filtering through the window. Cold wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, making her shiver.

Uchiha Hana instinctively pulled the tattered, thin quilt tighter around herself, yet her heart burned with excitement.

Thinking that tomorrow she would become a person belonging to Uchiha Shin, and thinking that tomorrow she would be able to eat and drink to her heart's content...

Covering her head with the quilt, Uchiha Hana couldn't help but let out a muffled "hehe" laugh from beneath the covers.

To have come up with such an unconventional path of repaying a debt to achieve prosperity, Uchiha Hana could be considered a bit of a genius.

Without a shred of sleepiness, Uchiha Hana remained under her quilt, lost in daydreams of her future happy life.

I don't know how much time passed, but perhaps due to exhaustion, Uchiha Hana finally drifted into a hazy sleep.

Of course, Uchiha Shin, sleeping in his own home, certainly had no idea that his initial intention to save a life would result in him taking on such an eccentric source of trouble.

Despite going to sleep very late, Uchiha Hana woke up bright and early the next morning.

After washing up, Uchiha Hana diligently prepared breakfast for her family.

She ate a quick bite to fill her stomach, and without even bothering to clear the dishes, she scurried back to her room, acting all mysterious as she began to rehearse.

"Usually, Hana never gets enough to eat; why did she only have a little bit today?"

"Father of the children, what's gotten into Hana?"

Uchiha Hana's mysterious behavior left her mother feeling puzzled and confused.

Consequently, Uchiha Hana's mother couldn't help but turn to her husband to fret.

"The child is growing up, she's bound to have her own ideas..."

"Besides, this child is now a ninja of the clan, so she will handle things herself."

"In the future, we just need to make sure we don't cause her any trouble."

Uchiha Hana's father took a sip of hot tea from his cup and spoke to his wife with a chuckle.

Uchiha Hana's father was quite proud that his daughter had become a ninja; after all, in this era, the social status of a ninja was always higher than that of an average commoner.

Not to mention, she was a ninja of the Uchiha Clan in the Land of Fire.

Therefore, as a commoner, Uchiha Hana's father was very open-minded about it.

"I want to become a powerful ninja like my big sister, too."

In the eyes of Uchiha Hana's younger brother, becoming a genin of the Uchiha Clan was likely the definition of a powerful ninja.

"Good, good, you'll become a powerful ninja just like your sister one day."

Hearing his son's bold declaration, Uchiha Hana's father laughed and ruffled the boy's hair in encouragement.

"Father, Mother, don't you worry, I will definitely make sure you live in luxury in the future..."

Uchiha Hana, inside her room, clearly heard the conversation between her parents and her brother.

Feeling as though she carried the hopes of the entire village, Uchiha Hana practiced the scene of how she would address Uchiha Shin once more.

After several rehearsals, Uchiha Hana felt she had full confidence in successfully persuading Uchiha Shin to accept her unconventional repayment.

Thus, full of energy, Uchiha Hana held her head high and puffed out her chest. Under the gaze of her parents and brother, she put on her shoes at the entryway and strode out of the house with a swagger.

Where was Uchiha Shin's house, how many people were in his family, and what was his situation?

Uchiha Hana had already inquired about all of this from the old physician yesterday.

"Everyone says I, Uchiha Hana, am stupid, but in reality, I'm not stupid at all. Most of the time, I'm incredibly sharp."

"Otherwise, how would an ordinary person think of this method of repaying a debt?"

"Hehe!"

On the road, a happy Uchiha Hana even secretly gave herself a thumbs-up for her own brilliance.

Uchiha Shin's house was located in the very center of the Uchiha Clan's compound, while Uchiha Hana's home was on the very outskirts.

Although the Uchiha Clan had a population of less than a thousand, the compound was truly vast.

Therefore, it took Uchiha Hana nearly a quarter of an hour to walk from her home to Uchiha Shin's doorstep.

"Big sister, who are you looking for?"

However, once she actually reached Uchiha Shin's door, Uchiha Hana's heart finally felt a bit flustered.

After all, this was the residence of the Uchiha Clan head; the massive gap in their status made Uchiha Hana pace back and forth in front of the door, feeling quite anxious.

However, Uchiha Hana, who was pacing at the entrance and afraid to go in, was eventually spotted by Izuna, who was playing in the courtyard.

"You must be Shin-sama's younger brother, right?"

"I... I am here today to repay a debt to Shin-sama..."

Uchiha Hana gave an awkward smile, scratched her head in embarrassment, and stammered to the three-year-old Izuna.

"Repay a debt?"

"I'll go call my big brother!"

Three-year-old Izuna was a bit puzzled, but he still politely invited Uchiha Hana into the courtyard before turning and running toward the house.

A moment later, pulled along by Izuna, Uchiha Shin finally walked out of the room with a frown on his face.

"You...?"

Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Hana with some confusion; he felt that the girl before him looked somewhat familiar, but for a moment, he couldn't recall who she was.

"Have you forgotten, Lord Shin?"

"I am Uchiha Hana, the one you saved from the brown bear ninja beast in the forest a few days ago!"

Seeing that Uchiha Shin actually didn't remember her, Uchiha Hana hurriedly spoke up to explain.

"Oh, so you're the one who was attacked by that brown bear ninja beast!"

"It seems the old man's medical ninjutsu is still as sharp 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 had been attacked by the brown bear ninja beast a few days ago, heh.

"So, why have you come today...?"

Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Hana with some suspicion.

"Lord Shin, I have come today to repay your kindness..."

As the saying goes, one can never be too polite, so Uchiha Hana quickly performed a standard dogeza before Uchiha Shin.

"Uh..."

Seeing Uchiha Hana go straight into a dogeza, Uchiha Shin was momentarily at a loss for words.

"My family doesn't really have anything good left..."

"But my father said that one must always repay the kindness of others."

"So, I have decided to repay Lord Shin by offering you my life."

"From now on, whatever Lord Shin tells me to do, I will do."

"If Lord Shin tells me to catch a rabbit, I will absolutely not chase a chicken."

"If Lord Shin tells me to climb a mountain of blades, I will absolutely not descend into a sea of flames."

Uchiha Hana maintained her dogeza posture, then lifted her head, looking at Uchiha Shin with sincere eyes as she rambled on, pledging her loyalty.

Hearing Uchiha Hana's earnest words, Uchiha Shin stood there, rubbing his chin and pondering for a while.

As the saying goes, a hero needs three helpers, and a fence needs three stakes; he, Uchiha Shin, would surely become a big shot in the ninja world one day, so how could he manage without a few subordinates to help him get things done?

Looking at this Uchiha Hana who wanted to repay his kindness—she seemed silly and likely the obedient type—there was no harm in taking her in; he wouldn't lose anything by it anyway.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Shin smiled, then reached out to help Uchiha Hana up from her dogeza, brushing the dust off her clothes as he did so.

"Since you are so determined to repay me, I can give you a chance."

"But don't get happy too soon; I will be very strict."

"After all, if your strength is too poor and you can't keep up with my pace, I will be very troubled. Do you understand?"

Uchiha Shin收敛 the smile on his face and said with a serious expression.

Uchiha Shin did not know that Uchiha Hana had actually been waiting for these very words.

Hearing Uchiha Shin speak this way, Uchiha Hana immediately began to dance with joy, loudly pledging her loyalty to him once more.

"I understand, Lord Shin! Please whip me into shape when the time comes."

"I will definitely keep up with your pace, Lord Shin."

"I'm going home right now to pack my things and move over..."

"From now on, I will definitely serve you well and prove my worth by your side, Lord Shin."

Without waiting for Uchiha Shin to speak again, Uchiha Hana finished her sentence and immediately turned, sprinting toward her home in a flash.

"What did that girl mean just now?"

"Does she mean she's moving in to live with me?"

"And I have to provide her meals?"

"Huh?"

"No wonder she ran so fast; was she afraid I would refuse her to her face?"

Once it clicked, Uchiha Shin couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

Is this the "orcs never submit, unless you provide room and board" situation?

PS: Seeking recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, follows, and investments. Thank you.