Uchiha Sarina

Because he was in an unfamiliar place and this was his first time going out on a mission, Uchiha Shin had slept lightly and stayed on high alert.

The first ray of morning light had barely touched the window lattice when Uchiha Shin woke in an instant.

"Ah, my internal clock really is precise."

Uchiha Shin smiled for no particular reason, then sat straight up with a springing motion.

"Tsk, I've been running a little hot lately..."

Uchiha Shin's eyes felt uncomfortable, and the corners were a bit sticky.

He rubbed his eyes, then picked away the sleep crust left in the corners...

"Much better."

After cleaning his eyes, Uchiha Shin threw off the covers, stood up, and stretched. Then he turned his gaze toward Uchiha Hana, asleep on the other side of the room.

"This girl. We're in a strange place, and she's sleeping like a log."

"And that sleeping posture, tsk, tsk..."

"Is she just fearless?"

"Or does she have nerves of steel?"

Uchiha Shin watched Uchiha Hana snoring away, drool soaking the bedding, and shook his head with a smile.

"Hey, wake up, Hana."

Uchiha Shin walked over barefoot and nudged Uchiha Hana's leg with his right foot.

When she felt someone kicking her, Uchiha Hana, who had been sleeping soundly, blearily opened her eyes.

"Hm?"

"It's Lord Shin?"

"What time is it?"

"Why are you up so early?"

Uchiha Hana sat up reluctantly, muttering the whole time.

"Go fetch some water. I need to wash up."

"And wipe up your drool. You've soaked the bedding."

Seeing Uchiha Hana's reluctant, lazy demeanor, Uchiha Shin urged her directly.

"Mm."

"Mm."

"I know."

Uchiha Hana might have seemed carefree, but she was actually quite sharp.

As soon as she heard the irritation in Uchiha Shin's voice, she stopped grumbling.

She slipped on her shoes in a couple of quick motions, picked up the wooden bucket, and went out to fetch water.

While she was gone, Uchiha Shin kept busy too. He went to the hearth and started a fire.

By the time Uchiha Hana returned with water, the flames in the hearth were already roaring.

She scooped the well water from the bucket into the clay pot with a wooden ladle, then hung the pot from the rack above the hearth.

She knew Uchiha Shin would want a cup of hot tea in the morning, so she put the water on to boil first.

By the time she and Uchiha Shin finished washing up, the water in the pot should be boiling.

"Lord Shin, you go first. Hehe."

With an ingratiating smile, Uchiha Hana carried the basin of water over to Uchiha Shin, then handed him a clean towel.

After washing up, Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Hana ate a little dry food with their hot tea to fill their stomachs.

"Lovely."

After eating and drinking a cup of hot tea, Uchiha Shin felt warm all over.

"Exactly."

"Hehe, no wonder you like to have a cup of hot tea first thing in the morning, Lord Shin."

Seeing that Uchiha Shin's teacup was empty, Uchiha Hana quickly swallowed her last bite of rice ball, then poured him another cup with a fawning smile, like a lackey.

Looking at Uchiha Hana's ingratiating grin, Uchiha Shin immediately understood what was on her mind.

"Don't worry, Hana."

"You were my first follower, after all..."

"I'll look out for you on this mission."

"Relax!"

Uchiha Shin smiled and patted Uchiha Hana on the shoulder, then picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Just then, the door slid open. Seven-year-old Uchiha Sarina leaned around the doorframe and called to Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Hana inside.

"Not you again."

When Uchiha Hana saw that it was Uchiha Sarina, she bristled at once.

Seven-year-old Uchiha Sarina was Uchiha Hana's neighbor, and she, too, came from a civilian family.

Before Uchiha Hana met Uchiha Shin, she and Uchiha Sarina had actually been very close.

But after Uchiha Hana told Uchiha Sarina that she had become Uchiha Shin's follower and moved into his house...

Their relationship changed.

Put simply, when Uchiha Sarina saw Uchiha Hana cozying up to the clan leader's eldest son, she begged Uchiha Hana to introduce her to Uchiha Shin.

She wanted to become Uchiha Shin's follower too.

But how could Uchiha Hana, who came from a civilian family, be so naive?

Uchiha Hana had refused her outright.

Even if this world didn't have the saying, "One monk carries water to drink, two monks carry water together, and three monks have no water to drink," Uchiha Hana understood the same principle.

Uchiha Hana might have seemed carefree and sometimes a little silly, but she was sharp on the inside.

There was only one opportunity. Why would she hand it over so easily?

Besides, she and Uchiha Sarina had been neighbors since childhood, so Uchiha Hana knew exactly what sort of person Uchiha Sarina was.

She was someone with enormous ambition.

In the ninja world, talent mattered, hard work mattered, and opportunity mattered just as much.

So Uchiha Hana would never invite a wolf into her home by introducing Uchiha Sarina to Uchiha Shin.

Uchiha Hana also understood that Uchiha Sarina had only been close to her before because they could look out for each other.

All living things fought to survive, and that was even truer within the Uchiha Clan.

When Uchiha Shin saw that the ninja who had come to call for them was Uchiha Sarina, his eyes narrowed at once.

He knew her too. She had once stopped him and Uchiha Hana and asked outright to become his follower.

Heh.

Uchiha Shin had lived to the age of thirty in his previous life. What kind of schemer had he not met?

He had seen through the true nature of this fellow clanswoman at first glance.

She was hugely ambitious, but her abilities didn't match her ambition, and she had no bottom line in how she acted.

How could Uchiha Shin possibly keep someone like that close and leave himself a ticking time bomb?

So he had refused her outright then. He hadn't expected Uchiha Sarina to still be so persistent today.

Uchiha Hana's reasons for following him might not have been pure either, but she had ability, and Uchiha Shin needed a useful blade who would follow orders.

Heh, did she really think I was easy to talk to?

Any Tom, Dick, or Harry thought they could set their sights on me.

Uchiha Shin narrowed his eyes and glanced at Uchiha Sarina, sneering inwardly.

"Let's go, Hana."

"Mm, mm."

When Uchiha Hana saw that Uchiha Shin hadn't even acknowledged her, her face lit up with a smile.

Then she followed behind Uchiha Shin with a smug look. As she passed Uchiha Sarina, she even gave a little "Hmph."

Watching Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Hana walk away, a glimmer of jealousy and hatred flashed in Uchiha Sarina's eyes.

Why didn't he choose me? Why did he choose someone like Hana?

Uchiha Sarina seethed inwardly.