Hyuga Hinotori

Uchiha Zhuang carried the little girl on his back and slowly made his way along the riverbank and over the small wooden bridge, retracing his steps. He had asked her several times, but she never answered. She just lay against his back, crying nonstop until her tears soaked through his clothes. Uchiha Zhuang felt both sorry for her and frustrated. He felt sorry for such a young child to have suffered such violence. It was truly pitiful. What frustrated him was that she wouldn't say a word. Where was he supposed to take her home? He couldn't bring her to his own house, could he? Meiko might agree to look after her, but he didn't have time to take care of a child. He had to train—time was precious! Besides, training was way more interesting than girls! Putting those random thoughts aside, Uchiha Zhuang carried the girl a long way, eventually reaching the little stream where Kakashi had supposedly been abused. It had been so long that he couldn't remember clearly, but this place looked similar enough. He gently set the little girl down beside the stream, beneath the shade of a tree. The summer breeze made it pleasantly cool. She cried, and he fretted. "What's your name, little girl?" No answer. "Little fairy?" Still no answer. All right. Uchiha Zhuang suddenly remembered some "useless knowledge" he'd once learned: people were empathetic, emotional creatures, especially girls. If you wanted someone else to understand you, you had to stir their emotions in response to what you were saying—to make them feel love, hatred, sadness, or sympathy. Uchiha Zhuang sat beside the girl and spoke slowly. "I'm Uchiha Zhuang. You know, from the warlike Uchiha Clan. Evil eyes, an unlikeable nature from birth, and cold emotions—that's what everyone thinks of us. I won't deny it. Our eyes are born with boundless power. I once read in a book that 'every loss is balanced by a gain.' Perhaps you don't know about that, but that's not what I'm trying to say. People don't bully or misunderstand you because you're bad. It's more likely that they hate you. Yes, they hate you for the precious things you were born with—our eyes, our name, our wealth. I think nothing in this world is easy. Some people refuse to work to change themselves and instead shamelessly hurt others. There are many people like that in the world, I think. That's why I want to become stronger. I want to spread what I believe is justice—or maybe you'd call it love—throughout the world with my power. Whether I have to force people or win them over gently, I just want heaven and earth to hear my voice." After a long while, the girl raised her head and peered through tearful eyes at the small figure before her. He looked taller than a normal child, but through the Byakugan, she could tell he was only four or five. Still, his figure seemed to fill her vision, standing mighty beneath the heavens. She wiped the tears from her eyes and said softly, "Thank you for saving me. I'm very grateful. I'm from the Hyuga Clan. My name is Hyuga Hinotori, and my nickname is Akihime. You can call me Akihime, too. I'm sorry I spent the whole way crying and caused you so much trouble." Turning to look at the little girl kneeling on the grass, Uchiha Zhuang—who had just finished his speech—first thought how lovely she was. Then a swell of self-satisfaction rose within him, and he felt as if he'd reached the pinnacle of life. "Um, hello. I'm Uchiha Zhuang. Thank you for listening. I think anyone as upright, kind, handsome, dashing, responsible, and caring as me—a promising young man who makes cherry blossoms bloom and hot springs grow warmer—would have stepped in to help after seeing what happened to you." A string of bell-like laughter burst into Uchiha Zhuang's ears. His hormones instantly surged, and his face flushed. He hurriedly used the life experience he'd accumulated over thirty-odd years across two lifetimes to suppress his youthful feelings. After all, an experienced hunter didn't lose his head just because he spotted animal tracks. That had to have been a bodily instinct. He was a transmigrator with a system—how could he let himself fall for someone so easily? Damn it! Looking into Akihime's eyes, he confirmed they were the Byakugan. Mm, irresistible! Sitting down beside Akihime again, Uchiha Zhuang asked, "Why were you there alone? Where were your clan members? I thought the Hyuga princesses always had bodyguards with them!" "Because they tricked me." Hyuga Hinotori seemed to grit her teeth. "I was walking in the park with my uncle. Those bad guys saw me and invited me to play marbles and fancy cards with them. I sent my uncle away because he never lets me play with them." Hyuga Hinotori lowered her head. "I don't know where my uncle went. He still hasn't come back. I really almost..." She started crying again. "All right, all right. Don't cry, Akihime. Don't worry, your uncle is right here!" "Really?" Hyuga Hanabi looked up and asked. "Yes. With my abilities, I can sense a chakra presence that's been nearby this whole time." As soon as Uchiha Zhuang finished speaking, a figure in the distance used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside them. "As expected of the Uchiha Clan. To have such skill at such a young age! You held back when you kicked that child away, didn't you? What an extraordinary boy." The young man wore white. Uchiha Zhuang looked at his eyes: pure white pupils, slightly larger than normal. After observing him for a while, he couldn't tell what the young man was thinking, so he said, "Hello, I'm Uchiha Zhuang. It's nice to meet you." The young man nodded. "You have good character and great potential. I believe you'll become an excellent ninja one day." Then, ignoring Uchiha Zhuang, he turned to Hyuga Hinotori. "Miss, it's time to go back. The clan head must be worried about you." Hyuga Hinotori looked at Uchiha Zhuang with wide eyes and said softly, "I hope we can meet again someday. I'll remember everything you said, so don't lie to me!" Looking into her clear eyes, Uchiha Zhuang nodded gently. "I promise. I'll keep my word." Hyuga Hinotori smiled softly. "Then it's a promise. Goodbye, Zhuang-kun." Hyuga Hinotori followed her uncle into the distance.

Watching Akihime's retreating figure, Uchiha Zhuang scratched his head. Oh well, that little interlude was over. It was time to get back to training. With several hours left before sunset, Uchiha Zhuang began practicing Water Walking and tree climbing. When he got thirsty, he drank from the stream. When he got tired, he sat down and meditated.

As the sun set, Uchiha Zhuang started walking home, thinking as he went. Akihime had definitely been within her uncle's control all along. Since he'd mentioned the clan head, it was probably the clan head's idea. And when I called her a princess earlier, Akihime hadn't seemed surprised. She must be the clan head's daughter, or perhaps the daughter or granddaughter of an important elder. Hmm, judging from what I know, the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans have never publicly intermarried. The Konoha High Command may have secretly interfered—or even forbidden it—and the pride of the two clans may have played a part as well. It looked like if I wanted to marry Akihime, I'd need overwhelming power. In the end, it all came down to strength. The strong took everything; the weak became nourishment. Heh, what an interesting world. Uchiha Zhuang had always been someone who thought far ahead. He was only five now, but time was merciless. Only by catching up with time, or even surpassing it, could one possess true power and transcendence. Looking at the system's prerequisite mission for unlocking the shop, Uchiha Zhuang was speechless. How was he supposed to go out and complete missions? He couldn't get out! Konoha had long been covered by an enormous barrier. Damn system. Unwilling to give up, Uchiha Zhuang began studying the system carefully. He discovered it was quite comprehensive: it had an instruction manual, a function guide, an AI assistant, a shop, missions, exchanges, storage, a lottery, and even a personal real-time health check, among other interfaces. Uchiha Zhuang opened the well-hidden mission interface and saw that he'd already completed some missions, such as saving the Hyuga princess, visiting Kage Rock, training his chakra, practicing Water Walking and basic tree climbing, and reaching the physical fitness of an adult man. Although he'd used things like gene-repair serum and Perfect Warrior Serum earlier, physical conditioning still took time to develop. Otherwise, it'd be like stuffing an elephant into your mouth—you'd fall apart in no time. The missions came in several ranks, with gold being the highest available. Saving the Hyuga princess had earned him not only a thousand points but also an extra reward: Echo of the Distance, a beautiful butterfly-shaped bracelet. It looked metallic, but gave off a constant warmth. The item description read: Use once to travel there and back within the next thirty natural days. Effect: Instantly teleport to wherever you can see and wish to go. With your heart set on home, you can instantly return to your point of departure. The other assorted blue and green missions had earned him over two thousand points, several hundred silver coins, and a weighted training suit. Looking at the rewards, Uchiha Zhuang was thoroughly satisfied. Echo of the Distance in particular had solved his immediate problem. He could sneak out and complete missions without anyone noticing, then unlock the shop. Nice! Keep it up! Uchiha Zhuang returned home in high spirits. It was just past six, so he still had to cook for himself. He expertly prepared the fresh ingredients, ready to start cooking once Meiko got back. Sitting on the sofa, Uchiha Zhuang immersed himself completely in the system interface. It was amazing: the system existed naturally in his mind, yet he felt no discomfort at all. Uchiha Zhuang trusted the mysterious system without reservation. A miraculous system capable of existing inside his head was beyond anything he could investigate or resist at his current level. He had to learn to lie low and wait for the right moment. And for a transmigrator like Uchiha Zhuang, a universal system was the strongest foundation of all. There was no other way; they depended on each other.

There was also a bottle of Chakra Essence, gold-grade. Once he'd built a solid foundation and trained for another month, he'd go out to complete the mission to wipe out the bandits and use it then. After making his plan, Uchiha Zhuang followed it. Every day, he went out early and came home late, training the basics. At night, he focused on meditation as much as possible while sleeping.