Rustle...
Uchiha Yukino's fingers gently turned the pages, making a faint rustling sound. Rustle...
Through those tender, slender fingers, it was easy to see that this was not a complete book.
It was made up of individual sheets of paper arranged neatly together.
The edges of the sheets seemed to have been carefully trimmed, allowing them to fit snugly against one another, as if they were a single whole.
Her beautiful face was like a meticulously sculpted work of art, yet she focused only on the pages before her, as if this little corner of the world were all that existed.
Her eyes were as black as ink, their pupils just the right size, like deep lakes—calm and mysterious.
Yet her gaze was not vacant. It was fixed intently on the words in the book.
To her, those words were like a key that opened the door to a wondrous world, leading her into a realm full of imagination and fantasy.
Though she had read these stories and the worlds they described countless times, every reading was like a brand-new adventure. They were her salvation, trapped as she was indoors.
The worlds conjured by those words—whether ancient mythical epics, romantic love legends, or thrilling adventures—drew her in like magnets. She lost herself in them, completely captivated.
The illness brought on by her Kekkei Genkai weighed on Uchiha Yukino like a massive mountain, leaving her breathless. Even going outside had become an extravagant hope.
Even the slightest exercise could make her condition worsen like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
And becoming a ninja—the family vocation passed down through generations—was out of the question. This sudden turn of events had struck Uchiha Yukino like a bolt from the blue, dealing her a devastating blow.
Even after countless doctors had tried their best, her condition showed no improvement. It was like an endless darkness, swallowing Yukino's hopes and filling her with fear.
She did not know when her life might flicker out like a candle in the wind, or when her father and sister might vanish like phantoms.
Under the shadow of death, Uchiha Yukino's heart ripened like an unseasonable fruit, growing up far too soon.
Even at such a young age, she had already come to understand pain deeply.
She grew more and more withdrawn.
She grew quieter and quieter.
She became increasingly indifferent to the world.
It was as if she were calmly waiting for death to arrive.
That was what she used to believe.
Until...
That person came!
Two years earlier...
"Hey, are you little Yukino? I'm Uchiha Tenshu! I've recently been studying under Elder Raimon. From today on, we know each other!..."
"Wow, you have such a pretty name. It's like there are stars sparkling in your eyes. So beautiful!..."
"I heard you can't go outside! Then I'll come tell you all about the interesting things out there!"
"From today on, we're best friends!"
The boy chattered excitedly.
Even though Uchiha Yukino ignored him, staring out the window without a word or reaction,
the boy kept telling his stories cheerfully.
He lay beside her bed, telling them in a soft voice.
Still, she didn't really like the story about the little match girl.
The ending of that story
was what finally made Uchiha Yukino speak for the first time.
"Did you come here on purpose to mock me?" Uchiha Yukino's face was expressionless, her calm eyes like a deep pool as she stared straight at Uchiha Tenshu. Her tender, childish face, usually devoid of emotion, now looked like a flower battered by a storm. For the first time, anger showed on it.
"What? Why would I do that?" Uchiha Tenshu stared at Uchiha Yukino in disbelief, as if he had just heard the strangest thing in the world.
"Then why tell me that story? Do you think I'll die alone and miserable, just like the little match girl? Let me tell you, I won't! Like a plum blossom standing proud in the snow, I'll keep living, no matter what!" Uchiha Yukino's eyes were cold as frost, like two sharp blades aimed straight at the boy, brimming with defiance against fate.
Beneath Yukino's stubborn words lay, for the first time, a defiance of her own fate—and the bitterness of her unwillingness to give in.
"How could you think that? It was just a story. Besides, no matter how tragic that story is, our lives are still full of more tragedies. All we can do is find joy amid the sorrow and keep living bravely."
"Really, I wasn't trying to deceive you!"
Uchiha Tenshu tried to explain, but his words sank like a stone into the sea. He gained not the slightest understanding from Uchiha Yukino, only endless indifference.
Seeing that Uchiha Yukino misunderstood him so deeply, Uchiha Tenshu stopped trying to explain.
From then on, he simply came to Uchiha Yukino's bedside every day and told stories on his own.
Every day brought a new story, like a gently flowing stream, never repeating itself.
From The Little Match Girl to The Princess and the Pea, from Aladdin's Lamp to Snow White, from The Ugly Duckling to Little Red Riding Hood, he brought every story to life with his vivid narration.
At first, Yukino remained indifferent, though now and then her gaze would linger for a moment when a story reached an exciting part.
Day after day, those colorful stories were like warm sunlight, gradually melting the ice in Yukino's heart.
Once, after Tenshu finished telling Cinderella, Yukino actually asked him, "Will she really be able to live happily ever after?" Her eyes were full of timid hope.
Uchiha Tenshu's eyes lit up. "Of course. As long as you hold on to hope, life will get better. And you'll beat your illness too. If you give up, you've already lost."
Uchiha Yukino fell silent, a new light shining in her eyes.
After that, Yukino slowly began responding to Tenshu, and the two talked more and more.
Uchiha Tenshu also shared interesting news from outside with her, while Yukino told him what she thought of the stories.
With Uchiha Tenshu by her side, Uchiha Yukino gradually grew more cheerful. She no longer simply waited for death.
Instead, she began to look forward to the future.
She dreamed of one day walking through that door, just like the heroes in the stories, and embracing a wonderful life of her own.
During that time,
as Uchiha Yukino listened to the stories again and again, she went from rejecting them and treating them with indifference, to becoming familiar with them and accepting them.
Then, little by little, she came to depend on them completely.
Step by step, she accepted Uchiha Tenshu's presence and came to regard him as the most important person in her life.
Once the ice surrounding her heart was stripped away, what emerged was the gentle, adorable, tender Yukino beneath.
From that day on,
Uchiha Yukino began keeping busy, constantly writing down every story she had heard from Uchiha Tenshu, starting with The Little Match Girl.
Though her illness had robbed her of the chance to become a ninja, it had also left Uchiha Yukino with an astonishing gift that most people would find hard to believe: an incredible memory.
Born with a photographic memory, Yukino found a link to the outside world in those stories. She neatly bound the stories she had copied and kept them by her bed.
Each book held memories of the time she had spent with Uchiha Tenshu.
But
as time went by,
Yukino's condition did not improve. It even showed signs of worsening. When Uchiha Tenshu learned of this, he began visiting her more often. He also brought her a wealth of medical knowledge from who knew where, hoping it might help with her condition. He even declared that he would study Medical Ninjutsu and medicine, and treat Yukino's illness no matter what.
In the days that followed,
Uchiha Tenshu devoted himself even more to studying Medical Ninjutsu, always searching for a way to treat Yukino.
As she waited, Yukino used her powerful memory to keep organizing theoretical knowledge about ninjas and medicine.
She could not become a ninja and fight herself, but she hoped her knowledge might help Tenshu in the future.
Or someone else who needed it.
Their bond grew stronger.
That only made Uchiha Lingyue, who had always been unhappy with Uchiha Tenshu, grow even angrier. That damned brat was to blame. If he hadn't been around, her sister Yukino wouldn't have pushed herself so hard while already in poor health.
This
was all Uchiha Tenshu's fault!
Because of that,
Uchiha Lingyue began targeting Uchiha Tenshu, picking fault with him at every turn.
Before you continue