After passing through the dim, shadowy corridor, Uchiha Hiri arrived at the door of a small room in the Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Naoto, who oversaw all the clan's Sharingan research, was inside.
Hiri respectfully knocked three times, then announced her name and purpose in a clear voice. "I am Uchiha Hiri. I've come to report on the research proposal concerning Wuming."
A calm voice immediately came from within. "Come in."
Hiri lowered her head and respectfully opened the door.
At the far end of the room, Uchiha Naoto sat cross-legged on a raised platform.
The years had left no marks on his face. Only his graying hair showed that he was no longer young.
After bowing, Hiri knelt near the doorway to show her respect. Naoto took the initiative and asked, "Has something gone wrong with Wuming?"
Hiri answered respectfully, "The implantation of the ninjutsu was very successful. Our research is heading in the right direction."
Naoto drained the strong tea in his cup, then looked at her in confusion. "If that's the case, why have you come to me?"
Hiri quickly replied, "Since we proposed that intense emotional fluctuations could increase the Sharingan's power, why not test that theory on Wuming?"
Naoto smiled faintly and set down his cup. "As I understand it, the clan members have treated that child like a weapon, showing her little mercy."
"Besides, ever since she awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan after her parents died, the clan members have feared and shunned her. Wouldn't such despicable behavior affect her deeply?"
Though she couldn't bear it, Hiri gritted her teeth and forced herself to say, "But that's still not enough!"
"Wuming lost her parents when she was very young. She never had the chance to enjoy her family's love before losing them forever. Having never known the value of light, how could she truly understand the terror of darkness?"
"Uchiha Chigusa, who was brought in today, has regained his normal intelligence. He's around Wuming's age, and he's just lost his parents. I'm sure he and Wuming will have plenty in common."
"Why don't we raise them together? Once they've formed a deep bond, we can take back Uchiha Chigusa's Sharingan."
"Wuming will be even more deeply affected by losing her only friend. I'm sure that will make her far more effective as a weapon!"
After laying out this entire plan, Hiri was drenched in sweat.
Though the two of them might still be unable to escape their tragic fate in the end, she had at least managed to buy them some time. That was the least she could do.
Nervous, Hiri didn't dare look at Uchiha Naoto's expression. She knew her poor performance might not fool him, with his ability to see through everything, but her goal was simply to pique his interest.
From what she knew of Naoto, he cared only about opportunities to study the Sharingan. He never looked too deeply into other people's motives.
Sure enough, after a long silence, Naoto slowly spoke. "That is an interesting idea. And you say Chigusa's intelligence has returned to normal?"
Hiri promptly replied, "Yes. According to Ryuji's report, Uchiha Chigusa had stopped breathing, but suddenly came back to life. He's no longer in the dazed state he used to be in, either."
Naoto glanced at Hiri. He understood that his subordinate had taken pity on the boy and wanted to give Chigusa a chance to live.
Now that there were several mysteries surrounding Chigusa, there was no harm in giving him a chance to prove himself.
Naoto rose and walked over to Hiri, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll leave this matter in your hands. If you need anything, just let me know."
Though her heart was pounding with excitement, Hiri managed to keep a respectful expression on her face as she stood and looked at Naoto.
He still wore the same faint smile, giving no clue as to what he was thinking.
Hiri quickly bowed. "I'll take care of it." Then she slowly backed out of the room.
Before she could leave, Naoto suddenly called out from inside, "Wait. I'll go see Chigusa, too!"
As soon as Hiri left, Qiancao started trying to make sense of the situation.
Perhaps because they didn't speak the same language, the owner of those little feet remained motionless in the shadows, leaving Qiancao, whose entire body was numb, in a miserable state.
The prolonged lack of blood flow and his unconsciousness had left his whole body tingling. He lay on the ground, unable to move.
Though Hiri had treated the wound on his chest, Medical Ninjutsu in this era amounted to little more than crudely injecting chakra to repair injuries. The sophisticated system of Medical Ninjutsu that existed in later years had yet to take shape.
Falling into the hands of the evil Uchiha Clan was no good thing. With no way to communicate and no information at all, he could only place his hopes for now in his fellow prisoner.
He'd tried speaking Chinese, but the other person hadn't reacted at all. Qiancao could only rack his brains for the Japanese he knew.
Unfortunately, all he could think of were words like "Baka yarou," "Urusai," "Sayonara," and "Yamete." He couldn't come up with a single useful phrase.
With no other choice, he tried to picture scenes from the Naruto anime in his mind. At last, when the scene of Naruto and Sasuke's battle at the Valley of the End came to him, he remembered a classic word: "Tomodachi" ("friend").
He hurriedly shouted toward the little feet, "Tomodachi! Friend!"
At last, the owner of the little feet reacted. A clear voice rang out. "A friend? Heh. You're calling us friends? I thought all the Uchiha saw me as a weapon."
Qiancao had no idea what she'd said, but since she'd reacted, he tried even harder. "Tomodachi! Friend!"
"You're kind of annoying. Why aren't those Uchiha dragging him out of here already?" The woman in the corner grumbled as she rose from the shadows, allowing Qiancao to see her face.
The girl looked about fourteen or fifteen. Her long, disheveled black hair fell to her waist, and her delicate features made her strikingly beautiful. Qiancao stared at her, momentarily dazed.
He only came to his senses when the girl crouched down and poked his cheek. He hurriedly pointed at his chest and back, indicating that those two places were really bothering him.
"Such a troublesome guy," the girl repeated, rolling up her sleeve to reveal an arm covered in dense black markings. She aimed her palm at Qiancao's chest.
A visible green energy flowed from the girl's hand into Qiancao's chest. He felt a warm current seep into his body, and the pain immediately eased.
"Anything else? If not, be quiet! You're about to die, so why are you still being such a nuisance?"
Though the girl looked impatient, she never stopped treating him. Qiancao thought, She's acting like a classic tsundere, isn't she? Guess I'll have to make the first move.
After being treated, Qiancao had regained a little ability to move. He reached out and took her other small hand.
The girl jumped in surprise and stopped what she was doing. She barely managed to stop herself from using chakra to strengthen her body and slap the boy flying.
Seeing that she didn't pull away, Qiancao quickly placed her little hand on his back and guided it into a scratching motion. After racking his brains once again, he finally squeezed out, "Arigatou!"
The girl was taken aback by his thanks, then thought, He's going to die soon anyway, so I... I might as well help him a little.
Her hand grew gentler as she scratched Qiancao's back.
After enjoying the girl's gentle ministrations for a while, Qiancao felt much more comfortable. His jumbled thoughts had finally cleared enough for him to think.
A sudden idea struck him. He pushed aside the thatch on the ground and used his finger to write, "Kimi no Namae" ("Your name").
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