Friendship Plan

Walking through the deep, dark corridor, Uchiha Hiri arrived before a small room in Naka Shrine.

Uchiha Naoto, who oversaw all research regarding the Sharingan within the clan, was inside that very room.

Hiri knocked three times respectfully and softly, announcing her name and purpose in a clear voice: "It is Uchiha Hiri, here to report on the research application regarding Wuming."

A calm voice drifted from the room immediately: "Please, enter."

Hiri bowed her head low and opened the door with reverence before stepping inside.

On a dais at the deepest part of the room, Uchiha Naoto sat cross-legged.

Time had left few marks on his face; only his graying hair betrayed that he was no longer young.

After Hiri offered a bow, she knelt near the door to show her respect. Naoto took the initiative to ask: "Has something gone wrong with Wuming?"

Hiri maintained her respectful demeanor as she replied: "The implantation of the ninjutsu was a complete success. Our research direction is correct."

Naoto drained the thick tea in his hand, then held the cup as he asked in confusion: "If that is the case, then why come to me?"

Hiri hurried to respond: "Since we have proposed the hypothesis that intense emotional fluctuations can increase the ocular power of the Sharingan, why not test it on Wuming?"

Naoto smiled faintly and set down his cup: "As far as I am aware, that child Wuming has been treated coldly by the clansmen as nothing more than a weapon in private."

"Furthermore, ever since her parents passed away and she awakened her Mangekyo, the clansmen have feared and alienated her. Would such base behavior not already be stimulating her heart?"

Though she felt a pang of reluctance, Hiri gritted her teeth and hardened her resolve: "But that is far from enough!"

"Wuming lost her parents at a young age; she never had the chance to enjoy a family's affection before losing them entirely. Not knowing the value of the light, how could she truly experience the terror of the darkness?"

"The Uchiha Chigusa who was sent here today has regained his normal intelligence. He is of a similar age to Wuming and has also just lost his parents; surely, he and Wuming will have much in common."

"We should raise them together. Once they have formed a deep bond, we can then harvest Uchiha Chigusa's Sharingan."

"Losing her only friend will surely subject Wuming to a much more intense stimulus. I expect her power as a weapon will be even more prominent then!"

After finishing this long explanation of her plan, Hiri was drenched in sweat.

Although these two might ultimately be unable to escape their tragic fates, the fact that she could buy them this much time was the best she could do.

Nervous, Hiri dared not look at Uchiha Naoto's expression. She understood that her clumsy performance might not deceive someone as insightful as Naoto, but her goal was merely to pique his interest.

Based on her understanding of Naoto's mindset, he only ever valued opportunities to study the Sharingan and would not delve deeply into the motives of others.

Sure enough, after a long silence, Naoto spoke slowly: "That is a rather interesting idea. And you say that child Chigusa's intelligence has returned to normal?"

Hiri quickly replied: "Yes. According to Ryuji's report, Uchiha Chigusa had clearly stopped breathing, yet he suddenly came back to life and is no longer in his previous dazed state."

Naoto glanced at Hiri. He understood that his subordinate had likely been moved by compassion and wanted to give Chigusa a chance to live.

Since there were several mysteries surrounding Chigusa, it would not hurt to give him a chance to prove himself.

Naoto stood up, walked over to Hiri, and patted her shoulder before continuing: "I will leave this matter in your charge. If you need anything, just let me know."

Hiri, heart racing, barely managed to maintain a respectful expression on her face as she stood up to look at Naoto.

Naoto still wore that faint smile, his inner thoughts unreadable.

Hiri bowed low: "I will see it done." She then slowly backed out of the room.

Before she had even left, Naoto suddenly said: "Wait, I shall go see that child Chigusa as well!"

Just after Hiri left, Chigusa was trying to sort out his current situation.

Perhaps due to a language barrier, the owner of those small feet remained motionless in the shadows, which was agony for Chigusa, whose entire body was paralyzed.

The prolonged lack of blood flow combined with his coma left him numb all over, lying on the ground unable to move.

Although the wound on his chest had been treated by Hiri, the medical ninjutsu of this era was merely a crude, forceful injection of chakra to repair tissue; it had not yet developed into the refined medical system of later generations.

Falling into the hands of the evil Uchiha was no good thing. Now, with a language barrier and zero intelligence, he could only pin his hopes on his cellmate for the time being.

He had tried Chinese, but the other party showed no reaction. Chigusa had to rack his brains to recall any Japanese he knew.

Unfortunately, his mind was filled only with phrases like "Baka-yaro," "Urusai," "Sayonara," and "Yamete," and he couldn't find a single useful word for communication.

In desperation, he recalled scenes from the Naruto anime. Finally, as the image froze on the battle between Naruto and Sasuke at the Valley of the End, he remembered a classic word: "Tomodachi (friend)."

He hurriedly shouted toward the small feet: "Tomodachi!"

Finally, the owner of the small feet reacted to the word. A crisp voice drifted over: "Friend? Heh, to think you'd call us friends. I thought the Uchiha all viewed me as a weapon."

Chigusa didn't understand what she was saying, but seeing her react, he tried even harder: "Tomodachi!"

"You're a bit noisy. Why didn't those Uchiha drag him out already?" The girl in the corner complained, rising from the shadows and allowing Chigusa to see her true face.

The girl appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, with messy, jet-black hair reaching her waist. Combined with her delicate features, she was incredibly beautiful, leaving Chigusa momentarily stunned.

It wasn't until the girl crouched down and poked his cheek with her finger that he snapped back to reality. He quickly pointed to his chest and back, signaling that he was in great discomfort.

The girl muttered, "Troublesome guy," as she pulled back her sleeve to reveal dense, black cursed seals on her arm, then placed her palm over Chigusa's chest.

Visible green energy flowed from the girl's hand into Chigusa's chest. He felt a warm surge of energy flood his body, and the pain instantly eased significantly.

"Anything else? If not, then be quiet! You're going to die soon anyway, why are you being so troublesome?"

Although the expression on the girl's face was impatient, she never stopped the healing process. Chigusa thought to himself: Is she a tsundere? Looks like I'll have to be the proactive one.

Having been treated, Qiancao had regained a small amount of mobility, so he reached out to take her other small hand.

Startled by having his hand held, the young girl froze, stopping her movements and barely restraining herself from using chakra to reinforce her body and slap the boy away.

Seeing that she didn't pull away, Qiancao hurriedly placed her small hand on his back, guiding her to perform a scratching motion, and after racking his brains, he finally managed to squeeze out: "Arigato!"

The girl was stunned to hear the thanks, then thought to herself, He's a dying person anyway, so I... I'll just reluctantly help him out.

The movements of her hand scratching Qiancao's back became even gentler.

After enjoying the girl's gentle service for a while, Qiancao's body, which had been in such discomfort, felt much better, and his chaotic mind finally regained some ability to think.

A sudden inspiration struck him; he brushed aside the thatch on the ground and used his finger to write: "Kimi no na wa."