Waking Up, System Binding

About two hours later, Uchiha Xiao woke from his unconscious state. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and looked around.

"Where is this?" Uchiha Xiao muttered. This was not his home, nor the training ground, and certainly not the old, dilapidated shack he lived in within the clan compound.

Instead, it was a spacious, bright, and comfortably warm residence.

"Young man, you are awake." Uzumaki Mito sat in a chair, her closed eyes opening as she looked at Uchiha Xiao on the bed.

Uchiha Xiao sat up and looked toward the source of the voice, only to find a middle-aged woman sitting in a chair. She had red hair, a noble bearing, and a beautiful face, looking directly at him.

His mind raced. Konoha, red hair, middle-aged woman... could it be?

Uchiha Xiao hurriedly got up, threw off the blanket, climbed out of bed, and knelt on one knee, bowing. "My deepest thanks to Lady Mito for saving my life."

Uzumaki Mito raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Young man, I recall never having mentioned my name in your presence. How did you know who I was?"

That was naturally because of the combination of Konoha and red hair, but he couldn't say that; it would sound too shallow. So, he replied cleverly, "In reply to Lady Mito, I ask, what other woman in Konoha possesses such temperament and beauty? Aside from Lady Mito, I truly cannot think of anyone else!"

Uzumaki Mito covered her mouth and chuckled. "What a sweet-talking little brat."

The Nine-Tails' voice rang out, "This kid is lying! He did it on purpose!"

Uzumaki Mito was multitasking; she replied to the Nine-Tails with a cold snort, "I know. You don't need to tell me."

The Nine-Tails: ...

Uzumaki Mito smiled. "Little one, I heard you awakened your eyes? Could you let me have a look?"

"It would be my honor!" With that, Uchiha Xiao closed his eyes, gathered his Yin-attribute chakra to connect to his optic nerves, and opened them.

Swish! His eyes snapped open, and his blood-red Sharingan stared fixedly at Uzumaki Mito.

Uzumaki Mito nodded. "Not bad. It awakened perfectly. I can even feel an aura comparable to the Uchiha ninja of the Warring States period."

She was not lying about this; the Sharingan awakened by Uchiha during the Warring States period were countless times stronger than those of the present day.

Uchiha Xiao was stunned. The Warring States period? He had never imagined he would receive such high praise. He had awakened his eyes at eighteen, which the Uchiha clan considered a sign of a failure; he hadn't expected to be seen as a genius in Uzumaki Mito's eyes.

Regardless of whether Uzumaki Mito's words were true or false, Uchiha Xiao felt sincere gratitude in his heart.

"My thanks for your praise, Lady Mito." Uchiha Xiao's voice was even more earnest now.

However, Uzumaki Mito shook her head. "Don't thank me yet. It was little Tsunade who saw you collapse and brought you back. She just left to attend a meeting."

Uchiha Xiao understood immediately. So that was it! He had thought he saw a flash of golden yellow before he passed out; it must have been Tsunade's hair!

Thinking of Tsunade, his heart fluttered. When he watched the anime, he had always thought Tsunade was beautiful, moving, and peerless. A wave of joy washed over him.

Uchiha Xiao nodded. This meeting was likely about pre-war mobilization and the division of troops. Tsunade was eighteen now and a disciple of the Hokage, so she would certainly be chosen to lead troops.

Whether as a descendant of the Senju clan or a disciple of the Hokage, this was something she had to experience.

However, there was one thing he had to keep in mind: within the first year of the war, a Jonin meeting would be held, and that was when Tsunade would propose the idea of medical ninja.

What he needed to do was to follow and support her unwaveringly. But the prerequisite was that he had to reach the level of a Jonin and make contributions within this year to be eligible to attend that meeting.

Uzumaki Mito watched the changes in the young man's expression and found it amusing. "Xiao, right? Please rest for now. You just woke up, and your body is still weak. When little Tsunade returns, you two are of the same age, so you should have plenty to talk about."

"Uchiha Xiao thanks Lady Mito!" Uchiha Xiao said, cupping his hands.

Uzumaki Mito waved her hand and left the room. Just as she was about to step out the door, she paused. "By the way, the room you are staying in belongs to little Tsunade."

With a smile, she walked out.

Uchiha Xiao was stunned. This... this was Tsunade's room? No wonder, no wonder it smelled so good. After Uzumaki Mito left, he lay back down on the bed, inhaling that faint fragrance, his heart filled with joy.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "Ding! System binding complete. Strongest Ninja System has been activated."

Uchiha Xiao was startled. He sat up and looked at the panel that appeared out of thin air. "Please choose whether to activate the system?"

Uchiha Xiao took a deep breath. He knew exactly what this was! Aside from manga, he had read plenty of system-based stories! This was his golden finger!

Uchiha Xiao said, "Yes!"

Ding! System bound.

Host: Uchiha Xiao. Chakra level: Genin. Combat power: Genin. Skills: Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu, Uchiha Style Kenjutsu, C-rank Ninjutsu: Fireball Jutsu, C-rank Ninjutsu: Dragon Fire Jutsu, C-rank Ninjutsu: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, Bloodline: One-Tomoe Sharingan (Growable).

Ding! Detected a Newcomer Gift Pack. Does the host wish to open it?

"Open!" Uchiha Xiao smiled. His current Genin-level combat power would be nothing more than cannon fodder on the battlefield of the Second Great Ninja War. The arrival of the Newcomer Gift Pack was perfectly timed.

Ding! Newcomer Gift Pack contents: Reward host with Chunin-level chakra, B-rank Ninjutsu: Majestic Destroyer Flame (directly mastered).

Ding! Since the host awakened the Sharingan independently, the original Sharingan reward has been canceled and is being replaced with an equivalent.

Detected that the host possesses Wind and Earth chakra, meeting the minimum requirements for a bloodline. Rewarding Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, with B-rank Ninjutsu: Sand Binding Coffin (directly mastered).

Immediately, Uchiha Xiao felt his chakra levels rising rapidly, and his meridians widened significantly. The pale complexion caused by awakening his Sharingan gradually returned to a healthy, rosy glow.

Then, the methods for performing Majestic Destroyer Flame and Sand Binding Coffin were imprinted into his mind. As his hand moved, the sand in the room began to flow, and Uchiha Xiao hurriedly stopped.

Uzumaki Mito, a senior expert, was in the house. If he moved again, he would surely be discovered!

However, what he didn't know was that the moment his chakra increased, Uzumaki Mito had begun to use Kagura Shingan to observe Uchiha Xiao in secret.

She saw every one of his movements. Uzumaki Mito's eyes lit up, and she muttered, "Magnet Release? This little one hides his strength so well!"

She then retracted her Kagura Shingan, feeling quite pleased. The little guy seemed to be quite handsome, and he appeared to be in the same age group as Tsunade.

But as for the affairs of the young, she would let them resolve it themselves. After all, a forced melon is never sweet.

Uchiha Xiao let out a sigh of relief and continued to examine the system's functions.