Over at the Hyuga Clan, Hinata sat by the window in her room, gazing blankly outside, her heart full of guilt toward Uchiha Ao.
Suddenly, a faint scratching came from the windowsill. She turned and was delighted to see a cat crouched there, a scroll in its mouth.
"Xiaoxue!"
Hyuga Hinata was both surprised and overjoyed. She knew this cat—it had been with Ao-kun when he rescued her.
Hinata hurriedly carried Xiaoxue inside and gently stroked its sleek fur. "Xiaoxue, did Ao-kun send you to find me?"
Xiaoxue affectionately rubbed against Hinata's palm, a soft purr rumbling in its throat as if in reply.
Seeing this, Hinata felt a flicker of hope. She carefully took the scroll from the cat's mouth.
When she unrolled it, Uchiha Ao's familiar handwriting came into view.
A short while later, Hinata had finished reading.
Ao-kun's instructions were simple.
She was to learn the Shadow Clone Technique. Then Ao-kun would use the Summoning Technique to summon her shadow clone along with Xiaoxue. That way, they could meet again without her father finding out.
The scroll also explained in detail how to control chakra, shape it, and distribute it precisely to the shadow clone.
Uchiha Ao stressed that the key to the Shadow Clone Technique was precise chakra control. She had to clear her mind, focus completely, and channel chakra evenly and steadily into every part of the technique.
"The Shadow Clone Technique... I'll work hard to learn it, and I won't let Ao-kun down." Hinata silently encouraged herself.
That night, after her family had gone to bed, Hinata shut the windows, drew the heavy curtains, and began her arduous practice. Sitting on the tatami, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind and draw on the chakra within her.
And so Hinata practiced alone in the dark, trying again and again.
At last, as the sky began to pale and the first rays of sunlight threatened to break through the clouds, a clear and stable shadow clone appeared before Hinata.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Looking at the clone, identical to herself, Hinata's eyes instantly filled with tears. Her voice trembled with excitement.
She slowly raised a hand, wanting to touch the clone. Her fingertips quivered with a joy she could hardly believe.
The clone did the same. When their fingers touched, the sensation was so real that Hinata finally believed she had succeeded.
The sky outside gradually brightened, and sunlight spilled into the room, illuminating Hinata's sweaty face and radiant smile.
Ao-kun, I didn't let you down!
Hinata cried out silently in her heart, then turned toward Xiaoxue. The cat was still fast asleep on a soft cushion, its belly rising and falling with each breath, completely unaware of everything around it.
Seeing its adorable sleeping face, Hinata couldn't help laughing through her tears. She walked over, crouched down, and gently stroked Xiaoxue's head. "Xiaoxue, we'll be able to see Ao-kun soon."
The gentle touch woke Xiaoxue. It opened its eyes groggily, yawned lazily, and made a soft "mrr" sound as if answering Hinata.
Hinata took a deep breath to steady herself, then looked at the clone and said solemnly, "I'm counting on you. Please make sure Ao-kun knows how I feel."
The clone nodded firmly, its eyes filled with the same anticipation as Hinata's.
Hinata turned back to Xiaoxue and crouched down, gently cupping the cat's fluffy head in both hands. "Xiaoxue, I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you go first and tell Ao-kun that I've learned the Shadow Clone Technique? Tell him to get ready."
Then Hinata took two dried fish from inside her clothes. She had asked one of the clan's aunties to buy them for her yesterday.
Xiaoxue had still been half asleep, but the moment it caught the scent of the dried fish, it perked right up. Its round eyes fixed on the tasty treats in Hinata's hand, and it meowed urgently.
Hinata smiled and waggled the dried fish. "Xiaoxue, once you've delivered the message to Ao-kun, these are all yours."
At that, Xiaoxue hurriedly nodded its little head.
Honestly! Ao was like this, and now Hinata was too. Why did they both insist on making me wait until after the job was done to get my dried fish?
This cat risked getting caught just to run their errands. Couldn't I at least get some "upfront payment"?
Xiaoxue grumbled to itself, but when it saw the hopeful look in Hinata's eyes, it just couldn't bring itself to refuse.
It shook out its fluffy coat and gave its head a vigorous shake, as if trying to cast off its grumbling. Then it picked up the string tied to the dried fish and shot out the window.
Xiaoxue darted through the streets and alleys, quickly making its way back to Uchiha Ao's room.
It leaped onto the windowsill with practiced ease and clawed at the glass, making a "creak, creak" sound.
Inside, Ao was sitting at his desk. Hearing the noise, he hurried to the window.
When he saw Xiaoxue, surprise flashed across his face. He quickly opened the window and let the cat in.
"Why are you back so soon? Did Hinata learn it?"
Xiaoxue leaped onto the desk, flung the string with the dried fish from its mouth, and cried, "Quick, take a look! And give me my dried fish!"
Ao chuckled, untied the string, and unfolded the note. When he saw that Hinata had successfully learned the Shadow Clone Technique, a pleased smile appeared on his face. "Hinata, you really did it."
As he spoke, he patted Xiaoxue's head and handed it the dried fish.
"You only ever think about food. I shouldn't have taken you in." Uchiha Ao smiled and shook his head as Xiaoxue wolfed down the fish, then got busy preparing the room.
He couldn't summon Hinata to Uchiha Clan territory.
After making preparations, chakra surged around Uchiha Ao, and in the blink of an eye, a shadow clone appeared beside him.
He leaned toward the clone and quietly instructed, "Go wait at the training ground."
The clone nodded, slipped out the window, and disappeared into the streets after a few quick leaps.
Then Ao turned to Xiaoxue. The cat had already finished every last scrap of dried fish and was contentedly licking its paws.
Ao gently picked Xiaoxue up and said earnestly, "Xiaoxue, I'm sorry to trouble you again. Go tell Hinata I'm ready and can summon her shadow clone whenever she's ready."
Then he took another dried fish from the cupboard and waved it. "This one's yours when you get back."
At that, Xiaoxue excitedly grabbed the string tied to the dried fish and shot out the window again.
It leaped from rooftops to walls, darting along so quickly that passersby caught only a flash of black and couldn't tell what it was.
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