This Little Cat, Truly a Hard-Working Fate

Over at the Hyuga estate, Hinata sat by her window, staring blankly outside, her heart heavy with guilt toward Uchiha Ao.

Suddenly, a faint scratching sound came from the windowsill. She turned her head and was pleasantly surprised to see a cat crouching there, a scroll held firmly in its mouth.

"Xiaoxue!"

Hinata was both shocked and delighted. She recognized this cat; it was the same one that had been with Ao when he saved her.

Hinata hurriedly brought Xiaoxue inside, gently stroking its smooth fur, and asked happily, "Xiaoxue, did Ao send you to find me?"

Xiaoxue rubbed affectionately against Hinata's palm, letting out a soft purr in response.

Seeing this, a flicker of anticipation rose in Hinata's heart as she carefully took the scroll from the cat's mouth.

Unrolling the scroll, the familiar handwriting of Uchiha Ao came into view.

Before long, Hinata had finished reading the contents.

Ao's intention was simple.

He wanted her to learn the Shadow Clone Technique, after which he would use a summoning jutsu to summon her shadow clone along with Xiaoxue. This way, they could bypass her father's watchful eyes and meet once again.

The scroll also provided a detailed explanation of how to mobilize chakra, refine its form, and distribute it precisely into a shadow clone.

In the scroll, Uchiha Ao emphasized that the key to the Shadow Clone Technique lay in the delicate control of chakra; one had to discard all distracting thoughts, remain fully focused, and channel the chakra evenly and steadily into every detail of the technique.

The Shadow Clone Technique, huh? I will work hard to learn it and not let Ao down. Hinata encouraged herself silently.

That night, after her family had gone to sleep, Hinata closed the doors and windows, drew the heavy curtains, and began her arduous practice. She sat on the tatami mat, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, struggling to cast aside all distractions as she attempted to mobilize the chakra within her.

And so, Hinata practiced alone in the dark, trying again and again.

Finally, just as the horizon began to pale and the first rays of sunlight were about to pierce through the clouds, a clear and stable shadow clone appeared before Hinata.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Looking at the shadow clone that was identical to herself, Hinata's eyes instantly welled up with tears, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.

She slowly raised her hand, wanting to touch the clone, her fingertips quivering with an almost unbelievable joy.

The shadow clone mimicked the movement, and when their fingers touched, the tangible sensation convinced Hinata once and for all that she had succeeded.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened, and the sunlight slowly spilled into the room, illuminating Hinata's sweat-streaked but radiant face.

Ao, I didn't let you down!

Hinata shouted in her heart, then turned her gaze to Xiaoxue. The cat was still fast asleep on a soft cushion, its belly rising and falling with each breath, completely oblivious to everything that had happened.

Watching its adorable appearance, Hinata couldn't help but laugh through her tears. She walked over, knelt down, and patted Xiaoxue's head, whispering, "Xiaoxue, we'll be able to see Ao very soon."

Woken by the gentle touch, Xiaoxue blinked its eyes groggily, let out a lazy yawn, and made a "woo-woo" sound in its throat, as if responding to her.

Hinata took a deep breath to steady her emotions, looked at her shadow clone, and said solemnly, "I'm counting on you. You must convey my feelings to Ao."

The shadow clone nodded firmly, its eyes filled with the same anticipation as Hinata's.

Afterward, Hinata looked at Xiaoxue again. She knelt down, cupped the cat's furry head in her hands, and said earnestly, "Xiaoxue, I need you to make one more trip. Go tell Ao that I've learned the Shadow Clone Technique and ask him to get ready."

With that, Hinata took two dried fish from her robe, which she had asked an aunt in the clan to buy for her the day before.

Xiaoxue had been sleepy, but the moment it smelled the dried fish, it became instantly alert. Its round eyes locked onto the treat in Hinata's hand, and it let out an eager "meow."

Hinata smiled and dangled the fish. "Xiaoxue, once you deliver the message to Ao, these will all be yours."

Hearing this, Xiaoxue nodded its little head vigorously.

Honestly, Ao is like this, and now this Hinata is the same. Why do they both love waiting until I've finished the job to give me the dried fish?

I'm a cat, after all, and I'm running errands at the risk of being discovered. Can't they give me a little "advance payment" first?

Xiaoxue grumbled silently to itself, but looking at Hinata's expectant eyes, it couldn't bear to refuse.

It shook its fluffy fur, tossed its head as if to shake off its petty grievances, then grabbed the string tied to the dried fish and "whooshed" out the window.

Xiaoxue darted nimbly through the streets and alleys, quickly returning to Uchiha Ao's room.

It jumped onto the windowsill as if it owned the place and scratched the glass hard with its claws, making a "creak-creak" sound.

Inside the room, Ao was sitting at his desk. Hearing the commotion, he walked quickly to the window and, seeing it was Xiaoxue, his face showed a flash of surprise as he hurriedly opened the window to let the cat in.

"Why are you back so soon? Did Hinata learn it?"

Xiaoxue jumped onto the table, swung the string of dried fish it was holding, and said to Ao, "Hurry, look! And give me the dried fish!"

Ao chuckled, untied the string, and unfolded the note. Seeing that Hinata had successfully mastered the Shadow Clone Technique, a gratified smile appeared on his face. "Hinata, you really did it."

As he spoke, he reached out to pat Xiaoxue's head and handed it the dried fish.

"All you think about is eating. Here you go." Uchiha Ao looked at the ravenous Xiaoxue, shook his head with a smile, and then began to busy himself around the room.

He couldn't summon Hinata to Uchiha territory, after all.

After preparing for a moment, Uchiha Ao's chakra surged, and in the blink of an eye, a shadow clone appeared beside him.

He whispered to the clone, "Go wait at the training ground."

The shadow clone nodded and swiftly vaulted out the window, disappearing into the alleyways after a few leaps.

Ao then turned toward Xiaoxue, who had already finished every last bit of her dried fish and was contentedly licking her paws.

Ao gently picked up Xiaoxue and said earnestly, "Xiaoxue, I have to trouble you to make another trip. Go tell Hinata that I am ready, and she can summon her shadow clone over at any time."

After speaking, he took another dried fish from the cupboard and dangled it in front of her. "This will be yours when you return."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoxue excitedly snatched the string tied to the dried fish in her mouth and darted out the window once more.

She leaped and darted between rooftops and walls; passersby only felt a dark blur flash past, unable to make out what it was.