Otsutsuki Bloodline

At night, Uchiha Ao lay quietly in bed. Since the Otsutsuki Bloodline he had just received had yet to finish fully merging with him, he soon fell asleep.

Not long after he drifted off, a soft "click" came from his bedroom door. The sound was faint and didn't disturb him.

The door slowly swung open. Moonlight spilled through the window and onto the floor, outlining someone's silhouette.

Her footsteps were light, making no sound at all.

When the figure reached the bed, she didn't hesitate. She carefully lifted the covers, then slipped quietly into bed.

Her chilly body was instantly wrapped in the warmth radiating from her little brother.

She rested her cheek against Ao's soft hair and took a deep breath. His familiar scent lingered in her nose.

"It's still more comfortable sleeping beside my little brother."

Izumi sighed inwardly, a contented smile appearing on her face.

No one knew how much time had passed. The room was so quiet that only their soft breathing could be heard.

Uchiha Izumi's eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally sank into a sweet dream.

In her sleep, the corners of Uchiha Izumi's mouth turned up slightly, her face beaming with happiness as she began murmuring in her sleep: "Little brother... Big Sister will always protect you... We'll never be apart..." Her voice was soft and sweet.

As if sensing something in his sleep, Uchiha Ao furrowed his brow slightly and instinctively wrapped an arm around Izumi.

The morning sun had just climbed onto the windowsill when a thunderous roar suddenly shattered the room's silence.

"UCHIHA IZUMI!"

Uchiha Izumi jolted awake at the shout. Still bleary-eyed, she saw her mother standing in the doorway, her face full of fury and her eyes wide as saucers.

"Oh no! I slept too deeply!" Uchiha Izumi thought, alarmed. In her panic, she shot her little brother a reproachful glance. "Hmph, this is all your fault!"

She scrambled out of bed, hurriedly fixing her messy hair and pajamas.

The shout startled Uchiha Ao awake too. He opened his eyes groggily and saw his sister in such a sorry state, immediately understanding what had happened.

He sighed inwardly, helplessly. Sister Izumi, how many times has this happened already? If you got up earlier, Auntie wouldn't catch you.

Uchiha Ao was just about to make an excuse for Sister Izumi, but before he could speak, Izumi's Mother grabbed the duster she usually used for cleaning and strode into the room.

Uchiha Izumi deftly snatched a set of outdoor clothes from the nearby coat rack, waited for her chance, then jumped out of the second-floor window.

She often slept in her little brother's room, so she'd expected this situation and had left plenty of her clothes there.

Izumi's Mother rushed to the window and shouted down at her, "Get back here! Just you wait—I'll teach you a lesson!"

But Izumi had already disappeared around the corner of the alley.

Izumi's Mother ran downstairs after her, but not before reminding Uchiha Ao to come down for breakfast.

Just as Uchiha Ao was about to head downstairs, he suddenly heard Izumi's bright, lively voice outside the window: "Little brother, remember to leave me a window open tonight!"

He nodded, feeling a little speechless.

[Name: Uchiha Ao]

[Age: Nine]

[Bloodline: Otsutsuki Bloodline (Development: 2%)]

[Total Chakra: Five Kakashi]

[Chakra Natures: Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang]

[Skills: Fire Style: Lighter Jutsu...]

[Items: None]

After confirming that Sister Izumi had left, he sat down at his desk and opened the system panel.

"Tsk. All those years of hard work, and it still doesn't compare to a beginner's gift pack." Uchiha Ao looked at the chakra natures and total chakra on the system panel and clicked his tongue.

"The Naruto world really is all about bloodlines. Even a blank-slate Otsutsuki Bloodline gave him five Kakashi's worth of chakra and every chakra nature." Uchiha Ao murmured.

He'd always found it ridiculous that the system panel measured chakra in Kakashi units, but five Kakashi's worth was a huge improvement for him.

Then another question crossed his mind.

How could he quickly increase his Otsutsuki Bloodline's development?

"My workhorse Uchiha bloodline was enough to raise my Otsutsuki Bloodline's development by two percent," Ao said, resting his chin in his hand and knitting his brows. "If I fused it with a stronger, purer bloodline, would the development rate shoot up?"

The figures of Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, and Izumi instantly appeared in his mind.

Sister Izumi was actually an overlooked character in the original story.

In this era, for an ordinary member of the Uchiha Clan, awakening the Three-Tomoe already counted as a clan prodigy.

But most of them had lived through war and were no longer young.

Sister Izumi, on the other hand, had awakened the Three-Tomoe after experiencing only the Uchiha massacre.

And she'd been just thirteen at the time.

Huh? If I died in front of Sister Izumi, would she awaken the Mangekyo?

Uchiha Obito had managed to skip straight past the Three-Tomoe and awaken the Mangekyo. There was no reason the more talented Sister Izumi couldn't do the same.

Uchiha Ao's thoughts immediately began to run wild. Of course, he wasn't actually thinking of dying in front of Sister Izumi.

"It should be fine if I get a little of her blood when she comes back tonight, right?" Uchiha Ao said, stroking his chin.

Konoha.

Uchiha Ao wore a plain short-sleeved shirt. The fabric was soft and ordinary, with no decorations to show his status. In particular, the conspicuous Uchiha Clan Crest was nowhere to be seen.

The villagers of Konoha already harbored deep hostility toward the Uchiha Clan. Why make himself so conspicuous and invite trouble for no reason?

Uchiha Ao walked along at an unhurried pace, both hands in his pockets, bored out of his mind.

A soft, sweet voice came from behind him.

"Ao-kun..."

Uchiha Ao turned around and saw a petite girl standing there, like a tender little sprout.

Her eyes were large and round—the Hyuga Clan's distinctive Byakugan. Her clear eyes were pure, without a trace of visible sclera, like two limpid springs. They held an innate shyness and timidity that made anyone who saw her want to protect her.

"Hinata, long time no see," Uchiha Ao greeted her with a smile.

At Ao-kun's reply, Hinata's cheeks instantly turned bright red, even the tips of her ears flushing with embarrassment. She looked like a ripe red apple, as if the slightest touch might make her bleed.

She lowered her head slightly, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes and twisting her fingers together until the fabric creased.

After a long while, she finally gathered the courage to speak in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "A-Ao-kun, I... I saw you over there just now, so I thought... I thought I'd come over and say hello."

After speaking, she quickly lowered her head again, not daring to look at Ao.

Uchiha Ao looked at Hinata, and an inexplicable feeling suddenly stirred within him.

It was a strange kind of attraction, different from the way he was drawn to cute girls.

It felt more like an attraction between bloodlines.

Could it be because of my Otsutsuki Bloodline?