Old Man, Do I Look Like a Blondie?

Uchiha Ao's shadow clone quickly arrived at the usual spot where he had trained with Hinata yesterday.

However, all that met his eyes was an empty training ground. The silence was unnervingly heavy, which immediately stirred his suspicions.

Uchiha Ao's shadow clone scratched his head, his gaze sweeping across the training ground. "That's strange," he muttered to himself. "Why isn't Hinata here today? Could something have happened?"

Meanwhile, inside the Hyuga family estate.

"Hinata, are you trying to go see that Uchiha again?" Hiashi Hyuga blocked Hinata as she prepared to leave. His tone was cold and rigid, his eyes filled with an unquestionable authority.

Hinata's body jolted to a halt as if frozen in place. Subconsciously, she lowered her head as she always did, her soft hair perfectly shielding the panic flickering in her eyes. "F-Father, I promised Ao-kun we would train together. I cannot break my word."

Hiashi Hyuga's brows furrowed, his displeasure becoming increasingly apparent.

This girl, he thought with internal irritation, she's really grown wings and thinks she can fly; she doesn't even listen to me anymore!

He let out a cold snort. "Associating with an Uchiha—what kind of behavior is that? As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, you carry the family's honor and responsibilities. How can you spend your days mingling with him!"

Hinata bit her lower lip, her teeth nearly sinking into the delicate flesh. Her hands clenched the corners of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Yet, she gathered the courage to retort, "Ao-kun is a good person. He has taught me many ninjutsu techniques. We are just friends, training together to improve ourselves."

"Friends?" Hiashi Hyuga fell silent for a moment before speaking in a stern tone. "From today on, you are not to step a single inch outside the Hyuga estate without my permission."

He wanted to see exactly what kind of magic that Uchiha possessed to make his daughter so attached.

With a wave of his hand, two guards immediately stepped forward, blocking Hinata's path.

Hinata looked at the two guards, her eyes gradually turning red. She knew she could not force her way out now.

But the thought of Uchiha Ao perhaps still waiting at the training ground filled her with guilt and helplessness.

On the other side, Uchiha Ao's shadow clone had been waiting for a long time, his eyes fixed on the path leading to the training ground, yet Hinata remained nowhere to be seen. A grim suspicion suddenly welled up in his heart.

Hinata was always a person who kept her word. Given the current situation, there were only two possibilities.

First, Hinata had been delayed by something, but given her personality, she would have found a way to send word rather than leaving him in the dark like this. Second, she had likely encountered an obstacle or, more probably, had been restricted from leaving.

In Konoha, when he thought about it carefully, aside from that terrifying kidnapping incident, the only person with the power to restrict Hinata's freedom was her father—Hiashi Hyuga.

Realizing this, Uchiha Ao's shadow clone furrowed his brows into a deep frown.

If that old man Hiashi Hyuga kept Hinata restricted, his main quest would be impossible to complete.

Old man, watch out for the blonde-haired menace warning!

Uchiha Ao's shadow clone felt terrible. He paced back and forth in the training ground, the friction of his soles against the ground creating a "swishing" sound that mirrored his inner anxiety.

"If Hinata is truly restricted, breaking into the Hyuga clan by force isn't realistic." Uchiha Ao's shadow clone forced himself to calm down and consider his options.

"Wait, I'm still being constrained by the mindset of my past life. This is a world with extraordinary powers; perhaps I can look at this from a different angle." Uchiha Ao's shadow clone's eyes suddenly lit up. A bold idea surfaced in his mind—since Hinata's physical body was restricted, why not have her use a shadow clone to keep the appointment?

Thinking of this, Uchiha Ao's shadow clone made a swift decision. Without a moment's hesitation, he dispelled the clone, sending the idea back to his original body.

"Summoning Jutsu!" In Uchiha Ao's room, a cloud of smoke billowed up, and a snow-white ninja cat with unique black-tipped ears appeared before him.

"Xiaoxue, I need a favor." Uchiha Ao crouched down and gently scratched Xiaoxue under the chin. "Sneak into the Hyuga estate, find Hinata, and give this to her."

With that, Uchiha Ao quickly pulled out a spare scroll and channeled his chakra. Using the chakra as ink, he wrote down his idea in a flowing hand.

Thanks to the Otsutsuki bloodline flowing through his veins, achieving such precise control over his chakra was effortless for him.

The ninja cat Xiaoxue nodded its fluffy little head obediently. A soft, cute voice emerged from its throat, carrying a hint of playfulness. "Ao, I want three dried fish after this is done! Not a single one less!"

Uchiha Ao nodded with a smile, continuing to scratch Xiaoxue's chin while gently flicking its nose. "I knew you were a glutton. I'll have five dried fish ready for you! But this mission must be handled perfectly. If you get caught, not only will there be no fish, but you'll get a scolding, understand?"

Xiaoxue narrowed its eyes in comfort, a satisfied purr rumbling in its throat as its tail wagged happily. Hearing the second half, it suddenly opened its eyes and rubbed its head against Uchiha Ao's hand. "Ao, you promised! Five dried fish after the job is done!"

Uchiha Ao nodded, and upon seeing this, Xiaoxue snatched the scroll in its mouth and vanished from the spot.

"I hope Hinata receives it," Uchiha Ao sighed.

It was common knowledge that the summoning animals of the Uchiha clan were generally ninja cats, and his father's were no exception.

Xiaoxue was a descendant of his father's summoning animals, and he had been with her since he was very young.

When he turned three, he learned the Summoning Jutsu through some scrolls his father had left behind.

Since then, Xiaoxue had officially become his summoning animal.

It could be said that aside from Sister Izumi's family, Xiaoxue was the closest to him.

Xiaoxue was small in size and did not possess a large amount of chakra.

Therefore, even if she snuck into the Hyuga estate, she would only be mistaken for an ordinary cat.

That was exactly the effect Uchiha Ao wanted.

Thus, Uchiha Ao trusted Xiaoxue completely with this mission.