Blooming Sakura and Ino Yamanaka

The days at the ninja academy were like a stream, calm yet ceaselessly flowing forward. Uchiha Ling's name began to spread among his classmates in a low-key but impossible-to-ignore way.

It was not because he was an Uchiha—in fact, he might have been the most low-profile Uchiha of this year, far less dazzling than his clansman Sasuke Uchiha. People talked about him because of the composure and precision far beyond his age that he showed in practical combat training.

His shurikenjutsu was flawless, his taijutsu movements clean and crisp, and his chakra control ranked among the best in basic exercises like tree-climbing and water-walking. More importantly, during one group sparring match, he had relied only on taijutsu and basic ninja tools to neatly "take care of" three classmates who were usually quite mischievous, while he himself came away without a scratch. That calm battle rhythm and his grasp of timing made even the chunin teacher supervising from the side nod inwardly.

Of course, Uchiha Ling deliberately kept all of this within the range of "excellent, but not monstrous." He knew well that the tallest tree in the forest was the first to be broken by the wind, especially now, when the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village was so delicate.

That afternoon was free taijutsu training time. Figures moved all across the training ground, and shouts rang out without end.

Uchiha Ling chose a relatively quiet corner and practiced throwing shuriken while moving at high speed. His figure darted quickly between several large trees, and the kunai and shuriken in his hands turned into streaks of black light, nailing themselves precisely into the bull's-eyes of the moving targets.

Just as he finished a set of exercises and stopped with a faint pant, the sound of an argument, carrying a fragrant breeze, reached his ears.

"Sakura! We agreed it was my turn to use the new bandage this time!" A clear female voice rang out, carrying a hint of spoiled willfulness.

"But Ino-pig! I only bought this yesterday!" another voice retorted anxiously, refusing to back down.

Uchiha Ling turned his head and looked over. Not far away, under the shade of a tree, two girls of similar age were arguing until their faces flushed over a brand-new roll of ninja bandage printed with cute patterns. One was Ino Yamanaka, with a golden ponytail and a lively, bright air. The other had long pink hair and a slightly prominent forehead—it was Sakura Haruno in her childhood.

At this point, the two girls had not yet developed the deep rift they would later have because of Sasuke Uchiha. They were still in the stage of "best friends and rivals," and arguing over little things girls liked was an everyday occurrence.

Uchiha Ling had no intention of getting involved and was about to continue his training, but then he saw Ino tug a little too hard during the struggle. Sakura subconsciously let go, and Ino instantly lost her balance. With a cry of surprise, she staggered backward—and behind her was the wooden stake array piled at the edge of the training ground, used for balance practice!

If she fell into it, she would not be seriously injured, but bumps and bruises were unavoidable.

In that split second, Uchiha Ling moved. His enhanced speed once again showed its advantage. He stepped forward like an arrow leaving the string, and the instant Ino's back was about to hit the sharp wooden stakes, he reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her hard toward himself!

"Ah!"

Ino only felt an irresistible force coming from him. Her body pitched forward involuntarily, narrowly avoiding the wooden stakes behind her, but she crashed headfirst into an embrace that seemed slightly slender yet unusually steady.

The boy's scent rushed toward her, carrying the faint smell of sweat and the freshness of sun-warmed air. Still shaken, Ino looked up, and what entered her eyes was a handsome, calm face. His black eyes were like deep pools. It was Uchiha Ling, the classmate who had recently been getting quite a bit of attention.

"Are you all right, Yamanaka?" Uchiha Ling released her hand, stepped back half a pace, and maintained a polite distance.

[Ding! Sign-in target detected: Ino Yamanaka.]

[Interaction level: cooperation + physical contact.]

[Sign-in rewards being issued...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Fairy Tail: Telepathy Magic (beginner)! (Unobstructed communication within 50 meters)]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Physical Enhancement Agent (small) x1! (Temporarily increases speed by 10%, lasts 10 minutes)]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: 70 system points!]

A mysterious body of knowledge about spiritual links and constructing mental channels poured into his mind. Telepathy Magic! This was simply a divine skill for teamwork and secret communication!

"I-I'm fine..." A trace of red flashed across Ino's face. She hurriedly straightened up, tidied her slightly messy clothes and hair, and recovered her young lady air, though the fright in her eyes had not yet completely faded. "Thank you, Uchiha."

At this moment, Sakura also ran over and asked with concern, "Ino-pig, are you all right?"

"Hmph, it's all your fault for suddenly letting go!" Ino glared at Sakura in annoyance, but her tone had softened a lot. She looked at Uchiha Ling again and sized him up curiously. "I didn't expect you to be so good. You were really fast just now."

"I just happened to be close by." Uchiha Ling's tone was flat, and he did not take credit.

"Anyway, thank you." Ino was straightforward by nature and quickly recovered from the awkwardness. Her eyes rolled as if she had thought of something. She took out the brand-new bandage that had caused the argument from her ninja tool pouch and stuffed it into Uchiha Ling's hand. "Here, take this as a thank-you gift!"

Uchiha Ling looked at the roll of bandage in his hand, printed with cute little flowers, and fell silent for a moment. This gift... did not seem to fit his Uchiha Clan image very well.

Sakura watched from the side, her mouth slightly puffed out, but she said nothing.

"Uh... thanks." In the end, Uchiha Ling still accepted it. After all, it was her goodwill. He thought for a moment, then took out two packs of candies he had bought from the store from the basic supplies stored in his system space—a very small part of which had already opened. He had originally prepared them to occasionally replenish his stamina.

"These are for you." He handed the candies to Ino and Sakura. "When training gets tiring, you can get some sugar."

"Wow! Thank you!" Sakura's eyes lit up, and she happily took them.

Ino was also a little surprised, then smiled and accepted the candy openly. "I didn't expect you to be pretty good at taking care of people, Uchiha Ling. I'll call you Ling from now on!" She was naturally outgoing, and now her favor toward Uchiha Ling had increased greatly. Her form of address immediately changed from the distant "Uchiha" to the more familiar "Ling."

[Ding! Sign-in target detected: Ino Yamanaka.]

[Interaction level: intimate interaction (gift given).]

[Sign-in rewards being issued...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Telepathy (entry level)! (emotional sharing)]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: 60 system points!]

[Detected increased interaction level with target "Ino Yamanaka." Hidden reward unlocked: Wind Release: Speed Attack Technique (knowledge infusion)!]

Another stream of knowledge poured in. [Telepathy (entry level)] allowed him to perceive relatively strong emotional fluctuations from people at close range more keenly. As for [Wind Release: Speed Attack Technique], it was a set of practical techniques that used wind-natured chakra to cling to the body or weapons, slightly increasing movement speed and attack speed. It perfectly made up for his current lack of elemental ninjutsu.

What a haul! Both of his interactions with Ino had given him extremely practical rewards.

"It was just an equal exchange." Uchiha Ling made no comment on Ino's change in address and still kept that calm expression.

"Ling really is amazing," Sakura chimed in while unwrapping the candy, her gaze toward Uchiha Ling also carrying friendliness. After all, a boy who was good-looking, fairly strong, had saved her friend—even if it had been an accident—and had given her candy was very hard to dislike.

Just then, another figure walked over. It was Hinata Hyuga. She seemed to have just finished her own training. Seeing Ling here, she came over, then noticed Ino and Sakura, and her footsteps paused slightly.

"L-Ling..." she greeted him softly, then nodded to Ino and Sakura as well. "Yamanaka, Haruno."

"Yo, it's Hinata." Ino greeted her. Sharp-minded as she was, she looked at Hinata, then at Uchiha Ling, and a knowing smile with a hint of teasing appeared on her face. "Are you two close?"

Hinata's face turned red with a whoosh. She lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers, unable to speak.

Uchiha Ling's expression did not change as he said calmly, "We were assigned to the same team during a previous mission, so we're somewhat familiar with each other."

"Oh~ the same team, huh." Ino dragged out her tone and smiled like a little fox, but she did not continue asking. Although her personality was somewhat fiery, she was not bad by nature. She simply found it interesting.

As Sakura watched this scene, a faint, subtle sense of comparison inexplicably rose in her heart. Uchiha Ling... really did seem a little different from the rash boys in class. However, her gaze soon drifted again toward Sasuke Uchiha, who was training alone in the distance and drawing a group of girls' secret glances. Sasuke was still more handsome!

After the little interlude, training continued. Uchiha Ling could feel that Ino seemed to have developed considerable interest in him. During breaks in training, she would occasionally come over to say a few words or ask him for some shuriken tips, though her family's Mind Body Switch Technique did not rely on that. Uchiha Ling was also happy to maintain this good relationship. After all, the Yamanaka Clan's spiritual secret arts and intelligence capabilities were among the very best in the Hidden Leaf Village.

As for Hinata, she still kept that shyness, but every time her eyes met Ling's, she would reveal a faint smile filled with dependence.

The school dismissal bell rang.

Uchiha Ling packed up his things and walked toward the school gate alone. After this day of "accidental" interactions, his interpersonal relationships among his classmates seemed to have quietly opened up in a new direction.

He was no longer the Uchiha orphan who made people feel awe merely because of his surname and strength. Now, he had gained labels like "composed," "reliable," and "seems pretty decent."

He knew that all of this was only the beginning. His days at the ninja academy were still long, and the targets he needed to sign in with went far beyond this.

He touched the roll of bandage with the cute patterns in his ninja tool pouch. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly before he returned to calm.

"Interpersonal relationships really are far more complicated than simple training..."

However, these complicated "bonds" that were gradually being woven did not feel bad.

He looked up at the blue sky over the Hidden Leaf Village, then walked steadily in the direction of the clan compound.

(End of Chapter Four)