Uchiha Mikoto

By the time Qingyun and Minato Namikaze returned to their lodgings in the Forest of Death, it was late at night. Their eyes were glazed over, and neither had any inclination to train. Like people who had gone centuries without sleep, they returned to their own beds and fell asleep the moment they lay down.

Going shopping with women really was terrifying. Whenever Qingyun remembered the shopkeepers' gazes cutting into his back like knives, he wanted to flee the place.

The night passed uneventfully. Qingyun and Minato Namikaze slept until dawn and woke the next morning feeling refreshed. After running through a set of Tai Chi Fist, they began preparing lunch.

Today was the first day of school, so Qingyun naturally had to show Iruka Umino some respect. If he failed to show up even on the first day, he feared Iruka Umino would come after him with a blade, though Iruka Umino might not actually be a match for him...

After preparing their food, Qingyun and Minato Namikaze walked into the Ninja Academy side by side. Along the way, adults in small groups kept giving their children reminders.

Clearly, it was time for another year's new students to enroll. Hiruzen Sarutobi would undoubtedly take the stage later to deliver his words of wisdom.

Ignoring the noisy crowd, Qingyun and Minato Namikaze headed straight for their classroom. As usual, they sat down by the window, then stared absently at the sky outside.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm very happy to see you all again. Judging by how lively you look, you all had a good vacation.

"All right, a transfer student will be joining our class today. Let's give her a round of applause!"

With that, he called out to someone beyond the door.

Hearing Iruka Umino, the person outside entered the classroom and stood at the front, smiling at everyone. "Hello, everyone. My name is Uchiha Mikoto. I like three-colored dango and dislike bitter food. My dream is for my family and me to live happily forever. I'm very happy to be your classmate."

When Qingyun saw a girl in Uchiha clan attire enter the classroom, a moment's thought told him what the Uchiha Clan intended. He sneered inwardly, then turned away and stopped looking at the girl at the front.

Yet after hearing her introduction, Qingyun suddenly raised his head and studied her carefully. This girl had such a gentle expression and soft voice that she hardly seemed like a member of the Uchiha Clan. His pupils narrowed slightly.

Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Fugaku's wife, mother of that oh-so-filial son, Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha Clan really is going all out! Aren't they afraid that if I steal Uchiha Mikoto away, those two sons will never be born?

Even if Uchiha Sasuke is Indra's reincarnated chakra and is bound to appear, what about that other oh-so-filial son, Itachi? If Itachi is never born, this era's reincarnation of Indra will probably have to train for a long time before awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Kushina had been watching Qingyun all along. When he abruptly turned toward Uchiha Mikoto with an unusual expression on his face, she immediately pouted and glared at him, her eyes blazing.

At the same time, she felt a flicker of hostility toward this girl she had never met.

Noticing someone watching him, Qingyun turned and found Kushina glaring at him with fire in her eyes. He froze for a moment, then felt amused. Shaking his head, he said softly, "I was just curious that the Uchiha would go to such lengths and arrange for a gifted girl to approach me. There's nothing else to it."

He recalled what he knew about Uchiha Mikoto: the youngest daughter of the Uchiha Clan's fourth elder, bright and quick-witted since childhood, deeply cherished by her father, and the dream girl of her generation in the Uchiha Clan.

Kushina was delighted by Qingyun's words, but outwardly she gave a cold snort. "Like whoever you want. Why explain it to me? Hmph."

Seeing Kushina say the opposite of what she meant, Qingyun shook his head with a chuckle.

An adult soul lay hidden within Qingyun's body, and he understood perfectly well what Kushina's recent change in attitude meant. But first, they were both still young. What would making their relationship official accomplish? They would still train and play together every day, just as they did now. At most, they would be a little closer than before.

Second, Qingyun was still unsure whether Kushina's attitude toward him came from gratitude for the time he had saved her or whether she truly liked him. If it was the former, he did not want to accept it. If it was the latter, he would let things take their natural course.

Third, Qingyun's ultimate goal was to find a way home. Though he did not know whether he could achieve it, he would spend his whole life trying. Once he left, could he take Kushina with him? Qingyun did not know. That was also why he rarely considered romance.

Nor did he casually flirt with girls. If Qingyun wanted to, his experience of the internet explosion in his previous life, coupled with his adult soul, would give him the confidence to win over even Tsunade, let alone the young girls at school. He simply did not want to do that.

After finishing her introduction, Uchiha Mikoto kept her eyes on Qingyun. Before she came, her father had told her what her task was: persuade Qingyun to return to the clan.

She was intensely curious about what made Qingyun so appealing that the clan had taken the initiative to send her to the Ninja Academy and have her become a registered ninja of the village.

The clever Uchiha Mikoto had long known about the conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan. Precisely because of that, she was all the more curious about how Qingyun had managed to bring things to this point.

Yet after offering Kushina a brief explanation, Qingyun turned to look out the window, as though there were something fascinating outside.

Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto suppressed her urge to speak to Qingyun immediately and headed toward Kushina's seat. She could tell that Qingyun and Kushina knew each other well. She had seen their conversation just now, and clever as she was, she quickly worked out where to start.

The best way to deal with someone covered in thorns was to work from the inside. She would become friends with Kushina...

"Hello, may I sit here?"

Uchiha Mikoto came over to Kushina and smiled at her.

Kushina had wanted to refuse, but looking at Uchiha Mikoto's gentle smile, she could not bring herself to say it. She merely gave a slight nod.

"Thank you. My name is Uchiha Mikoto. What's yours?"

As she spoke, she kept her eyes on Kushina, only casting a glance at Qingyun from the corner of her eye.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you."

Kushina smiled faintly and introduced herself, but that was all. She completely ignored Minato Namikaze, who stood nearby looking as though he wanted to speak, and Qingyun, who was not paying attention to them.

Uchiha Mikoto did not mind that Kushina had not introduced Minato Namikaze or Qingyun. She reached out and clasped Kushina's hand briefly, and the two girls began whispering to each other.

Although Qingyun was not watching them, he heard the conversation behind him and sighed inwardly. Women! Young or old, they're all fickle. She was hostile toward her just a moment ago, and now they're as close as best friends.

Ignoring the two of them, Qingyun stared absently outside, his thoughts wandering at random.

Qingyun was already thoroughly familiar with everything taught at the Ninja Academy. It made no difference whether he listened to the lessons. If today had not been the first day of school, he would never have come.

After finally enduring until class ended, Qingyun said a quick word to Kushina and Minato Namikaze. Ignoring Uchiha Mikoto's gaze, he took his lunchbox and headed outside.

Just as Qingyun was about to eat, three figures blocked his path. He looked up and saw Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Yungang, and Uchiha Yunshan.

"Need something? Or are you looking for a fight?"

Qingyun frowned slightly and looked calmly at Uchiha Fugaku, who stood at the front.

"Don't misunderstand. One reason I came here was to bring Uchiha Yungang and Uchiha Yunshan to apologize to you. I'm very sorry for the trouble they caused you before, and I hope you can forgive them."

Seeing Qingyun's presence begin to intensify, Uchiha Fugaku hurriedly spoke.

Qingyun paused at his words, then stopped circulating his internal force. He glanced at the brothers, Uchiha Yungang and Uchiha Yunshan, and said flatly, "There's no need to apologize. As long as they don't go looking for death again, I won't target either of them. Finished? If you are, move aside and don't disturb my meal."

"Wait, Qingyun. There's one more favor I'd like to ask. Mikoto is a very gentle girl. With your intelligence, you've probably already figured out why she came here!

"She's only doing this because she was ordered to. Please don't be angry with Mikoto. If—if she does anything wrong, I hope you'll come to me instead of making trouble for her."

When Uchiha Fugaku saw Qingyun turn away, he immediately grew anxious and hurriedly stated the main reason he had come to see Qingyun today.

Qingyun stopped in his tracks at those words. Without turning around, he said evenly, "As long as she doesn't cross my bottom line, I won't do anything to her. You're worrying too much."

With that, he headed straight for a shady spot without looking back, opened his lunchbox, and began eating with relish.