"That's right, Obito, that's how it is."
Shinji shrugged and winked at Rin, clearly implying: This is our little secret.
Nohara Rin felt a warmth in her heart. She caught Shinji's meaningful glance, and that peculiar sensation welled up inside her once more.
She couldn't help but feel that Shinji was different today—especially more proactive toward her.
If Shinji knew what she was thinking, he'd probably chuckle to himself.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about Nohara Rin before; it was simply that he had been too preoccupied with internal and external troubles.
His own strength was lacking, and being part of the Uchiha clan—a family entangled in karma—only added to his burdens. Now, he had even been sent to the front lines by the clan head.
But now, with the System, he believed his strength could improve rapidly. Moreover, he needed to actively build relationships.
He had a kind heart. Since everything was moving in a positive direction, he could genuinely offer Nohara Rin a warm and stable home.
"So that's how it was?" Obito muttered to himself for a moment before hurriedly apologizing to Rin. "Sorry, Rin! I—I was just worried he might bully you!"
Nohara Rin slowly let out a sigh of relief. "Obito, next time, listen to our explanation properly."
Her cheeks flushed slightly. Although she didn't think there was any need to deliberately hide things, this secretive feeling still made her a bit uneasy.
Obito patted his chest, puffing up indignantly. "Damn that pit! I'll fill it up right away!"
With that, he immediately turned to run inside, intending to find a shovel to bury the hole.
Nohara Rin quickly reached out to stop him.
She still had a mission to attend to—Minato-sensei was waiting for her and Obito!
"Wait, Obito, Minato-sensei told us to gather." She glanced at Shinji again, pursing her lips. "Let's fill the pit another time! We need to gather right away!"
"Minato-sensei is looking for us?" Obito paused mid-step. "In that case, let's hurry to the gathering point!"
Obito urged Rin to leave quickly, then shot a somewhat wary look at Shinji, saying rather smugly:
"Well, we're off then, Shinji. You can head back!"
He deliberately emphasized the word "we," hinting that he and Rin were part of the same team!
Nohara Rin also lowered her gaze and whispered softly, "Then... we'll go gather first."
"Shinji, see you next time."
Shinji ignored Obito's provocation beside him, simply smiling and waving at her. "Rin, see you next time!"
Rin and Obito then turned and walked toward the outskirts of the Uchiha clan grounds.
On the way, Rin's steps slowed slightly. An unexpected reluctance welled up in her heart—she just wanted to spend a little more time with Shinji.
"Next time we meet... will I still be able to hold Shinji's hand?"
"No, how can I think like that? Calm down, calm down."
She gently patted her flushed cheeks, trying to suppress the fluttering in her heart.
Obito found this strange and tilted his head to ask, "What's wrong, Rin?"
Rin averted her gaze, forcing herself to appear composed. "N-nothing! Really, it's nothing!"
Obito scratched his head, not dwelling on it further, and soon suggested enthusiastically, "Hey Rin, let's go eat Ichiraku Ramen together later!"
Rin fell silent for a moment, her tone carrying a hint of hesitation. "Sorry, Obito, I have something to attend to later."
Obito: "..."
...
Watching Rin's figure disappear around the street corner, Shinji also turned and began walking slowly toward his home.
As he walked, he silently chanted in his mind, attempting to open the System Panel with his thoughts.
He had originally intended to check the Shop first to see if there was anything worth exchanging, but as soon as his gaze swept over the Quest Log, a new message popped up.
"Side Quest Name: Encouragement"
"After Nohara Rin left, she felt reluctant to part with the host. Her budding emotions left her at a loss; appropriate guidance and companionship are key."
"Quest Content: Within seven days, hold Nohara Rin's hand again for no less than thirty minutes!"
"Quest Reward: 100,000 Points, A-rank Gift Box x1"
After reading the quest details, Shinji couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a faint smile.
It seemed Rin's heart was already beginning to waver.
However, he quickly remembered that he would soon be heading to the front lines.
"Seven days... If I really go to the front lines, this side quest will be impossible to complete. Fortunately, the quest isn't mandatory."
Shinji pondered how to complete the quest.
"Shinji, is that you?"
A familiar voice reached his ears. Shinji paused for a moment before quickly turning toward the sound, temporarily setting aside the side quest.
"Uncle Jukai, you're back?"
He saw Uchiha Jukai pushing a small cart, heading in the direction of home.
"Perfect timing. I brought you some fruit. Take it!" Jukai insisted, handing over a bag of fruit.
"This... this is too kind of you."
"Just take it, no need to be polite!"
"Well then, thank you, Uncle Jukai."
Shinji stopped refusing and accepted it.
"Shinji, you've grown quite a bit taller," Jukai remarked, looking him over with a smile.
"Haha, thank you for the compliment!"
The two chatted as they walked side by side toward home.
A long-absent gentle smile appeared on Shinji's face.
Although Uchiha Jukai was from the Uchiha clan, he wasn't a shinobi. Instead, he ran a small business, living an ordinary life as a villager.
He lived near Shinji's home, and Uncle Jukai had helped him out many times when he was young.
And there were many, many Uchiha like him.
Thinking of this, Shinji couldn't help but recall Obito and Itachi.
The two greatest traitors of the Uchiha clan.
First, Obito.
Although Shinji sympathized with his pain over losing Rin, he also clearly knew that deep down, this guy was an extremely selfish person.
When Rin died, he wanted to drag the entire world down with him, all to create a false world where Rin existed.
And the first people he betrayed were Minato Namikaze and his wife, who had trusted him completely and treated him like their own.
He didn't even realize that the true mastermind behind Rin's death and everything that happened was actually Madara Uchiha, the one who had saved him.
Although this tragedy hadn't happened yet, Shinji couldn't bring himself to approve of Obito's future actions.
Thus, his relationship with Obito could only remain superficial, never truly close.
As for Uchiha Itachi, he was even more extreme.
The clan was planning a coup, and tensions with the village were escalating.
His approach to solving problems was simple and brutal: since the contradictions couldn't be reconciled, he would just kill everyone who created them.
If I kill the entire clan, the conflict between the Uchiha and the village will naturally disappear.
That was Itachi's logic.
"But ordinary clansmen like Uncle Jukai, how innocent they are."
Shinji sighed softly in his heart.
"Most likely, he's already been brainwashed by his own 'greater good,' believing everything he does is right, and he won't listen to anyone else."
"Why can't you just take out Fugaku and all the war hawks? That would settle it!"
After parting ways with Uncle Jukai, Shinji went straight home. After showering, he lay back in bed, focused his thoughts, and summoned the System Shop interface. Staring at the remaining six items, he fell into deep contemplation.