Chapter 12: The Rabbit of the Zodiac

Chapter 12: The Rabbit of the Zodiac

This decision had been long contemplated by Uchiha Hikaru.

In this era, she was an unregistered resident, alone and without a home to return to. Although she could ask the Third Hokage for a temporary place to stay, Uchiha Hikaru had just unleashed a tirade in the illusionary space and was not keen on swallowing her pride now.

Thus, the best solution was to move directly into Naruto's home.

She was somewhat familiar with the environment here, which would also make it convenient to fulfill Minato Namikaze's request.

"My old friend's mission rewards should still amount to quite a bit, right? Could you please withdraw a portion of that as my meal expenses for this period?"

Uchiha Hikaru continued with her demands: "Also, when you barged in earlier, you broke these two windows. Remember to have someone fix them quickly, or it will be impossible to sleep peacefully once the temperature drops at night... The repair costs should come out of your own accounts, no problem, right?"

"..."

Faced with Uchiha Hikaru's aggressive demands, several members of the Anbu showed signs of discontent.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also had a stern expression but eventually nodded: "I will make the necessary arrangements."

The discussion was over.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know how to continue staying in this situation, leaving Naruto with a message, "Grandpa has some matters to attend to, I'll visit you another day," before hastily leaving with the Anbu.

It was only then.

Uchiha Hikaru stretched lazily, her demeanor completely relaxed. With this movement, the curves of the young girl's slender and flexible figure were faintly outlined by her deep blue, Warring States period-style battle attire, revealing her arms as white as jade lotus roots.

"Yawn——"

Releasing the Tsukuyomi was not entirely without pressure for her.

Due to the consumption of her ocular powers, her eyes were sore, similar to the feeling after staring at a computer screen for several hours. It was uncomfortable, but compared to Uchiha Itachi, who would bleed from his eyes after just a slight use of his ocular powers, it was much better.

Uchiha Hikaru began to massage her temples to ease the eye pressure while starting to inspect Naruto's single-room apartment.

"Hmm... The space is decent, should be no problem accommodating two people. Besides needing to repaint the walls, the fridge is a bit old, best to replace it with a new one, and also the tables and chairs..."

"Um..."

Naruto, observing Uchiha Hikaru moving around the room, cautiously asked, "Sister Hikaru, are you really planning to stay here? And what you said earlier to Grandpa, what does it mean? I think I heard my name mentioned..."

"Hmm... Actually, the friend I mentioned earlier is your father."

"!"

Naruto was stunned by this sudden revelation and couldn't react for a moment.

A few seconds later, he suddenly sprang up, eagerly grabbing Uchiha Hikaru's clothes, looking up at her with hope, "Hey! Hey! Sister Hikaru, what kind of person was my dad, where did he go, why has he never come to see me..."

"Sorry, due to certain agreements, I can't tell you who he is for now."

Uchiha Hikaru calmly adjusted her clothes without revealing anything, then made a shushing gesture, patiently comforting the young boy in front of her: "But don't worry, from today onwards, as long as I'm in this village, I'll take care of you on his behalf.

As for those villagers outside, if your Grandpa keeps his word, they shouldn't verbally abuse you anymore. However, the behind-the-back slander and indifference will probably continue... A bunch of mediocrities, their opinions don't matter, just ignore them."

After a pause, Uchiha Hikaru added, "By the way, I forgot to ask, you don't mind me staying here for a few days, do you? If you do, I can find another place."

"...Of course not!"

Naruto, at heart, was still a child afraid of loneliness.

Although the situation was somewhat beyond his understanding, he agreed immediately.

Uchiha Hikaru casually ruffled Naruto's hair, took a tour of the room to note down the furniture that needed replacing or repairing, then glanced at the wall clock, "It's almost noon, you should still have some money, right? I'll go out to buy some groceries and cook lunch." 

...

"Hokage-sama, that girl..."

On the street outside the single-room apartment.

Shinobu looked worriedly at his father.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before issuing an order calmly, "Inform the Anbu, strictly seal off the explosion that occurred last night and today's events. Also... elevate all matters concerning Miss Uchiha Hikaru to the highest level of secrecy. All information should be reported directly to me without going through anyone else."

"...Yes."

Shinobu hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "The illusion technique that girl used on you earlier, could it..."

"Don't worry, she didn't influence my mind."

Sarutobi Hiruzen explained, then looked back at Naruto's residence, his expression inscrutable, "It's hard to say whether her arrival is a blessing or a curse for Konoha..."

...

The Anbu's efficiency was commendable.

That very afternoon, after speaking with Sarutobi Hiruzen, someone came to repair the windows.

By the next morning, when it was still dim outside.

The Anbu delivered a batch of furniture to Naruto's home, along with bedding, vegetables, fruits, and a bankbook with a substantial amount, all handed over to Uchiha Hikaru.

"This is from the Third Hokage, saying it's the inheritance from that person..."

The messenger was a purple-haired female ninja wearing a rabbit mask, her face obscured, but her voice sounded young, probably around fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Starting today, I will serve as your assistant in Konoha. If you have any orders, or messages for the Third Hokage, please let me know, and I will do my best to serve you."

"Hmm..."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded slightly.

It seemed Sarutobi Hiruzen did not intend to completely remove surveillance on Naruto, nor did he plan to stop monitoring her, merely changing the form slightly, under the guise of an "assistant".

Uchiha Hikaru was indifferent to this.

Konoha could not possibly leave the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails unattended. And she had no intention of causing another Nine-Tails incident.

As long as the Anbu knew their limits, this arrangement could actually ease the tension between them, preventing the Third from making unnecessary assumptions and causing both sides to be on edge.

"What's your name?"

Uchiha Hikaru looked at the purple-haired female ninja, feeling a sense of familiarity.

"Uzuki."

The female ninja hesitated before adding, "You can also call me by my real name, Uzuki Yuyan. You're new here, so you might not be familiar with Konoha. I can serve as your guide. If you need to shop for clothes, I can accompany you."

"Oh."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded, signaling the Anbu to start moving, "Bring everything in, I'll tell you where to put it."

(End of Chapter)