35.Memories of Uchiha Kaito

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"Miss Chiri,"

Kaito finally visited the Great Hall of the Castle Tower guarded by Uchiha Chiri.

"Kaito."

Upon seeing Kaito, Uchiha Chiri immediately made her presence known.

"I'm planning to make another trip to Konoha. Miss Chiri, would you like to join me?" Kaito directly stated his intention, "You haven't left this place for a long time, would you like to go out and see?"

"I understand what you intend to do." Uchiha Chiri looked at the young man with a gaze full of affection, "It should be done, at least we need to retrieve what belongs to the Uchiha clan."

"Miss Chiri, please don't look at me with those eyes, I'm already over twenty years old." Kaito felt somewhat uncomfortable, "So, Miss Chiri, would you like to go back with me? This might be our last visit to Konoha."

"Kaito has really grown up." Uchiha Chiri did not let him off easily, "I still remember the first time we met, how cute you were."

"Of course. I was only three years old then, the peak of cuteness." Kaito shamelessly accepted the compliment.

"It's also thanks to Kaito, otherwise, I would have dissipated long ago."

"Where, I am the one who should thank Miss Chiri for your companionship and encouragement."

"I didn't do much."

As the topic reached this point, Kaito couldn't help but recall the past.

It was an abandoned old house located in a secluded part of the clan area where three-year-old Kaito ran to avoid his father's scolding. There, he saw a woman he had never seen before, standing in the house, enveloped in solitude.

"Who is big sister? How come I've never seen you in the clan before?"

The child, with tears still in his eyes, curiously looked at the woman, awakening her thoughts.

She slowly turned her head, didn't answer, just stared blankly at the child's clear, bright eyes.

After a while, her expressionless face strained into a smile.

The young Kaito didn't mind, instead, he was happy to sense a bit of kindness and started talking to the silent 'big sister' about his troubles non-stop.

Kaito's birth had brought misfortune; his weak and sickly mother died from exhaustion after giving birth to him.

His father harbored resentment, never looking at him directly.

Fortunately, there was an older sister in the family, over a decade his senior, who didn't blame him for their mother's death like their father did but instead was very compassionate towards him.

So, until that day arrived, he didn't feel anything was wrong.

Anyway, he didn't like that cold and rigid old man.

With his sister's care, other kind elders in the clan, and a few good friends, he could live happily every day.

Everything took a downturn after he began trying to practice ninjutsu.

It wouldn't have been much of an issue if it was just due to having too little chakra to become a ninja, as there weren't a lack of such individuals in the clan.

The key issue was that Kaito's chakra-insulating physique was too rare, something that had never occurred before.

Because it was so unusual, everyone in the clan became aware of this fact.

Since then, he began receiving odd looks from other clan members.

His friends stopped playing with him, preferring to mock him instead.

And the adults' looks of pity or disdain made him fearful, nearly afraid to leave the house.

His father, Uchiha Shō, as a respected elder in the clan, couldn't stand the sympathy and pity from others, let alone his son becoming such a well-known 'useless' person.

So, he stopped ignoring his child and grew more hateful, scolding him now and then.

This was still moderated because Uchiha Mikoto, who had risen in status due to her engagement to the next clan leader, firmly protected her brother; otherwise, it would have been worse.

Uchiha Chiri was the only person who showed kindness to Kaito during that time, prompting him to confide in her.

After their first meeting, Kaito often sneaked into the abandoned house to spend time with Uchiha Chiri.

Though the elder sister never spoke to him, he felt a long-lost sense of relaxation.

Over time, Uchiha Chiri gradually changed.

Her expression became less rigid, and her smiles more tender, much like the mother Kaito imagined.

Then one day, she spoke.

"Don't be disheartened, Kaito," she gently told the boy in front of her, upset from seeing his friends practice ninjutsu, "You possess a power others do not, a unique talent."

"But I don't have any talent, big sister, you don't need to comfort me," Kaito responded gloomily.

The woman reached out to touch his head, "I'm not lying to you, because only you can see me."

"How is that possible?" Kaito was skeptical.

Uchiha Chiri softly said, "I have been dead for a long time, now just a ghost. Are you afraid, Kaito?"

"No," Kaito shook his head vigorously, "Miss Chiri is so kind, even as a ghost she is a good ghost, she wouldn't harm me."

"Is that so? You're really sweet, Kaito," Uchiha Chiri smiled tenderly, "So, Kaito, there's no need to envy others. You have a talent they never possessed. I was about to dissipate, but it's because I stayed near you that I've recovered."

"Really?" Kaito's eyes twinkled, 

"I knew it, I am not worthless!"

Afterward, Kaito entered a new phase of life.

He became extremely confident, no longer caring about others' views, even believing he was destined for great things.

He proudly told others he could see ghosts, but apart from his sister, no one believed him, leading to many jokes.

From being deemed worthless, he was now labeled a liar.

Despite this, Kaito was unshaken, continually believing in himself with encouragement from Uchiha Chiri.

However, as he grew older, he became completely marginalized within his clan. Apart from his elder sister, Kaito, no one else paid him any mind.

Even though he was smart enough to see the clan's awkward situation within Konoha, no one listened to him.

A person without power doesn't have the right to be heard.

Kaito deeply understood this.

Although he believed in his talent, he couldn't continue to wait aimlessly.

He planned to travel outside, knowing that talent without a method was useless for gaining strength.

He had to find his own path to becoming stronger.

Fortunately, fate was on his side. Before he could embark on his travels, a butterfly spirit accidentally entered his dream.

From then on, he saw a whole new world.

Kaito, brought back from his memories by Uchiha Chiri's unchanged face over the years, again suggested, "Miss Chiri, come with me this time. I might need your help."

"Alright," Uchiha Chiri finally agreed, "Maybe it's good to make a final decision."