In the Hyuga Clan Compound, Hinata continued to hatch the snake egg as usual.
With the continuous nourishment of gentle and pure Spiritual Energy, this already special snake egg underwent visible changes.
The life fluctuations within grew stronger and clearer, to the point where an elegantly coiled tiny silhouette could be vaguely seen.
The three Clones showed unprecedented "enthusiasm" toward this.
Clone A spoke to the eggshell every day as if it were a routine task.
"Brother Egg! Is today the auspicious day for you to break your shell? Give me a sign! Big sis has the melon seeds and stool all ready!"
Clone B, holding her never-disappearing virtual notebook, recorded various "vital sign data" while muttering to herself.
"The Spiritual Energy absorption curve is starting to slow down, the body is nearing completion; the expected hatching window is within the next 48 hours."
Clone C had already used Spiritual Energy to manifest a mini luxury snake nest, several exquisite little toys, and even a set of miniature clothes, calling it "adapting to civilized society in advance."
However, the clothes were a bit strange—they had no sleeves. Hinata felt that if it actually wore them, it would probably look like a ham sausage.
In the afternoon of the next day, a small point of light suddenly lit up inside the nearly transparent shell of the snake egg placed on the central soft cushion.
The light wasn't blinding, but it carried an indescribable agility and vitality.
Immediately after, it began to strike the eggshell.
"It's coming, it's coming! It's about to happen!" Clone A bounced up instantly.
Clone B immediately entered "scientific research recording mode," observing everything.
Clone C also leaned in, while Hinata stopped her movements and watched quietly.
"Crack... Crack..."
The shell gradually couldn't withstand the impact and slowly cracked open, with a milky-white light shining through the gaps.
Finally, a wet, milky-white little head poked out timidly.
It was a small snake with a soft milky-white body, only about the thickness of a finger and a foot long.
Its scales were delicate and smooth, like the finest mutton-fat jade, glowing with a warm luster under the sunlight filtering through the window lattice.
Its eyes were large, filled with the innocence and curiosity of a newborn baby, along with a hint of timidity toward the strange environment.
The little snake struggled to break free from the eggshell, its movements still somewhat clumsy as its milky-white body wriggled amidst the residual egg fluid and shell fragments.
It seemed to have exhausted quite a bit of energy; once out, it coiled into a ball and raised its little head, looking toward the only "familiar person" in the room with a mix of dependence and shyness.
"Wow—!!!" Clone A let out an exaggerated exclamation.
"This is just too... cute, right?! This art style is all wrong! This is nothing like Orochimaru's snakes; this is practically a rising star in the world of adorable pets!"
Clone C's eyes were already shining as she tried to tease the little snake with a small dried fish manifested from Spiritual Energy.
"Come here, little guy, look over here! Are you hungry? Big sister has something yummy!"
The little snake seemed startled by the sudden approach of Clone C's phantom and its head shrank back slightly. But soon, its keen perception allowed it to distinguish that these "people" before it all carried the same aura as that source of warmth.
It hesitated for a moment, cautiously flicking its pink tongue, and then slowly crawled toward the main body of Hinata, as if she possessed a natural attraction.
Its crawling posture was still a bit unpracticed, but its speed wasn't slow. It soon reached Hinata's feet, looked up, and let out an extremely faint, almost inaudible "hiss," its obsidian-like eyes filled with closeness and dependence.
Hinata squatted down and extended her index finger. The little snake immediately nuzzled the tip of her finger affectionately with its cool, smooth little head; the sensation was warm and delicate.
"It seems you really like the Spiritual Energy in my body." Hinata smiled slightly, condensing a strand of extremely gentle Spiritual Energy at her fingertip.
The little snake was like a baby smelling milk; it eagerly approached, carefully absorbing that strand of Spiritual Energy, narrowing its eyes comfortably as its body relaxed into a coil.
The Clones immediately crowded around to watch.
"Alright, since it's hatched, we need to give it a name." Hinata withdrew her finger and looked at the milky-white snake coiled in her palm.
"It's white, how about Bai Yutang? Wuxia style!" Clone A was the first to suggest.
"I feel like my Unit-01 is more appropriate," Clone B said solemnly.
"Too complicated! Call it Milk Cake! It's so fitting!" Clone C insisted on her food-based naming convention.
Hinata looked at the little snake's pure milky-white body and agile black eyes, thought for a moment, and said simply, "Let's just call it Little White."
The quiet room instantly fell silent for a second.
"Huh?!" Clone A was the first to jump up.
"Little White?! main body, are you serious?! Such a spiritual, cute, and high-potential little guy, and you name it Little White?! Even a local dog named Wang Cai next door has more creativity than this!"
Clone C facepalmed: "main body, your naming talent... is it really inversely proportional to your combat power? Little White is way too generic, isn't it?"
Facing the combined roasting from her Clones, Hinata's expression remained unchanged as she gently tapped the little snake's head with her finger: "What do you think? Little White?"
The milky-white little snake seemed to understand; it raised its head, affectionately nuzzled Hinata's finger, and blinked its black eyes as if saying, 'I like it.'
"...Fine, the snake in question has no objection, so I have nothing to say," Clone A grumbled, admitting defeat.
"Sigh, Little White it is then. At least it's better than Unit-01."
Clone C had already accepted reality and began using Spiritual Energy to manifest various mini furniture, enthusiastically planning Little White's "new home."
"Little White-bai, this will be your territory from now on! Look, this is your little bed, these are toys, this is..."
Little White seemed very interested in the things Clone C manifested, curiously poking its head toward them.
Hinata could clearly feel that a wonderful connection had been established between her and Little White.
It wasn't just a relationship between a Spiritual Energy provider and a beneficiary, but more like a contract based on Spiritual Energy.
Little White was very intelligent; it could understand simple commands and emotions, was exceptionally sensitive to Spiritual Energy fluctuations, and seemed to truly possess some basic communication or information transmission capability.
It would occasionally raise its little head and "gaze" in a certain direction; that was likely the connection Orochimaru had mentioned. It could perceive things, but since it was just born, it should be usable in a couple of days.
"Alright, Little White, you'll be following me from now on," Hinata said softly.
Little White immediately abandoned those illusory things and quickly swam back to Hinata's side, crawling up her arm and finally coiling obediently around her wrist like an exquisite milky-white jade bracelet, with only those agile eyes observing its surroundings.
Hinata felt the cool and reassuring touch of Little White on her wrist; its appearance was quite beautiful, and it was pleasing to the eye to look at occasionally.
Little White coiled peacefully around its master's wrist, absorbing the Spiritual Energy emanating from Hinata.
Its eyes were filled with curiosity about this world and total trust in the powerful and gentle master beside it.
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