Civilian District.
After parting ways with Kurenai Yuhi, Shinji first returned home to drop off his belongings before heading straight here.
This area was close to the Ninja Academy, far from the clan compounds of the major ninja families, quiet and peaceful. Nohara Rin's home was situated in this ordinary residential neighborhood.
Her house was a modest two-story wooden building with off-white exterior walls. The yard wasn't particularly spacious, with a few ordinary potted plants neatly arranged in the corner, giving off an atmosphere of stability and order.
Shinji approached and gently knocked on the door.
The door soon opened, and a middle-aged woman peered out, looking at him with some surprise. "Who are you?"
Seeing her features, which bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Rin's, Shinji immediately had his answer.
"Could this be Rin's mother?"
He straightened his clothes and nodded politely. "Hello, Auntie. I'm here to see Rin. My name is Uchiha Shinji."
"Uchiha?"
Megumi Nohara softly repeated the name, as if suddenly remembering something, and her face immediately broke into a warm smile. "Hello, hello. I'm Rin's mother, Megumi Nohara. Please come in and sit. Rin is upstairs—I'll go call her."
Shinji nodded in acknowledgment and followed her inside, taking a seat on the sofa.
Megumi Nohara turned and headed up to the second floor, calling out as she went, "Rin-chan~"
"What is it, Mom?" came Rin's clear voice from upstairs.
"Someone is here to see you! He says his name is Shinji!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a small flurry of commotion could be heard from the second floor, followed by the quick, light patter of footsteps rushing down the stairs.
The moment Rin appeared in the living room, Shinji's eyes unconsciously brightened a little.
Today, she wasn't wearing her usual face paint, looking relaxed and at home. She wore a light off-white knitted cardigan that draped gently just above her knees. As she moved, a glimpse of her pale, slender calves showed.
Just like this—today's Rin was still adorable.
"Shinji, what brings you here?"
Nohara Rin reached up to smooth her stray strands of hair, her cheeks slightly flushed. On previous occasions when it had gotten late, he had only ever walked her to her doorstep. This was the first time he had formally visited her home.
"I have a mission tomorrow," Shinji said. "Before I leave, I wanted you to accompany me somewhere. Are you free now?"
Rin's eyes curved slightly as she nodded vigorously. "Of course! Shinji, wait for me a moment—I'll go change my clothes."
With that, she quickly ran back upstairs.
Megumi Nohara came over with a cup of hot tea, her eyes taking on a somewhat peculiar look as she watched her daughter. She handed the teacup to Shinji and smiled, gesturing toward the upstairs. "I'll go check on that child. Please sit for a while."
Shinji accepted the teacup and nodded in thanks. Soon after, the conversation between the mother and daughter upstairs came down clearly.
"That Shinji boy is quite handsome. What exactly is your relationship?"
"F-friends, that's all!"
"Lately, you've been coming home so late every day. Have you been with him?"
"Mom! Don't ask so many questions!"
"Are you two going on a date later?"
"I'm not telling you!"
Shinji silently took a sip of tea, inwardly sighing softly.
The soundproofing in Rin's house didn't seem to be very good.
But this is just too perfect.
A quarter of an hour later, Megumi Nohara stood at the doorway, smiling and waving at the two. "Rin, come home early, okay?"
She even winked specifically at Shinji.
Nohara Rin's cheeks flushed hot, and she quickly grabbed Shinji's arm, wanting to escape this "socially awkward situation" as fast as possible.
Shinji suddenly lowered his head, leaning close to her ear with a hint of a mischievous grin. "Just now, downstairs... I heard everything."
Rin's face instantly turned completely red, her ears burning hot.
He heard everything? It's all Mom's fault!
Her lips trembled slightly, unable to utter a word, looking utterly flustered.
Shinji chuckled softly, gently took her hand, and quickly led her away.
...
The Forest of Death.
"Shinji, why did you bring me here?"
Nohara Rin looked at him in surprise. She had thought their meeting before the mission would be an ordinary date, never expecting to come to this Forest of Death, a place symbolizing danger and trials.
The Sharingan in Shinji's eyes slowly spun, its crimson tomoe silently scanning the surroundings, confirming there was no tracking or spying.
"Rin, trust me."
His tone was unusually solemn, his gaze fixed on Rin.
Rin was slightly taken aback but nodded gently.
She didn't know what Shinji was planning, but she had always trusted him completely, without reservation.
The two easily climbed over the wire fence isolating the forest from the outside world, delving deep until they reached Shinji's secret base hidden in the heart of the forest.
The oil lamps on the walls were lit one by one, their dim yellow light illuminating the cramped space. Rin curiously looked around, her nose twitching slightly as she caught a faint, elusive scent of disinfectant, finding it strange.
"Summoning Technique!"
A puff of blue smoke exploded, and a sturdy Ninja Crow flapped its wings, landing steadily on Shinji's shoulder. It tilted its head, examining the girl before it.
"Sharingan?"
Rin instinctively gasped.
She saw the Sharingan in the crow's eyes, just like Kakashi's.
In the next moment, countless fragmented details connected wildly in her mind.
The Sharingan, the Ninja Crow, organ transplantation, Medical Ninjutsu, the recent undercurrents within the Uchiha clan—all the clues instantly pieced together into a complete picture.
"Shinji, you...!"
She understood much, but it only made her heart pound even harder.
Shinji gently stroked the Ninja Crow's feathers, his voice low and earnest:
"I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow. I want to leave you a protective charm."
"I plan to give you this Sharingan."
Once he departed tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to stay by Rin's side at all times.
He didn't dare gamble on the chance that Rin might be captured by Madara Uchiha while he was away on the mission—it would be too late by then.
"This Sharingan can save your life in your most dangerous moments."
Rin fell silent.
So, all he's been doing lately... was for me?
"I don't know why you're doing this, but I trust you."
She looked up at him, her eyes moist yet unwavering. "What can I do for you?"
"Don't resist."
Shinji smiled faintly, the Sharingan in his eyes spinning once more.
A silent Genjutsu instantly unfolded.
Rin's gaze went blank, her consciousness sinking into a tranquil illusion.
"Go."
He lightly patted the Ninja Crow's head.
A flash of black feathers, and the crow transformed into a shadow, flying straight toward Rin, slipping through her lips and disappearing into her abdomen.
Shinji's hands swiftly formed Hand Seals, his palms gently covering her soft lower abdomen.
"Sealing Jutsu: Transcription—Seal!"
A crimson light bloomed from his palm, firmly sealing both the Ninja Crow and that crucial Sharingan within her body.
A ninja's abdomen was originally a vessel capable of containing immense power. If tailed beasts could be sealed, then a Ninja Crow carrying Ocular Power naturally could as well.
In this way, whenever Rin's life faced a fatal threat, the Ninja Crow would also be drawn into the crisis, automatically triggering Izanagi to forcibly rewrite reality and pull her back from the brink of death.
The crimson light of the seal gradually dissipated, leaving a faint triangular mark on her lower abdomen before it faded into her skin and vanished.
Rin's body went limp as she lost consciousness and fell.
Shinji immediately reached out, steadily catching her in his arms.
"This should do it."
He gently lifted her legs, cradling her horizontally in his arms, carefully carried her to the camp bed, and slowly laid her down.
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